Could you use a little more purpose and excitement? Even if you’re not athletic, participating in competition can add unique value to your life that you may never experience otherwise.

I’m an avid tennis player and play in a very competitive and organized nationwide league that’s run by the United States Tennis Association. The league is divided into 17 sections throughout the country and each section is divided into regions. Each region has a number of teams at each skill level that compete throughout the year for a spot at their sectional tournament. The winner of each section then advances to a national tournament.

I belong to the Eastern section, which consists of 6 regions including all of New York state and the northern portion of New Jersey. This past season, my team won our region, and for the first time, I had the chance to play in a sectional tournament this past weekend. In addition to having a great time, the weekend was an excellent representation of the value that competing can provide.

(more…)

Imagine dedicating your life to the pursuit of a single goal, and after many years of hard work, having your success slip away as a result of your health. How would that make you feel?

In 2005, Rafael Nadal became the world’s second highest ranked tennis player, but was a far way behind the number one player, Roger Federer. Despite Nadal’s incredible dedication and work ethic, few people believed that he’d ever catch Federer who many consider to be the greatest player of all time and was completely dominating tennis at the time. However, with a lot of grit, determination, and hard work, Nadal consistently continued to improve his game, and in August of 2008, gained the number one ranking. It was a dream come true and was an amazing accomplishment considering the odds that were stacked against him.

(more…)

Although cardiovascular exercise is extremely popular, it’s a less effective way to exercise in most cases and can even be counterproductive.

The three primary reasons for the popularity of cardiovascular exercise are health, weight loss, and athletic conditioning. Each of these goals have unique characteristics that make cardiovascular exercise a questionable choice for achieving them.

(more…)

Roger Federer is arguably the greatest tennis player to ever live. His career is far from over and some people are already convinced that he’s the greatest of all time. He’s won 13 grand slam titles which is only one short of Pete Sampras’ record of 14. He also spent 237 consecutive weeks as the world’s top ranked player which literally crushed Jimmy Connors previous record by 77 weeks.

2008: The Season of Questions

In 2008, Roger was a semifinalist at the Australian Open, the runner up at the French Open, the runner up at Wimbledon, and the winner of the U.S. Open. For any other player, this would’ve been a dream season, but for Roger, it was substandard.

This time last year, Roger had just been upset in the semifinals of the Australian Open by Novak Djokovich. This was the first time in 11 grand slams, or nearly 3 years, that Roger Federer wouldn’t be playing in the finals. Talk immediately began to circulate through the tennis world suggesting that Roger was officially past his prime.

(more…)

Do you need more exercise? Are you looking to make your exercise more exciting? Look no further because tennis is an excellent choice to consider. Everyone knows that exercise is an important part of good health, but not everyone enjoys the monotony of going to the gym time after time and many people would prefer to exercise out in the sun and fresh air. Why not add some variety to your exercise routine with the excitement of a sport? Here are some of the reasons why I think tennis is an excellent way to accomplish this.

(more…)