sam campbell

Amazingly enough a great percentage of today’s tennis matches are indeed won at the net. What does this mean to all players? No matter how much you do not like to go to the net, if you want to win, you need to develop your net game skills and that means:

The Volleys
The Net Footwork
The Serve and Volley
The Approach Shots
The Overhead Smash
The Half-Volleys and other specialty shots

Why does it have to end at the net? After exhausting long rallies and having exploited all baseline possibilities against an opponent and all things are still equal, tennis players are often faced with the question, how am I going to win this match?

The answer is simple, by attacking!

A blunt example of this is the end of the match with David Ferrer serving at 4/6, 4/6, 3/5 against Novak Djokovic at the US Open 2007. After running themselves to death on previous matches and now faced with the specter of a Roger Federer final, both players knew a 5 set event would sap the rest of their already meager reserves. So they still stuck to their old baseline routine, but with more frequent attacks to shorten up points, culminating with these last three:

David Ferrer serving score - 40 -30

Djokovic shows his versatility as well as the full grasp of the tactical sense needed to win big matches and become a true contender in major Grand Slam tournaments. He takes Ferrer’s service early, drives it deep to the forehand side and moves in quickly to draw a mistake on Davids’ forehand passing on a not so good volley from Djokovic.

David Ferrer serving score 40 - 40

Novack Djokovic does not want to serve out the match and senses his opponent is about ready to throw in the towel, so he decides to attack once more. This time he takes the first short cross court backhand from Ferrer and once more attacks deep down the line two draw a second error passing shot this time on what could have been a relatively easy shot for David.

David Ferrer serving score Match-point

Emboldened by the previous two points success and realizing that his opponent is under enormous pressure, from the baseline Djokovic slams a deep forehand downline and moves in to finish with a superb short angle backhand volley winner!

So if you want to shorten up points, save much needed energy for future rounds, put your opponent against the wall in a do or die situation and win big matches, develop your attack!

Note: For the video sequences please go to, http://tenniscruz.com/content/view/156/27/

For quick access to all links to the referenced articles please go to http://www.tenniscruz.com

Copyright © Tenniscruz.com®. All rights reserved.

Sérgio Cruz is an ex # 1 National Champion, Davis Cup Player from Portugal and former Coach Jim Courier ATP World Ranking # 1

A credit inquiry is done to verify who received your credit reports and when. The credit agencies do keep a complete track of who received your credit statement and for what purpose. Some inquiries do reduce your credit score, but not in all cases. Some inquires which are not a problem are Inquiries regarding court orders, Order of your own credit report from authorities, applying for a job, applying for home owner’s, auto or rental insurance etc. Inquiries that do have a negative effect on your credit score are applying for a government license, allowing someone to access your credit, collection of debts. The credit score is calculated not only keeping in view the current unpaid bills but the complete account history and accordingly they analyze whether their money with you is safe or not and what more can be offered to you.

How much can a credit inquiry lower your credit scores?

Knowing that the credit inquiries have an adverse effect you will definitely try and evaluate what actually the results are. There is no correct answer to this but one can make an assumption. Age factor comes into play here. A person with 60 years of credit history will be placed differently as compared to a beginner. Someone who has already faced a financial crisis will be treated differently. According to the studies, approximately 12 points are lost in case of bankruptcy.

Unauthorized Inquiry

This is the case when somebody tries to access your report without your consent. These inquiries have the worst effect on credit scores, so they must be handled seriously and tactfully. If somebody tries to get inquiry of your account you can write to the authorities asking for a proof. If they are unable to provide results you can post a conflict. You can even sue the company in case they are not able to provide you with proofs. All you have to do is make three copies of a dispute letter and mail it to all the credit reporting agencies. Then the authorities will need to act accordingly, inquire the lender and let you know about all the details. In case the authorities fail to send to a complete report (called as ‘willful noncompliance), they are in trouble but this doesn’t happen a lot especially in the case of reputed companies.

Remedies to inquiry disputes

In case you report a dispute to the company and they fail to respond back and clarify their point, then you have all the reasons to sue the company. One must keep a few things in mind before going on with this step like keeping a track of your credit scores just before the incident and after it. This will definitely help you claim the damages clearly and strongly. Say your disputed inquires cause you a reduction in your credit score from 580 to 568, the authorities will have to pay for it if you are able to prove their default in the case. Even the company itself can track back the complete information but its better for you to keep all information with you before hand. So if you are looking for a way to boost credit score ratings to provide you with a much sounder financial base, you must follow the instructions.

One of the agencies has an on-line reporting system, but it is not very user friendly. The window is tiny and in order to read a sentence, you have to scroll from left to right. The best way to notify the credit bureaus of your disputes is to send them a letter. Letter writing suggestions are included in many books with credit repair tips. but you can view a perfectly usable example of a dispute letter at the Federal Trade Commission’s credit website.

You can also find more info on free online credit and slow payment history. Creditscorereportguide.org is a comprehensive resource to find guidness about credit score.

Cellular phones are extremely popular, almost everyone has one. Many new updated models come out every few weeks. The competition between plan providers is also intense with each offering different deals every week enticing people to switch plans or sign up for the first time. Even though a large majority of people have cellular phone others are still reluctant to purchase them. Some don’ think it is worth the money while others don’t like to be contacted. Some just don’t see the benefits of having one. The list below will provide those reluctant to purchase mobile phone several benefits of owning one.

1. Emergencies. If an individual is ever in an emergency situation they can call others for help. Saving time during an emergency is very important.

2. Directions. It is not uncommon for an individual to get lost when traveling to an unfamiliar destination. Having a mobile phone can allow a person that is lost to call for directions.

3. Help others. It is not rare to observe a situation in which someone is being harmed or someone is committing a crime. Having a cellular phone will allow you to help others.

Those are three exceptional reason every individual should have a cellular phone, so head to your local cellular phone provider today.

Andre Bias is the owner of http://www.kidfriendlyentertainment.com, and online source for top notch DVD’s for children 10 years old and younger. He is also the owner of the websites http://www.pokergreed.com and http://www.mustseeauctions.com

Many home buyers find it difficult to provide the required 20% down payment and are forced to pay private mortgage insurance, or PMI, in order to buy a home. Private mortgage insurance solves the down payment problem but creates another two: it increases monthly payments and on top of that it is not tax deductible. Fortunately, there is more than one way to get your desired home without having the 20% down payment and avoid PMI at the same time.

Terminating PMI When You Already Have One
The use of private mortgage insurance has been a great way to make it possible for a borrower to buy a home with as little as 3-5 % down payment and give the lender insurance in case the borrower defaults on the home loan. However since PMI payments can be significant, the borrower starts to ask himself/herself how to get rid of those payments.

The Homeowner’s Protection Act includes rules for automatic suspension of PMI payments and cancellation of PMI when 22% equity in the borrower’s home is reached. Those rules apply to mortgages signed on or after July 29, 1999, and exclude government-insured FHA or VA mortgages that are considered high-risk to default.

Additionally, disregarding the time when the mortgage was signed, the borrower may ask for PMI termination once s/he exceeds 20% equity.

Avoiding Private Mortgage Insurance via a Piggyback Loan
Piggyback loans are a very popular way of avoiding private mortgage insurance. It consists of taking a loan (first mortgage) covering 80% of the sale price of the home and taking and placing additional 5%, 10% or 15% on a second mortgage. A combination of 80% first mortgage, 5% second mortgage and 15% down payment is referred to as 80/5/15. Accordingly, the other two loan combinations are 80/10/10 and 80/15/5.

Although second mortgages generally have higher rates, in the end the borrower may save money because in contrast to PMI payments, now the loan payments are tax deductible.

Choosing a Finance Single Premium Option over Private Mortgage Insurance
Since an increasing number of borrowers are turning to piggyback loans in order to avoid PMI, the mortgage insurance industry came up with this solution claiming that it lowers monthly mortgage payments to the same or lower level as a piggyback loan. With this option homebuyers pay a single premium on their insurance and it is amortized over the term of loan.

One of the pitfalls of this solution is that few lenders offer this option, since Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac do not work with this kind of PMI structure.

Finding a Loan with No Private Mortgage Insurance
Loans with no PMI have one great disadvantage - they typically have higher interest rates. Instead of paying regular PMI, the latter is included in the higher rate of the mortgage.

Which of the above solutions will be best for you depends entirely on your particular case. Sometimes paying the private mortgage insurance might turn out more beneficial than choosing to avoid it with a second mortgage. Therefore you should consider your decision carefully and make all the necessary calculations in order to make the right choice.

Jim Cramer is an expert who shares his knowledge and years of experience in the mortgage field providing hundreds of Mortgage Questions and Mortgage Answers dedicated to help home buyers. Learn more about Home Mortgage Insurance

When designers think of placing a remote printer in the kitchen or bar they are probably thinking of increasing speed of service or accuracy in food and drink preparation. They are probably not thinking of these printers as a deterrent to theft.

You are the business owner cannot be everywhere at once. As much as you would like to keep a close eye on your operation the fact remains that you are not able to watch the kitchen, the bar and take care of the floor. Having a reliable Point of Sale system is a vital part of your overall operation, especially with regard to security.

When people think of places to steal in your business they automatically think of the cash register. That is the obvious choice since that is where the majority of the cash is kept. However, the next most obvious place people will steal is your kitchen or bar. That is where a good Point of Sale system with remote printers can really help deter theft and point out obvious problems.

No Receipt, No Food

It really is as simple as that. No food or drinks are prepared unless there is a receipt from the remote printer. In order to get this receipt the order must be placed by the server or cashier.

This simple concept can mean thousands in lost revenues due to dishonest employees not collecting for food that was prepared by the kitchen. Even in kitchens where the owner is the chef theft is a daily occurrence.

Dishonest employees will pass a hand written ticket to the kitchen. The food is prepared and served to the guest. No where is anything that closes this loop by requiring that the server or cashier actually record the sale.

In a Point of Sale system the food is rung up first, then the ticket is printed in the kitchen on any of several remote printers. No ticket is printed until the order is entered by the server or cashier. The loop is closed, and the margin for theft is dramatically reduced.

Multiple Remote Printers Close the Loop Tighter

Most Point of Sale systems have the option for multiple remote printers. 6 is not an uncommon amount to have. As the business owner you should be thinking of how many preparation stations that you have in your kitchen. You should strategically place remote printers at each of these stations to help secure that portion of the kitchen.

The Point of Sale system can be programmed to split the order by preparation station. This will allow the person working that station to prepare that portion of the overall order.

For you as the business owner, you should be paying attention to what is being prepared at each station and if there is a receipt that matches that item. If no receipt has been printed by the remote printer then no food should be being prepared at that station.

An expeditor printer should also be a consideration to print the entire order on a single receipt. This will allow the kitchen manager to know what each piece of the order is and what station is preparing it. The expeditor receipt will be essential in bringing the entire order together for delivery to the table. This too is a great theft deterrent in that the kitchen manager will know what stations should be preparing food and if a station is preparing something that was not ordered.

Nathan Lewis has over 25 years of experience applying technology to solve complex small business problems.

Dot Matrix Printers make the best remote printers. Serial Dot Matrix Printers are also very popular as remote printers.

myPOSprinter.com has hundreds of printers in stock ALL with Free Shipping.

It happens to just about everyone eventually. You buy a new computer and for awhile it runs great but then eventually you start noticing things like it runs a little slower than before or maybe your browsing window locks up occasionally. Time to get someone to fix a computer right?

So you look up the local computer repair technician or call the “Geek Squad” because you have no idea how to fix a computer.

The fact of the matter these days is repairing a computer generally comes down to identifying and cleaning issues with your computers registry or maybe identifying and cleaning all that spy ware and ad ware that seems to magically spawn on our PCs no matter how careful we are online. Most people do not realize that no matter how careful you are these things can get on your computer from doing the most harmless of tasks. Reading email, downloading pictures, downloading music, playing online games, etc.

The great news is when it comes time to fix a computer you absolutely can do it yourself without spending hundreds of dollars for a “professional” that is simply going to install and use the very same tools that are available to all of us at a much lower fee than he is going to charge us.

Some times the problem is as simple as registry errors caused by incomplete or invalid program installs or uninstalls that create issues in our computers registry. There are programs that will identify and clean these for us and rapidly get your computer running at top performance. A professional is also not going to use any magical formula when it comes to getting rid of spy ware or ad ware but he will charge you like it was some sort of monumental task.

What he is banking on is the fact that all you know is your computer is broken and have no idea it is something as simple as removing some programs that should not be there. Once you understand it is not that difficult you can begin to take control of your PCs performance and speed. You will be amazed at how easy it is to fix a computer these days.

If you are having computer problems or want to be prepared for when they inevitably happen, I have created a blog about how to fix a computer and you can visit it at:

http://hubpages.com/hub/Fix-A-Computer

There was a time when I didn’t think I’d ever be a “computer” person. I was in the seventh grade, taking a class in MS-DOS and learning some program called Turtle. (I know why they called it Turtle. It was pretty darned slow.) I had to key in about 50 commands just to draw a half-inch line. I wasn’t all that skilled at doing this. One little typo, and my line was going in the total wrong direction. I got a C+ in the class.

Today, I’m something of an unofficial computer geek. I can pretty much learn any graphics, word processing or utilities program on the fly, and I even surprise myself with html tricks from time to time. Now for the good news: so can you. “No, I can’t!” you say. YES, you CAN.

Today’s kids are little tech-heads. Ever seen a four-year-old grab the mouse and start web-surfing like it was nothing? It happens all the time. By age fifteen, kids are designing websites and manipulating photos like old pros. How can this be? Do they grow them smarter these days?

Well, I know some parents who’ll tell you so, but the truth is, today’s computer programs are designed so that the average untrained human being can learn them quickly and apply them in myriad ways. We call them Applications because they’re meant to be applied for practical use to enhance our quality of living.

I mentioned MS-DOS in my intro. For the most part, today’s user doesn’t need to know a thing about MS-DOS. The reason? Modern computers run on operating systems, such as Windows for PC and OS for Mac. The operating system covers up all that wacky-looking MS-DOS code with windows and buttons that practically beg us out loud, “CLICK ME!” And click them we do.

Just like the operating system, most programs use what’s called an interface: that shell or skin that hides the code, and allows you to navigate and manipulate using simple clicks and commands. This interface is what enables us to just stroll on over and start making things happen on the computer without knowing a darned thing about programming or codes or much of anything.

It’s these windows that we can open and shut, buttons we can click, and menus we can pull down using our trusty mouse, that let us accomplish tasks of great magnitude in record time, using these powerful machines. We can do some pretty incredible things just by POINTING AND CLICKING. If you think about this long enough, it might blow your mind.

Point and click. That’s the basic concept of using the mouse, and it’s such a simple method that 3-year-olds take to it with ease. SEE IT, GRAB IT. This is how today’s computers work, in a nutshell. With this concept in mind, computer programmers did a beautiful thing for all of us humble users: they were kind enough to develop a standard method of navigating through most programs.

Seek… and find. That’s basically what your brain is doing as your hand points and clicks. Every time you use a program, you’re searching for a word or a symbol or a button that will perform a desired action or take you to a desired destination. So, what’s the big challenge? To think of the word that describes the action that you need performed. Words like… SAVE. MOVE. DELETE. CHANGE. COPY. PASTE. You know those words! And you can learn even more words, easily.

Now I ask you, what could be easier than learning the very BASIC language of computer use?

If you want to perform any action in any program, go to the top of the screen and read the words there. With some exceptions, most of them say things like FILE, VIEW, EDIT, FORMAT, TOOLS, HELP. If you click on each of these words in any program, they bring down a menu of more options. (I probably don’t need to explain this to you, but I’m trying to make a point here.)

Let’s use the FILE menu as an example. We all know what’s behind door number one. NEW FILE, SAVE, PRINT… damn, this is too easy isn’t it. So let me now point out five more general facts about computer programs:

In most word processing programs, the pulldown menus are all pretty much the same.

In most Internet Browsers, the pulldown menus are all pretty much the same.

Why am I taking such pains to point this out? Because I want to shed some light on a fact that’s often overlooked by the skittish user. Because of the fact that most word processing menus contain identical or nearly-identical pulldown menus, if you know one word processing program, you pretty much know all of them. That goes for all of the other categories of programs as well. And even if the menus are not identical, you know the language. You’ll be able to hunt for the words that perform the desired actions.

At this point, I’d like to thank you for sticking through this tirade with me, so that I can make my final point:

The only thing holding you back from learning new computer programs is your own closed-minded attitude. Point and click. Seek and find. There is nothing easier than this. So for anyone out there who claims that they’re “just not a tecchie” and can’t learn the programs: DO NOT DOUBT YOURSELF. You CAN learn the programs!

If you master Photoshop, you’ll be able to use any Photoshop knock-off program with relative ease. If you learn Microsoft Outlook, you should have little to no problem with other email management programs. This goes for all kinds of programs.

How can you become skilled in the major categories of computer programs? Search for free, downloadable instructions on the internet, or pay a small amount for training books. Hook up with a computer-savvy friend for a little tutorial. Click the Help menu and read each topic explained. Do all this, and master programs while saving thousands on computer training classes that you don’t need.

Just open your mind, and you’ll see what’s before you; the incredible world of computers and the miraculous acts you can perform through them by your own miniscule hand. You know a lot more than you think you know. So click the mouse, and take your power.

Copyright 2005 Dina Giolitto. All rights reserved.

Liked this article? Have more of the same emailed to your inbox each month. Sign up for the Copywriting and Marketing Ezine from Dina at Wordfeeder.com and learn to write search engine friendly web copy and market your web based business for free.

There are thousands of reverse phone services on the Net, however the main problem with them is that most of such services are extremely expensive. You see, many investigation services have pay per search fees, which means whenever you trace a phone number you will have to pay. And these fees sometimes can be as high as $25, but imagine how much money you could save if you knew how to get free cell phone number trace?

It is not a secret that there are companies that provide all the information you want without pay per lookup fees, but the problem most Internet users have is they either don’t know where to find such sites, or simply have no idea that they exist. I completely agree with you and them, because I found it pretty hard too, it’s kind of impossible to find something cheap, reliable and legitimate. I have tried so many services, but most of them couldn’t provide me with a free cell phone number trace.

However, my hard work paid off and I have finally found something that is really worth the time and money spent. You see, this service is unlike others, it really gives you an access to do a free cell phone number trace, matter of fact, there are no limitations, or restrictions. You can look up as many phone numbers as you like without worrying about paying $25 per every search.

In addition to free cell phone number trace every member also gets a free access to other investigation databases such as background checks, sex offender registry, people databases and much more. This service is truly incredible as you will not find anything close to this amount of investigation tools that it provides. I highly recommend trying out this service, simply because it extremely over delivers and you will save hundreds of dollars.

By the way, their support is probably the fastest on the market, all my emails were answered within 2-4 hours, when others took days. I hope this article was valuable for you and now you have a better picture of how to get free cell phone number trace.

Find out which service is Kyle Parker’s “Top Pick” and which one will save you hundreds of dollars on reverse phone lookup. Kyle Parker runs a site with quality articles and professional reverse phone lookup services.

This question has been asked often by students of mine - but only after they’ve known me for awhile. The reason they wait so long to ask it is because they don’t ever want to admit that the reason they lost a match or a shot is because they ‘choked’. When push comes to shove, however, every player out there must admit that they’ve let their nerves get the best of them at one time or another; and it doesn’t feel good to admit it. Our failure to perform to our known level of ability is sometimes too much to bear. We make excuses. We find a scapegoat. It was the wind. Or the sun in my eyes on that last double fault. My opponent’s constant ‘grunting’ threw me off. God forbid we be honest with ourselves and perhaps admit that we need some training in order to prevent this type of behavior in the future.

Training? Yes, training. You see, to some observers, people are either born ‘mentally tough’ or ‘mentally weak’, period. While people do have different personality types, I, for one, DO NOT believe this theory holds any water. Rather, I believe that players can be trained to deal with the dilemma of pressure. So back to the original question: How do you keep from choking under pressure?

First, ask yourself what your definition of ‘choking’ is. If you are referring to, let’s say, a second serve that is normally very reliable but is letting you down during key points, then you are dealing with what most people refer to as ‘choking’. (We’ll deal with that in a moment.) However, if you are dealing with shots and strategies that you’ve seldom dealt with before (perhaps you are attempting to serve-and-volley when you normally play from the baseline), then you have hit an area where you don’t have much experience. In this case, your nerves are getting the best of you because you know, deep down, that you haven’t yet acquired the skills necessary to accomplish the task you are attempting. This is not choking, but rather a lack of skill in making choices that give you the highest percentage of winning. Make sure you’re not confusing ‘choking’ with inexperience.

Getting back to what ‘choking’ truly is, and how to prevent it, let’s take a look at a match situation, and see how two players might face it head-on. First, let’s look at a player who has a very laid-back personality and doesn’t get excited about too much. (The Swedes from the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s are good examples: Bjorn Borg, Mats Wilander, Stefan Edberg, Joakim Nystrom etc). Let’s call this guy…Lars (sounds Swedish, right?) Okay. People like Lars who play tennis in a ‘laid-back’ manner (emotionally speaking) are far less likely to ‘blow up’ when they miss a shot. They are far less likely to talk negatively to themselves on the court; and they are far less likely to ‘choke’ than a person with an ‘excitable’ personality. Why is that? It is because Lars’ naturally laid-back personality allows him to not really get too emotionally ‘wound-up’ over the consequences of whether or not he misses a shot. It’s his personality to ‘roll with the punches’ and focus on one shot at a time. Does that mean Lars is naturally going to be a better tennis player than most? Not at all. It is simply a facet of his personality. There are other areas of Lars’ game where his ‘laid-back’ personality is often times a hindrance. For example, Lars has trouble motivating himself on the court during practice, and has a much harder time putting pressure on his opponent - again, a facet of his laid-back personality.

Now let’s look at an ‘excitable’ player named ‘John’. John’s excitable personality leads him to be fierce, driven and ultra-competitive on the tennis court. As a function of his ‘excitable’ personality, he is driven to expect rewards when he performs well, as he feels he’s ‘earned it’. However, there are times when the pressure to hit a good shot weighs more on John than it would on Lars, even if they were facing the exact same situation on the court. The reason? John’s excitable personality causes him to become emotionally invested in the outcome of the match (or point, or shot, etc), which leads to him putting pressure on himself to perform well - but often times just the opposite happens. All of the consequences of not performing outweigh the consequences of performing well for him. How come? He expected to perform well and expects positive results. In his mind, he thinks “Woopty-doo. I’m supposed to beat this guy, so there’s no big reward if I do. But if I don’t…”

You can see now why the pressure mounts for excitable John. John’s completion of the sentence “But if I don’t…” would give you more insight in to why people ‘choke’ than you can imagine. Imagine if you could just keep on asking John questions after he finishes the sentence “But if I don’t…” Let’s ask John and see shat he says:

Q: “John, if you lose this match, what’s the worst that can happen?”

A: “Well, I’ll be out of the tournament.”

Q: “And?”

A: “And everyone at the club will know I lost and wanna play me to see if I they can knock me off, too.”

Q: “What’s so bad about that?”

A: “Well, how would you like to spend 5 years and $10,000 on tennis lessons just to lose?”

Q: “This isn’t about me, John, it’s about you. How does spending all that time and money on your game make you feel?”

A: “Like I wasted a lot of time and money.”

Q: “How does wasting time and money make you feel?”

A: “Like a complete fool…”

The answers really are there, and once you find those answers you will be able to embrace the pressure. John’s ultimate reason for not wanting to lose the match was because he’d feel “Like a complete fool.” His insecurity is what’s causing the pressure. It has nothing to do with his abilities. He feels his performance on the tennis court is what determines whether or not he’s a fool as a person.

Now those were just two examples of two distinct personality types. I offered them up for you as a way to relate to the experience. However, no matter what your personality type, you can train yourself to deal with pressure. The way to beat the ‘choking’ phenomenon has been studied by sports psychologists and men of genius as long as sports have been around. While I claim to be neither a psychologist nor a genius, I will tell you that through my observations and experiences over the years, the one sure-fire way to get a handle on pressure is to embrace it. The simplest way to embrace pressure is to realize the cause of it. Most pressure comes from the fear of an unwanted outcome. The key word here is ‘fear’. Now that you know this, you must ask yourself a question: “What’s the worst that can happen, and what are the consequences if my fears are realized?”

Example: Jessica is down 30-40, at 4-5 in the third set of her state qualifying match. She’s on her second serve. She’s worked hard to get to this point, and if she can win this match she’ll make it to the State Tournament for the first time. She’s a senior in high school and it’s her last chance. If she double faults, it’s all over. You can see why she would be feeling the pressure. Is there a way to beat this pressure? Is there an answer to the question: “How do you keep from choking under pressure?”

Yes, there is; but here’s the kicker: Jessica would have had to train herself prior to getting in this situation in order to beat the pressure by embracing it. She would have had to declare her intentions, goals and possible outcomes far in advance. She would have had to understand that she wouldn’t define herself as a person by her results; win or lose good or bad. She would have been training herself to see - and meet - pressure in a whole new way. She would be empowered to embrace the pressure, make it her own, and know that, win or lose, she’d ‘put it all out there’. She would’ve realized long ago even if she didn’t get her desired results, the world would not end; and that if the moniker of ‘State Tennis Championship Qualifier’ didn’t follow her name in the yearbook, that the sun would still come up in the morning, she’d still be ‘Jessica’, and she’d still be okay with it.

Kyril Popoff is a former NCAA Div1 All-Conference Tennis Player, Instructor, Coach and Author.

His books include THE TEN LAWS OF TENNIS SUCCESS and FOCUS & WIN: WHY YOUR TENNIS GAME ISN’T WHERE YOU WANT IT TO BE, & WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT!

You can sign up for Coach Kyril’s Tennis Lessons, Tips & Tricks newsletter at:
http://www.coachkyriltennis.com

Tennis clothes have changed drastically in style, fabric, and color over the last 100 years. The first lawn tennis players in England wore formal attire when playing. Standard tennis clothes for women were full-length dresses. Men wore long pants and formal, long sleeve shirts. The tennis clothes of both men and women were entirely white in color. Contrast this formal style with the tennis clothes worn by the tennis players of today. Modern tennis players favor synthetic fabrics, more athletic clothing styles, and a greater variety of colors.

The evolution of tennis clothes has mirrored the changes in everyday fashion. For example, male tennis players in the 1970’s and 1980’s favored short, tight-fitting shorts and traditional polo shirts. In the late 1990’s and 2000’s, male tennis players began to wear larger, looser shorts and more casual shirts. In addition, female tennis players of the 1970’s and 1980’s favored traditional tennis clothes with an updated style. Popular clothing included shortened tennis skirts and dresses. Today’s women tennis players wear a variety of tennis clothes, ranging from tennis skirts and dresses to shorts and t-shirts. While tennis players still wear white at more traditional clubs (e.g. Wimbledon), there is a much larger variety of colors in modern tennis clothes.

Another factor contributing to the evolution of tennis clothes is the increased athleticism in the modern game. Tennis is now a high intensity sport, requiring tremendous physical effort and exertion. Tennis players must be able to run, cut, jump, and twist all while executing precise tennis strokes to hit a ball often moving at high speeds. Consequently, comfort is a major concern of players. Modern tennis players prefer tennis clothes that are lightweight, fit well, repel moisture, and are generally comfortable. Tennis clothes that keep the body cool and dry can help players counteract the physical toll that playing tennis, especially in hot weather, can exact.

Advances in clothing technology have also contributed to the evolution of tennis clothes. For years, cotton was the fabric of choice for tennis clothes. In the last few years, however, many tennis apparel makers have introduced garments made of new, synthetic fibers. Tennis clothes made of these synthetic fibers help remove sweat from the skin and clothing by wicking moisture away from the body. Examples of these clothing technologies are Adidas’s ClimaCool brand and Nike’s Dri-FIT. Most professional tennis players and many recreational tennis players now wear tennis clothes made with these new technologies because they keep them cooler and drier than traditional tennis wear.

In conclusion, tennis clothes have seen many changes over the years. While tennis clothes maintain some of their formality and traditional style, modern tennis players value comfort and individual style over tradition. Increased athleticism, advances in technology, and changes in general fashion have greatly affected the tennis clothing industry. In addition, breaking from their traditional roots, tennis clothes have become a medium for personal expression of individual style and important pieces of equipment in an increasingly physical sport.

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