Doug Browne

dbrowne912@aol.com

If you have time and a lot of patience, and perhaps some perseverance, tennis coach/author Wayne Bryan (father of successful twins Bob & Mike) offers a number of strong opinions about the United States Tennis Association and college tennis. To be fair, I am an acquaintance of Mr. Bryan and I have spent considerable time talking tennis with him over the past ten years or more. He is a refreshingly honest, passionate man who has earned the privilege of offering keen insights about the state of the game today. Wayne Bryan’s book, “Raising Your Child To Be A Champion In Athletics, Arts And Academics,” has been a successful guide for parents. Currently, Mr. Bryan travels a minimum of 150 days each year covering myriad tennis events: He acts as master of ceremonies at innumerable pro events, conducts clinics and, most important, watches his sons dominate the ATP doubles tour. Here are examples of some of his recent quotes:

• “Champions are not created by million dollar slick ad campaigns! Tennis will never grow from Madison Avenue! It grows from Main Street. Local parents. Local groups of kids getting going. Local parks. Local schools. Local clubs. Local coaches. Tennis grows from solid and fun and dynamic programming and charismatic parents and coaches and club pros. It grows with bells and whistles. With energy and enthusiasm. With fun”.

• “This is the big elephant in our tennis living room. The USTA has never taken a stand on this. They even put out a White Paper saying basically that there is no problem. I chaired a panel discussion on this two years ago and the four USTA Staffers at the table all said American kids are ‘no good’ and ‘lazy’. Huh?! There are several million dollars in tennis scholarships going to foreign players whose parents do not spend dollar one in taxes for education in this country. In this dire economy this is unconscionable it seems to me.” (Mr. Bryan discussing the state of men’s college tennis.)

• “With 65% of the players being from overseas, it is criminal and most of all, it is a crying shame that American college tennis is now a world class sport. It should be for our American youngsters to enjoy and to derive the wonderful benefits. Are those parents of the players from Europe and Asia paying taxes to support UCSB and all the other colleges in this country? To ask the question is to answer it”. (Mr. Bryan continuing his unhappiness with the American college tennis system.)

• “Reducing all those coaching salaries and there could and should be a fabulous junior WEB Sites, where you could find any junior singles or doubles rankings for any age group and any sex in any section. It should be a storehouse for records. Articles. Pictures. Upcoming events. Reducing those massive staff expenditures and you could make every entry fee in America half of what it is today, maybe even free. You could give every kid who could not afford it a racket. Maybe even a club membership. Lessons. Shoes. Reducing those massive staff expenditures you could send the top 1,000 ranked juniors in the US to the Davis Cup, the Fed Cup, and the NCAAs.” (This is Mr. Bryan opining about his view of excessive USTA salaries paid to the people who are running tennis.)

In all of my tennis experience, I cannot support our player development program since it has not produced one Grand Slam champion in the last 23 years! Whether I am at a USPTA convention or at a pro league match at the Player’s Club, pros are keenly aware that our USTA player development program, now headed by Patrick McEnroe, has been a disaster. Moreover, Patrick McEnroe is rumored to earn over one million dollars annually and his other top pros, Jose Higueras and Jay Berger receive well over a quarter of a million dollars each year.

At last September’s USPTA convention, I made a point to go see our featured player development trio (Patrick, Jose and Jay) and they failed to get the crowd excited. They methodically presented their plan and then conducted drills that lacked passion and fire. On the other hand, when Wayne Bryan is on court coaching drills, he never fails to inspire. I’m sure when he views the player development pros in action; he shakes his head with bewilderment. As far as the new 10 and under initiative is concerned, Wayne Bryan is probably skeptical because he thinks this new idea is unnecessary (the new tennis courts are about half the size of the original, smaller rackets and green colored tennis balls are part of the big changes). Furthermore, hundreds of current tennis coaches have been bending his ear about this far-fetched idea.

However, I need to know what the ultimate goal is for the new 10 and under program before I criticize it. Tennis and golf are tough games to learn and, if we have new ideas that could encourage more youngsters to take up tennis and stick with it, perhaps it could be a great plan? In summarizing Mr. Bryan’s concerns, the 10 and under initiative needs valuable time to see if it works or not before we judge it too harshly. If you are a tennis enthusiast like me and wish to read Mr. Bryan’s entire letter to the USTA, please go to www.collier-tennis.com

Doug Browne is the Hideaway Beach Tennis Director and the new Collier County USPTA Pro of the Year. Additionally, Doug has been the International Hall of Fame Director of Tennis this past summer. Doug has been writing his tennis column for the past fifteen years and welcomes your feedback.

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Doug Browne 

dbrowne912@aol.com

Please forgive me as I may sound like I am preaching but I feel it is necessary to point out crucial tennis etiquette information as many tennis players begin preparation for both USTA tournaments and local league competition. A group of tennis friends have assisted me in our new 10 Commandments of Tennis and here is our first list:

• Thou shall be kind to thy doubles partner.

• Players must be fair and honest with their opponents.

• After a tennis match, invite your opponents for lunch.

• No profanity on the tennis court.

• Be kind to the visitors – do not clap when players make mistakes.

• Support your team captain.

• After your team match, stay around to cheer on your teammates.

• Resist the temptation to coach your partner or partners.

• Err on the side of caution, be gentle with your delivery, opponent.

• Kindly deliver the score after each point, thus avoiding conflicts.

Not long ago, I addressed the importance of being a great doubles partner; no matter what happens on the court; do NOT blame your partner for the loss! Here is an example of the insecure player: (the player is talking privately to the captain or coach) “Susie is definitely a player on the rise but she just doesn’t know how to win the big points,” or “Tom and I just don’t play well together so I would suggest that you don’t team us up in the future,” Jim offered to the captain after a loss. These subliminal messages are easy to translate and it is curious why one would waste their time with such nonsense. In each example, the person is not taking responsibility for their own actions. It is clever to tell the captain that ‘Tom and I don’t jell,’ but it is disingenuous to offer this comment. Last fall, one of the visitors asked me to address the point about when people should applaud or not and I was happy to assist. Simply stated, when the home team only cheers on their fellow club members, it can be quite lonely for the visiting team. Therefore, the home fans should make a point to occasionally cheer for the visitors. No matter what, be careful and thoughtful as most points end in an error and we don’t want others to feel bad when they miss a simple stroke. Usually, when the road warriors feel comfortable at your facility, there are few arguments on court. Moreover, when there is a good vibe, the visitors will desire to stay around and have lunch and then everyone is the winner!

One of my club members kidded me the other day and said, “The last time I checked, we weren’t playing for big money, so I just want to have fun when I’m on the tennis court!” she added, as we were joking about our coming tennis schedule. It’s funny how people lose sight of what really matters in life, not just tennis – being kind to one another is really the only way to go as we have to look at the big picture. At the end of the day, it is just a tennis match and doing anything possible to win is wrong. When players elect to play team tennis, they must throw out their individual needs and start thinking of others and that often begins with the captain. People often discuss the challenge of being a captain and that is due to the selfishness of some people. The best team captains look beyond their own desires and think of the totality of the group. Additionally, they communicate well and offer open discussions. It is fruitful to have open dialogue so everyone feels that they are involved in the process. As long as I have been associated with this great game, it has been called a gentlemen’s game (or ladies game) and we must not lose sight of that awesome intent. When I was on the tennis circuit, there was a joke about cheaters: “When in doubt, call it out!” Well, when I think of the 10 Commandments in Tennis, I think of being kind, supportive, giving and most important, I think of honesty. Team tennis starts next week, practice the 10 tennis commandments and you will have an incredible season. Good luck.

Doug Browne is the Hideaway Beach Tennis Director and the new Collier County USPTA Pro of the Year. Additionally, Doug has been the International Hall of Fame Director of Tennis this past summer. Doug has been writing his tennis column for the past fifteen years and welcomes your feedback 

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dbrowne912@aol.com

Most of my male friends have been playing all kinds of sports since early childhood and are still in good physical condition. Additionally, many of my buddies stand six feet tall or greater and often weigh over 175 pounds.

Whether they are playing a pick-up weekend basketball game or they have playing in a golf tournament, they have immense sports talent. When the boys finally hit the tennis court, they possess a big first serve (maybe it goes in 40% of the time and they just love whaling on the ball regardless where the ball lands. Now, many of the friends have married well; many of the wives are not tall or burly and many of the women did not focus on sports during Middle School or High School.

So, it begs the obvious question – -Is it realistic for any of these wives to hit their serves hard? When a child begins to throw a ball with their father or neighborhood friends, it becomes natural and effortless. Conversely, when kids omit sports and focus on academics and other awesome interests, face a tremendous challenge later in life when they take up golf or tennis. Now, it is not impossible but it is challenging. My top recommendation for anyone learning to serve is to throw a ball back and forth with a friend.

If the person is able to toss a tennis ball or better yet, a small football, this person is beginning to imitate the proper service motion. One of the many reasons people serve softly is due to their inability to maneuver their legs into the serve. Specifically, many people only use their forearms; a non-sports person who weighs less than 125 pounds will not generate much power. Also, too many tennis players fail to toss the ball in front of the body and thus are unable to generate power.

Sadly, too many husbands fail to understand the game of tennis – a player who hits the serve (regardless of power) in the right regions of the service box will net dividends. As I have mentioned before, a harder hit ball is usually easier to deal with as the player can use the speed to develop a good rhythm. Therefore, when a woman serves a soft ball down the Texas T (middle area of the service box) it can be puzzling as the returner must create his own angle.

We continually advise our players to hit their serves down the middle because we don’t want our opponents to enjoy easy angles of the tennis court. When players serve down the middle, it can be perplexing. Here is my advice for these competitive husbands – -Encourage your wife (new doubles partner) to serve to the weakness of the opponent and start to target the middle line of the service box, as it will net great results. Good luck!

Doug Browne is the Hideaway Beach Tennis Director and the new Collier County USPTA Pro of the Year. Additionally, Doug has been the International Hall of Fame Director of Tennis this past summer. Doug has been writing his tennis column for the past fifteen years and welcomes your feedback. 

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On Thanksgiving Day, of all things, Detroit Lions defensive star Ndamkong Suh lost his cool and stomped on his opponent’s leg well after the whistle had blown the play over. It was bad enough that this young player affected his team’s ability to win the game but during an interview hours later, he tried to justify his poor judgment. Unfortunately, this recent display of poor sportsmanship is not an isolated incident. We continually observe excessive acts of athletes behaving badly. In tennis it often starts out with a small gesture as the opponent does not hit the ball back to the server. Instead, due to his immaturity, he slams the ball away from the server and disrupts the flow of the match. Although it is common, too often we view players making horrific line calls. It is one thing to make an innocent error but when the score is close, the eyes of the player seem to change when it is a break point or game point! Is it a coincidence or a planned act that when the game-score is tight so are the line calls? When questioned about the shaky line call, the offender often compounds the issue and makes an offensive statement which always angers his foe. As a coach, I always advise my players to be gentle with their delivery when they argue a call.

More often than not, an opponent will not feel threatened when we politely challenge a court decision. Regrettably, we have observed far too many boys throw their rackets as they miss a shot. Recently, I was stunned when I viewed an adult toss his racket when his PARTNER missed the stroke! I don’t know about you but I’d like to believe that I would walk off the court if my doubles partner lost a gasket if I made a mistake. Luckily for this player, his partner is such a good guy that he chose to hang in there and play on.

Another annoying habit tennis players are guilty of is to yell loudly after an error. Even if the player does not use foul language, he is clearly interrupting others in his quest to vent his temper. In other words, this narcissistic player is completely oblivious to the action around the facility as he goes on and on and on with never-ending chatter. Apparently, this tennis player is so insecure that he just can’t handle the stage and must vent loudly when the pressure mounts. Often, the person is a true pretender; he thinks he is far better than he is and just can’t live up to the expectations.

When you witness a player or players who demonstrate a complete lack of sportsmanship, don’t sit back idly. Immediately report the poor sportsmanship to the head tennis professional or pro shop staff and demand action. On another cheerful note, did you know the Marco Island mixed up doubles league is starting in January? Now, in its third year, Island pro Howie Burnett is proud to announce that the league is growing. If you are interested in playing in this fun, yet competitive, league, (4.0 levels and high- er!) call Mr. Burnett at the Island Club tennis pro shop.

Did you know that the Marco YMCA is running another great tournament next week? Are you aware of our community tennis web site? Please check out www. MARCOCOMTENNIS@HOTMAIL. COM and learn more about future tennis events.

Now, if you want to be really organized, there is the 2nd Annual Hideaway Beach Open doubles event with the following levels: 3.0, 3.5 and our new division 4.0! One question pros often hear is whether players are allowed to ‘play up.’ Ironically, it is beneficial to not be rated TOO high! A surging new 2.5 player may play in the 3.0, 3.5 or 4.0 level. So, if you are entering your next tournament, please consider playing up if you continually dominate at your current level.

When tournaments, like the Hideaway Beach Open, offer at least two matches for the money, playing up is a great alternative. So, in the next four months, there will be great tournaments at Hideaway Beach, Island Club, Marco YMCA and the Marco Racquet Club…Stay tuned!

Doug Browne is the Hideaway Beach Tennis Director and the new Collier County USPTA Pro of the Year. Additionally, Doug has been the International Hall of Fame Director of Tennis this past summer. Doug has been writing his tennis column for the past fifteen years and welcomes your feedback.

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As a working tennis coach, it is common-fare for me to watch hours of competition each week. Without a doubt, a player’s stroking deficiency affects his ability to implement solid strategy during match play. In other words, even though the doubles alley is left wide open and it is clear that the opponent should place his shot in that direction, too many times recreational players simply cannot find the mark. Here are a few stroking problems that I am referring to:

• Player ‘pokes’ instead of strokes the tennis ball.

• When the player sets up for the stroke, he fails to turn and bring the hips and shoulders into the stroke.

• The inexperienced player uses the wrong footwork with her groundstroke or volley.

• The player squeezes the grip so tight she cannot create power.

• The serving player uses the wrong grip and she cannot put spin on the ball.

• The one-handed backhand stroke lacks sufficient shoulder turn and cannot create power.

• The volleyer steps and hits at the same time; always losing key balance.

• The groundstroke player fails to understand proper timing thus is not able to be accurate.

• Due to excessive nerves, the player fails to breathe out during contact.

Whether I view the best players in the world or I watch a league match, most points end in an error; if players wish to eliminate early mistakes, it is crucial to have solid fundamentals. To me, the biggest obstacle for intermediate tennis players is their failure to anticipate what the opponent is going to do. When we are unsure of our opponent’s intentions, we prepare late and are unable to implement our offensive skills. If a tennis player sees the ball late, he must resort to a defensive stroke.

On the other side of the coin, when a tennis player is able to anticipate, he often turns early and thus is able to have more options. Believe me, if your foes are aware of your early preparation, they will either be intimidated or at least held at bay. One of the many reasons players step and hit at the precise time is due to their inability to understand their competitors. If a tennis player wishes to be a great volleyer, he must be cognizant of his opponent’s options: If we move in on a crosscourt approach shot, be fully aware of the angles. If the team moves in on a down the line shot, the foes might return the favor with a reply near the alley. If the opponents do not possess good ground strokes, watch out for the lob.

As you evaluate your opponent’s stroking ability during warm up, focus in on his stroke development and this will enable you to put together a solid game plan. Now, if you ever play a team that has outstanding ground strokes, quickly observe the court movement. If the team resists coming to the net, set up a strategy to bring this team forward and force them to volley. And if all else fails and you are completely perplexed, start lobbing and slow down the tempo. If you are a player who wishes to improve, visit your local tennis professional and get to work. Good luck!

Doug Browne is the Hideaway Beach Tennis Director and the new Collier County USPTA Pro of the Year. Additionally, Doug has been the International Hall of Fame Director of Tennis this past summer. Doug has been writing his tennis column for the past fifteen years and welcomes your feedback. 

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With our world moving at such a fast pace, one wonders how some things just never change? Just take a peek at our technological field with the recent inventions: IPOD, I Phone, IPAD, Satellite radio robotic surgery, I could go on and on. But in the tennis world and in particular league tennis, we seem to be missing the big picture. If we can break it down and make it real simple; no one playing league tennis is going to receive huge prize money or be sent to the next Grand Slam event. Therefore, all of our league participants need to focus on the stuff that really holds water:

• Feel proud representing your club or tennis facility.

• Take pleasure in meeting new teammates/forming team partnerships, team-bonding.

• Enjoy competing against different competition.

• Relish the fact that new competition may net new tennis friends.

• Learn to become a good team member.

• Discover other tennis facilities in your local area.

However, after a recent tennis meeting, we all learned about other activities that completely detract from growing the great game of tennis and has many leaders scratching their heads in disbelief. Clearly, the ugliest person is the one who always blames his or her partner after a tough loss.

This person is so insecure that he has to blame someone else and never will fully grasp the meaning of being a good tennis partner. If this person wishes to improve as a player, let alone grow as a person, he needs to take responsibility for his actions and realize it takes two to win or two to lose.

Enough said. We have too many people wrapped into their own egos who make too many demands on the captains. The usual complaints are one of two items: The player wishes to play higher or he demands to choose his partner or with whom he will not compete on the tennis court. Wow!

Now, I listed the usual complaints but I would like to add a few more concerns I learned at the last tennis meeting. Even though it starts out with the best intentions, there are too many captains who take this league-stuff too seriously. The captain insists that other club members must travel to support their team…sounds good, right? Not necessarily.

Too often the excitable fans, usually new to the game, cheer for mistakes! Naturally, they don’t see it that way but the end result is that they have come to a different facility and begin to take over. Ladies and gentlemen, if you do not understand tennis etiquette, err on the side of caution!

Most tennis points end in an error…pick your spots to clap or cheer as we do not want to make the other team feel uncomfortable. Another area of concern involves our league rules…yes, some are more important than others. As long as I can remember, we wanted to make sure each club fielded its members and not a daily or weekly visitor. In other words, we wanted to make sure we were all competing on a level playing field.

On the same subject, we use deadlines for team sign ups and deadlines for adding to the roster. Now, if a club innocently forgot to add one of their regular competitors, there is no reason to default unless this facility continually breaks rules. We need to use a little common sense because it is recreational, not professional tennis and we want to grow the game instead of turning people off.

Hey, it’s great to have tons of league championship winning plaques in your trophy case at your club but not at the expense of having a good time at the next tennis mixer. We need to have a special blend of competitive tennis and a mixture of good ole fun on the tennis court. If we really want to see more people participate in tennis, do it with a smile. Trust me, it goes a long way. Did you know it only takes a few muscles to smile but well over forty facial muscles to frown?

Doug Browne is the Hideaway Beach Tennis Director and the new Collier County USPTA Pro of the Year. Additionally, Doug has been the International Hall of Fame Director of Tennis this past summer. Doug has been writing his tennis column for the past fifteen years and welcomes your feedback.

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If you are running the tennis program at a Golf and Country Club, it is inevitable that the two sports will collide. Fair or not, golfers and tennis players often clash but it is imperative to understand the differences. For one, I’ve never met a tennis pro who didn’t want to unwind on the golf course. Most of my close friends shoot well below 90 and just love the game.

And when it comes to the social scene, golf has so many incredible advantages; proven handi-cap system, innumerable ways to run a scramble (‘Closest to the pin, ‘three clubs only,” “Best ball…”) we could go on and on. But most significantly, a bad golfer or two will never truly disrupt the game. Believe me, I know what this really means. If I were to play in a foursome with far better players than me, my erratic play would not ruin their low scores.

Due to this inarguable fact, tennis professionals must be razor sharp when they run their socials. Case in point – One weaker player in a doubles match will completely destroy the pairing and then all-four players no longer have fun. So, when running a round robin or mixer, it is crucial to be a top-flight matchmaker.

In most cases, it is impossible to use a good computer program when running a competitive mixer as there are usually too many ability levels signed up to play. If I have a minimum of thirty-six people signed up for a big event, I often have 12-14 different ability levels so I better be on my game or the event could fail.

Therefore, the first step in running a great mixer is to carefully study the players and then make the best possible match-ups or at least set it up well on paper so one has a better chance to succeed. No one can be blamed when the best player at the club, in a very competitive challenging match, does not have his best stuff.

In this specific case, the other three players understand and will be able to move on. When things are moving in the right direction, having two professionals filling in can make or break an important event. In other words, it is predestined that there will be some funky pairings and when the pro or pros can fill in, the doubles court automatically gets a boost of energy and excitement.

Good pros know how to fit in and add much needed color; the pro can control the flow of the point and add certain fluidity to the match. And, who doesn’t want to hit a winner by the pro and win the point in glorious fashion! The next step is also vital; do not have players sitting out if you can help it.

Most of our senior southwest Florida tennis players fear getting stiff if they play a round, sit, play and sit again. To me, this is a very valid point. Tennis players want to go to their facilities and play for 90 minutes or two hours and then go home. Unless there is an extra court with a state of the art ball machine or some other stimulating exercise option, people will get bored and not sign up for the next round robin.

If the administrator has great pairings and the mixer is set up with continuous play, adding extras like prizes, music etc…will create the perfect environment to get people excited about the game of tennis! By the way, we are going to have an incredible season of tennis and the pros will be ready at Hideaway Beach, the Island Club, Marco YMCA, South Seas Club, the Marriott and the Marco Island Racquet Club and countless private courts on our beautiful Island – enjoy.

Doug Browne is the Hideaway Beach Tennis Director and the new Collier County USPTA Pro of the Year. Additionally, Doug has been the International Hall of Fame Director of Tennis this past summer. Doug has been writing his tennis column for the past fifteen years and welcomes your feedback.

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Doug, did you see the latest tip in Tennis Magazine?,” one of my enthusiastic stu­dents asked me recently after one of our work-outs. My main concern is that the student is on the right track; she is begin­ning to do the essential items to win ten­nis matches but due to her curiosity she just may screw things up. In other words, a little bit of knowledge is a dangerous thing as people tends to over analyze cer­tain bits and pieces and then they become mentally slower on the tennis court.

For example, my improving student is rapidly becoming a steady baseliner and now has the confidence to stay back and frustrate her opponents. However, after watching hours and hours of the US Open, she now wants to incorporate a drop shot in her game. Now, if she wants to add more tools to her game, how can that be a bad thing? First and most impor­tantly, if her ability level hovers around the 3.0 level, she will not able to hit an effective drop shot for the foreseeable fu­ture. If I acquiesce to her request, she may regress and lose confidence.

The tennis stars that we view on tele­vision are rated 7.0 and have skills that are literally off the charts and we have to be careful not to try to implement many of their strokes especially drop shots. Sever­al years ago, my top student was a star at Lely High School and he was starting to climb in the Florida USTA rankings and he was a very skillful tennis player.

In particular, he had outstanding footwork and solid ground strokes from both sides of his body and was extremely patient. One day, he asked me if we could spend considerable time on the drop shot as he felt that it would carry him to a high­er level. Ironically, this young man was going through a huge transformation; we were altering his paradigm – no lon­ger was he a passive baseliner who never came forward but now a forceful player who knew how to end the point with flair!

So, I was reluctant to have him go backwards and become a touch player or a less aggressive athlete. Too often we would engage in a great baseline strug­gle and he would begin to gain an edge but quickly give it away with is ill-timed drop shot. So, contrary to what his father had suggested, I told him in no uncertain terms that he must abandon this new strategy and continue to focus in on his more powerful game.

Immediately, after college gradua­tion, he went on the Pro Tour and was so ambitious that he was able to win a few tough clay court games against French Open Champion Gustavo Kuerten. We stuck with his core strengths and did not deviate from the plan and he became an excellent college tennis player. The key is to understand what your plan is and then begin to execute it or you will be confused on the tennis court.

Years earlier in my computer devel­opment, I was so excited to learn Win­dows that I wanted to use several word processors and my mentor told me to hit the brakes and learn just one. Now, al­most twenty-four years later, I have fully grasped one word processor and now re­alize that it would have been a big waste of time to delve into several others.

At the end of the day, the player who makes the fewest errors continues to win the big matches. If the player is on track with his/her tennis development, it is im­perative to work on his/her strengths and not get bogged down with ‘trick shots’ or strokes that do not enhance growth. Be­fore you embark on new strokes or strate­gies, consult your pro. Good luck.

Doug Browne is the Hideaway Beach Tennis Director and the new Collier County USPTA Pro of the Year. Additionally, Doug has been the International Hall of Fame Director of Tennis this past summer. Doug has been writing his tennis column for the past fifteen years and welcomes your feed­back.

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It’s impossible to comprehend what Novak Djokovic has accomplished this year; 10-1 against both Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal and winning three out of four Grand Slam singles championships. Just a few summers ago, when Federer surpassed Pete Sampras’ Grand Slam record, we were watching the rise of Rafa Nadal as he not only dominated the French Open but he had just won his first Wimbledon crown. No one in the tennis world felt that Novak Djokovic would hurdle over both Federer and Nadal let alone dominate each one.

With Djokovic having ‘double-fault-itis’, heat exhaustion problems and confidence issues, his dramatic climb in the rankings is shocking. Djokovic was searching and he and his entourage reached out to former American star Todd Martin for coaching advice. Strangely enough, Novak did not dump his primary coach, Marian Vajda; instead they all worked together diligently on his serve and his double-fault issues.

When the Todd Martin experiment abruptly ended a few months into their new arrangement, tennis observers felt that Djokovic’s tennis career was in jeopardy. With Djokovic’s overabundance of charisma, tennis fans were rooting for him to be able to take a run at the top but were skeptical. Earlier in his career, he was well-known and admired for his serving impersonations of both past and current tennis stars – it was not uncommon for him to finish his US Open match on center court and then break out his serving impressions!

At the end of 2010, we knew that Djokovic had changed his diet (he embraced gluten-free cooking) and had been working over-time on his off court conditioning; but no one knew how he was going to turn the corner and feel mentally strong against the top players in the world. However, with his new gluten-free diet and top-flight conditioning, he was moving better and could sustain a high level of energy for extended periods. Ironically, with superb footwork and the ability of to play long points, his confidence was on the rise.

Even though he possesses the best service return in the game and has improved footwork due to his sustained energy levels, it is remarkable that he has dominated Rafa Nadal this year. From my viewpoint, it is Djokovic’s strategic plan that has overwhelmed Nadal as he is not afraid of his whippy left-handed topspin forehand. As Djokovic attacks the Nadal forehand, he is ready for the cross-court stroke to his backhand; he steps in on the rise and drives it either to the reliable crosscourt area or drives it down the line.

Now, Nadal no longer has the edge; Rafa is no longer dictating the rally as he is often unsure which direction to move. Whereas, when Nadal faces Federer, he clearly dominates rallies with his vicious forehand topspin strokes which rise up too high to the Federer backhand. If Nadal wants to see his fortunes rise again next year, he may have to have Uncle Toni (coach) add a few new wrinkles in his game to keep Djokovic on his heels. If I had the opportunity to coach Nadal, I would spend hours and hours on his serve; he needs to incorporate a big flat first serve so he can win more free points against Djokovic.

Also, with Nadal’s excellent volley skills, it is imperative to move inside the baseline and win some easy points at the net. Unless, Federer and Nadal make changes, look for Andy Murray to be the player who has the game to unseat Djokovic as the top player in the world. Stay tuned.

Doug Browne is the Hideaway Beach Tennis Director and the new Collier County USPTA Pro of the Year. Additionally, Doug has been the International Hall of Fame Director of Tennis this past summer. Doug has been writing his tennis column for the past fifteen years and welcomes your feedback.

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Gosh, as long as I can remember, the tennis experts continually debate the plight of USA tennis. Do you remember the 1994 Sports Illustrated article by Sally Jenkins that proclaimed, “Is tennis dying?” Fortunately, the sport of tennis has come a long way since the epitaph was written but Americans are panicking because our current stars are fading and many are unsure if we have a new crop of players coming up the pike.

Good or bad, the person in charge of resurrecting our USTA junior program is Patrick McEnroe. McEnroe, the younger brother of controversial John McEnroe, just retired from his position as Davis Cup coach to concentrate on his job as the general manager of junior development for the USTA. Now for the second time in twenty-five years, the USTA has enlisted a group of former tour players to train our promising players of the future.

With training centers in Carson, California, Boca Raton, Florida and New York City, the project is well funded and well-staffed. Clearly, the USTA would like to see the same type of results as the Sanchez-Casal Academy in Spain; winning multiple Davis Cups and placing countless players in the top fifty in the world rankings.

On the other side of the debate is Patrick’s big brother, John, who states, “so far the USTA sponsored programs have produced ‘nada’, no one thus far.” With his passion for the sport and his desire to see young Americans rise in the tennis rankings, John has put together his own academy in his hometown (New York City) and claims to have a different approach than the current USTA model run by his brother, Patrick. Here is John McEnroe’s mission statement:

John McEnroe.

• To develop world-class players at the John McEnroe Tennis Academy.

• To excite New Yorkers, especially kids, about the game of tennis.

• To provide opportunities to motivated and deserving NYC area kids- – young players who would not otherwise have the resources to reach their full potential as players and/or scholar-athletes.

John’s passion and belief is that great players can be developed in urban settings, while still having the opportunity to live at home, pursue their educational goals, and participate in a variety of sports and extracurricular activities.

How does this differ from Patrick’s overall mission statement? Younger brother Patrick’s kids will live full-time at one of the training centers and devote most of their day to serious on and off-court tennis work-outs. In other words, the kids will eat, sleep and think tennis without too much interruption. John’s model emulates his early training in New York with renowned tennis coach Tony Palafox; both he and Patrick lived at home and then went to their after-school tennis program in Port Washington which produced innumerable tennis prodigies including Naples own Mary Carillo and the late-great Vitas Gerulaitis.

In fairness to Patrick McEnroe’s plan, he and his USTA team is really trying to emulate the success of the Spanish Tennis Federation model where many of the current European stars have lived and trained at the world famous Sanchez-Casal Academy in Barcelona. With Spain dominating Davis Cup and the top of the ATP world rankings, it would be difficult to argue with their accomplishments.

My one big gripe centers around who is coaching our rising stars and how is it determined who is invited to the training centers around the United States? The only coaches who are invited to join the USTA initiative are former touring professionals–this is a one-sided approach. What about the leading academy coaches in this country which include Robert Lansdorf, Rick Macci, Nick Bollettieri, Brett Hobden and countless others who have produced many young champions?

There are too many great coaches who are clearly flying under the radar and have been ignored by the USTA. And, if the USTA or others only pick the highest ranked 12 and 14 and under ranked kids, they are missing out on the juniors who are late-bloomers. For example, most kids who utilize a one-handed backhand never develop until their bodies begin to mature. Does that mean that all one-handed backhand players will be left out? Perhaps, yes, most of the kids who desire an all-court game and need time to find their way will be ignored by the establishment.

So, there are many inherent problems that need to be addressed. Which McEnroe brother is going to be the big winner? It is premature to even speculate as we need a minimum of three to five years to assess which program is firing closest to the target. With all of the money and guidance from the USTA, it is going to be almost impossible for Patrick’s team not to produce some solid players. From a practical standpoint, I love John’s vision as it encompasses the overall well-being of the person and his future.

At the end of the day, it is more important to develop solid human beings who will contribute to our society versus a kid who only knows how to rip a forehand drive from the baseline. So, I’m going to give the edge to John McEnroe. After all, John, the musician, has performed on stage with the likes of Eric Clapton and Buddy Guy–it just doesn’t get any better than that!

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Marco Islander Matt Browne makes the finals with great form.

By Doug Browne

Last week, the Farm Neck Country Club, located in Oak Bluffs, Mas­sachusetts, hosted the $5,000 Pro Doubles Challenge which featured top teams from New England and Florida. Matt Browne, former number one player at Lely High School, teamed up with the Merrimac College top dog, Max Eppley of Wesley Chapel, Florida, for this presti­gious event on the “Island.”

The new team of Browne and Eppley knocked off the McCue brothers – An­drew competes for Tufts University out­side Boston and Brother Tim was a former teammate of Max’s at Merrimac College in Andover, Massachusetts. In the semi-finals, Browne and Eppley toppled the top player on the Island, Mike Hallisky of Vineyard Haven and Martha’s Vineyard High School number one player, Kent Leonard, in a thrilling third set tie break 10-8.

Max Eppley and Matt Browne. Submitted photos

Mike Hallisky originally hails from Clearwater, Florida and is currently the number one 35 & over USTA New Eng­land singles ranked player. Matt and Max marched to an early lead but faltered in the second set and the match was soon to be decided by a 10 point Super Tie Break. If not for a double-fault and one huge Matt Browne forehand, the Florida boys may not have prevailed. Matt served at 9-8 and ripped a blistering forehand drive to Hallisky and moved to the net to hit a winning drop-volley angle winner to close out the match!

Matt Browne

The top-seeded team of Tye Myers of Naples and Tyler Owens of Ft. Myers were clearly the best duo in the event. Tye  Myers(representing Naples) and his USTA 5.0 team is headed to Daytona for the season-ending championships to de­termine who moves west in the early fall. Tye Myers works and trains at the Dunes Racquet Club under the direction of John and Lisa Preeg and is one of the best adult players in southwest Florida. Tyler Owens works at Fiddlesticks Country Club in Ft. Myers in the winter but moves north to head the adult tennis program at the Ed­gartown Yacht Club on Martha’s Vineyard during the summer.  Tye and Tyler edged Matt and Max 6-2, 6-4 to win the coveted title. The finalists donated their prize money to charity.

Doug Browne is the Hideaway Beach Tennis Director and the new Collier County USPTA Pro of the Year.  Additionally, Doug has been the International Hall of Fame Director of Tennis this past summer.  Doug has been writing his tennis column for the past fifteen years and welcomes your feedback.

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• Get your first serve to the player’s weakness at least 60% of the time.
• The serve and volley player should hit their first volley in front of the service line in order to hit a penetrating volley.
• The serving team must be active at the net. Poach and fake poach often!
• The receiving team needs to be consistent to develop a rhythm in order to break serve. Don’t over-hit your returns – be steady.
• The receiving team must command a good lob either as a return or a good defensive measure against the hard charging net team.
• Both the serving and receiving teams must constantly communicate in order to be cohesive and effective.
• Remember one of the golden rules of smart doubles – if you have an easy put-away ball, target the person closest to you. For example, if you have an easy overhead smash, place it at the player near the net. On the other side of the coin, if you face a difficult ball, hit your shot to the doubles player who is farthest away. In other words, if you are at the net to volley and you must face a ball at your feet, find a way to send it back to the baseline area.
• Don’t be too predictable – don’t hit every return of serve crosscourt. The ability to vary returns will keep the serving team at bay.
• Steady, consistent play will win matches – hitting winner after winner is not necessary.

To me, one of the great myths about the game of doubles is that the team who wins the net has the advantage and will win the match. Clearly, there are too many important factors that will determine if winning the net is relevant. At the 2.5 and 3.0 levels, players are still learning how to volley and often miss routine balls.

Secondly, if the net team is unable to move backwards and track down lobs, they are extremely vulnerable.

Finally, if the volleying team does not gain good access to the net (moving forward enough to produce angles and simple overheads) they will not be able to hit winning shots. Ironically, even though the net team is unable to hit winning volleys, the opponents often miss easy groundstrokes because they think the team is a threat due to their efforts to come forward.

To this point, if players could keep their composure, they should welcome their opponents to hit and come into the net.  Most of the CTA and USTA league matches are played on slow clay courts and good defensive players will do well with steady intelligent strategy. In particular, when a team rushes the net, well-placed lobs can deflate their desires to move forward.

When the volley team situates themselves near the service line, all one must do is hit their groundstroke right at them.  DO NOT PANIC and continually over-hit groundstrokes at the net team. One of the real keys to success is not giving too much credit to your rival; one, two, three or even four good volleys does not mean they can make every single ball.

Stay the course – keep making the standard strokes and in time, your consistency will wear down your adversary. The next time you are embroiled in a tough doubles match, rely on your steady, dependable tactics and you will win most of the time.

Who is going to win the 2011 French Open? Can Djokovic stop Nadal on his favorite surface? Is there a favorite in the women’s division with so many injuries and recent retirements? Stay tuned.

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Pete Minarich, USPTA Professional of the Year. Submitted

Last week, Pelican Marsh tennis director, Pete Minarich was honored as the 2010 Collier County USPTA (United States Professional Tennis Association) Professional of the year and will officially receive his award at the Florida state convention in Port St. Lucie next month. One of the many reasons, Minarich was sited for this prestigious award was his relentless and tireless pursuit of one of the most popular events in the area: The Naples/Ft. Myers Tennis Challenge.

Minarich, as the tennis director at the Bay Club in Pelican Bay, organized the first county challenge almost thirty years ago and has continued to be the force behind this incredible event that features the areas best players ranging from junior stand-outs to the 75 and over doubles division. Minarich is also credited with bringing his spirited tennis program to the Vineyards Country Club over twenty years ago.

Quail Creek pro Doug Welsh – new USPTA Director.

Presently, Pete Minarich is in his third year at Pelican Marsh (Naples) and a member of the CCCTA advisory committee. Finally, Pete is a graduate of both Naples High School and Wake Forest University and has been of the area’s best doubles specialists for his entire career. In other big news, Stonebridge Country Club pro and USPTA district director, Ron St. John has been appointed the new tennis director at one of the most prestigious clubs in Collier County, the Royal Poinciana Country Club in central Naples.

St. John was recently awarded the Collier County USPTA pro of the year (2008) and last year the USPTA-Florida section awarded St. John the district director of the year. Ron St. John previously was the YMCA tennis director and YMCA general manager (fourteen years) and for the last seven years the tennis director at Stonebridge Country Club in north Naples. St. John will begin his new duties at Royal Poinciana in the next two weeks.

With Ron St. John beginning his new career at Royal Poinciana he has stepped down as USPTA district director and he will be succeeded by Quail Creek tennis director Doug Welsh.

Tennis tip of the week:

Are you looking to put-away your overhead smash? Remember, the secret to producing an overhead winner is to anticipate your opponent’s lob. Additionally, if you can visualize what good baseball outfielders do when they have to catch a deep fly ball and then quickly throw the ball back to the infield – - Go back as far as possible and keep the ball in front of your body so you can have the power to either pound the overhead stroke or the legs to catch the ball and throw out the running trying to advance a base.

Practice tip: Do not let the lobs come to you. Have your coach hit the stroke over your body so you can learn to turn and move back quickly.

Bottom line – Utilize your baseball skills when fetching a tough lob that may go over your head. Be ready to turn and move back rapidly so you can strike the ball out in front of the body. Good luck.

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Let’s face it, most tennis enthusiasts love to watch a fast volley exchange during a great tennis match. Most of us get transfixed when we witness a player’s fast-hands, quick feet and razor-sharp accuracy. However, I am not referring to a fabulous fast net exchange; my criticisms stem when four players are well positioned at the net and fail to hit a volley with a good purpose. In other words, one should not venture into the net if he is not intending to hit a winning volley.

As a rule, if a player is a bit tentative, stand back at the baseline and wait for your opponent to make a mistake. This cautious strategy works well in our southwest Florida environment as opponents must contend with rising temperatures and high humidity. But, when singles or doubles players move forward to the net, careful approach shots and fearful volleys can get one in serious trouble.

Now, the reason so many doubles players do not put-away their volleys thus ending up in a long volley-volley exchange is due to two distinct reasons: One – Many players just do not have the  reflexes to do much more with the ball. Two – Too many players fail to know their target early enough to change the direction of the ball. To me, most of the problem lies in one’s inability to be fully prepared before they come into the net and volley.

We all know the expression about failing to prepare…but in this case it spells out the problem. The key is to understand what the opponents will do with either the approach shot or the first volley. If the net-rushing team is cognizant of the opponent’s intentions, the volley or overhead is an easy proposition. But, if a team comes to the net and has no idea where the opponent will place the ball, forget it!

So, here is my plan: Learn the tendencies of your opponents in the warm up – and that involves conferring with your partner about his experiences with the other player. If you desire to serve and volley, one must have a solid serve and the proper footwork to move forward. If you are not sure where to serve to the opponents, consider staying back in the beginning. Talk to your partner as often as possible so each player is on the same page.

The more information a team can compile, the more prepared they will be for the next point. For example, if the advantage court (backhand court player) can easily go crosscourt on the return, learn to make adjustments or your volley may be weak. The bottom line for a good net rushing team is to have so much information about your opponents that the volleys will be more forceful. If a team is on automatic pilot and just hits balls and runs to the net, you will see more volleyball than tennis. So, in summary, have a strong idea what your opponent’s tendencies are and then move in and hurt a penetrating volley.  Good luck!

Last week,  the Hideaway Beach Club presented service awards to their employees for years of service and Doug Browne was honored for 25 seasons at the prestigious Hideaway Beach Club.  President John Barto and the Board of Directors were on hand to give out 19 different awards to employees for their contributions to the club.   Doug’s assistant, Tad Connerton, was given an award for five years of service at Hideaway Beach.

Doug Browne is the Hideaway Beach Tennis Director and the new Collier County USPTA Pro of the Year.  Additionally, Doug has been the International Hall of Fame Director of Tennis this past summer.  Doug has been writing his tennis column for the past fifteen years and welcomes your feedback.

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