TENNIS COURTing An Idea, that is.
Tennis! The US Open starts on August 27th and I AM READY! A renovated stadium, a new logo for Arthur Ashe Stadium and we have a whole bunch of fantastic players coming to play! We are in for some great tennis.
Somehow, I managed to live my entire life, (until a few years ago), without ever once playing any sort of ball sport. Fortunately, I got to learn something new and I have to say that it is probably one of my most favorite things I have ever done. I am talking about TENNIS.
Shortly after my husband and I started to date, I was invited to join him with his friends on Saturday mornings to play mixed doubles. I declined the invitation, explaining that I didn’t know the first thing about tennis or how to play any ball sport, for that matter. Thankfully, the invitation stood without any concern about my ineptitude, And so, my adventure in tennis began!
Several years ago, our fun and fabulous tennis group decided we should take a tennis trip to some place warm in the middle of February. We initially picked Hawaii, but we couldn’t get the logistics to work so we ended up going to Palm Springs, CA for a week. We stayed at a great property called the Oasis Resort which had fantastic tennis courts.
My sister brought her family to Palm Springs for a quick get-away. We didn’t have a lot of time together, but it was a great surprise to see her for a few hours in the dessert.
We vacationed with a group of amazing cooks!
Each of the four couples who were staying the whole week were responsible for making one dinner for everyone. The other nights, we could go out somewhere or just decide spontaneously what we felt like doing. We had a couple of breakfast get togethers and the rest of the time we were able to be lazy bums and be on our own until court time, or whatever it was we decided to do that day. For our turn at dinner, David and I prepared my sister’s recipe, Julie’s Pan-Seared Chicken with Artichokes and Pasta. This recipe is always a hit!
Chris, Linda and Doug enjoying cocktails before dinner.
David is first in line for dinner.
Pan-Seared Chicken Breast With Artichokes and Pasta
Ingredients
- 2 large chicken breasts boneless, skinless
- 1 16 oz jar marinated artichoke heart quarters undrained
- ½ cup sliced green onions both white and green parts
- ½ cup Kalamata olives chopped (more for garnish)
- 1 clove garlic minced
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 4 cups hot cooked cavatappi or fusilli pasta not quite cooked to al denté
- 1 14.5 oz canned diced tomatoes with juices reserve ½ cup pasta water
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Drain artichokes in a colander, over a bowl, reserving marinade
- Sear the chicken in butter with salt and pepper in a large skillet over med-high heat. Add onions and garlic and sauté for about a minute. Stir in artichoke marinade and wine and stir to loosen brown bits. Bring to boil, reduce heat, add tomatoes, artichokes, olives and pasta and some of the pasta water. Cook until heated through and sauce has a silky consistency.Sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and more Kalamata olives. Serve with a fresh salad and warm garlic bread.
Notes
My first day on a tennis court–
posing with Flat Leah on a borrowed tennis racket.
TIPS
If you are like I was, with little to no orientation to the sport of tennis, let me offer a few tips.
WARDROBE
First and foremost, WARDROBE is critical! Go shopping and know that the cuter the outfit, the better you will play. Actually, all kidding aside, confidence is a big deal. For me, feeling comfortable and confident ultimately translates to better success on the court. A good outfit could even make you feel like a super hero–it worked for Serena. (Read about Serena Williams’ cat suit at the French Open.)
A good pair of shoes is key
You need a really good pair of tennis shoes. Don’t skimp here. There is an old adage, “once you find a racquet and a pair of shoes that you like, never switch.” The problem is that shoes wear out and manufacturers are always replacing old models with ‘new and improved’ ones so you end up at square one fairly frequently. The good news is that you have many brands to choose from: BABOLAT, FILA, HEAD, K-SWISS, NEW BALANCE, NIKE, WILSON, and YONEX, to name a few. The things that I look for in shoes are that they are light in weight, have a ‘glove like fit’, provide a good amount of stability and support and are cut low enough by the ankle bone so that they don’t rub and create a ‘hot spot’. Other things I look for are good ventilation, durable outsoles for traction and wear and cushioning in the heel and mid-sole. After quite a few trials and several errors, I finally found my magic slippers….at least for now.
Find your racquet
Finally, you need a tennis racquet. If things aren’t going well on the court, you can always blame your stick. I purchased an inexpensive one to get started since I had no idea what style of play that I would eventually grow in to. Different racquets have different characteristics including power, control, comfort, maneuverability and overall playability. Racquet length, head size, weight, swingweight and balance all factor in on the way a racquet will perform. (I have found that I prefer a little bigger grip than I initially started with. When I use a smaller grip, I tend to hold on with a death grip which adds undue stress to my forearm resulting in chronic tennis elbow. By adding an overwrap grip, I no longer need to use my elbow brace.)
KEEPING SCORE
After being shown how to hold my racket, where to stand on the court, and a few basics on how to strike the ball with my racquet, it was now time to learn how to keep score. This ‘little’ detail was a bit tricky for me to grasp. I did ok as long as I never lost track, but when learning something new…it is really easy to loose track. (I relied on my doubles partner to help me with the score for quite a while before I actually got the hang of it).
The first thing to know in keeping score is that the server’s score is always announced first before the receiver’s throughout the game. The point system works like this:
• No points are scored = Love
• 1 point scored = 15 points
• 2 points scored = 30 points
• 3 points scored = 40 points
• 4 points earned = set point (set over)
To win a game, player(s) must win with at least a two point lead.
If the score is tied at 40 to 40 (also known as “Deuce”), the player(s) must earn two consecutive points (an “Advantage” point and “Point”) to win the game. If the player(s) who has an “Advantage” point loses the next point, the score will be “Deuce” once again.
A set is won when the player(s) has won a minimum of six games with a two game advantage over the opponent(s), for example, the potential score for a six game set maybe 6 – 2 or 6 – 4 but not 6 – 5. In a scenario where the score is tied at 5 – 5, the player(s) must win 2 consecutive games before winning a set. For example, the player(s) may win a set with the score of 7 – 5 or 8 – 6.
Diagram of a tennis court
Learning where to stand when you serve, receive a serve, and play are key, and this isn’t as obvious as one might think.
MORE TO COME!
I admit it, I just can’t seem to get enough info when it comes to tennis. I learn so much from watching matches on TV and from reading articles in magazines. I will be adding to this post throughout the tournament so be sure to check back. For now, I need to call it a day and rest up for play tomorrow morning when I am playing with the ‘boys’. (My husband’s men’s doubles group). I love playing with them–guys play at a faster pace and they hit the ball much harder than my female opponents. Though playing with them can be somewhat to extremely humiliating, it ultimately helps me improve my game and that is a good thing.
AUGUST 28
I stand before you extremely humiliated. Not a great day for me this morning, playing with the boys….I was even wearing a new outfit!!! Oh well, maybe I can redeem myself on Thursday morning.
AUGUST 29
OUTRAGEOUS DOUBLE STANDARD–Alize Cornet is punished for switching her shirt which she was accidentally wearing the wrong way round. COME ON! Sloane, Venus and Serena all win and move onto the third round. YES!
AUGUST 30
Some good news for older players. FUN FACTS:
30 IS THE NEW 20!
TOP 100 PLAYERS ENTERING THE US OPEN:
In 2010, only 7 ATP tournaments were won by 30-somethings. In 2017, there were 31, (22 so far this year)
The last 8 men’s majors were all won by 30+ players: Wawrinka (33), Federer (37), Nadal (32), Djokovic (31).
Why the changes? Better diets, better physios, less running around, shorter points, faster surfaces and lighter racquets.
AUGUST 31
Well, the BIG news today is that Serena beat Venus, 6-1, 6-2. Word is that Serena put on her best performance of 2018 – and one of the best of her 23-year career . (I was pulling for Venus).
SEPTEMBER 1
PHANTOM LET was the word in the match between Roger Federer and Nick Kyrgios. Perhaps the let sensor was just feeling the burn from Nick’s stinging serves, earning him lots of free points. In the end, Federer’s finesse won out.
SEPTEMBER 2
Sloane Stephens is still alive and kicking! YAY!!!
SEPTEMBER 3
For the first time at the US Open, a man and woman representing Japan have made the quarterfinal at a Grand Slam. Kei Nishikori defeated Philipp Kohlschreiber and Naomi Osaka beat Aryna Sabalenka. A couple of upsets: John Millman beats Roger Federer and Suárez Navarro ‘snaps’ Maria Sharapova’s streak. Definitely an exciting day of tennis!
SEPTEMBER 4
I had a satisfying morning playing singles with my girlfriend, Linda, (6/1, 6/1).
I am looking forward to watching Stephens take on Sevastova today in the quarter finals! Go Sloane!!!
SEPTEMBER 5
Sadly, Sloane lost her match with Sevastova and Nadal barely beats Theim! Of course, Serena won easily.
SEPTEMBER 6
I am happy to report that I held my own this morning while playing doubles with the guys. YAY! Osaka will be playing in the final against Serena.
SEPTEMBER 7
Not a great day–Nadal retires after two sets and Nishikori didn’t really show up for his match with Djokovic.
SEPTEMBER 8
We had a fun day on the courts today, playing mixed doubles. I love our tennis friends.
I hesitate to comment on today’s women’s championship game for fear that it might be perceived as verbal abuse. I will just say that the person who played the best today won, despite Serena’s hissy fits and controversy which overshadowed and blurred the joy of the moment. Nicely played Naomi.
SEPTEMBER 9
Well, the US Open has come to an end. Djokovic beat Delpo in three straight sets. Great sportsmanship and an enthusiastic crowd. Here is hoping that Serena will participate in the next Grand Slam, (The Australian Open), minus her temper tantrums and bullying behavior.
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