This is an article by John Hayes of MyTennisLessons.com

This is an article by Jim McLennan, Tennis Director at Fremont Hills Country Club.

First, there are many ways to hit the ball and many ways to play the game.  Power or finesse, placement or spin, varying grips tactics and more.

As regards the serve, consider that there may be two distinct types of service hits used by the professionals, but equally as used by you and I.  We are not talking about spin, about the kick or even the cannonball – simply about how the ball is struck at the top of the swing – and about the nature of that “action.”

One variety, as shown with Andy Murray, Juan Martin del Potro, Maria Sharapova, and Dinara Safina – might be called a “hand speed” action – although truly if anyone has a clearer designation I am open to all suggestions.  But for me the photos show the hand accelerating if not actively pushing through contact, with significant flexion of the wrist.

An alternate, if perhaps entirely different action shown below, indicates a whip like effect, where the hand has decelerated at the same time that the racquet has snapped or accelerated. Paul Roetert, formerly of the USTA, had helped me on this serving project and used the term “endo rotation” to describe the motion of the forearm.

I ask the following question of students when they are demonstrating their overhand throw, “Does it feel like you are pushing or pulling the ball.” As often as not the poor throwers answer “pusing” and to my eye that is what I see. And the better throwers will say they are “pulling” and again I see something similar where the motion has an element of a leading elbow (to pull) prior to the release.

Certainly the photos of Pete and Milos and Roger and Steffi look “different” – and certainly it may be the case that there are other photos of Andy and Maria that look similar to these (though I doubt it) and also it may be the case that there are photos of Milos and Pete that look similar to Andy and Maria (but again I doubt it).

Kei Nishikori

Ranked 8th, 25 years old, 5’11”, highest ranking was 4th following his run to the 2014 US Open finals, he has amassed over $10 million in prize money – and he is perhaps the quickest player on the court with as it is known – “excellent hands and feet.”

For better or worse, I believe Kei uses the hand speed/wrist flexion model – good enough to carry him to the top echelons of the game, but as even Nick Bollittieri said in a recent interview, his second serve (and by extension his overall serve) needs improvement.

In comparison, the photos above show Roger and Novak at impact (middle and right respectively).

We are not splitting hairs on this!

When the racquet head is offline from the arm – the rotational leverage from the forearm is increased.

When the racquet head is directly above the arm, the rotational leverage is diminished and all that is left for racquet head speed is wrist flexion.

There are a number of ways for you to explore this feeling.

First try this podcast on the Pete Sampras Snap.

Second -Explore my online course “Building the Serve from the Ground Up” with the following introductory series of FREE lessons.

PS – Check out Nick’s comments on the serve and on Kei in particular

The Tennis Congress will award several scholarships to passionate adult players (age 21+, NTRP 3.0-5.0) requiring financial assistance to attend the sold-out 2015 U.S. Tennis Congress. Application deadline is July 21. Click here for details and application: http://bit.ly/1GYSckl

We’re thrilled to announce that we’ve just started our first Tennis Round fundraising campaign on IndieGoGo. Our perks include t-shirts, Pebble Smart Watches, stickers and Free Subscriptions to our Premium Plan. If you buy one of those perks you’ll support our campaign.

Visit our campaign to learn more >>

Over the last 4 years we’ve grown the Tennis Round community to include players from over 4,000 cities nationwide in the U.S.

Our goal now is to raise funds to grow the site and build the new features our members have asked us for – doubles, mixed doubles, leagues and tournaments, player matching (by gender, age, match results, availability), court reviews and ratings.

Watch our quick video here >> 

We hope you will find our story compelling and contribute to the campaign, so we can continue to build the site and grow the tennis community. Pricing for t-shirts is from $20 to $40 and some include Free Subscriptions to our Premium Plan, which is normally $29 per year.

Here’s a quick preview of some of our t-shirt designs:

Please consider making a contribution today! When you buy one of our official t-shirts or Pebble Smart Watches you’ll be directly supporting the growth and development of Tennis Round, and get to keep a cool souvenir for youself.

Visit our campaign to select a t-shirt >>

To see more t-shirt designs, review the other perks including Pebble Smart Watches with fitness apps and changing watch faces, and to learn more about our fundraising initiative, visit our official IndieGoGo page:

Visit our campaign to select a perk and make a contribution >>

Be among the first to own a QLIPP™, the Ultimate Tennis Performance Sensor.

We’re excited to introduce to you the latest innovation in tennis technology. Our friends from QLIPP™ have developed a performance sensor for tennis rackets that can help you bring your A-game when playing. To know more about the product, read on below.

The long-awaited time has come – QLIPP™,
the Ultimate Tennis Performance Sensor, is here! 

What’s QLIPP™, you ask? QLIPP™ is a “smart sensor” that easily attaches to ANY tennis racquet to provide measurements and video playback of a player’s strokes, spin, shot speed and sweet spot accuracy. Combined with the free QLIPP™ app (iOS and Android), players can instantly view their gameplay overlaid with captured data.  You can also save each session for future reference or compare your performance to others using QLIPP™. In addition, the app has voice feedback so players can hear the app relay their stroke information while on the court playing. It’s the perfect training tool for tennis players, whether casual enthusiasts or tour professionals, to help improve your game.

We know you have been eagerly anticipating this special day
and we are just as excited as you are!

QLIPP™ LAUNCHED ON INDIEGOGO ON JUNE 24.

QLIPP™ launched their Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign on June 24, 2015 and would LOVE your support to help them complete the development of this amazing product. Visit their campaign, and be the first to get your hands on your very own QLIPP™ at a special Early Bird discount of 40% off the retail price of $129 USD while quantities last.

Are you fast enough for QLIPP™?
Snatch this incredible deal before it’s gone so you can smash the competition!

SPREAD THE WORD, SHARE THE JOY
Please tell your friends about QLIPP™ and give them the chance to experience
this power-packed tennis performance sensor for themselves.

Many thanks from the entire team at QLIPP™!

Where do you play tennis? Know the difference between Home courts and Location.

Your home courts are where other players can find you, and basically the grounds where you play.

The location you enter on your profile is unique and defines the area where you play. When you’re traveling or if you move to another city and want to play tennis there, you don’t have to close your account. You can simply update your location.

Below are step-by-step guides on adding or removing home courts and updating your location.

Add or Remove Home Courts

If you haven’t added home courts on your profile yet, Login then click Add a home court.

Enter your city or zip code on the search bar and click Find Courts. You can also filter your search by choosing options under Access, In/Outdoor, and Lighted.

If you’ve found your home court on the search results, click the Select as home court button to add it. You can add up to five home courts on your profile.

​If you’ve mistakenly added a facility as your home court or if you no longer play in that court, you can easily remove it by clicking on the trash can icon beside the “Your home court” status. 

Another way to remove a court is by going to your profile and clicking on the trash can icon​ to remove that listing as your home court.

Update your Location.

Login, click the Edit my profile drop-down, then click on Edit your details.

Under Where do you play tennis?, enter your location.  Click Update.

Where do you play tennis now? Do we have your current playing location? 

We’ve received a number calls from Tennis Round members, asking why they keep getting messages from out of town players. Turns out they forgot to update their location when they moved, so we keep matching them with players from their previous city.

So, just a reminder folks – if you move, or if you travel, go to your profile and update your location so you start showing up in the players search results for that place. 

Also, you don’t have to close your account when you move. That is why we built this site! So we could play anywhere. Say if you moved from Boston to Chicago, for example, you could just update your location and keep playing. 

Update your location in 3 easy steps.

1. Login to your profile and click the green Edit my profile drop-down. Click the Edit your details link. 

2. Enter your location in the field Where do you play tennis? 

3. Click the Update button at the end.

Ah, yes – if you do happen to move to Chicago, you’ll probably be excited to find out they have an awesome beach by the lake, right in the city! With perfect sand, beach volleyball, the works. And they also have a ton of tennis courts and players. 

Featured Tennis Round City: Chicago, Illinois.

The Windy City is home to at least 416 players on Tennis Round and offers 79 tennis courts.  A lot of our members beat the wind and sweat it out at Grant Park or at Lake Shore Park. Find your own matches or get introduced to the locals by subscribing to the Premium Plan for only $4.99/month or $27/year and let the Player Matching Program do all the work in connecting you.

Is your city in the Top 10? Check out the best places to play tennis.

Tennis never stops. Tennis Round is now catering to over 33,000 members. Cities like San Francisco and New York enjoy high enough density of players to set up a match even the same day. Scattered across the US are cities with different concentration of players and courts. If you’re planning to visit any of these cities, here are the top 10 with most players and courts.

San Francisco, CA. The City by the Bay is home to 1184 Tennis Round members. Boasting more than 200 tennis courts, San Francisco is easily one of the best cities to play tennis. 77 of all tennis facilities are managed by the City of San Francisco, which has done a great job at resurfacing many of them just recently. Mission Dolores Park and Hayes Valley Park are two of the most popular tennis venues in town.>> Click here to connect with other players.

New York City, NY. The bustlin’ Big Apple has 74 tennis courts and 1064 registered players (that probably never sleep). Two of the most active facilities are located at the East River Park and the Central Park Tennis Center. Yes, private tennis clubs can cost an arm and a leg, but public ones are a good alternative, even if they require a permit.>> Upgrade to the Premium Plan and get to meet Tennis Round members in New York!

Los Angeles, CA. Sunny Los Angeles makes it in the top ten with 79 courts and 564 registered members. Some of the most popular tennis facilities include Vermont Canyon Tennis Club and Ketchum Downtown YMCA. Try Anaheim Tennis Center for any current USTA tournaments. http://anaheimtenniscenter.com/ Ask for Mike Nelson to get involved and join the fun.Play with members from the City of Angels. >> Click here.

Seattle, WA. Besides being the Coffee Capital of the World, Seattle is also quite a tennis-minded city. It has 71 tennis courts and more than 500 tennis players on Tennis Round. The courts at Amy Yee Tennis Center,  Bobby Morris at Cal Anderson and Seattle University are among those frequented by Seattle players.>> Sign up for the automatic Player Matching Program and match against Seattle-based members.

Chicago, IL. Currently with 79 tennis courts and 427 tennis players, our previous Featured City is also part of the top 10. Check out the most popular tennis courts in Chicago: Grant Park and Lake Shore Park.>> Join the fun and subscribe to the Premium Plan.

Washington, DC. The Nation’s Capital prides itself with 189 courts andmore than 600 players. Our members frequently play at Reed Park and Francis Park.>> Take advantage of Unlimited Messaging and the automatic Player Matching Program for only $4.99 per month or $29 per year!

San Diego, CA. Being the City in Motion, it’s no wonder that San Diego is home to more than 334 members. Now with 58 tennis facilities, including San Diego City College andMorley Field Sports Complex, there are even more opportunities to play tennis.Set up matches with the local players or let us do that for you.

Houston, TX. There are 60 tennis facilities (and counting!) with almost 200 recreational players in Houston. Visit the Memorial Park Tennis Center and the River Oaks Park when you’re in H-Town.>> Subscribe to our in-demand automatic Player Matching Program and get matched with the locals in your area.

Denver, CO. The Mile-High City has access to over 68 tennis courts scattered across town. Get connected with any of our 294 members and take your matches to the Congress Park or Denver City Park.Make the most of Tennis Round. Upgrade to the Premium Plan and let us find your matches for you.

Austin, TX. The beautiful city of Austin in Texas is a very promising place to play tennis in with over 60 listed courts and265 tennis players. The South Austin Tennis Centerand Austin Recreation Center are two of our members’ favorite tennis spots.For only $4.99 per month or $29 per year, you’ll get introduced to other players via the automatic Player Matching Program. For more information, click here.

The man of Tennis and the 17 times Grand Slam winner, Roger Federer had a victory on Wednesday and overpowered the twenty six year old Latvian Ernests Gulbis with marvelous scores of 6-3, 7-5 in sixty five minutes. It was a piece of cake for Federer who is preparing for Wimbledon’s Grass courts to beat Gulbis by means of holding serve to bag the first set. It was a heart-stopping exchanges in the second set before Federer surprised Gulbis double faulting at 5-5. After surviving a match with Philipp Kohlschreiber, Roger Federer did it again effortlessly compared to the pressured Gulbis who attempted many times but still failed to win. He needs to be more focus and smart with his own strategies like the rest of the tennis players so that their fans will be overwhelmed with their upcoming matches.

The 33-year-old will now meet German Florian Mayer who won against Steve Johnson with 6-3, 7-6 (7-4). While on Thursday, Kei Nishikori of Japan will face German Dustin Brown, a second round match with Czech the third seed Tomas Berdych who defeated Borna Coric in a breathtaking straight sets and Ivo Karlovic with scores 6-7(5) 6-3 6-3 win contrary to German Alexander Zverev.