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As the grass season concludes in Europe, grass court play shifts to Newport, Rhode Island to kick off the ATP world summer tour.   The Campbell’s Hall of Fame Tennis Championships in Newport, Rhode Island at the International Tennis Hall of Fame is the only professional tournament played on grass in North America and an important stop on the tour.  The Hall of Fame opened its doors in 1880 and is a National Historic Landmark.

We attended the 2011 Campbell’s Hall of Fame Tennis Championships on Tuesday, July 5^th.  Arriving at the International Tennis Hall of fame is like stepping back in time.  The first thing I noticed upon arrival was the beautiful Victorian shingle-style architecture.  The next was a mixed doubles match being played with wooden racquets and costumes typical of tennis players at the turn of the century.   Long dresses, long sleeves, a bustle and hats were part of their ensemble for the women.  Full-length flannel trousers, skimmer hats, and v-neck sweaters were typically worn by the men in the early 1900’s.  Tennis whites were worn because colors revealed sweat stains.  A man playing an accordion completed the old-fashioned ambiance.

Some of the players in attendance were No. 4 American John Isner, the youngest player in the world top-100, Grigor Dimitrov, and 2010 Newport quarter-finalist Ryan Harrison.  All visitors to the grounds can watch matches from an up-close view.  Our seats at the Center Court stadium were in the first row and were very reasonable.  We saw several terrific matches, and one thing we noticed was the players using more slices as the ball stayed closer to the ground, also the points were generally shorter.  Grass courts definitely favor the big servers; although we saw an 18-year-old American named Denis Kudla score a win over Ivo Karlovic, a player that Kudla was a foot shorter than.  The match of the day was watching Frenchman Arnaud Clement defeat Ryan Harrison.  Clement played with real flair, and the fans enjoyed him too.

Definitely do not miss the Hall of Fame Museum.  While it is not a place to spend an entire day, as it took us almost 2 hours to see it all, the museum will be a highlight of your trip.  Whether you attend the professional tournaments or explore the tennis chronicles in the museum, The International Tennis Hall of Fame is one of the few places one can play on grass courts here in the US and is a must stop for your vacation tour.

I am sure every child who plays competitive junior tennis has had to deal with a cheater. It’s not fun, and it’s not right.  But here is what we’ve told our daughter about having to deal with it.

Don’t cheat back. It’s bad manners, and by doing it or allowing it your child will think its ok to cheat in life.  Most of the kids who have a reputation as a cheater also have parents who condone it.  The odd thing to many parents is how the cheater’s parent howls when they think their child is being cheated.  I have seen matches between kids where they are both cheating, and each one thinks the other is completely out of line.  Plain and simple, it’s not ok to cheat, and if you think it is then you are reading the wrong blog.

Tell your child the one thing they can control on the court is themselves. They can call the lines honest, they can comport themselves in a sporting manner, they can make the game fun.  They can also hold their head high, knowing they did the right thing.

A player who cheats doesn’t think they are good enough to beat you fair and square. We have told our daughter that if someone has to cheat to beat you, they must think you are a really good player.  I have heard her saying this to other kids, and they have told others too.

Your child can ask a referee to come over and watch on a crucial point or a tie-breaker. It is perfectly within the rules for your child to ask for a referee, but it is NOT something you should do as a parent.  Only in extreme cases should a parent call for a referee, like if another parent is berating your child or another child.

Most kids call the lines honest, and every kid has made an honest mistake on a line call.  As our daughter is getting older, we are finding the cheaters are being dealt with by the referees.  They are watched a lot closer, and in some cases the referees will call lines on a match where a known cheater is playing.  We have told our daughter that if she is REALLY not sure of a call to give the point to her opponent.  She does seem to be the exception as to giving up points on line calls, but as a result she has the reputation of a really good kid who always calls the lines honest.  Other parents have complimented us on how she conducts herself on and off the court, which of course makes us pretty happy.

How to help your child when they lose

One of the tribulations with tennis is that everyone but one loses in a tournament.  If they play competitive tennis, your child needs to cope with losing.  It’s a fact of life in the sport.  The focus should be on improving as a player, not winning.

We talk with our daughter about focusing on one match at a time and each point at a time, about not getting too far ahead by focusing on winning a set, match, tournament or getting to the semi-finals.

Before every match we discuss the match goals.   We set small goals so that she can be successful.  When she was working on consistency, we set a goal for getting at least 4 balls in 80 percent of the rallies.  Even if she lost the point on the 5^th ball she met her goal.  We kept track of how many times she kept the ball in play after a 4 ball rally.  Luckily, she continues to gain consistency and after each match we let her know how she did.

Some other goals we set for her is to fight for every point and go after every ball.  Not going after a ball shows your opponent you are beaten.  There are some shots they won’t get, but encourage your child to go after every shot.  They will likely surprise themselves by the shots they can get.  Never give up and in no way think your opponent is better than you, but also don’t think you’re better than them.   Have confidence in your strokes, hit your strokes like you’ve been taught and don’t hit a bad shot just to get the ball in.

But here is the best piece of advice we have ever received about junior tennis.  Don’t talk to child about a match right after it is over.  Undoubtedly you’ve seen kids being questioned and sometimes berated by their parents after a loss.  The child is already upset about losing, and now their parents are reinforcing the loss and even worse, making the child feel bad about it.  Wait at least 15 minutes, and even better, go get something to eat or drink and then talk about it.  You will both be in a better frame of mind to discuss the match.

Define your tennis goals

Before choosing a coach, I feel it’s essential to define your long and short term goals.  What do you want to accomplish with lessons?  Learn the game and get some exercise, play in college or high school tennis, raise your ranking or be a professional tennis player?  These goals will determine the amount of tennis practice you will need to achieve your goals, the cost as well as the level of coaching necessary.  It will also help define whether a group, private or academy setting is the best way to achieve these goals.  Once you define these goals, then choosing a coach will be easier.

Some traits I look for in a tennis instructor:

• Makes lessons fun
• Is encouraging, praises the student, doesn’t put them down or get frustrated
• Has patience and keeps their cool
• Teaches proper technique and corrects bad form concisely in a way the student understands
• Teaches good sportsmanship, etiquette, footwork and rules in addition to stroke production
• Doesn’t wait for perfect strokes before teaching strategy
• Is a good role model and ethical
• Arrives on time, is reliable, professional, gregarious, and enthusiastic about tennis
• Is organized, has a plan for what they will be teaching and communicates it to the parents and player
• Listens well
• Communicates well
• Wants to work together as a team with the student and parent
• Has a good rapport with students, is able to clearly explain the drills and techniques, and students easily follow their instruction
• Doesn’t overwhelms the student with too many instructions
• Creates realistic game situations, rallies and doesn’t just feed balls
• Caters lessons around the student’s individual abilities and talents
• Uses a coaching style that works for your junior
• Is recommended by other students and parents
• Balances pushing a player to exceed while still allowing the student to be successful
• Helps a player build confidence as they develop
• Help organize and encourage match play for the student when they are ready
• Encourages players to compete and helps plan competition schedules
• Supports students by attending matches or tournaments to observe the student in match situations
• Have other students at a similar age and level

Standings, tentative and endorsement lists clarified

The Standings List is a list of players who have won at least one USTA sanctioned match here in Florida or who have participated in National Championships.  You are able to search this list by eligibility from the Junior USTA website posted on our information page.  To be in the eligible group you must be a Florida resident according to the USTA FL Residency Requirements.  All players who are non-Florida residents or who live in Florida but haven’t mailed in their residency paperwork are considered ineligible.  Tournament directors use the Standings List for seeding players in tournaments.  Players only listed in the Standings List won’t be able to play in any Florida designated, sectional, or state closed tournaments.  They also won’t be in the Florida Endorsement List.

The Tentative Ranking List is for those Florida residents who have complied with the FL residency requirements and who are in good standing.  These players are eligible to play in Florida sectional, designated, and state closed events.  These players may also be on the USTA Florida endorsement list.

The Endorsement List is for those Florida residents who are in good standing and have complied with the residency requirements.  This list is published before each National Championship and is used in the tournament player selection process.   A player must play in at least one USTA Florida Designated or Sectional tournament 3 months prior to a National Championship in order to be eligible to play in that National Championship tournament.   They must also play the designated or sectional tournament in the age group they wish to play in the National Championships.

All of the lists publish a combined ranking which include both singles and doubles.  Players receive points from 100% of their best 8 singles matches and 15% of their top 8 best doubles matches.

To become a Florida resident, according to the USTA regulations, you must mail a copy of the player’s birth certificate, a signed and notarized copy of a Declaration of Domicile form for the parents or legal guardian, a copy of the player’s USTA card and a check made out to the USTA for a $25 processing fee.  If your valid USTA membership is with another state, you must transfer it to Florida.  Players born outside the USA have different requirements.  See Florida Residency Requirement for more details.  The residency requirements must be met prior to participating in any Florida designated or sectional tournaments.