08/30/2021
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OLYMPIC FALL-OUT / U.S. OPEN BEGINS
To many analysts and observers, the top story at the recently completed Olympic was the withdrawal of Simone Biles and the stress-filled loss of Naomi Osaka in the early rounds of the tennis competition. They both served to highlight the continuing issue of mental health for elite athletes, going back to the days of Michael Phelps and earlier. There can no longer be any doubt that mental approach and mental toughness can be major barriers to success or
failure in competition. In fact, many coaches, especially of juniors, tell their players that how far they go in the game will be determined by what they do from the neck up. Sports psychologists are often a big part of a junior's "team"
which includes their primary coach, nutritionist, fitness guru and others. We at Tennis: Europe have recognized the importance of mental as well as physical training during our trips and our coaches are told to include mental approach before, during and post-match discussions.
Still, as Simone and Naomi told us during the Olympics, we need to do more. What "more" can we do? For one thing, especially with junior players,
tennis has to be FUN, an enjoyable respite from school and homework. Tournaments can have social activities, pizza nights and other fun activities.
I also believe that "breaks": in schedule can be helpful. For example, play a 4 or 5 tournament circuit, but then take several weeks off before resuming any further tournaments. Besides tennis, play other sports, school activities and have a social life. Besides reducing stress, having alternate activities can reduce or prevent burnout and also reduce overuse injuries, quite common to junior tennis. At many of the European tournaments we attend, they have players' social nights, BBQs, parties, movie nights...at which players and local club members mix and mingle (my players are often quite surprised, since USTA junior tournaments are often go-play-leave). Remember, most of you are not going on to be touring pros and your goals in juniors is to have fun, keep fit, make new friends and see new parts of the world as student-athletes.
Mental illness should be taken seriously both for elite athletes and for
junior and high school players. So as we watch the pros at the U.S. Open, keep in mind the old adage of "A Sound Body in a Sound Mind" is the challenge we all face.
U.S. Open: The spotlight here will be on whether Novak Djokovic can complete the Grand Slam, having already won Australia, the French, and Wimbledon (the Olympics is not held every year and therefore is not counted toward a Grand Slam). Can Joker recover from his poor semi-final performance in the heat and exhaustion of Tokyo? He will be the overwhelming favorite to win at Flushing Meadow, adding still more pressure. Will Germany's Alex (Sascha) Zverev be able to follow up on his Olympic Gold (and perhaps newly improved confidence level) to be a factor?
Another theme will be whether Naomi Osaka will regain her form after her early round loss at the Olympics and her mental health issues, shared with Simone Biles (see above story). Osaka has had extensive media coverage
since she left Roland Garos, skipped Wimbledon and lit the torch in Tokyo.
Adding to the struggles of individual players, at this writing the U.S. Tennis Association intends to have no restrictions on attendance at the Open (I already have my tickets). How will filled stadiums affect the various participants? How effective will the safety protocols be among the crowds attending (it is a totally outdoor event and no doubt most of the spectators will be vaccinated).
Finally, the announcement a week ago that Roger Federer will undergo still another knee operation and be out for some months. Open question if Roger will be able to resume his tour tennis career and if he tries, will he have another successful comeback?
As in past newsletters, we always welcome your comments and thoughts on any of these topics.
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From the USTA Web site: For those of you hoping to play college tennis, be sure to ask coaches of the schools you are talking with how many roster spots they will have and how many of their returning players are using their extra year of eligibility. The number of roster spots available directly determines how many high school seniors a coach will recruit, and, for Divisions I and II, how many tennis scholarships a player will have.
Q: How are college rosters currently impacted now that the 2020-21 season is in the rear-view mirror?
A: Rosters are being impacted due to the extra year of eligibility that college student-athletes received due to Covid. Typically, coaches know how many roster spots they will have in the upcoming seasons, but that has become a moving target as players decide on their future. Meanwhile, college programs are now going back to their original scholarship limits, and many schools (such as those in the Ivy League and at the Division III level) did not compete in the spring of 2021, so many of those players will have two extra years of eligibility. Since those student-athletes have lost playing time, their development has been affected as well.
These are just some of the factors that are causing open roster spots to be very fluid and reactionary. Until a student-athlete is signed or arrives on campus, it is hard to know if anything is a sure thing.
However, there are roster spots that go unfilled every year, so the current situation may cause more parity at each level as recruits open up their options to more schools.
Looking Back on Tennis: Europe History:
We have had a number of past Tennis: Europe participants - mainly from our National ranked team - play at the U.S. Open over the years and we congratulate all of them on their accomplishment. Here are those I can recall:
Audra Cohen, Miami, Fla., 2010
Mel Purcell, Kentucky - 1980s
Chip Hooper, No. California - 1980s
Larry Scott, Merrick New York - 1990s
Kyle Copeland, New York - 1980s
Luke Jensen, Michigan - 1990s
WTA Tour Coach, Craig Kardon, Texas
Improve your strategy and mental toughness in tournament match play From us Our Goals for YOU! For the past 47 summers our goal has been to improve your match play in spectacular locations and see the world as a student athlete. Tennis: Europe and North America is a unique combination of tennis, tra...