Have you ever run into this guy? I think these are great… I will be posting several of them from time to time. They come from a book called “Tennis Enemy” drawings by Jeb Brady - Text by Robert Aaron. Enjoy!

It’s a Family Thing - Looking at the list of competitors, you can tell tennis is truly a family sport. Forty percent of the competitors had siblings also playing. No other sport that I know of could include a wide range of brothers and sisters - from identical twins like Boys 18s singles finalists and doubles winners Ben and Brock Hurston, to kids spread out such as Kris Roberts playing in the Girls 16s with sister Anna Rachel in the 12s and brother Russell in the 10s. Fourteen families had two kids playing, while five families, including the Roberts, had THREE kids playing! I hope they get a quantity discount on tennis lessons!

Busy Refs - I’m not sure if the USTA has an initiative going on to crack down on code violations, but Bowman’s referees certainly were generous in awarding point penalties during the course of the tournament. I heard one parent say “You can add up all the point penalties given to all the players in this tournament they have ever received in all their tournament play, and there were MORE point penalties than that given out today.” Players, think twice before you toss your racquet up in the air. And also make sure you know how to play a tie break!

Trey is back! While recovering from surgery due to injuries sustained in an automobile accident, Trey Seymour, a star athlete from Greenville, made his return to junior tennis in a spectacular way. Playing up an age division in the Boys 18s, Trey was unseeded, and had to meet eventual tournament winner Brock Hurston in the quarter finals. Brock had also taken some time off from the tournament circuit, but was able to get past Trey in a close, hard-hitting 4 and 3 match that was as good as any finals could be. Trey went on to sweep the backdraw, losing only four games in his three matches, and along with Patrick Johnson took the Boys 16s doubles trophy. Trey is back with a vengeance, and has his sights set on playing at Kalamazoo - the Holy Grail of junior tennis!

Call Her the Comeback Queen - Unseeded Anna Claire Henderson was down 1-4 before winning five games in a row to beat the Number 1 seed and take the Girls 16s trophy. Even more dramatic was her semi-final against the two seed. Way down in the second set, after losing the first, Anna Claire dug deep to take the set 7-5 and then win the 10-point deciding tie break. She will see the largest jump in rankings for any player, as every other singles draw was won by the one or two seed. Now that MRA JV basketball is over, it looks like Anna Claire must be spending more time on the tennis courts!

Double Your Fun - As Doubles points are now included in the combined rankings, the doubles event is more popular than ever! Doubles is fun and less stressful for the players, and all competitors should participate. One suggestions to tournament directors - in a weekend-long tournament, it would be great to get ONE round of doubles in on Saturday, even if it is at an alternate site. Placing most doubles matches after all singles matches have completed means LOTS of sitting around and waiting for all competitors (and parents!) on Sunday afternoon. Leaving Gulfport at 6pm to drive home to say, Tupelo or Starkville, then getting your high school student up for school on Monday morning is a tough chore! With an eight game pro set, doubles matches go fast, but by playing two rounds of singles and one round of doubles before the end of the day on Saturday can let players who don’t get deep in the tournament to get on the road and get their homework done!

Ok… time to get back to business. The Holiday’s are almost over and the tournaments will start up again. I need a “cub” reporter… someone email me and give me some good tournament news, successes or future events they are interested in. I will post this information in my next post. In order to make this site work, we need members and interaction. Please leave your comments!

I think it is important to note that it isn’t necessary to hit drop shot winners for them to be effective. Even if you lose a few points using this shot, it can help overall by pulling your opponent closer to the baseline and to keep them guessing as to your next shot selection. If you happen to hit it for a winner, consider it a bonus.

There are many players who can “outgun” their opponents when it comes to stroke production and power. The drop shot is a great way to force them to play some touch tennis and demonstrate their ability to feel the ball. You will find that most power players will be like a fish out of water when forced to play this style of tennis.

Working on the drop shot is not something most players spend much time on. However, at the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy we have a few drills we do routinely with our students. Starting at a young age we utilize the following:

The Feeling Game

This drill uses two players just inside the service line learning the soft touch required to hit a drop shot. Both players must play forehands and backhands from the continental grip and softly keep the ball in play while using touch and just a bit of an under-spin. After mastering this, the next drill is to have one player hit a normal topspin forehand, then the forehand drop shot, followed by a topspin backhand, then a backhand drop shot. This will help the player learn the art of disguising the drop shot, which is half the battle when using it effectively. When you begin to feel comfortable, move back until you can do it consistently from the baseline.

Fans have become conditioned to view a drop shot winner as an amazing feat, and anything less is disappointing. However, I believe that anytime you can keep your opponent guessing what is coming next you create an advantage for yourself. Three players who come to mind that have mastered the drop shot and use it consistently are Fabrice Santoro, Martina Hingis, and the now retired Jim Courier. As these three know, a drop shot does not have to be a winner to be useful, so I encourage you to incorporate it into your game. This will give you another weapon in your arsenal to defend against the big power baseliners, or as a compliment to the rest of your game. You will be surprised at how it can change the complexion of a match.

About Nick Bollettieri

Nick Bollettieri is a living legend - and one of the most influential men in the game of tennis.

In 1978, he founded the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy, arguably the most successful tennis academy in the world. Bolletieri has personally coached nine men and women that achieved a #1 world ranking.

Based in Bradenton, Fla., Bolletieri continues his work as a coach, speaker, and innovator. You can learn more about Bolletieri and his philosophy at NickBollettieri.com.

This article was posted on TennisRecruiting.net today…. good article, visit that site if you get a chance. You will see all the up and coming college recruits.

To get the final update on Devin and the US Open, visit his site at www.DevinBritton.com