My Tennis Bookshelf
- Written by Brian Rusche
Books I'm really glad I read when I was starting to learn the game: Winning Ugly by Brad Gilbert and Steve Jamison, The Inner Game of Tennis by W. Timothy Gallwey, Smart Tennis: How to Play and Win the Mental Game by John F. Murray, Tennis for Life by Peter Burwash, and The Art of Doubles by Pat Blaskower.
Tennis biography I enjoyed the most: Open by Andre Agassi
Other good bios: Breaking Back by James Blake and Days of Grace by Arthur Ashe
My fitness Bible: Complete Conditioning for Tennis by Kovacs, Roetert et al. These are the fitness gurus at the USTA national training center in Lake Nona, FL.
Must haves: Friend of Court (PDF) published by USTA, includes the ITA rules of tennis, USTA regulations, and "The Code" regarding sportsmanship. You can also get a hard copy from USTA.
For history and cultural influences: The Bud Collins...
"Why Tennis?" part 2
- Written by Brian Rusche
About Winning
Our whole culture puts a huge premium on winning. Quite likely the first question a high school player is asked after a match is “Did you win?” The question comes from parents, friends, and teammates alike. It’s just assumed that what matters most is the match score and that “won” or “lost” is the final word on whether the you were successful.
Not so fast. Scorecards are a false measure of success. Tennis players have no control over whether the opponent across the net is a stronger or weaker player. Therefore players have little control over whether they will win a particular match. The only thing a player can really control is whether they give their best effort. It’s quite possible that a player will play the best match of their life and lose, or play a terrible match and win.
Tennis players have way more control over...