TUSCAN TENNIS HOLIDAYS EST 1994 - BLOG

Thiem will beat Rafa!

10/6/2018

I had a feeling that Halep would beat Stephens as it just seemed like her time to do it and I also have a feeling that Thiem will beat Rafa!

Thiem has the game to beat Rafa which he has shown on clay beating him twice (admittedly over 3 sets). However, I feel that there is less pressure on Thiem to win today as Rafa is considered invincible on the Paris court ( understandably ) but this might give Thiem the chance to relax and execute his tactics ? (Hit the ball in the court near the lines very hard and don't miss!)

The main difficulty will be to close out the match if he gets ahead as only then he might start thinking of the outcome which could be too much for him?

The weather also looks to be in Dominic's favour with the possibility of some rain which Rafa never likes - his loss to Soderling was on a wet day and when he lost the set to little Diego this year it was damp too!

It also just doesn't seem possible or right that Nadal can win 11 titles in Paris. Surely it's time for a change? I feel that it will be as Thiem is also very strong physically which he will need to be when he wins in 5 sets!

Good news is that I'm happy to be entirely wrong as I agree with Jonny Mac who last night said that Nadal was the GCOAT i.e greatest competitor of all time and has inspired so many people all over the world to take up an interest in tennis.

BUT.... it's time for a change and the massive hitting Austrian who trains in the mountains like Rambo is ready!!

Does Thiem have the secret on how to beat Rafa on clay?Plus Nadal's incredible return of serve stats on clay!

15/5/2018

Dominic Thiem beat Nadal at Madrid to end Rafa's amazing run on this surface. So is this style of play the answer? The short answer is no as Thiem's game is high risk and very difficult to pull off unless you are Thiem! So it would appear that the only way to beat Nadal is for him to have a slight off day and the other person has to play high risk, powerful tennis hitting near the lines and not missing!
Roger Soderling did this many years ago at the French Open on a damp court hitting very hard & flat near the lines. Therefore I would still have Nadal as strong favourite for the French Open, especially over 5 sets.
Nadal is spectacularly ranked first in three of the four return metrics on clay. He is second to Andrei Chesnokov in Break Points Converted, narrowly trailing 48.81 per cent to 48.60 per cent
For every 10 return games he plays on clay, the server wins about six, while Nadal wins four. This is the one of the main reasons why Nadal wins so much on clay.

A doubles dilemma?

Is it okay to hit your opponent with the ball or aim it at them?

This is an issue which comes up regularly in both ladies and mixed doubles and I often hear of disgruntled folk complaining of their opponents targeting them. A few of the young girls at my club hit the ball pretty hard and have been accused of trying to hit their opponents when at the net. So do the "targets" in question have a valid grievance?

I would say no except perhaps when someone has a smash over the net and their opponent is turning away so maybe not necessary to hit them!? But other than the obvious easy ball when a player can win the point without causing bodily harm I have no problem with any player aiming at me in a Lendl like fashion. (Yes he was famous for hitting the ball straight at opponents but only if it was the best option!) If I'm not good enough to defend myself with the racquet then tough.

I am talking about the competitive arena and not social doubles or anything similar where common sense and decent social skills should prevail (though often don't!)

There is one guy who plays in our top league who gets very huffy if you ever hit him with the ball so that's what I try to do early on and the match is over. When I trained in Australia (many years ago) the idea in all doubles volley drills was exactly that i.e. to hit your opponents with the ball as often as possible! You soon learned how to defend yourself with the backhand volley or at least get out of the way!

And perhaps the main reason not to get upset at lower levels is that the person more than likely wasn't aiming at you at all - they were just trying to hit the ball very hard and you just got in the way!

Any comments? Who has been hit with the ball and complained? Be honest now!

We always do a doubles clinic on our special hosted weeks when we have a question & answer session at the end and these kind of issues tend to come up. Possibly too late for you to make it to Trapani in Sicily next week so why not join us in Florence or Lucca in our upcoming weeks over the summer where we can get to grips with any of your issues on (or off) the court!

Look forward to hearing from you and here is a photo of my most recent doubles opponents

Amazing clay court statistics about 10-time Monte Carlo champion Rafael Nadal Plus - What club players can learn from Rafa about how to play better on clay

21/4/2018

The King of Clay, Rafael Nadal, returns to his favorite surface this week at Monte Carlo.
This is the first clay court event in Rafa's build up to the French Open which he has also won 10 times!!
Here are 10 amazing clay stats to know about the world's best ever clay court player.
He’s won 28 of his last 29 matches on clay. It's a stretch dating back to the 2016 French Open; his only loss in that time came against Dominic Thiem in last year's Rome quarterfinals. He’s also won his last 26 sets on clay, and 65 of his last 69.

He has a 391-35 career win-loss record on clay. Nadal’s combined win-loss record on all other surfaces is an excellent 488-151, but on clay he’s an incredible 391-35 .

He’s won Monte Carlo, Barcelona and the French Open 10 times each. Nadal is the only man in the Open Era to win any event 10 times—and he’s done it at three different clay court events.

He’s the only man in tennis history to win the same Grand Slam title 10 times. Nadal’s 10 French Opens—2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2017—put him alongside Margaret Court as the only players, male or female, to win the same Grand Slam title 10 times (she won 11 Australian Opens).

He’s won one of every five French Opens in the Open Era. Last year’s French Open was the 50th French Open since the Open Era began back in 1968.

He’s won more ATP clay-court titles than anyone else in the Open Era. Nadal’s 53 career clay court titles is an Open Era record; the previous record-holder was Guillermo Vilas, with 49.
He’s 82-17 in his career against Top 10 players on clay. On all other surfaces combined, Nadal has a 71-66 career record against Top 10 players, but on clay he’s a much scarier 82-17.

He’s 32-4 against the rest of the current Top 10 on clay. Nadal won’t be intimidated by the current Top 10 on clay—he’s a combined 32-4 against them on the surface. Thiem and Roger Federer (who again isn’t even playing the clay season this year) have two wins each.

He’s 79-2 at the French Open. Nadal has lost just two matches in his career at Roland Garros: in the fourth round in 2009, to Robin Soderling; and in the quarterfinals in 2015, to Novak Djokovic.

He’s 63-4 at next week’s event in Monte Carlo. Nadal’s only four losses at the first Masters 1000 event of the year on clay came in the third round in 2003, to Guillermo Coria; the final in 2013, to Djokovic; the quarterfinals in 2014, to David Ferrer; and the semifinals in 2015, to Djokovic.

What club players can learn from Rafa about how to play better on clay.....1 - Nadal's fitness is incredible both in terms of his speed and ability to keep going even during the longest of rallies/matches.
Club player - Improve your general levels of fitness which will allow you to stay in the point longer and recover quickly for the next one. When Agassi lost to Wilander in the French Open final many years ago he vowed never to lose a match again for a lack of conditioning! An easy (and more fun way) of improving tennis fitness is just to feed in the ball without the serve and play out the point preferably singles as much more exercise! Or you can sprint up hills like Agassi used to do! Some gym work wouldn't do any harm either!
2 - Nadal's ability to slide and defend the court plus reach short balls at the end of a slide helps him to stay in points which for many players would be lost.

Club player - Learning to slide on a clay court is fundamental for any aspiring player and this can be learned! The first step would be to practise sliding on a clay court without necessarily hitting the ball and then progress to small slides trying to time it so that you stop just before you hit the ball.
It's important to have a strong core in order to slide effectively so an element of off court training is essential.
It's also much easier to slide on a warm clay court than on a wet damp one like the ones we generally have in the UK! (so why not come with us to Italy?).

3 - Nadal's use of heavy topspin on his forehand combined with excellent dropshots make it very difficult for his opponents to ever get settled in a rally.

Club Player - we may not all be able to generate the same amount of spin and racket head speed as Rafa, but learning to hit even a small amount of topspin can be extremely useful on clay with the higher bounces. If you can get the ball high to a club player's backhand (or forehand if they have an eastern grip) you will have more chance of a short ball or error.
Dropshots must also be developed as they are more effective on clay courts due to the responsive nature of the courts i.e. hit with some backspin the ball will bounce up or even backwards!

4 - Nadal uses his 1st serve on clay to gain an advantage in the rally more than trying to win the point with a flat serve. His use of slice or topspin on the 1st serve is more effective on clay, due to the slow, high bouncing nature of the court which allows opponents more time to return even a fast serve.

Club Player - Getting the 1st serve in with topspin or slice is much more important since a flat, faster serve comes through at a nice height for the returner. This goes for both singles and doubles.

5 - Nadal's greatest quality is his mental resilience in my opinion. This is a huge factor on any surface, but in particular on clay as it's much more difficult to win a point quickly. Rafa very rarely loses if the match goes to a 3rd set and is even less likely to lose in the 5th set largely due to his mental abilities.

Club Player - Assuming you have enough legs (fitness) then you have more chance of being mentally resilient as the match goes on. You need to be willing to suffer and work hard both mentally and physically.

Pre Season Tips for Club Players

16/3/2018

With the competitive season almost upon us for most UK clubs, here are my top tips to help you be ready, and increasing your chances of success!

Is your equipment in good working order? In particular get a stringer to check that your strings are the right ones for your level and that the tension isn't too low (or high!)String types/tensions can vary depending upon game style, age etc. Please see a previous BLOG for details.
Are you physically ready? Get a diagnostic test of your current physical condition from an experienced trainer and begin an exercise programme particular to your own requirements which will help avoid injury and improve performance.
Is your game ready for competition? Have an individual lesson with an experienced coach who will help you formulate a plan for improving your game. Avoid coaches who are overly technical in their approach. Find someone who will work more on tactics and the feel of your shots - especially when close to match season! Major technical issues need a lot of time and for adults not always a great idea in my opinion to be working on "how to" close to competition time!

4. Are you ready mentally for the stress of match play? This is perhaps the most important area to contend with and usually most overlooked. Many club players who are not used to competing on a regular basis may experience major difficulties early in the season when they are becoming used to the stress of competition!
There are some things you could do to help improve your mental state before even the first match.

Play practice matches against other teams in your own club - this can be quite stressful especially for the higher ranked players/teams who may be worried about losing to a lower ranked player/team! Easy to arrange as long as the higher teams agree to play!!
Then you could arrange at least one practice match against another club who are perhaps not in your league, but are of a similar level. Make sure you play using the same format and if possible a similar time to match play conditions. This can help enormously getting some of the mental cobwebs removed.
Get your own team together for a social event which always helps with team bonding and cohesion. Could be as simple as a meal out together or for the more adventurous go-karting or even a karaoke night! Your choice!
If doubles only (usually the case in the UK) then sort out partnerships early on and be smart about who plays with who as people generally need to like their partner on and off the court.
Try and get a club sponsor for t-shirts to be made for all teams. A feeling of identity and club loyalty can be developed and it looks great, plus scares opponents!

FINALLY if all else fails come on our Tuscan Tennis Holiday to Trapani in Sicily where I will explain all of the above in fine details! Only 8 spaces left!

Hosted Week with Ian & Laura
Trapani, Sicily 20th to 27th May - Adults only

For those of you who prefer not to drive then Trapani is a great option as we can arrange transfers to and from the tennis club with the possibility to walk out your door in the evening with a huge variety of wonderful eating places, bars and street nightlife! Experience a part of Sicily relatively untouched by mainstream tourism.

What's Included:

18 hours of tennis including coaching, doubles clinic, matchplay, tournament PLUS free court time
Video analysis and two hours play on Monday morning (10am - 12 noon)
An individual tennis goal sheet to work on during the week - discussed with you during the video analysis
Social tennis for two hours on Monday afternoon
Two hours group coaching per day (10am - 12 noon) Tuesday to Saturday with a maximum of 4 - 6 per group (usually 4)
Extra free court time during the week
A doubles clinic on Tuesday afternoon - tactically based for all standards
Quality Italian lunch daily Monday to Saturday
Fun tournament with prizes at the end of the week - with local Sicilians!
Use of the tennis club facilities which include 3 red clay courts, 2 hard courts. a fully equipped gym, a snack bar and restaurant plus a TV room with Sky channels
One accompanied trip during the week to introduce you to Ian and Laura's Sicily - an afternoon trip to the local island of Favignana - including an easy cycling tour to all the best sports for sightseeing and swimming (lunch is included)
Optional meals at our favourite restaurants with the group on Tuesday and Saturday (with awards) - cost of meal not included
Complimentary Tuscan Tennis t-shirt
The invaluable local knowledge of Ian and Laura who can introduce you to the best the area has to offer
Our local info guide

For more information on accommodation/flights/car hire etc please email laura@tuscantennis.com
We also have Special Hosted Weeks in Florence, Lucca & Sardinia plus tailored holidays at all other times of the year...Trapani (Sicily) May 20th to 27th (Adults Only) 8 spaces left
Florence 21st to 28th July (Adults Only) 13 spaces left
Florence 28th July to 4th August (All Welcome)
Lucca 18th to 25th August (All Welcome)
Lucca 25th August to 1st September (Adults Only) 1 space left
Sardinia 1st to 8th September (Adults Only) 4 spaces left

Click on the locations in blue above for more information.....
Detailed above are the dates for the Ian & Laura Special Hosted Weeks for 2018, but we can arrange holidays for any duration outwith these dates.......drop Laura an email and she will send you full details....
laura@tuscantennis.com

Is This The End of an era?

4/1/2018

Wimbledon Predictions/Thoughts

28/6/2017

After watching Federer dismantle Zverev in the final at Halle on Sunday 6/1 6/2 I can see Fed as the clear favourite for Wimbledon this year. He was/is simply awesome in almost every department and has even added a variety of drop shots for the grass. This was a shot he never used to believe in but at times he made Zverev look fairly ordinary (which he isn't!). This could be the new strategy that other top players might follow i.e. miss out a few months of tournaments and then come in fresh and blow everyone away? Apart from Murray and Nadal I can't see any of the others troubling Roger. Kyrgios is dangerous but doesn't look to be in great form after a bereavement in the family. Novak is at Eastbourne trying to find himself as much as his tennis and Agassi will at least help to console him when he loses! Thiem still can't volley and has big swings for grass courts so might struggle and Raonic doesn't seem to be in great shape either. Maybe Marcus Willis will battle through qualifying and become the dark horse? Doubt it but good luck to him as he certainly added to last year's event!
I should mention Feliciano Lopez who did so well to finally win Queens but Wimbledon's courts are a bit slower so his serve might come back too often for his liking? And as much as I like Cilic he is one of the mad ball bouncers before serving which is just too dull!
I'd be delighted if Murray gets a hat trick but equally pleased if Federer goes clear of the Sampras record of 7 titles. In the women's draw it will be interesting to see how Ostapenko does after her fantastic win at the French which gave the ladies game a much needed boost. Great to see Kvitova back again who could easily win the title again if she has fully recovered, but I would also put Venus Williams down as a great outside bet!
Konta looks to have found a bit of grass court form reaching the final at Nottingham and Heather Watson beat Cibulkova recently and loves the grass so might be an opportunity for her to get her career back on track?e to edit.

French Open Chat

1/6/2017

The wonderful grand slam in Paris is well underway with a few surprises already! Kerber loses 1st round to Makarova who then loses 2 & 2 to the 42nd ranked Tsurenko of the Ukraine! In the men's doubles 1st round both the no 1 & 2 seeds have lost giving Murray & Soares more chance of another grand slam win! However this event is so unpredictable these days that almost anyone could win it. Leander Paes is still winning at age 44!

It will be interesting to see what effect Agassi might have on Novak and also if Lendl can help sort out Murray's problems. I'm surprised that Agassi is willing to spend time on the tour but maybe the draw of being involved again in the tennis world is just too much of a temptation? In his book he said that he hated tennis which I had always doubted!
Fognini has to be one of the most disappointing players on the tour in terms of childlike behaviour which is such a shame as he is capable of playing incredible tennis. He should team up with Benoit Paire of France in the doubles - a real soulmate!
In terms of winning the men's singles it's difficult to see pass Nadal but in the slams I always rate Wawrinka, especially on clay. Murray and Djokovic are just so unpredictable at the moment and Thiem is looking dangerous on the clay. No absolute clear favourite this year in my view other than Nadal perhaps?

Should drug cheats be given wild cards?

5/5/2017

The quick answer is no in my opinion! If the main reason for giving Sharapova a wildcard is financial gain (in terms of tournament sponsors) then surely they are damaging the integrity of the sport.

I would like to see the WTA setting rules which would take these matters out of any individual tournament's control. Any player who has been banned for drug abuse should have to start at the bottom of the professional ladder and could even have titles/prize money removed from events they have won while cheating. The Olympics take away medals so why not tennis?

The idea that Sharapova can immediately return to the top level events is surely wrong. She has said that she loves the game and competing . If that is the case she could prove it by working her way through futures to challengers and so on. The smaller events at this level would all get a boost at the same time.

Only a few players have come out speaking openly against this decision like Andy Murray, Bouchard and Wozniacki and good for them! I wonder what Murray thinks of Head continuing to support Sharapova? Porshe and Nike have also stayed with her. Money talks and Nike have once again shown their true colours in much the same way they did with the sprinter Justin Gatlin (2 time drug cheat).

Andy Murray also commented on whether Wimbledon would give her a wild card. If she needs one that will be a very interesting decision.....

With women's tennis struggling to compete on a global level maybe the WTA are so desperate for attention that they will allow Maria to do what she wants? And with Serena now out of the game for a while do they really want a drug cheater to be their flag waver for the sport?

Tips for adapting to clay courts
With the clay court season in full swing and if you are lucky enough to access some clay courts here are some tips for how best to adapt your game.

1/ Make sure you wear a clay court shoe which will allow you to slide and grip the court at the same time.

2/ Reduce the tension of your restrings a little as the slower ball will allow you more time to prepare( helping control) and you will need to generate more spin/speed with the ball coming slower off the surface.

3/ Try to use the drop shot more often as any backspin is much more effective on this surface.

4/ If you have a kick serve use it more often for the same reason ie the court is more responsive and the ball will jump up higher!

5/ Learn how to slide - especially for singles play - but be careful when trying for the first time and get some expert advice as it could go wrong!

6/ Be prepared to run a lot and be patient as much more difficult to win points if used to playing on a wet artificial grass court!

7/ For doubles play you may have to rethink your normal strategy especially if you are a serve & volley player with 2nd serve returns much easier with the slow surface.It really becomes much more of a chess match in doubles on clay and you really need to understand how and when to attack & defend effectively.

Why not join us in Trapani and we can develop your doubles strategiy? Click HERE for more info....

Federer’s amazing resurgence and how we can emulate him!

22/3/2017

Roger said this after his match with Wawrinka.

"Stan missed a first serve and then it was a second serve, step in and stay aggressive, come to the net and finish. You vision it, and you do it. And it's so simple, and when you can't play that way. everything becomes so complex. I know I am riding a wave right."
He added: "I think as long as the body is this way and I can remind myself, don't play with fear and don't play with too much pressure and don't try to do well, I'll be able to play like this. But the body needs to be there so the mind will follow."

The first part of this quotation shows the importance of having a strategy, visualising it and sticking to it! It may sound a bit simplistic but it’s so important to make a definite plan and stick with it. The added aspect of visualisation reminds me of Jack Nicklaus who once said that he never hit a shot that he hadn’t first gone through in his mind.
He then goes on to say, “and don’t try to do well”. In my opinion, this is a key factor in achieving effective mental performance. Of course Roger wants to win but even at this late stage of his incredible career he has managed to discover another level of mental abilities. Playing without “fear” and “too much pressure” has allowed him to express himself to a higher level than ever before. What a change he has made to his backhand return of serve and the general use of coming over the ball more in rallies with this shot. It has now become a new weapon for him! He could always do this but the mental looseness to go from someone who generally blocks the ball back to a player who looks to attack at any opportunity is a massive change and requires awareness of how to control your emotions and be willing to lose.
I’ve heard Roger talk about how he accepts the possibility of losing. This is all tied up in the new, even more relaxed Roger. By allowing himself to accept the possibility of losing the match in his own mind gives him the freedom to focus on the emotional control of the “here and now”. Staying in the moment, being in the zone are expressions we are all familiar with hearing but how do you get there?
Roger appears to have found a way of finding that magical state of mind on a regular basis but doesn’t take for granted the importance of the body which must be there in the first place. You can be as mentally relaxed as you like but if the body can’t get you to the ball it ain’t going to happen!

So what do we need to do to emulate Roger?

Train hard and practise with purpose looking to improve always. If the GOAT needs to improve then why not you?
Accept the possibility of losing and stop trying so hard to be a winner!
Decide what your most effective game style is and stick to it – Roger had previously beaten Stan on hard courts with a different game style but had the courage to stick with his new one.
Don’t be defined by your age!
And most importantly come on a Tuscan Tennis Holiday and we will help you on your road to becoming a better player whatever your age!

Oz OPEN Highlights

25/1/2017

Federer v Nadal Final?

Roger Federer - Quite incredible how well he is moving around the court, showing how hard he must have been working over the past 6 months.
It's great to have Rafa back in the mix as well, which only helps to keep tennis high on the agenda as one of the world's most popular sports.
In my opinion Federer and Nadal have contributed more than any other players in the past 15 years to the popularity of tennis.
They could meet in the final, but I don't think they will unfortunately, as I can't see Nadal getting there (would love to be wrong!).
I hope Federer wins overall, but expect Raonic to take it with these light balls. Not my favourite player (Raonic), but this is his time to win.

Do lighter tennis balls & faster courts improve tennis for the spectator?

If the tournament is anything to go by then I would say yes! Zverev beating Murray and Istomin winning v Djokovic, plus Federer able to play more aggressively than normal all contributes to less predictable results and more entertaining tennis. Roger in his post match interview v Zverev said as much commenting on the speed of the courts and balls. He feels that it allows for more styles of play to succeed and not just the usual baseline "slugfests" as he put it.
Will other tournaments follow the Oz Open lead and speed up the courts/balls? I hope so....

Update on our Special Hosted Weeks

Sardinia - June 10th to 17th - Adults Only - 8 spaces left
Trapani (Sicily) New Doubles Only Format for 2017 - July 22nd to 29th - Adults Only - 14 spaces left
Trapani (Sicily) New Doubles Only Format for 2017 - 29th July to 5th August - Adults Only - 13 spaces left
Lucca (Tuscany) - August 19th to 26th - All Welcome - FULL
Lucca (Tuscany) - August 26th to Sept 2nd - Adults Only - FULL
Sardinia - September 2nd to 9th September - Adults Only - 10 spaces left

There is still time to book your place on one of our Special Hosted Weeks, but not in Lucca as both of those weeks are now full! So sorry if you've missed out but as you can see we still have spaces in Sicily or Sardinia.

If doubles is your thing, then our Special Hosted Weeks in Trapani (Sicily) would be just perfect for you where we will be doing a more intensive version of our normal special hosted weeks focusing on improving your doubles strategy. These weeks are aimed at aspiring club team players and upwards. For more information CLICK here

If you love being near the sea in the most beautiful waters in Italy then Sardinia could be for you?
These are our classic hosted weeks where we work on all aspects of your technique and doubles strategy but also with enough free time to explore the amazing turquoise waters and local islands......

Please check out the LINK.....

For full details please contact Laura on laura@tuscantennis.com

Should you wish to travel outwith the Special Hosted Week dates please do not hesitate to get in touch with your requirements and we will tailor a tennis holiday to suit....