Inside Tennis

Download Wimbledon 2008

inside_tennis — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 14:44:53 GMT

In case you missed what is already being labeled as the best Wimbledon finale in tennis history, you're in luck. Wimbledon.org has a nice (free) byproduct of their live video coverage this year. It's a large number of the matches available for download and later viewing. In the case of the Nadal/Federer final, the match is broken up into three 600-MB downloads, so clear up some disk space first.

Find and download your match here:
http://wimbledon.mediazone.com/US/mens_singles.html
http://wimbledon.mediazone.com/US/ladies_singles.html

Thank you, Wimbledon!

7 Ways to Catch Wimbledon

inside_tennis — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 05:16:00 GMT

For those not fortunate enough to get the Tennis Channel, Wimbledon is the one time throughout the year that American audiences are able to gorge on great tennis coverage. Rarely do we get live early rounds, outer-court coverage and quality tennis coverage the game and the fans deserve.

From daily 10-hour streams on ESPN and ESPN2 to early rounds and quarterfinals on NBC, get ready to feast on the event from start to finish. Additionally, there are a number of non-traditional new medias that are helping to fill in the gaps. Careful, though, come July 6 this bountiful buffet will quickly return to the tennis famine we have sadly grown accustom to...

ESPN/NBC
Here's the 2008 Wimbledon TV Schedule including live, taped and video on demand schedules. Get ready to clear your calendars.

Radio Wimbledon
The official radio station of Wimbledon since 1992, Radio Wimbledon provides extensive commentaries for matches using a team of reporters around the grounds. You have to be within a 5-mile radius to catch the broadcast on your radio, but thanks to the Internet, you can catch the stream from your home office.

Wimbledon Live
Wimbledon LIVE is the official online video service for Wimbledon 2008. You can subscribe to get live and on demand video from up to eight courts including Centre Court and No.1 Court, previews, highlights, interviews and classic archive footage.

Slam Tracker
This is the IBM-driven Wimbledon score tracker. Flashy and addictive, makes a great compliment to Radio Wimbledon. Select "Live Scores" from drop-down menu and allow pop-up.

Live scores
Similar to Slam Tracker, more like Web 1.0.

ATP Videos
ATP's official site has re-launched in conjunction with their Feel the Power ad campaign. This video page offers some nice highlights and player interviews.

Get the Tennis Channel
Even though the Tennis Channel has to bow to the big boys during Wimbledon, it still offers some great highlights and taped matches from the bigger matches throughout the day. Otherwise, it offers a tennis fix 24 hours a day.

Texas A&M Tennis Club: Campus Champions

inside_tennis — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 16:31:22 GMT

With the Texas A&M Tennis Club looking to become a six-time winner of the college club tennis Campus Championship, we caught up with Tennis Club President David Hoover to get his take on the secrets behind the club's success, thoughts on the Tennis on Campus program and the difference between club and varsity tennis.

Can you give me a little back story on the history of the A&M Tennis Club?
Our club was founded in 1992, and our practice times are still the same as then. Our dues are $40 for the year.. one of the cheapest in the country. I have heard dues ranging up to $320 per year, which is kinda ridiculous.

Your club is a five-time Campus Champion. What's your secret to success?
We keep practices fun and social, players get to know each other really well. Each year, it really turns into one big group of friends that hang out on and off the court. That keeps people coming back.

Also, we do a pretty good job of mixing experienced players with the new guys. Whether it's for nationals or just normal club stuff, we do a pretty good job of passing along information and guidance from the veterans so that, as years go on, the fun and success continues. At nationals, rarely do the younguns play a key role, but they're there and gain some experience and see how things are done. When it's their turn a year or two down the road, they're ready.

We've been lucky to have some pretty great officers that are committed to club and make it great for everyone else. It's hard work, but our club appreciates it.

Can you give me a profile of one of the players in your club?
Matt Sumrall: president 04-06, on the nationals team for the 5th time this year, volunteer asst. coach for women's varsity team.

In your opinion, what are the benefits of the Tennis on Campus program? How has it helped your leadership/organization skills?
The ToC program is great! Tennis clubs existed before, but everything was much less organized and left entirely up to college students to organize and run. ToC has really helped grow club tennis across the country, made it easier to start a new club and keep an old one going, and provided us with a great, organized tournament schedule.

How do you like the WTT format?
We love WTT. This co-ed format keeps both the guys and the girls coming back.

How do you rate club tennis vs. intramural? How about vs. college varsity?
Our tennis intramurals are tournament brackets with a round played once a week. While they are competitive with us in numbers, there is no social aspect at all. Intramural players just show up, play and leave.

A few of our players in the club have played varsity tennis somewhere, and lots more could have played somewhere but just decided instead to go to TAMU and focus on school. Unlike varsity teams, our club has no meetings, no required practices and definitely no conditioning. All the fun without nearly the time commitment!

Have you ever played your school's varsity team?
Two years ago, the women's varsity team used some of our best players as practice partners. The club has always been very supportive of the varsity tennis programs; we always have a good number out there cheering for the Aggies at home matches. The varsity coaches and players have been very supportive of the club over the years as well, often lending us the use of our varsity tennis courts and even coming to support us at some of our home matches!

Congratulations on your recent win over the Longhorns. How do you feel going into the Campus Championships later this month?
UT has always been a great rival for our tennis club and matches don't get much closer than our final at the Texas Sectionals! The Campus Championships are getting bigger and tougher each year so I'm sure there will be several great teams this year, but A&M is ready to go and give it our all!

Public Parks Championships: Interview with Ken McAllister

inside_tennis — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 00:34:58 GMT

With the upcoming 82nd Annual National Public Parks Tennis Championship, Inside Tennis spoke with USTA Texas Regional Executive Director Ken McAllister on the importance of tennis in public parks, the growth of the game and what it means be a part of this 82-year-old grass roots tradition in tennis.

Can you give me a little back story on the history of tennis in public parks? The first National Public Park Tennis Championships were held in St. Louis in 1923 at what is now the Dwight Davis Tennis Center, named after the founder of the Davis Cup and President of the USNLTA, who was from St. Louis. It was sponsored by the USTA, then called the United States National Lawn Tennis Association. It was men only until 1930, when a women's draw was introduced. For many years, the winners of those draws were automatically invited to play in the US Nationals until it became the US Open in 1968. In 1948, when the NPPTC was hosted in Los Angeles, junior draws were introduced. The first African American to win was in that same year and was the well-known Oscar Johnson, later recognized by the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Age division events were added in 1959. Up until sometime in the 1990's, players qualified to play in the national event by winning their local events played at public parks. We are currently being assisted by Active.com to revive that tradition while keeping the event open to all who wish to play.

How does it feel to be part of such an historic event as the Public Parks National Championship? As a player who grew up playing only on public courts, it presents a good feeling of being part of a larger and historic picture of tennis for the average Joe. Of course, the truth that many of the greatest players - Chris Evert, Billie Jean King, etc. - also grew up on public courts adds to the credibility.

Can you capture in words the experience of being at the Championship? What is the atmosphere like? The atmosphere is more down home than dramatic. Although there are many nationally ranked players entered, all of us are in a public park setting, and it is frankly very relaxing.

What role do public parks play for young tennis players looking to learn the sport? Although affordability and open access are two obvious pluses for youngsters learning at public centers, the mix of skill levels, backgrounds, and athletes allow for an atmosphere of growth. The key here is whether the parks will hire professionals to bring in the programming and teachers such as our last venue, the Jimmy Evert Tennis Center in Fort Lauderdale, does. When that happens, the opportunity is greater than it is in the private sector.

What do public parks represent to the growth of tennis? The mere statistical fact that 80% of all tennis is played on public facilities points to the obvious decisions that all of us in the industry should focus efforts where the players are. Although our mindset is that this is the bastion of recreational tennis, we can't forget that this is where the great Australian players of the 50's and 60's were discovered. This is where the athletes, currently being skimmed away by soccer, baseball, or football, can also have a shot at trying tennis. I predict that Quick Start Tennis will find its home in public parks and school courts.

What kind of diversity among players does the Championship feature? This may be the greatest feature of the NPPTC. This is where the great players and contributors from the American Tennis Association (the black national tennis organization) came from. I suspect that the NPPTC has the greatest racial diversity of all national tournaments. This is not because other events are closed, but it is because of the very nature that folks using the public venues better reflect the color of America. We have also advocated for offering wheelchair tennis events when possible as these events are most often offered at public tennis facilities.

The number of unique entries into the event is growing. Care to guesstimate the reason for this? #1 - tennis itself is on a general surge throughout the country. We are the fastest growing traditional sport in the US over the past 5 years. Secondly, our Board has been working more closely with Tennis in the Parks, the USTA, and the Sections to get the publicity out over the past few years. Thirdly, it did not hurt to have the National Tennis Center host the event in 2006, which spotlighted the NPPTC to many who had not heard of it.

Fantasy Tennis - ATP Bracket Challenge

inside_tennis — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 16:59:02 GMT

The ATP is sponsoring a neat fantasy game for pro tennis the season. It's the ATP Bracket Challenge Circuit with the grand prize of a VIP trip for two to any ATP tournament worldwide.

Here's how it works: For each of eight games, select the best bracket and win cool stuff. 1st place is $1,000 worth of Penn Head products; 2nd place is $500 of Penn Head stuff; 3rd place is $250 worth of gear. And for each event, if you pick a perfect bracket win a VIP trip for two to any ATP tourney. Not bad, huh?

So they're giving away these prizes for each event, plus the best bracket at the end of the season wins the VIP vacation.

Problem is, with the ATP field all goosey this season (Federer in a slump; Nadal dropping the ball; Mardy Fish, Tsonga and Davydenko stepping up) it's a tough field to predict.

Visit the ATP site to learn more: http://www.atptennis.com/5/en/fantasy/bracket.asp

Hawk-Eye Technology: Big Brother is Watching

inside_tennis — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 17:11:12 GMT

“If anyone's been listening to my commentary the past year then they know I'm in favor of using replay. I think it will make tennis more interesting.” -John McEnroe

I dropped out of tennis for a while. My wife and I had our first child; I started focusing on my career; moved to a new city. When I returned to the sport I quickly realized it had jumped into the 21st Century. I'm referring to this new technology called Hawk-Eye or Player Challenge. I was watching the '07 Rogers Cup when I first witnessed this impressive device for line calling and instant replay.

It does make tennis more interesting. But how is it changing the game?

According to the hawk-eye rules: Each player receives three challenges per set. When the player challenges a point and loses, the player loses that point and one challenge. If the player wins a challenge, he wins the point and the number of challenges remains as it was. If a player has no challenges remaining and they go on a tie break, he gets one challenge.

It's a rather fair system; a player can stop play and challenge a call. And if he is wrong he loses that point anyway. What it does do is break up the pacing of the game -- a bonus for Nadal who prefers this tactic to shake his opponents. And if the replay is in the challenger's favor, then its a huge psychological boost. In this way Hawk-Eye has become another tool in a player's gear bag; another aspect of player strategy adding to the psychological aspect of the game.

Personally, I think it's some of the most interesting ruling technology to come out of professional sports. But how accurate is it?

Using multiple high-frame-rate cameras, Hawk-Eye finds the exact 3D position of the ball at a series of time intervals leading into a bounce. From these 3D positions, a trajectory of the ball is calculated. Hawk-Eye uses this trajectory to project where the ball will first make contact with the ground and then how much the ball will compress and skid once it has contacted the ground. From this, the “bounce mark” is determined up to 2-3mm.

2007 Wimbeldon: In the third game of the fourth set, with Roger Federer a break down and serving at 30-30, he did not play at a ball near the baseline. He thought that it was out, the line judge thought it was out, the umpire thought it was out and a BBC freeze frame seemed to confirm this, too.

However, after a challenge from Rafael Nadal, Hawk-Eye showed the shot in. Federer lost his temper, declaring that the machine was “killing him” and demanded that it be turned off.

One of the biggest problems with this situation was the skidding of the ball following first contact, and the use of television-quality replay affecting the decision of the audience.

Television replays look deceptive because the cameras are at the wrong angle looking down at the ball. The ball also has a lot of motion blur and the cameras do not work at a sufficiently high frame rate to capture the crucial part of when the ball first touches the ground.

What television cameras see as the ball's contact area is actually up to 10cm further than first contact when accounting for ball skid. These frame rates are more accurate when viewing at the 100 fps of Hawk-Eye cameras (as opposed to 150 fps of tv cameras).

If Hawk-Eye technology was around in the 70s would we have still been witness to the fabulous tirades of McEnroe?

Probably.