Outside the Lines

Commentators are often given carte blanche with their comments. We go deep inside what they're really saying (or not!). The Coco Gauff loss to Emma Navarro serves as the main focus of this episode.

The ability to self-evaluate is valuable in tennis. Yet in psychology, we learn this this is nearly impossible. What's the answer?

We review the performances of Nadal, Osaka, Swiatek, Djokovic, Gauff, Sinner, Zverev, and Alcaraz and how they provide valuable lessons for club players.

Players on the Tour typically have one coach. Sometimes, a second coach is added, but they always work as a team. We explore the possible loss of efficiency of having multiple coaches. In particular, having many voices may cause uncertainty.

Who is the Most Important Person on the court? The standard answer is: I am. We explore the often neglected ability to dissect an opponent.

Tournament results, Osaka, Gauff, Sabalenka, Sinner and Djokovic. Also a new metric for analyzing your own game: "conversions" and "steals."

Food has Texture; shots have Feel. We talk about this significant but often overlooked part of playing good tennis.

Playing with Freedom. We systematically deconstruct the rewards to playing either Scared or Confidently under the umbrella of a player's role as Underdog or Favorite. It ends up that playing Scared is ok if Winning is the only thing that matters to you. However, if you'd like to improve your game or have the chance of defeating better players, playing with Confidence is the only way to go.

We dissect several of the most notable matches with a focus on adaptability. Surprisingly, the top players frequently don't display this quality. The match-fixing scandal revealed in the Washington Post on 9/7 is also discussed.

The summer season has concluded for most players unless they are heading to Sectionals or Nationals. There is a 6–8-week window without competitive pressure. This is an ideal time to make either a technical change or add a new tactic to your game. The pros have a similar window in November/December. Both Andre Agassi and Noval Djokovic have made excellent use of this break to be well-prepared for the Australian Open.

We review some key matches in this year's Wimbledon devoting a lot of attention to the Alcaraz-Djokovic men's final. Other players highlighted include: Hurkacz, Svitolina, Swiatek, Eubanks, and Medvedev.

Chestnut Ridge is proud to host their Pro Shootout from 7/21-7/23. Featuring both singles and doubles competition in a standard tournament format, many top college players and local pros are taking part. The event is also being live-streamed. For a link go to www.chestnutridgetennis.com.

Outside the Lines takes a fun look at some of the thoughts that can be detrimental to performance. We conclude with the biggest thought/question of all: Why am I here?

We go Outside the Lines to comment on this year's Slam. Topics include Djokovic, Karolina Muchova, and Swiatek. We broaden the discussion to talk about other top players who are "treading water", i.e. they have not made any changes in the last 1-2 years. Tennis demands change.

Our subjects and discussions are usually generated by the two of us. Here, we have a conversation with Lisa Lubart, a 3.5 player and address some of her concerns when playing a match.

What are the Top 5 concepts which link tennis together. Bob and Scott, independently, came up with their list: 1) Balance; 2) Split step; 3) Relaxing (staying loose); 4) Make a plan (use targets); 5) See the blur (match up to the racquet)

Both of us were essentially self-taught until 13 with only a few lessons thereafter. Seeing the pros in action and imitating what we saw was crucial for our development. In addition, both strategies and tactics were demanded from us at a young age in order to succeed. This has made our understanding of the game very intuitive. Hitting against a wall and serving on one's own are also highlighted as ways of both building shots and personal power.

We establish that fear is a part of the human condition based upon our genetic predisposition. We have inherited fear from the beginning of human time because it was a form of protection in a dangerous world: the sabre-toothed tiger. Tennis is a symbolic fight which, while it is not life threatening, calls forth the same fear reaction. As pack animals, humans want to be higher on the ladder than their peers. Uncertainty, like the outcome of a match, can create the fear response. We talk about ways to combat fear, knowing that it cannot be completely eliminated.

Unlike the start of a match, the finish of a match can occur under varying scenarios. We define the finish of a match to be any time that either you or your opponent is within 8 points of victory. You may either be leading or trailing at this time. And, your lead or deficit may be either large or small. We discuss how to handle your choices under each of these 4 scenarios.

We emphasize two key points on How to Begin a Match: 1) Preparation begins days earlier than the match by learning how to set the correct expectations for yourself; and 2) consistency counts at the start, but even more important is accessing the correct gear of your shots. Invest in your ability to play with confidence.

Mixed doubles often has a large gap in power and speed between both the partners and the opponents on the court. Whether it's 9.0, 8.0, or 7.0, certain changes from same-gender doubles need to be implemented. We discuss the timing and use of alternative formations to give yourself the best chance to win.

Every tennis player has matches which they recall as pivotal in their careers. Some are simply noteworthy achievements; others are potentially life-changing when viewed through the rearview mirror of time. Bob and Scott each share 3 or 4 matches from their careers that were responsible for sending them on new paths.

We review the highlights and low points of this year's Open with an emphasis on the things that were done well (like playing exceptional tennis!). The ungodly hour involved in many of the matches is discussed from the point of view of players, fans, and sponsors.

We examine both men's and women's draws with an emphasis on placing results within the context of some themes from previous Outside the Lines podcasts. Serena is a significant part of our discussion.

The Atlantic Cup is a team competition in the Men's 55 and Over division between the Eastern, New England, Middle States, and Middle Atlantic Sections. Each section was represented by 3 or 4 players who shared their most memorable and/or best tennis experiences.

The Atlantic Cup is a team competition in the Men's 55 and Over division between the Eastern, New England, Middle States, and Middle Atlantic Sections. Each section was represented by 3 or 4 players who shared their most memorable and/or best tennis experiences.

The Atlantic Cup is a team competition in the Men's 55 and Over division between the Eastern, New England, Middle States, and Middle Atlantic Sections. Each section was represented by 3 or 4 players who shared their most memorable and/or best tennis experiences.

Nerves enter tennis matches at all levels of play. Outside the Lines gives an overview of the subject and concrete steps that players can make in their preparation and oncourt execution.

Outside the Lines is honored to have Art Carrington as our guest. Our topic is the history of Black achievement in tennis with an emphasis on the time before and coincident with Arthur Ashe. Art's personal stories are a substantial contribution to understanding the context of Black achievement.

We discuss diversity at Wimbledon, debate if Nick Kyrgios has a fear of failure or a fear of success, and we review key matches in the women's singles and doubles from the semis and finals.

We discuss matches from the first week of play. Players include Nick Kyrgios, Serena Williams, Emma Raducanu, and Hubert Hurkacz, among others.

We discuss all of the key matchups including Coco Gauff's first Slam final and Rafa's matchups with Djokovic, Zverev, and Rune. We also discuss the upcoming ban on Russian players at Wimbledon.

We highlight some of the week's top matches as well as preview a couple of likely meeting in week 2. Players discussed include: Swiatek, Zheng, Fernandez, Bencic, Nadal, Korda, Alcaraz, Djokovic, and Tsitsipas, among others.

Intangibles are any qualities that impact a match that cannot be quantified with statistics. We contrast the statistical analysis of Carlos Alcaraz' strokes on Bob's Deconstructing Tennis website with the intangibles of attitude, effort, and communication. Concrete examples of how to better use your intangibles are provided.

After a short discussion of some recent events on the Pro Tour (Zverev smashing his racquet on the umpire's chair, Osaka's reaction to being heckled, and what constitutes permissible cheering), we go on to discuss sportsmanship in tennis and offer some concrete ways of dealing with opponents who don't follow the Rules.

Chestnut Ridge hosted a high-level doubles tournament on Saturday 2/19. All players either held ITF junior rankings or played on the ATP Futures or Challenger Tours. Ten teams were divided into 2 groups of 5 and competed against each of the other 4 teams within their group in a one set no-ad scoring format. First and second place finishers within the groups moved on to the semifinals. Our interviews with five of the teams are in this podcast. These teams (in order) are: 1) Peter Aarts/Brad Maisey 2) Gary Kushnirovich/Cameron Silverman 3) Guillermo Nunez/Francisco Dias 4) Enrique Catter/ Gabe Friedrich 5) Lucas Gonzalez/Gerhard Gruindelingh

Chestnut Ridge hosted a high-level doubles tournament on Saturday 2/19. All players either held ITF junior rankings or played on the ATP Futures or Challenger Tours. Ten teams were divided into 2 groups of 5 and competed against each of the other 4 teams within their group in a one set no-ad scoring format. First and second place finishers within the groups moved on to the semifinals. Our interviews with five of the teams are in this podcast. These teams (in order) are: 1) Chenhi Li/Alexander Nielsen 2) Clinton DeVries/Harry Walsh 3) Gustavo Loza/Borja Zarco 4) Manuel Barroetavena/Stefano DiAloy 5) Lucas Branco/Chizzy Lumeta

Bob and Scott are joined by colleague and fellow Westchester and Connecticut pro, Tom Carey to share their insights on several of the finals: Medvedev vs. Nadal, Barty vs. Collins, and Krygios/Kokkinakis vs. Purcell/Ebden. It seems that top pros are often guilty of the same mental errors that lower-level players make.

We review several matches from week #1 of the 2022 Australian Open with the idea of making the matches relevant to club players. Players discussed include Rafa Nadal, Ash Barty, Matteo Berrettini, Gael Monfils, Dennis Shapovalov, Corey Gauff, Sloane Stephens, and Emma Raducanu among others.

Sinclair Broadcasting Group owns 193 television stations in the United States, mostly in the South and the Midwest. They are also the owners of TennisChannel. After Fox News and Facebook, Sinclair is the largest perpetrator of The Big Lie: the completely unsubstantiated claim that Donald Trump won the 2020 Presidential election. This means that tennis fans, who are, on average, on the left side of the political spectrum are financing the lies and policies of the political right. We call for an immediate and complete boycott of all advertisers on TennisChannel. A Change.org petition will also be circulating demanding that Sinclair divest itself of TennisChannel.

In this episode, Doubles Game Plan - Part 2, we review, in brief, the key points of How to Make a Game plan in Doubles while going into more detail concerning apparent contradictions between our points of view. We discover that there are not really any contradictions - merely a selective weighting of different elements involved in making a plan. Alternative formations such as the Australian formation, the I-formation, and playing both back are also discussed.

HBO Max is now airing King Richard, a movie about the process of developing the Williams sisters into tennis stars. It covers them from the ages of 10 to 15. The film's title is based upon the role of their father, Richard Williams, in making his dream of raising tennis stars come true. Richard is an enigmatic figure, largely supportive, but plagued by his need to pick fights. His wife, Oracene, does much to guide him through some of those difficult moments. Richard held the girls out of junior tournaments for 3 years. We answer an important question: was this decision responsible for their ultimate success?

Doubles is much more complex than singles. At a basic level, there is simply more of a possibility of finding a weakness in doubles opponents since each player has a fh, bh, serve, oh, and fh and bh volleys. Sharing information with your partner at the end of the warmup is crucial for getting a good shot at making a good game plan. Remember, there is no rule about where players need to stand to begin the point. Adjusting positions in the basic formation or using alternative formations can be a huge help in turning a match. This is a skill which can be learned. Being an emotionally supportive partner is key as well.

Making a Game Plan is one of the black holes of improving in tennis. In this episode, we discuss the three main elements of making an effective plan: 1) Know thyself. You should not be attempting to make shots which you don't own (or mostly own); 2) Evaluate your opponent. Assess their physical qualities as well as their technical skills; and 3) Use the Steady/Aggressive framework to make your final plan.

Competitive tennis players almost always feel emotional pain after losing a match. This is because "hating to lose" is an important psychological component of being a successful competitor. But losing also offers a chance for a player to look at what happened and set an agenda for where they'd like to go next. Using losses as a stepping stone for future improvement is key. Talking with your coach is an important part of this process.

For competitive recreational players, the spring/summer is typically the busiest match time. This means that the indoor season from now through the end of March/April is the best time to add something new to your game. A coach can help you to prioritize your goals for this crucial development time. It's also important to have a coach who sees at least some of your matches live. This will help you to get where you want to go sooner!

We recap, using statistical data, both the women's final (Fernandez vs. Raducanu) and the men's final (Djokovic vs. Medvedev). In both cases, we take a look at first serve percentage as a key factor in determining the outcome of the match. A key concept is developed: the counterfactual. This asks the question: if player X had played at his/her average level, would this have changed the outcome of the match? In the case of the men's final, we need to dig deeper into rally length in order to explain the outcome of the match. A few reviews of ESPN commentators (Patrick McEnroe, Chris Evert, Renae Stubbs, and Alexandra Stephenson) wrap up the episode.

We review several of the top matches of the second week including in depth analysis of Leylah Fernandez and and Alexander Zverev. We also take a look at several of the top announcers on ESPN and give our thoughts on what they add to the Open experience. We finish up with our predictions for the men's and women's semis which begin on Thursday evening, 9/9.

Several keys matches (Osaka vs. Fernandez, Alcaraz vs. Tsitsipas, Nishikori vs. McDonald) are discussed along with the low vaccination rates of players and the bathroom break controversy. Statistics from SlamTracker are used to supplement our understanding of what happened in these matches.

We check in with the big questions first: what about the absences of Serena, Rafa, and Fed? And, of course, will Novak Djokovic capture the Grand Slam? We highlight a couple of interesting first round matches and discuss how fans/spectators can learn from watching more tennis during a Slam.

Sports psychologists have long understood the importance of self-talk for optimal performance. We take the between points regimen of Deconstructing Tennis and rework it within the framework of self-talk. We discuss the WHAT, HOW (tone of voice), and WHEN of the between points time in a match. We also discuss this in the context of Mental Toughness.