A Lesson from My Man ROGER

A Lesson from My Man ROGER

What do you do when you're looking for your A game and Plan A is not working? That's easy...You just go to Plan B... but then it fails.
Hello, Plan C... and then - well, there's always Plan D... but ... uh-oh.
"I was just trying to figure out how to play a guy
who returns from so far back on a slow court.
Do you try to serve through him?
Which I tried - didn't work."-ROGER FEDERER

WHAT DO YOU DO?
Today at the French Open, Roger played a quarterfinal match against Juan Martin del Potro and he demonstrated exactly what you do:

You keep your head down, you keep giving it all you've got,
and you remember that it's not over until it's over.

The tide could turn - things could start going your way - but you have to stick around long enough for that to happen...
so you better keep fighting until the end.

DISCLAIMER: I'm sure you must know two things about me by now so let's put them out there. 1) I've NEVER played tennis and 2) I'm quite obsessed with Roger Federer. I make no apologies for either of those things, LOL.

By the way, I'm not the tiniest bit interested in debating who's the GOAT because to me, there's just NO contest - so don't even go there. You might prefer one of those other guys (?!@?!) but the point is this:
even if you're not a FED FAN, you can't deny that he is and has been an extraordinary ambassador for our sport!

We all know that tennis is about so much more than just a series of backhands and forehands, with the occasional serve mixed in for good measure. It’s about valuable life lessons and the game of tennis is really just a disguise. It’s kind of like mixing a little sugar with medicine to make it easier for kids to swallow. Players are learning life lessons that are much, much more important than how to hit the perfect cross-court whatever.

 

Tennis is awesome for lots of reasons…but a big one is because it’s one of the only sports that offers the opportunity for players to develop strategy, solve problems, and succeed (or fail) with no assistance from a team, coach, or any other source. Maybe that’s why a high percentage of CEOs and successful executives were tennis players in their youth. Wish we could cite the source for that info but we definitely read it along the way…and never forgot it.

So even though I'll NEVER play tennis, I learned a really important life lesson from my man ROGER today. Of course I already knew it but a reminder never hurts (and watching Roger in all black? ooh la la)! Nobody ever said life was easy - and gosh, nothing worth having ever comes easy - but if you stick around long enough, something good might happen. That's not a bad lesson for the juniors to learn either...Just sayin' THANKS, Roger, and LONG LIVE THE FED!

BTW, have you seen his new commercial for Credit Suisse?
O..M..G.. ROCK STAR!
Mirka is one lucky woman!

True Champion Sets Perfect Example for ALL

"CHAMPIONS ADAPT"



At HIGH-TECH TENNIS, we see lots and lots (and lots) of tennis. For instance, have a look at our schedule just this past weekend: AWESOME wheelchair tennis on Friday, FUN local tennis tournament on Saturday, and TERRIFIC tennis in 3rd round NCAA action. Since we decided to just say NO to National Opens and to just say NO to places where we don't feel welcome, we were grateful when the universe stepped UP to remind us of two things: 1) the world does not revolve around the same 32 players who compete against each other repeatedly and 2) players of all levels can truly benefit from using technology to their advantage. We already knew both of those things...but we certainly needed the reminder and were grateful for it! :)

To be clear, we don't actually "see" any tennis (since we're waaaaaay too busy to watch more than a random point here or there) but we definitely "see" lots and lots of other stuff. Some of it is positive, but by far the vast majority is negative - and too much of it is downright ugly. Just recently we learned (from numerous sources) about the adult coach who loudly called his player's opponent - a 12 yr old girl - a ___ing *itch, about the mother who called the tournament director to express that her MALE son was too afraid to come to the tennis center to play against his scheduled opponent, and about a 12 yr old female who refused to shake her opponent's hand at the net and instead said "I hope you lose all the rest of your matches." Oh and don't even get me started on the outbreak of booty shorts - we're talking about players AND parents. :( WHAT ARE THE KIDS LEARNING FROM EXAMPLES LIKE THIS?????

Growing pains are painful (ouch!) but the times, they are a'changing. We're doing lots of different things and several weekends ago, after we COULD NOT GET ANY COOPERATION whatsoever - not even a returned phone call!!! - from two TDs in SC, I had an ephiphany: who wants to go to SC anyway is what I say...and they certainly won't have to worry about HIGH-TECH TENNIS begging them to let us enhance their tourney next year---SORRY, PLAYERS---SC is off the list (except CARLOS LOZANO at Topspin, nuestro amigo muy bueno). Instead, we went to a local tournament and it was FANTASTIC!!! We received an incredibly WARM WELCOME to the tournament (what a concept) and we made loads of nice, new friends in such an amazing atmosphere with NO DRAMA whatsoever - no cheating players, no stressed-out parents, none of that stuff that we see ALL THE TIME. Instead, just a bunch of parents, trying to do the right thing for their kids, without growing BROKE in the process of endlessly chasing ranking points. The players played, the parents supported, and EVERYBODY WON. Hmmm....what a concept.

When you stop and think about it, the chances of any player actually making a decent living on the pro tour are about the same as their chances of winning the lottery...three times!!! So it's really not about who wins or who loses - IT'S ABOUT HOW THE GAME IS PLAYED. Cliches contain words of wisdom, if only we listen, and in tennis, I hate that there's such a focus on winning and losing! It makes me sad when I ask a young player how the match went and they sheepishly look down and say "I LOST." My response is always the same - "I didn't ask you whether you won...It's o.k. if you didn't win - but did you compete well and did you try your very best?" THAT'S THE IMPORTANT THING. Do you think the top players in the world win every single match they play??? When two players walk on the court to play a tennis match, we all know that only one player will win in the end - but that DOESN'T MEAN the other player lost. He (or she) just didn't win and that's it.

You can't win 'em all! I just made that up, lol, but think about it: it's soooo true. Playing tennis is about trying your best, competing well, developing your skills, and winning or losing with grace and dignity. When players and others get too wrapped up in who won and who lost, who cheated, who left the tournament early because they didn't want to finish what they'd started after they lost and went to the consolidation draw, it defeats the purpose: Tennis is a GAME, not brain surgery, and junior players are CHILDREN, not mini-professionals. Junior tennis is a JOURNEY, not a destination...You might as well ENJOY IT! :)

Last Friday, we witnessed some of the best tennis we've ever seen from the best wheelchair tennis players in the world. Many of these players traveled from other countries to the Dunwoody Country Club in Dunwoody, GA and aside from the chance to win the prize money, you better believe these players ALL wanted to win or they wouldn't have made the trip. We saw ZERO drama and just tons of good, clean, quality tennis competition. FANTASTIC!!! At the local tournament on Saturday, we witnessed a pleasant day of honest-to-goodness fun tennis with ZERO drama. And yesterday, at Emory University, we witnessed an exciting event where the players all supported each other with loud calls and cheers (and some excellent tennis too). Once more, ZERO drama.

Finally, though I couldn't watch it live, we saw a TRUE CHAMPION rise above conditions that were less than perfect in Madrid. "It has been a tough tournament. Tough to move, but YOU'VE GOT TO TRY TO MAKE THE MOST OF IT." Turns out, Roger Federer wasn't a huge fan of the blue clay either. Like others he found it difficult to move on the surface, but unlike Nadal and Djokovic, he didn't throw his toys out of the pram (or cry and whine like a spoiled child). "OUR JOB EACH DAY IS TO ADAPT TO THE CONDITIONS THAT WE FACE."

wowowowowowow-----What a magical tennis player AND what an extraordinary human being. THIS GUY GETS IT and he is such an excellent role model for junior tennis players (and for PEOPLE) everywhere! The lesson we can ALL take away from this? That life is not always easy and it's not always fair, but that's exactly when true champions step up and show what they're made of.

Sorry to go off on such a long, long rant...but it seems like sometimes things need to be said so that positive change can occur. The very last thing we want to do is generate any controversy whatsoever......but if at least one person stops to think about kind of lessons the CHILDREN are learning from behavior that has become far too common, it'll be a step in the right direction.

Great thanks to sooo many for such amazing support and PLEASE KEEP IT COMING, lol! CHEERS and hope to see you soon! :)

Why I'm Proud to be a FED Fanatic!

While doing yardwork in 900 degree temps after watching the 2011 French Open final, I thought about how I came to be such a FED fanatic...I quickly came up with my answer: FED IS THE TOTAL PACKAGE! I think back to other athletes who've caught my eye over the years and two names come to mind: 1) Michael Jordan, whose unbelievable work ethic and commitment to excellence totally fascinated me and 2) Andre Agassi, whose combination of pushing the limits and charismatic personality definitely intrigued me. But I was just getting warmed up with those two :) because being a FED fanatic goes way, way beyond that. I've often said that FED's my favorite tennis player AND my favorite human being...and here's why: the qualities he demonstrates so beautifully (on the tennis court) are the exactly the ones I strive to attain (in my life)! Let me list the top 3:

HE'S DETERMINED: "I wasn't lying on the beach,' said Federer after the match. "I continue to make sacrifices and, when it really counts, I'm at the big occasion... because I never stop believing." Too many people act like the world owes them something. They simply sit back and wait for someone to give it to them and when they don't get it, they blame anyone and everyone because "they were dealt a bad hand." Something wrong ain't right about that! Nobody gives you anything in this world and if you want it, you better go out and get it for yourself. I admire Roger because he always puts in the hard work required to earn every single speck of what he has.

HE'S GRACIOUS: At #1 in the world, he still remembers this fundamental truth: "It's nice to be important but it's more important to be nice." He is always mindful, even during difficult moments following a defeat, of how important it is to treat his opponent, the officials, and the game of tennis with respect. Too many people behave poorly, throw embarrassing temper tantrums, and worse when things don't go their way. I admire Roger because he understands how important it is to win with class and to lose with grace.

HE'S CARING: Roger's entire world was dramatically changed when he became a father. Many wondered if he'd ever play tennis again and as he adjusted to his new reality, he could have retreated into the privacy of his own world (isn't that the norm for so many today's celebrities and otherwise famous people? I think Lleyton Hewitt even charged people $2 to learn the name of his baby?!?) Instead, Roger seemed to almost burst with pride as he debuted his 3 week old "baby twins" and said "This is the greatest day of our lives!" What a touching sentiment to share with the world. We can't change the past and we can't predict the future...We can only enjoy the gift of today (the present). I admire Roger because even when he doesn't have to, he shows us how much he cares.

I've given my TOP THREE REASONS and I could probably go on (SMILE) but you're probably sick of reading so I think I'll leave it there. Notice I haven't really even mentioned his extraordinary tennis talents (not to mention the fact that he's pretty easy on the eyes, LOL). Those are both totally true, but I am a FED fanatic because he is the TOTAL PACKAGE. Roger Federer-my man, my champion, my hero---he is all of that and more. For him (and him only), I will gladly arrange my life whenever possible to watch him play tennis on TV and seeing him play tennis in person at the 2010 US OPEN was a dream come true! LONG LIVE THE FED!!!

Roger's Choice: TENNIS or TWINS?

For those who know me, this goes without saying...For those who don't, here's my DISCLAIMER: Roger Federer is my favorite tennis player AND my favorite human being. Seriously. Nobody else even comes close. I fully admit I'm OBSESSED with RF and by posting this topic, I intend NO disrespect to he who must be respected ALWAYS. Also - the point of this topic is much bigger than the typical "Roger sucks" or "Nadal is #1" so if you want to share those type of comments, please take them elsewhere. K? K. Thanks.

SO.....We all see that Roger's struggling (sad but true) but I've been wondering WHY he's struggling. Is he getting too old? Now that he's accomplished everything and more, does he not "want" to win as much as he did? Or is it (as Danny thinks) much more simple than that: The reason Roger is not winning is because of THE KIDS.

This reminds me of my favorite lecture given by my favorite Penn State professor (seems like a million lifetimes ago but it's still so relevant): CHOICES. The class was a Western Civilization Literature or some such thing but the point that stuck with me was that ALL things cannot be Priority #1 in your life. By extension, I think my professor would say that Roger must CHOOSE his priority in his life...Is it TENNIS or is it his beautiful baby TWINS? Or is this a ridiculous question, lol. Hey - I'm no philosopher. Just a frustrated FED fan!

Now what do YOU think? Thanks in advance for your thoughtful responses and let's see if we can solve this all-important question! :)

Roger Roger Roger

BY THE FED:

"It's nice to be important
but it's more important to be nice."

"I fear no one but I respect everyone."

"I never lie."

"Your Royal Highness, welcome to the world of tennis."
To Prince William - Wimbledon (2009)

ABOUT THE FED:

"Is it possible that Fed is
the most perfect tennis player
- the most perfect man -
in the history of everything, ever?"
Writer Eleanor Preston

"With all his suave agility, Fed is the most regal player
I have ever witnessed."
Andre Agassi

Disclaimer: My Hero

It is NO secret that Roger Federer is
my favorite tennis player AND my favorite human being.
WHY?
Well, I'm sure it's quite obvious, lol.
He is a beautiful person on the outside and on the inside.

Take a moment and think about all the despicable
behavior we see from people who are
highly paid and PRIVILEGED enough to
play a GAME for a living.
Hello - Tiger Woods, Mark McGuire, Michael Vick...
Sadly, the list goes on and on and on...

BY COMPARISON, Roger is always a CLASS ACT.
What a true pleasure it is to be associated with a sport that
has such a gracious, graceful individual as its ambassador.
 
If Roger's playing, I schedule my life
so I can watch and cheer him on.
That includes staying up all night, if necessary. :)
If anybody else is playing,
I'll watch only if I have nothing better to do...
and I always have something better to do!

I absolutely adore Roger Federer and
he will always be my champion.
Nobody else even comes close...sorry, Rafa.
Roger is a god to me.

The FED is great...Long live the FED.