Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with tennis

Teach an old Terrier new doubles tennis tricks, please.

Napoleonic Terrier — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 12:16:28 -0800

Any good web pages/videos describing tennis doubles strategy in depth? Years after playing competitive tennis in high school, I have returned (pun intended). I now know I know nothing about doubles strategy--does the hive know of good webpages or videos? A search of usta.com didn't yield what I'm hoping to find, such as 'chalkboard' illustrations of where to position one's self in a variety of situations, suggested techniques, etc., all collected together.

Thanks in advance!

Awesome shoes that don't make my knee hurt! Please!?!

roxiesmom — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 14:50:23 -0800

Best shoes for a P.E. teacher with a bad knee. I am a P.E. and am on my feet all day (obviously, lol). I have had 3 knee surgeries on my left knee, one for a torn ACL, the second was for torn Meniscus (have no Meniscus on Lateral side of my knee), and the last for to remove my Medial Meniscus and repair my ACL again.

This makes things difficult in finding shoes, I need shoes that are not going to hurt my knee and not make my feet hurt. It seems as though I can find some that do not hurt my knee but never some that do not make my feet hurt.

Since I am a P.E. teacher the shoes need to be sporty shoes (tennis shoes). Any suggestions on the best brand/style of shoes that would be good for my bad knee. I have already tried to expensive Dr. Scholl's insert at Wal-Mart and they make my knee hurt. I currently have Adidas brand Micro-bounce shoes.

I have no insurance so I can't go to a foot doctor or anything like that. But I should have insurance within the next year if that matters.

Will the cheese in my fridge outlast a pair of Pumas?

blueberry — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 17:28:31 -0800

Am I expecting too much from a pair of Puma sneakers? I recently got some brown and yellow Pumas and liked them. However, a couple of days ago—about 7 weeks to the day since getting them—enough of the tread is gone that a hole has formed in the air-filled "cell" heel. Now I get that squishy "fsshhh" sound each time I put my left foot down.

This is my first pair of Pumas (and I was planning on buying more in the future), but are they not for everyday use or something? Should I have only been wearing these indoors on carpet? I'm a student, so I walk between classes and around downtown a bit, but it's not like I've been cross-training on broken glass.

Fellow Puma-wearers—especially those Pumas with the air-filled "cell" heel (this not my shoe, but you can see a similar example here)—do you usually get more than 7 weeks from your Pumas? Or was this pair just perhaps defective?

Possible to watch US Open tennis matches online after the fact?

betsbillabong — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 22:00:27 -0800

I missed the women's semi-finals of the U.S. Open tonight, and would like to watch it on my computer, if possible. Does anyone know how I can do this? I looked on the usopen.org site, but I didn't see anything. Thanks, BB

How do they determine bad tennis balls?

dhruva — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 18:17:41 -0800

What do tennis players look for when they check the balls before serving? I'm watching the US Open, and players invariably check the balls, and reject some just by looking at it. What are the signs of (of presumably bad balls ) that they're looking for?

Seeking Cambridge Big Screens to Watch Serena Et Al

foxy_hedgehog — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 07:19:36 -0800

Boston/Cambridge US Open Filter. Dear neighbors, I'm getting into watching the US Open and would love to watch the upcoming final matches on a big screen at a pleasant local saloon. Any suggestions for a bar that shows -- or is likely to show -- the matches? I'm in Inman, so prefer Cambridge, but am also feeling open-minded. If anyone wants to join me we can make it a pre-meetup mini-meetup. Thanks for any suggestions.

need a new sweet spot

minkll — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 20:51:35 -0800

Where can I get a tennis racquet restrung in nyc? Looking for someone who could turn it around in a day or two. Downtown, preferably.

Going to the US Open

dcrocha — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 23:46:16 -0800

I want to go to the US Open to watch Federer and Nadal play in the first rounds, but I don't know when they will play, and the web site doesn't help much. Help me! I'm thinking about going to the U.S. Open Tennis Championship in September. I have no intention of watching the semis or the finals since tickets are too expensive and the best ones are taken anyway. My plan is to purchase tickets for the first rounds so I can see Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal play. However I just read at US Open website that it's impossible to know what time the players will be in action until the night before the matches.

I know that the the numbers 1 and 2 in the ranking play in different days, so Roger will play in the first day and Nadal in the second (in case they keep their positions until there). My plan is then was to purchase tickets for both days so I can see both, and watch the rest on TV. However when I went to purchase the tickets, I noticed that there are two sessions: morning and evening. My thought was that the top-ranked players would play in the evening session, but looking at the 2008 schedule I found out this is not true (Federer played 11:00AM and Nadal 7:00PM in different days).

Any advice the hivemind can give me on what to do if I want to see the two greatest players in the world without having to spend two full days at the stadium? I love Tennis but the wife only wants to see Nadal :|

New Tennis Technology

corpse — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 17:56:29 -0800

What's new in tennis racquet technology? I've played tennis off and on for the last 15 years. For the last several years I've been playing in a weekly league, but I've been using the same racquet that I had in high school; a Prince Michael Chang Graphite Longbody. I have a Chang Titanium as my backup in case of a string break, but I've never really had to use it and never really liked the feel of it. I haven't been keeping up with equipment in awhile, but was wondering what is new in tennis racquet technology these days? Is anything worth a demo? Or should I just stick with my current one until it breaks in half (which it may very well do if I toss it around much more).

What is the best eye protection for tennis players?

cheapskatebay — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 13:15:17 -0800

What is the best eye protection for tennis players? I'll be taking my first tennis lesson in a week. I'm excited but I also want to be sure I protect my eyes as much as possible.

Is there a type of goggles available in prescription form (or that covers glasses) that would be particularly suitable for tennis? Something more fashionable than my old Rec Specs would be ideal, but safety is my primary concern.

There seems to be a fair number of options when I've searched the internet for tennis eye protection, but a lot of the racquet-sport goggles seem to be marketed for squash, not tennis. If some or all of the racquet-sport goggles are suitable for tennis, great; if there's anything specifically good for tennis, I'd also be interested in learning that.

Good websites for tennis stats

peacheater — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 11:42:34 -0800

What are good websites for tennis statistics? What's a good website for search-able tennis stats? For instance, I was looking for a complete list of Rafael Nadal's (pro-) career losses. Where should I go for something like that? I googled but couldn't find anything with search-able stats.

(Asking for a friend)

How to make tennis balls on a walker take a licking and keep on ticking?

Syllables — Fri, 29 May 2009 22:36:33 -0800

How to I stop tennis balls on a walker from wearing out so darn quickly? I work in a group home for people who have a variety of handicaps. One of my little lovelies is amublatory with the help of a walker. The problem is the tennis balls on the back are wearing completely through within a week.

The budgets are tight and we are looking for clever ideas to make the balls last just a bit longer. Any ideas you ultra smarties?

Need to get in hot water in San Jose

Napoleonic Terrier — Sun, 03 May 2009 19:12:35 -0800

Suggestions for an athletic club in the South Bay, preferably San Jose?---must offer tennis, swimming, and most importantly, a hot tub/jacuzzi that's great and at least 102 degrees Fahrenheit. All anecdotes, horror stories, etc. about any South Bay facility are most welcome. Thanks.

Help me watch Federer live!

swapspace — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 05:51:43 -0800

If all goes well, will Federer play in the first or second Australian open semi? Asking for a friend:

I'm planning to attend a semifinal in the Australian Open. I want to see Federer but can't really figure out whether he will be in the 1st semifinal or the second one.

Possible lineups:
Federer vs Djokovic
Nadal vs Murray

Please point me to some future schedule based on possible lineups.

Tell me about tennis star Edward Fischer

Flying Saucer — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 10:20:34 -0800

I'm looking for information about early twentieth century tennis player Edward Fischer, who suffered a mental breakdown and ended up in Bellevue Hospital. I have searched every combination of "edward fischer" and "tennis" and found very little. Does anyone have information about his life and/or his tennis accomplishments?

Online info would be ideal, but I'll take anything at this point.

Thanks.

Need Buy a Wilson

curiousleo — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 15:40:10 -0800

Help~ I need to buy Wilson Factor K Three (3) Tennis Racket by Monday night. I am in Central Los Angeles Area. I am not sure exact model name... but it is Wilson brand K Factor Three or something similar. It is preparable to be 4 1/4 inch grip. I need to have the racket by Monday night so I can take it and fly out on tuesday morning. It is a specifically asked gift. Help me find it.

Thank you

Tennis training aids? Do they work?

isoman2kx — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 09:15:09 -0800

What's everyone's experience with tennis training aids? Have any actually worked for you and helped improve your game? I have bad habits in a little bit of everywhere, but particularly my serve. I realize that sure I could just try to completely re-design my serve and start from scratch, but I'm hoping there is something that could significantly help me with my serve and particularly serving into the correct service court and not 80 ft out of bounds.

Any suggestions/advice would be very much appreciated. The only conditions would be that the item of choice not be above $50 and that I'd like advice on any tennis items that have been helpful for you... although I do lean towards items that have helped your serve

Game, set and match

jontyjago — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 00:47:47 -0800

Serving an ace aside, what are the advantages of serving in tennis? Why is it so hard to break a serve? Being a tennis noob and having watched a few games at Wimbledon this year, I'm wondering why most players hold their service game. Aside from scoring an ace, there is clearly some tactical advantage in serving even when a rally starts. Given the speed, returning a serve must be harder than a ball in a rally but what is happens once the rally starts, that servers generally win their serve?

Orthotics and Tennis

charlesv — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 09:41:11 -0800

Orthotics and tennis shoes? I am a novice tennis player. I have sesamoiditis due in part to high arches. To help with this, I wear orthotics .

My problem is that they do not want to stay put in my tennis shoe. They are stable laterally, so they do not slide side-to-side, but they slide forward. My orthotics are only partly rigid plastic, so the front part, which is a softer material, smushes against the front of the shoe and the orthotic slides forward. I had a pair of Asics that had this problem, so I switched to Reeboks. When I tried them on in the store, no problem. It was not until after I spent an hour or so running around on the court that I noticed they did not want to stay put.

I would especially appreciate recommendations from other folks out there that have foot problems and wear their orthotics while playing tennis.

How do I make them stay in place during play? Is there a way to make them stay put, like some kind of double-sided tape? Or are there shoes I can buy that will work better with orthotics? Or should I just give up wearing them during games and practice?

Sports summary: does it exist?

Towelie — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 19:36:47 -0800

Is there a sports summary website? Where I can get quickly and simply up to date on any team? I don't want to be an expert in sports (in general.) But when I go to an event (like my local baseball/football game with friends), I'd like to have some general 'home team' and 'competitor team' knowledge; who is playing really well, things to watch for....etc.

Is there anything like this on the net; Ideally, I'm looking to read 2-3 paragraphs of where a team is right now (and possible a separate 2-3 paragraph 'summary' of any current crises/problems.)

Streaming Tennis Quality?

zackola — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 11:27:55 -0800

Has anyone used mediazone to view Wimbledon or other tennis events? If so, what is the quality like? If I hook my PC up to a 32" LCD, is it going to look like crap, or will it be OK? I can't find anything anywhere about what quality they are streaming in. Do they advertise during the matches? We're trying to ditch cable and if this was good quality, it would certainly help. Thanks!

Some nice tennis reading.

boubelium — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 11:04:44 -0800

What are some good books about tennis? I've really been enjoying watching tennis on tv lately and would like to go from a casual fan to someone who knows about the finer points of the sport. I am looking for some enjoyable books on the history of tennis, the great players, controversies, etc... I am not looking to play the game myself, just to become better acquainted with the sport. I'd also love to hear about some good biographies or autobiographies

Bonus: Any good documentaries about the history of tennis? Or some sort of series highlighting some of the best matches over time?

Teach Me Softball - QUICK!

absalom — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 14:19:27 -0800

Help me coach a high school softball (or tennis) team when I have no real team sport experience. It is lunacy, but is it possible? I'm angling for a position, with one of the requirements being taking on a coaching position. I don't mind this, necessarily, but I was a band nerd back in high school, and so have no experience playing or coaching team sports personally.

Where would I even begin? Books? DVDs? Websites? Joining a summer softball league? (This last might be a problem, since I'll be out of the country during the month of July)

For what it's worth, I'm actually a *fan* of sport, just not a *participant*. Also, this would be for a high school team and (if it matters) a season that runs for about a month - from end march to end April.

How does mono affect Federer?

judybxxx — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 21:21:43 -0800

I'm a Roger Federer fan, and looking for insight into how mono could be affecting Roger's game. and how his continuing to play may affect him. He apparently had mono in January, says he is over it, but just lost his fourth tournament in a row, and uncharacteristically. I have a theory, but no expertise. and most of the commentary on the web seems idiotic to me. Realizing that very little information is public, it seems plausible to me that he is mostly better, but at his level of play (generally fantastic, record-breaking, etc) mostly is just not enough. I think that a small residual effect makes the difference, especially in the later rounds of the tournament. It's that tiny edge of difference between good and great. And what are the consequences of his continuing to train and play?
He's 26, no injuries before, as far as I know, and from comments in one article. was horrified at the idea of stopping playing for 6 or 12 months, which other players have done with mono. So I'm imagining that he just refuses to rest. and worrying. I'm wanting him to be taking excellent care of himself. Does anyone have informed opinion on what he's doing?? Can the docs tell what's going on?

Why is McEnroe stopping me from picking up iron?

keep it tight — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 19:35:36 -0800

DamnTennisElbowFilter... Ok, I have tennis elbow in my left elbow. Got a cortisone shot (ouch!) about 3 months ago, but it's back...just let my elbow pain, there is... So what I am wondering is if I chew a couple of Aleve prior to hitting the gym, am I going to further damage something in there?

It really only hurts on biceps days, but I can bear it if necessary.

Anyone have experience with this?

TIA!