There's been a lot of discussion lately over players switching rackets - Djokovic had his ups and

downs when he switched a while back. And now Sharapova has left Prince for Head.

What obstacles does a player face when switching rackets?

Players usually switch racquets for the following reasons:

a. More money.

b. Don't like the playability of their current racquet.

c. Just don't like the bureaucratic management of the company they are leaving.

Fred Stolle once told me that he advised the Aussie pros to play with the newly proposed
racquet before signing any contract with a new company. Fred said that at  one time he signed
on with another company and never found a racquet that he could play with.

Jimmy Connors once told me that he liked my addition of one-half inch extension to his
racquet, but he hated the management of his old company, so he switched. To this day, Jimmy
plays with at least one-half inch longer racquet for increased depth on his shots.

It took some players a year to get used to their new frames. It is always a good idea to choose
a company that has a good technical staff to accurately measure the racquet the player likes, so
they can duplicate/improve it.

Ken Rosewall insisted that the distance from his hand to the sweetspot on his new aluminum
frame would duplicate his old small-headed Aussie Slazenger racquet.

Rod Laver switched to a low end aluminum frame, and he had to step on the racquet in order
to remove the spooning after each set. The racquet kept bending  throughout the match.

Anders Jarryd told me his racquet kept hitting the ball a few inches too far. I gave him a more
flexible racquet (40% fiberglass/60% graphite) and he proceeded to win three grandslam doubles
championships with that racquet.

Brian Gotfried switched wood racquets and spent a very  unhappy year or so until Warren
Bosworth was called in to accurately diagnose the real problem with the racquet.

Some players develop arm and shoulder problems with certain frames, and are forced to
switch racquets, and sometimes racquet companies when they find a racquet that doesn't hurt
their arms/shoulders.

Here are some reminders for players for the "care and feeding"  of their racquets....

1. Change your grips or over-grips often. I often see racquets that should have had a new

    grip installed perhaps a year or so earlier. I don't know how players can get the most out

    of their racquets when the grips are slippery. Today's modern PU (polyurethane foam) grips

    have a tacky grip and a cushion feel when new. However, it takes only a short time for some

    players to completely wear out the tack and flatten out the cushion feel.

2. Players like Pete Sampras uses a "grip wrap" that he often changes between games. This

    grip wrap is actually a thinner version of the usual grip, although Pete uses a leather grip as

    the underlisting for his "grip wrap". By changing this grip wrap often, it is not a large expense,

    and will keep maximum performance in your racquet-handling.

3. Most of the new polyester strings lose tension faster than other synthetic strings. This should

    be considered when decisions as to restringing your racquet come up. Most stringers will

    tell you that your strings will not hold up for a year or longer. I recommend restringing your

    racquet every six months or earlier, depending on amount of play.

4. Never leave your racquets in your car. Temperatures are extreme in your car, or trunk,

    and the strings will lose their performance quickly in these extreme conditions.

5. If you never break your strings during play, perhaps you should check out a thinner string

    gauge. For instance, 16 gauge strings are used quite a bit, but now players who don't "beat

    up" their strings with excess topspin, for example, can choose a 17 gauge or even an 18 gauge

    string. (The higher the gauge, the thinner the string). Thinner strings will give greater feel,

    and spin for those who can appreciate it.

6. Remember that the thinner the gauge of the string, the tighter the string will be after stringing.

    This occurs simply because at the same pull tension as a thicker string, more stretch has been

    taken out of the thinner gauge string. Therefore, a general rule of @ 5 lbs pull tension reduction

    when stringing with a thinner string. This will give you the maximum performance improvement

    without taking away any of the performance characteristics that you are familiar with.

G. I don't know if you can find out whether your new polyester string is resistant to moisture and

    humidity, but this could be beneficial if you play in a moist, humid climate. This resistance to

    moisture is also beneficial in cold, dry climates where nylon or gut strings tend to dry out.

When Howard Head retired from a fantastic career creating the first aluminum laminated ski, and also successfully created a tennis company as well (Head Ski and Head Tennis), he attempted to learn tennis from a local tennis pro.

Howard quickly learned for sure that he had no real athletic talent for tennis and would need all the help he could get. This is when he created the large-head tennis racquets.

Howard knew that if the head was extra large, but the same weight as a normal racquet, he could obtain much more stability against movement. Now his pro could set up his stroke and Howard could carry out the stroke without the racquet moving off course.

This is based on the formula: inertia = mass x distance x distance. In this case, the distance of the head rim from the central axis, or twist point, could determine how stable the head of the racquet remained (I used the same theory to help my wife develop stable strokes, but don't tell her).

With all that being said, it can be pretty clear that a beginner tennis player can benefit greatly from using a large-head racquet. It can be lightweight and still be stable. Now strokes can be more easily learned without having the racquet constantly veering off course.

Still another advantage for the beginner is that a large-head racquet can create much more power than a smaller-head racquet simply because the longer strings are much more efficient at returning the ball efficiently, hopefully in the proper direction.

A beginner can also benefit from a graphite tennis racket, especially if it's a large head, simply because it is lightweight and very powerful. Cheaper aluminum racquets were decidedly heavier and more difficult to wield.

Personally, I think that the larger the racquet head, the better it is for a beginner. I would look for a racquet with a headsize of at least 110 square inches, ranging all the way up to 135 square inches, which is the largest legal headsize.

Now all the beginner needs is a teacher who can show him the proper racquet stroke preparation and follow-through.

P.S. I am assuming that the proper handle size has been found for each person. This can be easily found during the shopping at the pro shop.

Stay tuned for tips on racquet selection for intermediate and advanced players...

Why is the clay court surface the best choice for your leg survival?

Is the soft surface the reason? Not really. Actually, other types of court surface are softer, such as rubber court mats, and even grass courts...

Grass courts can injure due to skidding because of the slippery nature of grass.

Rubber courts can injure due to the sticky nature which tends to make the player's feet stick.

Actually, the reason clay courts are the best surface for leg health (ankle, knee and hip) is the fact that clay has the least traction without sudden slips or grabs of the feet.

Yes, the most dangerous peril of tennis court surfaces is TRACTION...

Traction causes extreme forces to be exerted onto the player's ankles, knees and hips during play. When traction is high, a player's change of direction can multiply his body weight several times during the push-off. Traction can also cause an ankle to turn over, as well as a knee to buckle.

So what does this mean to American tennis?

It means that our American hard courts, most of which are packed with sand and other forms of grit (to aid traction), is a huge danger to junior, high school as well as college players' legs.

It is already obvious that pro players are constantly injuring their legs while playing on hard courts. Evidence includes the myriad of bandages to leg muscles, knees, ankle braces, as well as the thin straps wrapped around the leg just below the knee. A new technique includes a black adhesive strap bonded to the player's leg in various locations.

If we are beginning to ban aluminum baseball bats in high school and college play due to the increased injury factor, then why not consider a limit to the traction in a given court surface?

Now that the racquets are so powerful, and the speed of the game is far greater than in the past, then why not limit the traction of the court surface. Parents will also welcome the increased life of the expensive tennis shoes worn by their children.

I propose that tennis court traction should be measured and legislated by our governing bodies in tennis.

I am currently watching clay court tennis at the French Open (Roland Garros) in Paris. I have not noticed anyone with leg wraps as yet. I did notice one girl yesterday with a thin strap  just below her knee. I would be willing to bet that  that  injury initially occurred on a hard court.

As you probably have noticed, there are many areas of modern tennis that could benefit from improved conditions. I don't understand where the difficulty in doing some of these things lies.

Can you figure it out?

1. The most important secret for good strokes is: Have your racquet back before the ball bounces. We are not used to running or walking with anything held anywhere but in front of us. This is why it is so difficult to move to the ball with the racquet going back to stroking position. This must be practiced until it is a habit. (A loop is developed later)...


2. Begin the stroke as the ball bounces...a good aid for this is the grunting of Monica Seles. She would grunt as the ball bounced and grunt a second time as she hit the ball...But only Monica really knew why she did this before it became a habit.


3. The backhand is hit farther in front of you than the forehand stroke..This aids power, control, etc., and helps fend off tennis elbow problems.


4. USE YOUR WRIST (AFTER YOU DEVELOP A STROKE)...In the old tennis textbooks the advice was to keep your wrist stiff. Now the power and spin comes from using your wrist. Just ask Rod Laver, the leader in wrist development. Thanks, Rod...


5. Smaller grips aid in wrist movements. It is more difficult to use your wrist when the grip is too big. This is why Rafa Nadal uses a 4-1/4-inch grip. He really whips the racquet when he hits the ball.

Although string offerings are becoming more complex every day, there is a simple plan to follow for a 3.0-3.5 player.

Basically, the new polyurethane strings are producing a lot more topspin if the player is swinging fast. The bad side of this string is that it is very difficult to volley using this string.

Also, this type of string enhances shock. The reason that it develops so much spin is that it does not move around when the ball is struck on the angle used to produce spin.

Even the pros don't use this poly-type string for both mains and crosses. They combine it with a string that is more elastic and shock absorbant. This aids volley strokes, while retaining a lot of topspin when desired.

Federer uses gut for mains, and poly for the crosses. Many others use the poly for the mains. The mains usually wear out first. They also are the load-bearing string, and will display the brunt of playability of the string chosen as the main string.

For 3.0 - 3.5 players, I would recommend a more elastic string, such as the Technifiber brand or the non-polysynthetic gut sold by Wilson, Prince and Gamma. If you use a small midsize (95 square inches) and  have a lot of money, natural gut strings are best.

As the head size increases, it is best to use synthetic gut. If you don't wear strings out too quickly, a thin gauge is best.

But be careful to lower the string tension when going to a 17 gauge string. Generally, the thinner the string you should lower the tension.

Also, I feel that most string tensions recommended on the racquet you use are too high. The stringers will string the racquet at it's tightest recommended tension, fearing that the player will feel "cheated" if he strings at a lower tension.

Today's racquets, however, are pretty stiff and the hoop stiffness is higher than in the early days. This leads to a very inelastic and unyielding stringbed when strung too tightly.

For a 3.0-3.5 player, I might recommend a string tension of no more than 55 lbs. for 16 gauge and no more than 52 lbs. for 17 gauge.

Remember, the lower the tension, the greater the power, less shock and the greater spin production, all at the same time!

Men's Final:

Federer looked excellent, and clearly showed that he is physically well, since he played better than he has played in the last 4 years or more.

Murray initially looked well, but as the tennis proceeded it was obvious that Andy was not 100% well, and he actually began to limp in the third set. It was obvious that he could not hope to compete through two additional sets if he won the third set. Perhaps this is why he failed to produce during the more important points.

What does this mean?

I believe that I have not seen this many injuries in all my years of watching pro tennis. It is obvious that there are several reasons for all these injuries...

A. The game is too fast paced. The racquets have been made to propel the ball much faster than ever before, but the ball has remained unchanged. (The ball must be changed)

B. The hard courts are too gritty. The traction created is too much force imposed on player's ankles knees and hips.  (The hard courts must be changed)

C. The 5-set matches only add to the torture. Remember how Rafa said "I decided not to play through the pain this time, in order to stop the damage..."

Predictions:

a. More pro players will not play the hard courts as time goes on.

b. There will be more poor matches at the Slams due to injury.

c. There will be more injuries in lesser levels of tennis competition as well.

Women's Final:

Not only was Serena wrapped up like a revolutionary war enacter, but Justine also had a black tape or two attached to her inner thigh.

I couldn't believe how many women pros had wraps and bandages all over their bodies. Not to mention the failure of Maria Sharapova to overcome her injuries. These injuries are not because of any 5-set matches, but the gritty court surfaces could be guilty. Perhaps there are too many tournaments that they are forced to compete in as well.

Overall:

I have never seen so many  matches decided only because of injury. I hope somebody picks up and notices.

Why is it that the Slams use 3 of 5 sets for men's singles, yet only 2 of 3 sets for men's doubles?

It appears that they feel that due to money and "attendance draw," it is wise to submit the men to longer and more grueling matches than women and also men's doubles.

The lifespan of the average NFL player is only 3 years. The lifespan of the average ATP player is also only 3 years. Both can play longer, but not with 100% healthy bodies.

What men players have played on even though they were injured and never returned to 100% fitness?

• Michael Chang....hip and knee
• Safin.....knee and wrist
• Patrick Rafter......shoulder
• Gustavo Kuertin......hip, etc...
• Rafael Nadal......knees
• Tommy Haas.......too numerous to mention
• Andre Agassi.......back, etc., wrist (out a year w. operation)
• John McEnroe......ankles and arm
• Jimmy Connors......wrist (out a year w. operation)....
• Roger Federer.....back injury at Wimbledon 2009.....
• Davydenko......Leg and arm injuries

These injuries don't really mention all the strains and sprains that they have to live with. These injuries are caused by the fast pace of today's tennis coupled with 5-set matches, as well  as the hard courts containing grit which gives too much traction, thus causing leg injuries in virtually all ATP players, not to mention the women.

I think back to the tale of the goose who laid the golden eggs. The king felt that if he could cut the goose open, he could reach the gold mine. (Is this different from what the governing bodies (including the ATP themselves) are sweeping under the rug in order to gain as much money as possible?).

Possible future of tennis:

• Pros refuse to play on hard courts any more.
• Pros like Federer and Nadal are permanently injured, and retire from tennis.