i think i beat the mr. more often than not. i tend to blow leads though and the mr. warms up and focuses better later in sets. i’ll have to remind myself that ‘i love winning’ vs ‘i hate losing’ like fed!

no wonder you love the supposed fed v murray trash talking. i can’t believe you’re making a parallel with yourself to murray mints! i have to say i’m definitely the agassi to the mr.’s sampras. i have a very good return game and his great serve is modeled on pete’s, though he’s moving towards making it more roger-esque!

your exchange at the bottom is awesome. i might have to start that in my house.

Fritters, you can trash talk all you want – I will still beat you 2 out of 3 times. Consistency beats flash! Maybe I’m the Murray to your Fed And I do have a pretty good inside in and down the line forehand

i love it when i see kids at the courts, especially those who could probably kick my butt because their games are already well developed. they get so into it, but also have fun out there. it’s a sport you can play for life!

the mr. and i match up pretty well with our different playing styles and strengths. i can be pretty effective with my crosscourt forehand, pulling him to the right and opening up the court, which is challenging to the mr. my husband’s one handed backhand crosscourt is pretty great though, he creates some very nice short crosscourt angles, a la fed. during our next lesson on thu, it’s on!

we sort of grew up playing the sport together, when we were just friends years ago and i love that we still share a passion for tennis and always have a built in playing partner. it definitely makes life super fun! plus, i’ve gotten him to watch much more tennis, especially roger’s matches and we yell at the tv together. last night while watching a classic masters cup final between fed and nalbandian from ‘05, we were both getting into it, as if it were happening live. what an intense match! we were kind of annoyed that fed did not pull through, given his monumental effort to turn it around while struggling physically. we were like, wth tennis channel? why are you showing a ‘classic’ match that fed doesn’t turn around and win? that would have been a much better story. it was hilarious how much husband was annoyed. he may not be obsessed with roger like i am, but he loves roger’s beautiful, all court, seemingly effortless game!

(Freaky: you gonna let Fritters talk smack about your backhand?

Thanks so much for your post – it’s soooo neat to hear about young kids being inspired by today’s top players. And it’s hard to think of any better role model than Rafael Nadal. Tennis fans are so fortunate!

I’m really happy to read that participation is highest amongst young kids. Perhaps having such kid-friendly, accessible stars is a factor?

It is a shame that tennis still remains an exclusive sport. It is expensive to play and most people cannot afford it. Plus, unlike basketball for example, kids need the proper facilities and equipment to begin playing. It is very tough indeed and it is a crying shame because it is a wonderful sport.

I flove watching kids wearing their Rafa headbands and attempting the lasso forehand and the Vamos! fist pumps! They also look so adorable in their sleeveless shirts and 3/4 length pants. They just exude confidence, enthusiasm and fight (just like their role model).

I remember my 11 year old son playing tennis (on the Nintendo Wii mind you) and he was down 0-40 on his serve. My other son (14 years old) was teasing him and saying how he was about to “go down” and that for sure he was going to be broken. HA! Like my 11 year old was going to have any of that. He just set his chin and said something along the lines of “it’s not over yet. I can still come back from this you know?” He did. When he held serve he turned to his brother and said: “I don’t ever give up. Did you see when Rafa played Naldanian (that’s what he calls him). He saved FIVE match points!! FIVE! He NEVER gives up! I don’t either! You just have to keep trying 100% (he always says 100% with the ‘KH’ sound at the beginning like Rafa). You never know.” And then he sort of chuckles mischievously and turned to his brother again and said: “But now you do.”

His attitude after losing has changed remarkably after he’s started following Rafa. He used to be a “sore loser”, crying after a loss, stomping off angrily, name calling. But not anymore! I swear, it’s amazing! He SHAKES HANDS after a game, says congratulations, then he makes it a point to come and talk to me about the game and explain how he tried his best but his brother was just better that time. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think I was listening to one of Rafa’s pressers! It’s fantastic! I also love to watch how intense and serious he is when watching a tennis match. I never thought it possible that he’d get into tennis like he has, but it’s come true. And, without a doubt, Rafa Nadal gets full credit for inspiring him (and no doubt many other children around the world) and making tennis “cool!” and “totally awesome!”

He even shouts Vamos! After he’s finished with his math homework and when he gets one of my Pop Quiz questions correct.

Hehhe, just look at that pick, the kid second from the left is even sporting Rafa’s checkered shorts! XD Which reminds me, my sons wanted Rafa’s ‘Toro’ cap.

I am so thankful to have him as a role model for our children. Whether athletes want to accept it or not, being a role model comes with the territory. We are without a doubt blessed to have him.

P.S. Rafa’s muscles (though impressive for the youngsters) are even more impressive to the ladies (and mothers ) in the audience. But children are amazingly keen at recognizing traits that we try to instill in them, like respect, responsibility, hard work, fight, desire, passion, courage, compassion, patience, kindness, honesty, optimism, confidence, heart, humility…Even if they don’t articulate it themselves, they FEEL it and understand it. And when they see it so constantly they begin to act on it and exude it. A little bit of a positive attitude can go a mighty long way. Rafa made being a good human being, FUN! And I can’t thank him enough!

P.P.S. Sorry for the very long post. My husband said that I shouldn’t write so much because it annoys other bloggers. I told him I’m verbose and unless he wants me to read my post to him he better not tease me. I hope you don’t mind.

yay! i participated in this poll and won’t jinx anyone. i play 1-2 times a week, but would love to play more, if my knee wasn’t iffy lately. i absolutely love tennis!

great news about participation and retention increasing. i hope it continues. i’ve noticed a few less players at my local courts though and i suspect it’s the tough economy. still, increasing tv coverage and letting casual and hardcore fans gain access to great matches will certainly help keep the sport growing!