Baggy is down 0-3 in the first set. I hope he figures out the way to win it. He's the only interesting player (more or less) left in Delray draw

Jenni, I did some more kvetching in the Facebook group, too. You should join just to see it. ;)

wlf,

Search me? Must be other Central Europeans in the draw?

Sher: what you said it was more elegant and more politically correct :) And it should have been obvious and make at least half of his article superflous, but nooooo Sirie! (sp)

hehe Pspace, I wish that were true, but how to actually make *my* arm hit a good FH or a good serve is very different from armchair commentary. Also, the downright technical aspects of the game--like which grip is good for what shot, the advantages and disadvantages of using various grips--is something that I've never gotten um, a "grip" on from watching.

lira vega ..lol... I'm just as glad not to hove McEnroe/Connors/Nastie-esque melodrama, but I do know what you mean about missing a certain frisson between a few players. So if Gilles and Novak wanna belly up to the 'You talkin' to ME!?!' bar, more power to them.

BlueDog. True...but if I want funny I can always try and visualize Brad Pitt as Federer...or vis a versa.

C1 -- Hah. No worries. Twas just a thought.

CL -- True about the guitar analogy (though I'm a Taylor girl myself ;)). Everyone's different. I just know for myself the more I like my equipment the more inclined I am to hit the courts. Because believe me, it takes a lot to get me off the couch. Plus, as I mentioned before, I'm a huge equipment nerd and demoing everything was just plain fun. But obviously it can be tremendously distracting and discouraging for others.

Marian -- Lucky duck. No shops in SF that do thorough racquet demos. Gotta do it all online. But it's better than nothing. I demoed about 20 before I settled on mine. I'm looking forward to IW because last year Tennis Warehouse had a demo court where you could demo any and all racquets. That actually speeded up my demo process quite a bit.

Jeez, Marian and C Note, you guys really demo a lot! I was just marking time till I was ready to by Roger's racquet and then took the plunge. I can never really tell whether I like a racquet, until after a month of play. Also, didn't notice much diff between racquets until I started playing against 4.5+ guys, where you need a little weight to handle the pace.

C Note: when did you start playing tennis? From childhood, or more recently? Do you fall in the "natural athlete" category?

C-1: I was thinking exactly the same what Pspace posted: basically you may want to consider not taking expensive lessons, but just playing tennis, ocasionally with better players if you can help it.

That would go a long way toward helping your finances. And you'll get in shape, trust me, if you play a couple of days per week, singles. Workout with extensor cords too maybe for your shoulders?

C-Note: Lol yeah, but I'm doing it out necessity so to speak: equipment : rackets, strings, shoes, courts do help a lot in tennis, more then in other sport I've done!

Take basketball: most decent boots would do, which is not the case in tennis, rackets being highly customized for our strenghts and weaknesses... Tennis shoes? Damn right I need those, if I want to be able to change directions without slipping(you know when an opponent moves you side do side), considering that I have a power forward build (from basketball. Or if you prefer a tennis example: like Tsonga)

This is the first time I've seen this. Usually you have a ballkid stand in front of the player during the sitdowns. They have two ballkids (one behind the other) for each player.

Do you guys remember this?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QezHD9or6kY

crazyone: I started playing again just a little bit ago, as well, and I ended up borrowing old rackets from my family (who all play) which ended up working quite well. (sadly, my rackets from when I was twelve and about 3 feet tall were rather too small). So if you have any friends who have old ones, that might be a good way to go. Works for me, anyways :)

Oh my, Budour. Just ... allez.

NDMS, Hmmm...it would make sense to have one behind and one in front. For back rub, and foot massage. Maybe one for each foot? :-)

Marian: my plan is to take (very cheap) local lessons, making sure I at least will be taught the basic form on strokes, and then play with friends and work up from there. The local lessons will be as a group of course, but I actually think that will be beneficial as that hopefully will provide partners who are at the same level, since I'm afraid of boring people who are at a higher level until I can actually put the ball into play ;)

Here's another Dullray innovation. They mute their audio during the sitdowns.

C-1: For grips I would advise you do what Andrew does, use the common ones (Eastern on the FH and continental on the BH).

Pspace: I demoed a lot and still got burned buying a Babolat with a thicker grip, that I couldn't swing properly for half an year...

Then I demoed and redemoed, sometimes the same racket more then once, also because they string them very cheap (the demos).
Also based on what you just said: it's hard initially to tell the difference between rackets (even for you), so I need to hit with them for a few days and sometimes even come back and re-demo some.

Funny thing is, I've changed my mind at the last moment each time I bought my last two rackets, just to have a friend buy the previous model I was aiming for two years in a row and then be sorry lol He even broke the Dunlop Aeorgel 200 (when I got the Babolat Aerostorm Tour) and recently he tried to do the same with Rafa's Babolat AeroPro Drive after trying my final choice of Wilson six-one 95; but I've stopped him lol.

Anyhow, I am sure you can tell the difference w/o having to hit against a 4.5, although I do admit that that's when you need the best equipment. That's how I found out that 4 1/2 was too thick of a grip for me, or that I need more power from the strings (besides from my swings) etc.

"Federer's first-serve percentage as a stand-alone statistic, means absolutely nothing because holding is just half the battle"

Still trying to figure out how this makes the slightest bit of sense.

C1 -- I started playing a little over a year ago. Never played before other than P.E. in high school where I would just take batting practice with the ball and crush it over the fence.

But yes, I fall into the natural athlete category. So I jumped up the ladder fairly quickly because I was playing 2-4 times a week (but most of that was just against a ball machine). I've gone as far as my natural athletic abilities can take me though. I really need to take lessons to get better.

now, shoes, that's a different story for me. When I decided to start again, I went to this really great athletic shoe store and they were really great about finding a shoe that matched my needs (for both running shoes and tennis). On the tennis front, it was: I'm a beginner so 'function' beyond no blisters, etc isn't as important to me, however, seeing as I'm coming off major reconstructive leg surgery, I really need something that will support my ankle. So I ended up with these shoes that are like boats, and at first I really liked them--sure enough, they really support my ankle and most importantly didn't let it roll. But now I'm starting to find them really clunky. I play with a light brace on the ankle, but i wondering if perhaps I should downgrade to a more normal shoe and upgrade to a stronger brace to protect the ankle...

LOL WLF, your written description of the announcer pronunciation is so making me want to stream Delray now.

aaah, high school tennis. Our high school tennis courts were near some apple trees which attracted a lot of wasps. One time we were out there and I thought that the black electrical tape around my racquet had come loose (these were NOT good racquets, hehe) and I went to push it down but instead ended up pushing my thumb straight into a wasp's stinger :(

""(Eastern on the FH and continental on the BH)""

Wait...you guys hit a topspin 1hbh with a continental grip? Wow...it seems kind of hard. Eastern is a bit too much for me on fh...I go for the hybrid, i.e., halfway between E and SW.

C-1, what C Note said, although her ball machine can easily be a partner :) Preferably a better player.

Besides with so much tennis you ladies are watching don't tell me you don't try to learn technique as well? :P I know I do and I couldn't care less about Ana's I legs.

There are also video instructions you can watch and tennis partners that can coach a bit, for free, so to speak :)

And C-Note: So my Ottawa, beats your San Francisco lol?
I demo from at least 3 tennis stores and it's an enjoyment and money saver :P

But nice to hear about your progress!

Ahhh, crazyone! That gave me chills just reading about it!

Chardy, Bags. Bags, Chardy. Torn again.

"Still trying to figure out how this makes the slightest bit of sense."

Grant, you're just nit-picking the 'nothing' part. Individual parts of a larger picture don't mean nothing, but they don't say much about the big picture, either. Also, you're talking to yourself, and that's just creepy.

Also, you're talking to yourself, and that's just creepy.

Hello fellow creep.

Chardy nets a first serve.

B2 guy said: He's gonna have to go with his second serve!

Droll and Insightful!

Hart: What about some Addidas Barricades at $79 free S$H at TennisExpress and Midwest sports? Very good support, adherence and they last a long time.

Pspace: I'm afraid I don't do much top spin on my BH( just flat or sliced).... Still using Eastern on the FH, hence the previous tendency to overhit, but I really liked that minor advise my young semi-pro partner passed onto me, to follow through around the body and close the face of the racket and such doing some top spin...

Hart - I went into one of those really good athletic shoe stores once and they just sort of said...'well..um... you pronate some and BTW did you know that you have really big feet? That will be $160 please. And for that we will throw in the shoes that you can buy at TJ Maxx as well.' So I just cut out the middle man and got the same shoes for about 1/2 price.

Crazy1 - Do they still have the New Balance outlet over in Brighton? If it is still there I highly recommend it for good quality shoe and clothing cheap.

(Have I mentioned that I am an extreme tightwad.?)

Grant wasn't talking to himself: I for one read what he said, but I still found that what Peter posted made half sense: like yeah, Fed's serve was worse by half but that only had 1/4 impact on the game or something :P (Because he also need to break Rafa's serve).

*Besides with so much tennis you ladies are watching don't tell me you don't try to learn technique as well? :P*

Marian, I definitely do, but since I don't play right now I focus more on strategy: like, for example, where to use slice backhands, or how the body serve can be useful. And yeah, I pay attention to how Federer or Nadal etc. execute their shots, but they're so beyond me that I don't know if that's useful to me as a player who doesn't have a millionth of their hand-eye coordination or strength. Unfortunately those things are wayyy too advanced for me. So yeah, I do watch tennis for a lot of technical aspects but I think it'll only be after I start playing that I watch for things like grips and stances (more useful for the beginner) rather than what kind of tactic Monfils is employing against Simon (not useful at all for a beginner).

Hi Pete;

RE: I Spy, It had always been accepted truth at the (now defunct) East River TC in NY that I Spy was based on legendary Senior Player and former CIA guy Fred Kovaleski, whom I used to play a lot of doubs with there. Great guy, great player. Any info on that?

Rex

Chardy hits about 6 wayward, nervy forehands whilst serving for the set and gives the break back to Baggy in a multi-deuce game. Marcos serving 4-5.

I dunno, NDMS, I prefer the straight up muting during changeover to the advertising they pipe over the loudspeaker during breaks.

Neil, enter at your own peril!

CL and Hart: Meh, I use New Ballance only for running shoes, read or ask around for some reviews on line on tennis shoes (i.e. the Addidas Barricades are a legend).

lol CL. That isn't fun. "you have really big feet" probably isn't a great selling tactic, methinks. I liked the store I went to, however. Very helpful, guy even asked about which direction of ankle roll concerned me the most...

Marian, thx for the suggestion, I'll look at them

Jeremy is very FH-dependent. He didn't care about breaking Marcos again after getting the early break. Now he lost his advantage.

The ball machine is great simply for the guaranteed repetition, which is good for confidence and technique. But you don't get used to the unpredictability of spin that can come off a human racquet, and you don't work on your movement and footwork as much. So now I hit with the machine on weekdays but play with random people on weekends. Works out well.

The only thing I've learned form watching the ladies is fistpumping and sitting with a towel over my head during changeovers. Soo....not helpful.

I fistpump all the time these days. Don't need the occasion of a tennis match to do it. Like, "ohhh yeahhh the structures I e-beamed came out properly! FISTPUMP!"

I think I'll go join Grant in the insane asylum now.

sitting with a towel over my head during changeovers

You're forgetting about wringing sweat from your hair! Most important!

C-1: Rafa is hard to follow, not Roger, imo Just watch him at warm up or replays. Besides there are tennis books, tennis CDs, or on line videos that are very, very useful.

Pspace mentioned some and there is also :
www.fuzzyyellowballs.com

I liked the 1H BH from there, personally, enough to be able to teach friends a bit.

"The only thing I've learned form watching the ladies is fistpumping and sitting with a towel over my head during changeovers"

LOL

Pspace -- would if I could. Would if I could.

*shudders*

C Note: Never watch the ladies (except for looks lol), try Roger.

When I hit with a young semi-pro: he is in many ways like a machine: we'd rally from the baseline, long balls etc And with enough unpredictability though in terms of peace and placement/movement, top spin or flat.

""with enough unpredictability though in terms of peace""

Hmm...sound like a microcosm of the rest of the world ;-)

Pspace - the only player I've ever seen wring the sweat from her hair is Bartoli (and it made me retch). Is it a more common practice than I've seen? If so, who are the other sweat-wringers?

Baggy holds at love to force a first set tiebreak.

Lol Pspace: pace/speed?

one thing I've always found strange is a lot of people say something like this: I like watching Rafa because I feel like I can play like him while with Roger he plays too "perfectly" and I feel I can't emulate that. It's pretty hard to really emulate either one, but I feel like Rafa is even harder to emulate than Roger, so that's never made any sense to me. We see a couple of "baby Federers" on tour, there are no Baby Rafas.

If I were a coach though, I'd probably tell my charges to emulate Djokovic's technique, I think. He comes the closest to having textbook technique on every shot from what I can see, while Roger and Rafa are "better than textbook" on the FH, but much harder for ordinary individuals to execute.

white line fever: I guess you missed out on all the pictures video of Alisa Kleybanova.

ughhhh.

Well, embarassingly enough, I learn more from the women's game than the guys game. I don't have a 110mph+ serve, which means that I need to play almost every point. Also, a lot of the guys I play with return very well. So, it's kind of helpful to watch how the ladies work the position. The guys hit outright winners from ridiculous places...no way I can do that. Also helps that I play a ball-basher variety of tennis :-).

Come on, Marcos!

WLF, yeah, Kleybs wins the contest for the sheer volume of sweat that comes out of her hair. There's more in there after a set than in my shirt after playing for 3 hours. Boggles the mind.

Chardy's shots are making sweet love to the net, as Baggy races to a 4-1 lead. But Marcos makes a careless BH error wide for 4-2, Baggo serving.

WLF: Two words: Alisa. Kleybanova.

http://tinyurl.com/ahlban

Though I've never found the pictures of Rafa shaking out the sweat in his hair that attractive either.

c1 - I get scared to click on those tinyurl links, 'cause I never know what images I'll get seared into my synapses. Sounds like that particular vid was well left.

Considering how Kleybanova is the only one who also outshrieks Sharapova, I now find her appealing in every way.

Baggy misses a leg-tweener on set point and it's now 6-all in the breaker.

*Considering how Kleybanova is the only one who also outshrieks Sharapova, I now find her appealing in every way.*

Kleybanova? are you sure you're not thinking of Azarenka?

Finally, this match is having some life just in the tiebreaker.

The commentator on the Delray Beach link is just ... LMAO

Man - a Baggy DF at 7-all and a strong Chardy first serve (the only shot that's been dependable for the Frenchman) gives Jeremy the first set.

Marian,

I don't play tennis at all, so this is as armchair as it gets. I remember reading this interview with Jesse Levine after his time with Fed in Dubai (2006-2007?). Apparently the thing that struck him was Federer's ability to pull the trigger at a random point in the rally with any shot. More than the difficulty of the shot itself, maybe this is what Federer brings to the table.

With Rafa, along with the absurd technical difficulty of the shot, I always get the feeling that you know what's coming and you cannot do anything to stop him.

As one who has said that I prefer watching Rafa because he's more relatable than Fed, I'll take the bait.

I'm a counterpuncher. So obviously when I see Rafa running around the back of the court getting back balls and busting his butt to run down everything I can relate to that. In addition, watching him play and seeing the amount of effort he puts in (and no, I'm not saying Fed doesn't put the same amount of effort into it) inspires me and allows me to relate to his game better. There's no way I try to emulate his forehand or his technique. What I try to emulate and channel is his effort and desire, which is written all over his face when he plays. Athlete to athlete he's just more my guy.

This is contrast to Fed, who I just can't relate to as a player. It's amazing what he can do, no doubt, but I just don't see myself being able to do any of it.

Yeah, Azarenka is a leading contender in that category for sure, but I seem to also remember Kleybs shrieking like a stuck pig on a few occasions. Maybe that was just a dream? (read: nightmare)

crazyone, as far as racket suggestions go, I got a lightweight racket about two years ago so that I could play consistently...I've never had lessons, but I have very good hand/eye coordination, and from watching so much tennis on TV, I've improved a ton and can play decently well now, I can hang in rallies with JJ, at least. Anyway, I asked for a tennis racket for Christmas, and left it up to my dad to research rackets (being clear that I wanted lightweight and nothing too expensive), as he's the most methodical person I've ever met. After talking to three different tennis pros and reading articles on-line, he bought me a Head Ti-S6. I love it, and I think you can get it for around $60 on tenniswarehouse.

C Note,

I think what makes Fed look other-worldly is his movement and court positioning. You realize how pitch-perfect it is from his shanks. Is this what you're referring to, or the actual shotmaking? Just in terms of putting the ball where it typically WOULDN'T go, I feel Rafa and Murray are quite up there.

I miss Masha (even with all the shrieking :-))

Hmmm...maybe I was so mesemerized by the sweat and off the charts technique that I didn't notice the grunting.

She's one of those players that I can't stand but I find oddly drawn to watching. It's like my brain cannot comprehend what my eyes are seeing.

that match in Delray is boring...

C Note: thanks for that. I'm sorry if my question came off a bit confrontational or something because it wasn't meant to be. I had the general idea as to what your answer would be in advance, but that seems to be less a question of technique rather than spirit. But IMO of the top players he's the one who's hardest to emulate even by other pro players, and that's one of his greatest strengths, that he's so unique. I find it interesting that that's not off-putting when it comes to "relating", but I guess they're all so hard to relate to in terms of technique, that that doesn't matter as much. It might explain why pros and people who play tennis at a high level seem on the whole a little fonder of Federer though, since they find him more relatable and more in a textbook mode of play.

And at the same time relatability of technique doesn't translate into liking, because I think Djokovic hits pretty much every shot well in a textbook style for the most part and I'm not captivated by his game. So yeah, spirit/style have a lot to do with it too.

can't wait until DC action next week

I kind of miss Sharapova too, sokol - which surprises me since I'm not a big fan of high-volume grunting in either the men's or the women's games. Some of it seems so contrived and unnecessary, and it offends my delicate sensibilities. *fans self so as not to faint*

Amit -- Not quite sure what you mean. Fed's court position and his movement is otherworldly, indeed. I was just responding to C1's question as to how/why someone would relate more to Rafa than Fed as a player, when Rafa's technique seems harder to replicate than Fed's.

I'm realizing now that I really shouldn't have gone into this. It's going to be really hard to clarify without someone thinking I'm denigrating both Roger and Rafa.

Maybe they should call 911. The B2 non-commentator is unusually quiet. What's going on in the booth?

C Note...Exactly... "What I try to emulate and channel is his effort and desire". Will I ever hit a forehand like Rafa or Roger?-noooooo. But, I can try really, really hard. I can put the time in and never give up. These are traits any of us can acquire, or work toward, so , yah. I agree.

...and hail yah-Josh Hartnett can play Rafa *drifts off to fantasy land*

*I'm realizing now that I really shouldn't have gone into this. It's going to be really hard to clarify without someone thinking I'm denigrating both Roger and Rafa.*

C note, not at all. I don't think anyone is really thinking that you've denigrated anyone. and I wasn't trying to denigrate people for being Rafa fans either, just asking for clarification on what aspects of him they emulate *while playing*, since I hear that a lot that he's a lot more emulate-able (not a word) in that regard and I wasn't sure why since technique wise, he's sure as heck not.

You're okay C Note...don't get paranoid! lol.

There he is! No worries, NDMS - he was probably just reading "Tennis for Dummies" and didn't realize the match had resumed.

Chardy looks head for a potentially chocking win as he breaks in the second. No need to ask: he's a smooth operator.

Oh, and crazyone, I completely agree on trying to play with someone who's better than you. I've improved immensely since playing with JJ, and my improvement has been large enough that these two guys who tend to play at the same time as us have commented upon it. Prior to playing with JJ, I played with a friend whose tennis skill was lower than mine, and I don't think it helped me all that much.

JJ and I play a game, that he learned from a tennis instructor, which works well for people of varying abilities. We don't start with a serve, just with groundstrokes (I'm not talented enough yet to do much damage on JJ's serve). Anyway, we play to 25 (you get a point for each point you win), and the rule we use, so as it to make it more competitive, is that the rally must last for five strokes before JJ can go for an outright winner. It leads to very competitive, hard-fought tennis...and it's been beneficial to both of us. JJ works on consistency and aggressiveness, and I try to work on point construction (and ending a point).

for reference sake....ahem....Mr. Hartnett:

http://tinyurl.com/aehsvo

If the B2 non-commentator is reading "Tennis for Dummies" I hope he gets to the part that the official term for zero in tennis is love, not zip.

C-Note - wow, I find that absolutely amazing ...but not in a bad way. To me its the exact opposite. Or like painting and music. Watching Fed is painting for me, in that, although I couldn't possibly create a great painting, I could IMAGINE myself doing so. You know...suddenly having inspiration and craft come together. But with Rafa, its like music...no matter how long I stared at a keyboard, just NOTHING would come to me...I can't even wrap my head around so much of what Rafa does. Its not that I am not amazed by Fed's ability and shot making...and sometimes I really do think he is touched with genius, (not so much so just lately)... but it seems a human form based genius. Whereas Rafa's genuis seems much more otherwordly...downright alien to me... and I honestly don't mean that as a knock. Its just how I see it.

AmyLu, I totally agree that it would be beneficial, but I feel like with most people I'd be wasting their time...but that sounds like a good game to even it out and make it worth both people's time, except when the beginner makes too many errors and the rallies don't even last 5 stroke :P

Baghdaddy-o big pimpin' with the break back. Represent.

Yeah, it's tough to say which tennis player is the best to relate to across the board. I have a fairly romantic view of tennis, as way to express some aspect of your personality. So, yeah, you should pick some player that displays aspects that you like to parade ;-).

Okay, you're a god, Pete and write with a zen-like pen as words flow on the page. Kisses. Feel better? ;)
This was meant to be a pat on the back and no matter what disagreements we've had, I still fluv you.

C1: Good luck with your tennis venture! I am also picking up the racket again after "a few" (read-MANY) years. I found the advice here really helpful. Hopefully will be the proud owner of a new racket soon.

Gotta run! Have fun kids!

marian - I beg to differ. I love my New Balance tennis shoes... and not just 'cause I got 'em cheap..though that certainly helps. But I find that for me, they have just the right amount of support and they are nice and lightweight. I bought several pairs when I found them at the outlet store. I may be cheap, but I know a good investment when I see one. and I am proud to say that I literally wore a hole in the ball of the one on my pivot foot.

Hart - I think you should go with something chic for your ankle brace. Fed wore quite an attractive model after his ankle twist of a few years ago. You can see it in pictures of him at the AA defeating Baggy. A basic black, if I recall. You could add a few rhinestones, and voila! Fashion First!

C Note,

Not at all. I was just being incoherent with tons of antihistamine in my system.

Personally, I would find emulating Rafa's focus just impossible. He is almost monk-like in that regard.

I can't really speak for other people who have said they prefer to emulate Rafa's game over Fed's, but that's what I meant by it. I try to emulate his game, not his technique.

I'm not sure I try to emulate anyone's technique really, especially on the men's side, though the closest would be Nole or Gilles. On the ladies side I guess I look at the Serbs and the Russians for technical inspiration because I hit pretty flat.

This reminds of a conversation I had with a friend of mine on this subject:

Me: I really want to be able to hit my forehand like [insert player name here]
Friend: You realize you can't, right? They're like, a foot taller than you. It totally changes the mechanics.
Me: Well then who should I look to then?
Friend: Probably Justine.
Me: BUT I HATE JUSTINE!!!*

And...scene.

*Sorry Samantha Elin.

*Personally, I would find emulating Rafa's focus just impossible. He is almost monk-like in that regard.*

LOL, so true. Most of my favorites seem to have some sort of tennis ADD. Just like myself in this age of youtube and tennisworld.com ;)

crazyone: I know that feeling. :) Once you start to get comfortable with playing tennis, and have the basic strokes learned, then I think it would definitely work to play that type of game with someone better than you. I was always worried that I wasn't helping JJ's game at all, but he also uses the time in playing against me to focus on certain aspects of his game (to work on his slice, he sometimes spends most of a session slicing backhands to me).

I very much prefer to watch someone whose hard work looks effortless. If I wanted to watch someone struggle, sweat, and grunt, I'd just tape myself trying to open up a jar of pasta sauce or something. ;)

(NOT THAT THAT'S WHAT RAFA DOES ... OR DOESN'T DO. Ack, leaving it alone.)

But Fed doesn't do himself any favors by making it look so easy. It then leads people to believe he ain't trying or some other crazy nonsense.

CL, is it weird that I feel the complete opposite way? LOL.

All this talk of playing tennis is making me intensely jealous. :) Wish I was decent enough to actually be fun to play with.

"with most people I'd be wasting their time..."

group lessons should help you with this, where the instructor will force them to hit with you initially. you can also practice with a ball machine. the key really is to keep playing, say 2-3 times a week. form a routine of some kind and stick to it.

phew-- just found out about nole's win. seems like a dog fight, coupled with headcasey nole errors in the beginning and then headcasey gilles to help nole win the match. nice that he came through, though. Like he said, "this match was important for my confidence"
looks like ferru swept past gasquet. if nole wants to win, he's really gotta cut down on those unforced errors.

*"with most people I'd be wasting their time..."

group lessons should help you with this, where the instructor will force them to hit with you initially. you can also practice with a ball machine. the key really is to keep playing, say 2-3 times a week. form a routine of some kind and stick to it.*

I've gotta head out now, but thanks for the advice from everyone. What greenhopper said above is basically what I plan to do to start off.

>>Hart - I think you should go with something chic for your ankle brace. Fed wore quite an attractive model after his ankle twist of a few years ago. You can see it in pictures of him at the AA defeating Baggy. A basic black, if I recall. You could add a few rhinestones, and voila! Fashion First!

oooo, good plan CL. I'll have to get on that. I'm having a hard time finding a decent one, though. The really light ones, ala an ace bandage are too light if I switch shoes, and the really hardcore ones are either too stiff to allow much movement (like the lace up ones) or too bulky to fit well under a shoe (like one I have now). My PT used to apply medical tape in such a way that, combined with an ace bandage, was perfect, but sadly I can't seem to replicate it very well.

I'll have to decorate my brace and show it off here at TW, though. :)

The B2 non-commentator prefers synonyms for love: zip, nothing

As in Chardy led 3 nothing in the first set. As in Baghdatis led 4 nothing in the tiebreak.