Kevin McClure, the host of The Tennis Podcast, is the director of tennis for Sport Fit Bowie Racquet in Bowie, Md.

“How important is the type of racket to new players of tennis? What would be the minimum specs one should look for in purchasing a racket? Is there much difference if the person is old or a teenager?” – Stewpot

First, new tennis players, as in just getting started or a beginner should simply purchase a standard length racquet (27”) with strings in it. A $20 racquet would be fine. Let’s find out if one enjoys the game before investing in an expensive racquet.

Second, after mastering the basic skills of contacting the ball and keeping a rally, the player will begin to develop strength and coordination. This will allow the player to notice the difference between a light-weight racquet with loose strings and a solid graphite racquet with tighter strings. Perhaps a mid-plus to oversized graphite frame would be appropriate (as long as it isn’t too heavy).

Third, once the player is developing hand strength and hence controlled racquet head speed, they will appreciate a little more weight and a few more “feel” technologies found in the more expensive frames.

One’s age will affect strength and racquet swing length. Therefore, many older players fork over the extra dough for a more powerful racquet. Power is greater with longer string length, wider body racquets and greater weight. Most “power racquets” are lighter but have a very wide-body design (the frame thickness) to allow the frame to feel solid without the extra weight.

This, by the way, is why the “power racquets” cost more. The larger the frame and thinner the materials (to keep it light), the higher the quality of the graphite/carbon used to keep the racquet from breaking.

“As a beginner, what drills should I be doing to improve my tennis game.” – Lael

Beginners should use foam balls or low-compression balls and hit from inside the service line. As your skills develop, go more with the low-compression balls inside of a 60 foot court (new baseline about half-way between the service line and the original baseline). You’ll find that your games will be more fun and your rallies longer. Therefore, you’ll improve faster.

Beginners should play as many fun games as possible with friends. Enjoy the game! If you find a friend that wants to improve as quickly as possible, try to develop consistency, then control over direction, then increased power. Anytime a drill goal creates too many errors, simplify in order to increase the number of hits per series. Slow down the pace of the ball or simplify ball direction or create a larger target area.

“How do you get a good forehand?” – Bradley

Bradley,

Wow, that might be a whole book on its own!

Most coaches agree on some basic principles:
*The grip should be a semi-western. Although not followed stringently.
*The player should learn the open-stance as a primary set-up position for striking the ball. Although, the player should know and utilize the other stances when appropriate. I teach at least 5 footwork patterns, 3 right away.
*The racquet should start about shoulder height and drop into a swinging arc that rises up through the contact point.
*The player should develop power from the legs and the midsection pulling the racquet through to contact.
*The follow-through should continue up and over to the left finishing near the left shoulder.

Beyond that, work on controlling the racquet head while learning to increase racquet head speed. This just takes practice. Check out Dr. Ray Brown’s site for more on power forehands at www.theeasiacademy.com.

“I’m 55 years old and have lived a sedentary life. Where should I start when learning to play tennis.” – Gwen

Gwen,

Hmmm. Hopefully, tennis will help you get out more.

Check out my answer to Lael’s question about beginner drills as well.

If you’re just learning tennis, be sure to find a class or pro that is interested in teaching you with fun in mind and a solid foundation on technique. It’s best to find a pro that has a PTR or USPTA professional certification.

Also, the Cardio Tennis classes are a lot of fun and a great way to get fit. I recommend getting a heart monitor wrist watch like the ones from Polar to insure that you are not overworking yourself and that you stay in your optimum heart beat range (65-85% of maximum). Maximum heart beat is calculated by taking 220 and subtracting your age.

Be sure to develop from closer in to the net and work your way back. Start simple and gradually you will be able move back, hit harder and move quicker. There are a couple places that have systems of development that are very simple to get started with — www.ez-tennis.com or www.revolutionarytennis.com.

You can also check out my podcast and blog with its instruction at http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=279149933.

Thank you Kevin and all the readers who submitted questions!

This article is part of On the Baseline’s Tennis 101 series. Please click here to find the rest of the series.

I was offered to contribute to On the Baseline by writing my perspective on tennis’ growth in Serbia, and I gladly accepted the invitation. Being from Serbia, people sometimes ask me about my opinion on the surge of Serbian tennis players, and I will use this opportunity to explain my view publicly. This article was particularly inspired by a conversation with one of my Facebook friends.

My first thought would be that the success of Serbian tennis is just a coincidence, but since nothing happens by chance, I will give up this presumption. However, I believe there is no just one thing that we can point our finger at and say is the cause. There is certainly a combination of factors – family, talent, motivation to work hard and pursue your dreams, and many others.

Still, if I need to pinpoint one thing that Serbian tennis stars have in common, I would say it is the hard times people in Serbia have been going through. It sounds strange, but I feel that all the problems Serbian tennis players, together with the rest of the nation, had to endure made them stronger and more willing to do their best.

The tough situation (lack of money and isolation of Serbia as a country — to name just a few) made our tennis players work a lot and not fool around. You are much more motivated when you are in a bad situation, and you know that your hard work might give you a better future. Also, tennis is an expensive sport in every way, and I suppose they felt as if they had to do their best at every lesson.

Moreover, they knew that they absolutely had to take advantage of every opportunity they received. For example, Ana Ivanovic found a sponsor who invested a lot in her, sent her to Switzerland, and she knew she should not disappoint him and her family.

Other than this wish to improve their lives and achieve something, I do not see anything else that would have suggested the rise of Serbian tennis.

It seems Jelena Jankovic shares my opinion. She once said: “Not a penny is invested in us. We are very hungry, we want to do well, we want to be the best that we can be. We didn’t have anything given to us so we had to work for our sport.” And of course, you know about Ana Ivanovic’s famous swimming pool story.

In addition, the success of Serbian tennis players is hard to explain because all of them had their tennis careers developed differently, and in different countries. Essentially, the only thing they had in common was that they each had to overcome the burden of being from Serbia.

This “coincidence” made Serbia a tennis country, and all the kids in the streets are holding racquets. Hopefully, this will bring more future champions from Serbia.

Marija Zivlak writes about women’s tennis at www.womenstennisblog.com.

This article is part of On the Baseline’s Tennis 101 series. Please click here to find the rest of the series.

Beginning tennis? It sure beats the treadmill. Here’s the gear you need to get started.

Shorts (or skirt) and a top. Be sure they have pockets (or compression shorts) for holding extra balls when you serve.

The outfit should be completely comfortable, not too loose, heavy or restricting so you can move and stretch in all directions. Recent innovations include super breathable fabrics, and built-in UV protection. There is a look, style and price point for absolutely every personality and wallet. Check out some of the newest men’s and women’s clothing styles on Tennisidentity.com.

Smooth soled tennis sneakers. Don’t even think about wearing running shoes which restrict side to side motion and damage courts (not to mention your knees).

Shopping a tennis retailer will ensure you get a pair designed for the courts. Your footwear should feel light and comfortable, snug so your foot does not slide from side to side. The prices on sneakers range dramatically from on-sale, past-season lows to $120 plus for models new to the market. Go with a brand you like already or try something new. There’s great technology in tennis shoes these days.

Racquet. You might be tempted to buy the model that your favorite pro is using but please don’t. Their racquets are designed for high-level play and will do nothing for your game.

What you can opt for is the more recreational version of that player’s racquet. They look just as cool and will help your game grow much more quickly.

A few racquet recommendations for adult beginners include:
- Dunlop Aerogel 700
- Prince O3 Speedport Platinum and O3 Speedport Gold
- Slazenger Quadflex Lite
- Babolat Drive Z 110
- Babolat NSDrive OS.

Check out the individual manufacturer sites (Dunlop, Prince, Slazenger, Babolat) for details on each model.

Your local tennis shop may offer demos or you can try Tennis-Warehouse.com’s program. Ask to have the frame you choose strung according to recommended specifications; a mid priced 16 gauge synthetic string is fine to start with. There are pre-strung racquets in-store at many sporting good retailers. If price is a big concern that might be the way to go.

You will also need to know your grip size, as racquet handles come in different circumferences for different size hands.

You can determine what size you need by going to Tennis Warehouse’s website.

Other racquet differences you will see include racquet length (standard 27” should be fine unless you are super tall) and head size; an “oversized” head is going to offer a larger “sweet spot” than a smaller one, basically this offers forgiveness for less-than-dead-on-center hits.

Overgrips. You may not need these right away but if your hands sweat, or you’d like a tackier grip, these tapes are designed to roll on right over the grip the racquet comes with.

They take a little practice to get on right but can make a big difference in how the racquet feels in your hand.

A racquet bag is a good idea for holding all your essentials. Again, browse for a style that suits you best. A three-racquet bag offers space for stowing everything alongside your racquet, even if you only have one (at the moment).

For balls, any make will do, but look to make sure that the ones you choose are designed for the surface you will play on, clay (Har tru) or hard-court.

Line up some lessons. There is no substitute for instruction from a qualified pro to get started. If you don’t take lessons you will spend most of your time collecting errant balls. Lessons (and of course practice) will fuel your passion. The better you hit, the better the rallies.

Watch professional tennis. Marvel at the shot-making abilities of the ranked, but notice what they do with their feet and how they set up for shots. Your game will not develop through osmosis – we wish — but when your pro tells you to move your feet you will understand exactly what he or she really means.

Karin Burgess is the editor of Tennisidentity.com. Tennisidentity.com is a site for avid recreational tennis players looking for the best new looks, gear and essentials to hone their good game.

What are the pros using? What’s new on the market? Find it all at tennisidentity.com. Check back regularly or sign up for monthly updates.

This article is part of On the Baseline’s Tennis 101 series. Please click here to find the rest of the series.

Because the Australian Open recently switched its courts to a surface very similar to the one used at Flushing Meadows, it is in the hard court category.

Clay (Roland Garros)

The Sony Ericsson WTA Tour competes on two types of clay, European (red) clay and American (Har-tru) green clay. Although both surfaces are still technically dirt, the American clay is faster than its European counterpart.

Terre battue, French for the surface at Roland Garros, is slow and makes the ball bounce higher, giving a player more time to set up her shots. Rallies are longer, and outright winners are rarer than on hard courts or grass.

Because of its slippery surface, fitness and solid movement skills are key characteristics of a clay court player. A well-timed drop shot is also a must-have in a claycourter’s arsenal because most of the rallies take place from the baseline.

The Tour’s Best on Clay: Ana Ivanovic, Jelena Jankovic, Svetlana Kuznetsova

Grass (Wimbledon)

Grass, the original tennis surface, is also the fastest one on the Tour. When watching grass court play, fans can expect to see powerful shots from the baseline, outright winners, and even the occasional serve-and-volley.

Due to its speed, grass is the exact opposite of clay, making it difficult for players to adjust from the French Open’s courts to Wimbledon’s lawns in only two weeks time.

When competing on grass, players with a powerful serve have a distinct advantage. The balls tend to bounce low, reducing the time available for an effective return.

The Tour’s Best on Grass: Maria Sharapova, Venus and Serena Williams, Lindsay Davenport

Hard Courts (Australian Open, US Open)

Hard courts are the great equalizer on the tennis circuit and the most popular surface. While slower than grass, a hard court is still a quick surface, making it a favorite of most players.

Because of Melbourne’s humid conditions, the hard courts at the Australian Open are stickier than the ones at the US Open, but the courts still favor players with powerful serves and ground strokes.

In today’s age of power tennis, compared to the almost extinct classic serve-and-volley game, most of the top players on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour are comfortable on hard court surfaces.

While the Australian Open and US Open are played outdoors, the Tour does compete on indoor hard court surfaces, especially during the fall season in Asia.

This article is part of On the Baseline’s Tennis 101 series. Please click here to find the rest of the series.

This article is part of On the Baseline’s Tennis 101 series. Please click here to find the rest of the articles.

Baffled by words like poaching, closed stance, counterpuncher, inside-out forehand, or countless other tennis terms which leave you scratching your head?

Take a look at our tennis dictionary so you’ll quit making unforced errors when discussing the sport with your friends.

TENNIS TERMINOLOGY

A

Ace – a service of a tennis ball that is not returned by an opponent and is deemed to be IN play by the umpire
Advantage – when one player wins a point from a deuce and needs one more point to win the game
ATP – Association of Tennis Professionals, the men’s professional circuit

B

Backhand – a method of wielding a tennis racquet where the player hits the tennis ball with a stroke that comes across their body with the back of their racquet hand facing the ball
Backswing – the portion of a swing before the ball is hit
Bagel – winning a set 6-0. A double bagel is winning 6-0, 6-0.
Ball Boy – a person, male or female, tasked with retrieving tennis balls from the court that have gone out of play
Baseline – the chalk line at the farthest ends of the court indicating the boundary of the area of play.
Baseliner – a player whose strategy is to stay at the baseline during play
Big serve – a forceful serve, usually giving an advantage in the point for the server
Break – to lose a game to an opponent when you are serving
Break point – one point away from a break

C

Closed stance – hitting the ball with the body facing between parallel to the baseline and backturned to the opponent; it is known as a classic technique.
Counterpuncher – a defensive baseliner.
Court – the area designated for playing a game of tennis
Crosscourt – hitting the ball diagonally into the opponent’s court

D

Deep – a shot that lands near the baseline, as opposed to near the net
Deuce – the score 40-40 in a game. A player must win two consecutive points from a deuce before winning the game. See advantage
Deuce court – the right side of the court of each player
Dirtballer – a clay court specialist
Double Fault – two faults in a row in one point, causing the player serving to lose the point
Doubles – a tennis game played by four players, two per side of the court
Down the line – hitting the ball straight ahead into the opponent’s court
Drop shot – a play in which the player hits the ball lightly enough to just go over the net; designed to catch a player off guard who is away from the net
Drop volley – a drop shot executed from a volley

F

Fault – an unsuccessful serve that fails to place the ball in the correct area of play therefore not starting the point
First Service – the first of the two serves of a tennis ball a player is allowed at the beginning of a point.
Flat – e.g. a flat serve; a shot with relatively no spin
Forehand – a method of wielding a tennis racquet where the player hits the tennis ball with a stroke that comes from behind their body with the front of their racquet hand facing the ball

G

Game point – one point away to win the game.
Golden Slam – winning the Grand Slam and the tennis Olympic gold medal in a calendar year
Grand Slam – the four most prestigious tournaments in a year: the Australian Open, the French Open (or Roland Garros), Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. Winning the Grand Slam is winning all four in a calendar year.
Groundstroke – a forehand or backhand shot that is executed after the ball bounces once on the court

H

Head – (racquet) the portion of the racquet that contains the strings
Hold – winning the game when serving

I

Inside-out – running around one side (e.g. the backhand side) and hitting a crosscourt shot
Inside-in – running around one side and hitting it down the line; less popular than the inside-out

K

Kick serve – a type of spin serve that bounces high

L

Lawn Tennis – tennis played on a court laid out on a grass covered surface
Let – a warning exclamation when multiple matches occur adjacent to one another and one match’s ball bounces into the court of another match. The point is replayed in the offended match. Most often used in high school and college tennis, although it can also be used at the major tournaments if a ball falls out of a player’s shorts or skirt onto the court.
Line Judge – a person designated to observe the passage of tennis balls over the boundary lines of the court. A Line Judge can declare that a play was within or outside of the play area and cannot be overruled by the players. A line Judge must defer to an Umpire’s decision, even when it contradicts their own observations.
Lob – a stroke in tennis where the ball is lifted high above the net with the intention of it going over the opposing player in the case of him being close to the net, thus nearly guaranteeing the point
Love – zero (score)
Love game – a shutout game won without the other player scoring

M

Match point – a situation when the player who is leading needs one more point to win the match
Mini-break – to win a point from the opponent’s serve in a tiebreak
Mixed Doubles – a tennis game played by four players, two players are male, two are female, one of each player gender per side of the court

O

Open stance – hitting the ball with the body facing between parallel to the baseline and facing the opponent; it is known as a modern technique.
Out – any ball that lands outside the play area
Overrule – reversing a call from the linesperson, done by the umpire

P

Passing shot – A shot that passes by the opponent at the net, but not over him (see lob)
Poaching – (in doubles) an aggressive move where the player at net moves to volley a shot intended for his/her partner
Point – the period of play between the first successful service of a ball to the point at which that ball goes out of play
Putaway – a shot to try to end the point from an advantageous situation

R

Racquet – a bat with a long handle and a large looped head with a string mesh tautly stretched across it, made of wood, metal or some other synthetic material, that is used by a tennis player to hit the tennis ball during a game of tennis
Rally – (Following the service of a tennis ball) – A series of return hits of the ball that ends when one or other player fails to return the ball within the court boundary or fails to return a ball that falls within the play area.
Referee – a person in charge of enforcing the rules in a tournament, as opposed to a tennis match (see Umpire)

S

Set point – one point away from winning a set
Singles – a tennis game played by two players
Second Service – the second and final of the two serves of a tennis ball a player is allowed at the beginning of a point
Serve – to begin a point by hitting the ball into the opponents half of the court
Serve and volley – a strategy to serve and immediately move forward to make a volley and hopefully a winner
Slice – (rally) hitting a tennis ball with underspin; (service) serving with sidespin
Spin – rotation of the ball as it moves through the air, affecting its trajectory and bounce
Straight sets – a match victory in which the victor never lost a set.

T

Tanking – to purposely lose a match, because of poor mental game or others. Or, to simply purposely lose one unnecessary set, so as to focus energy and attention on the final and match-deciding set
Tennis Ball – a soft, hollow, air filled rubber ball coated in a synthetic fur used in the game of tennis
Tiebreak – a special game at the score 6-6 in a set to decide the winner of the set; the winner is the first to reach at least 7 points with a difference of 2 from the opponent.
Topspin – spin of a ball that goes forward over the top of the ball, causing the ball to dip and bounce higher

U

Underspin – spin of a ball that goes forward under of the ball, causing the ball to float and bounce lower
Umpire – (during play) – an independent person designated to enforce the rules of the game in a match, usually sitting on a high chair beside the net
Unforced error – during play, an error in a service or return shot that cannot be attributed to any factor other than poor judgment by the player.

W

Walkover – an unopposed victory. A walkover may be awarded as a bye, or more commonly because the opponent defaulted by being disqualified or failing to attend the match, ncluding after withdrawing due to injury.
Wild card – a player let by organizers to play in a tournament, even if his/her rank is not adequate or does not register in time
Winner – (rally) a forcing shot that can not be reached by the opponent and wins the point; (service) a forcing serve that is reached by the opponent, but is not returned properly, and wins the point
WTA – Women’s Tennis Association, the women’s professional circuit

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article “Tennis Terminology”.

Kevin McClure, the host of The Tennis Podcast, is the director of tennis for Sport Fit Bowie Racquet in Bowie, Md and a former number one player for the University of Richmond.

He is a P1 US Professional Tennis Association professional and has been head coach for a Virginia high school, the head pro for the USTA Competitive Training Center, and a two-time seminar contest winner for the mid-Atlantic division of the USPTA.

The P1 USPTA level is the highest tested rating possible and is achieved by scoring in the 90th percentile on the USPTA Certification Exam.

As part of On the Baseline’s Tennis 101 series, our readers have an opportunity to submit their questions to Coach McClure.

Questions will be accepted until Friday, May 16. Your first name and location will be published with your question if it is selected.

Submit your question in the box below!

The entry period has ended.

During the second week of the series, we will publish Kevin’s answers at On the Baseline.

This article is part of On the Baseline’s Tennis 101 series. Please click here to find the rest of the articles.

One of the most daunting things to a new tennis fan is the seemingly complicated scoring system.

It is actually pretty easy once you get the hang of it, as long as you remember that love means absolutely nothing.

A tennis match is composed of sets, generally best of three or five. The Sony Ericsson WTA Tour only plays three sets in singles matches.

Sets are broken down into individual games, which consist of points. The scoring concept is different than any other sport as a player has to win four points in order to score one game.

Instead of counting to 1-4 points, tennis is scored by using love (0), 15, 30, 40.

If both players reach 40-40 (three points each), a deuce is declared, meaning a tie. Play then continues until one player gains the “advantage” (one point more than the other) and then secures the next point to take the game.

A player can only win the set if she wins four games and then two more games than the opposing player. If both players score six games each (6-6), matchplay then converts to a tie-break.

A tie-break always goes to a minimum of seven points (counted using regular numbering) and the winner must have two points higher than her opponent.

Tie-breaks are not played in the deciding, or last set of Grand Slam matches at the Australian Open, Roland Garros, or Wimbledon, only at the U.S. Open.

For more information on how to score tennis, read Wikipedia’s extensive scoring guide.

1973 was an uncommon year. It was a year in which the letter W took on a life of its own.

The War was winding down, Watergate was winding up, and Wimbledon became the backdrop for a groundbreaking revolution in sports, involving the most under-rated W in tennis: Women. Change was on the horizon as an elite group of players, led by Billie Jean King, joined forces in a meeting at London’s Gloucester Hotel to obliterate inequality in tennis for good.

Soon after that meeting, the WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) was formed. They committed themselves to making equal prize money, regardless of sex, a reality, and envisioned a better future for women’s tennis. Billie Jean King had a simple, yet powerful belief: “All you need is a racket, a ball and a dream.” Her natural ability to lead and influence change made her the clear choice to be the organization’s first president.

In the fall of 1973, in what was one of the most-viewed televised sporting events of the decade, King defeated former men’s champion Bobby Riggs in match known as the ‘Battle of the Sexes’. The match between the two former Wimbledon champs didn’t have much significance in the record books, but ignited a fire in the tennis world that positioned the formative women’s tour for future growth and equality.

A few years prior to this uprising in professional tennis, one could almost see that fire beginning to smolder, as nine top female players agreed to sign $1 contracts with World Tennis publisher Gladys Heldman, to compete in a new women’s tour.

The “Original Nine”, as the women were known, included Billie Jean King, Rosie Casals, Nancy Richey, Kerry Melville, Peaches Bartkowicz, Kristy Pigeon, Judy Dalton, Valerie Ziegenfuss, and Julie Heldman. The inaugural $7,500 Virginia Slims tournament was established in 1970, and is considered the event that put the wheels in motion for women’s equality in sports. Little did King know that the Virginia Slims slogan, “You’ve come a long way, baby” would ultimately become a testament to her tireless journey for women and the sport.

The WTA became the governing body for professional women’s tennis, and remains so to this day—even establishing its own ranking system in 1975.

The Sony Ericsson WTA Tour (as the Virginia Slims tour is now known) consists of the season-ending championships, four Grand Slam events, and 57 Tier events. The tiered events are divided into four categories based on prize money, with Tier 1 garnering the largest amount. The WTA also regulates the sport as a member of the International Tennis Federation (ITF).

Female players get their start on the ITF Women’s Circuit at entry-level tournaments, enabling players to work their way up the ladder to Sony Ericsson WTA Tour events.

Almost 35 years after the revolt began, the WTA now has more than 1,400 players from 75 countries, competing in 62 events a year. Billie Jean King’s efforts were clearly not in vain.

With all four Grand Slams now offering equal prize money, and more than $62 million available on the WTA tour, King’s vision for a better future in women’s tennis has become a reality.

Nowadays, there is only one W left in the spotlight: Win.

Paula Vergara is an experienced tennis journalist, who has worked as a regular contributor to On the Baseline Tennis News, USTA New England Magazine, and New England Sports Magazine. To view her work, visit her blog at www.paula-vergara.blogspot.com.

This article is part of On the Baseline’s Tennis 101 series. Please click here to find the rest of the series.

During the interview, which is available here online, we discussed the new series, On the Baseline’s history, and the continued growth of the online tennis community.

For those of you who have never heard the podcast, I wholeheartedly recommend adding it to your weekly listening schedule. Kevin, along with his co-hosts Colette Lewis and Dave “The Koz” Kozlowski do an excellent job analyzing the ATP Tour, WTA Tour, and junior tennis circuits.

The Tennis Podcast show is divided into four separate sections, Inside Tennis, Interviews, Instruction, and Inside Junior Tennis. You can access the latest episodes and archives through iTunes or at www.thetennispodcast.blogspot.com.

We are very fortunate to count several established and budding writers among our readership here at On the Baseline.

I won’t attempt to name the readers who I know are journalists, bloggers, or just excellent analysts for fear of forgetting anyone, but I want to issue an open invitation for guest posting at On the Baseline!

Guest blogging is a great way to support our community at OTB, plus it can also help boost your own website. If you don’t have your own website but still want to contribute, please still feel free to join us!

As many of you have probably noticed whenever we publish guest content, we always include the author’s byline with a link back to their website. Also, we regularly call on our guest bloggers for help in our featured series, but I’ll talk more about that later.

What We Can Use:

- Articles about the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour and its players
In keeping with our topic, we can only use content about the WTA Tour. However, I think that with over 1000 ranked singles and doubles players, you should have plenty of subject material!

- Instructional Articles
Not only do we have many talented writers among our community, we also have several coaches and fitness specialists. If you have some tips to share with us, please feel free to let us know.

- Eyewitness Reports
Are you planning to attend a tournament during this season? Contact us because we would love to publish your first-hand reports or images!

If you are interested in participating, send an email with your proposed topic to info@onthebaseline.com. Please do this before writing your submission just to make sure it abides by On the Baseline’s site policies.

Tennis 101

One of the things I’ve realized over the past year is that although several of our readers are very informed tennis fans, many of you are relative newcomers or beginners to the world of tennis. After talking about this with a few of you, I have decided on the topic for our next big series.

On this coming Monday (May 12), we will launch Tennis 101: The Game Uncovered.

Over the course of the next two weeks, we will attempt to uncover all the crucial elements involved in the understanding of professional women’s tennis, from the history of the Tour to even how to keep score. We deliberately selected the two weeks prior to Roland Garros to help ensure that all of you will be able to fully enjoy (and understand) the tennis from Paris and Wimbledon.

As I mentioned earlier, we will be featuring some excellent content from several writers, including On the Baseline’s new contributor Paula Vergara. Also, coach Kevin McClure from the Tennis Podcast will be joining us for a chat where you can submit your coaching and technique questions to him and his team at the podcast.

The first week will be aimed more at a beginner level, but during the second week we’ll kick it up a notch as we tackle more intermediate subjects such as the Tour rankings, the tournament classification (Tier) system, and even what you need to purchase before starting to play tennis yourself.

Topic Sneak Peek:
- How to Keep Score in Tennis
- Demystifying the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Rankings
- Learn Your Lingo: Tennis Terminology
- Surface Factor
- A League of Their Own: The Historical Grassroots of the Women’s Tennis Association
- Little-Known Tennis Trivia . . . Just in Case You’re Ever on Jeopardy
- What’s the Secret behind the Rise of Serbian Tennis?
- Operation Olympics: China’s Dreams of Olympic Success
- Beginner’s Guide to Buying Tennis Gear
- Online Chat with Coach Kevin McClure
- and much more!

I hope each of you will make plans to join us for the next two weeks. Thank you again for your continued support of On the Baseline!