Tennis is at its heart a competition. And sometimes in competition, you lose ... and lose badly. Losing sucks. It hurts. It can make you feel like you want to give up, particularly if you played particularly poorly. Of course, we all know that losing is also the basis for learning. Uh huh, right. And nothing will get the blood boiling quicker than when someone tells you that right after you walk off the court from a 6-1, 6-2 beat down. Here's the thing though, after suffering a bad loss - one in which you played really poorly and feel like you don't even know how to play tennis worth a crap - you need to allow yourself to wallow for a bit, but then pick two things you wish you could have done better and prepare a plan to improve those aspects of your game. Don't allow yourself to wallow, then wallow a little more, then go to bed, wake up and wallow still more, until eventually your mind is distracted by work or bills or what have you and finally the match becomes a distant...
Gift shopping for a tennis player is tough for a non-tennis player. I've received numerous well-intentioned gifts over the years that, to put it plainly, could best be described as bizarre. Tennis-themed pens, clocks, coffee mugs - you name it. It's as if my friends think that because I play tennis I also like everything I own and use to have some sort of tennis insignia. But I can't really blame them. I mean, what does make a good gift for a tennis player? Here are a few gift ideas that might help someone with a tennis player on his/her list this year: Vibration dampeners Most recreational tennis players use a vibration dampener on their racquet, and most non-tennis players have no idea what a vibration dampener is, where to get one, or how inexpensive they are to purchase. These are an ideal gift idea for a secret Santa situation, or in any case where you really don't want to spend more than $5-10. There are no shortage of designs you can find via an online search. M...