There a few common mistakes by club players that I see over and over again in my coaching career. Do you recognize these from your own tennis? Evan Gaudreau is back with some common mistakes by club players and some ideas on how to fix and improve. One of the biggest mistakes by recreational tennis players is… One of the biggest mistakes that club players make has less to do with technique and more to do with how they play their points (this mistake happens at all levels, from club players to juniors, to college players, and throughout the pro …
Evan Gaudreau
Coach Evan is back with another analysis piece: What has Sinner improved to win his first Grand Slam? If you’re curious about Jannik Sinner’s racquet, you can check out the post and our gear content in the Tennisnerd Guide to Racquets and Strings. Is there one thing or is there a combination of sorts? Have you noticed during the 2023 season how it seemed as if Sinner would “find” a way to lose? Like he did everything right, but there would be a let cord on a big point or a shot that would handcuff him. You know the shot. …
Coach Evan Gaudreau is back with an analysis of the Indian Wells 2023 Final Alcaraz vs. Medvedev. As always, his writing is very personal… Indian Wells 2023 Final Alcaraz Vs Medvedev Ps. You can check out more of Evan’s pieces here. Ds. So! How have you been? What have you been up to? Have you seen any good bands lately? No! Do you read? What was the last book you read? You don’t read? Ummm! What have I been up to? TBO, I haven’t watched too many matches since the Australian open. I’ve been super busy. Working, writing, and finalizing …
Pickleball, pickleball, pickleball. Everyone is playing pickleball these days. At least in the USA. Coach Evan decides to give it a go. Everyone is playing pickleball “Have you played that Waffle Ball?” my Dad asked me. “Nope.” “All the oldsters are playing it down here.” My Dad’s in Florida for the winter. With my mother. They’ve been spending the last fifteen winters there. Roughly. I don’t keep track anymore. “Being down here in the Winter has added five years to my life.” “Yup.” “Seriously.” “Uh-huh.” “So…have you played that Waffle Ball?” “I told you I haven’t yet,” I lied. Everyone has played …
Coach Evan is back with a new post dealing with the concept of highlight reel tennis. What is Winner Ball? Winner Ball In a way, it’s like “grip it and rip it.” “Lock and load.” Hit lasers and “hope for the best.” To be honest, it’s a fun way to play. It’s highlight reel tennis. It’s the way the world is moving. I never thought of it until now, but players are using this form for their Instagram pages. For their Image. From the outside looking in, it looks fun. Attractive. But in the end, it’s like that nice-looking car you drive off the lot, …
Coach Evan is back with a piece about brushing up the ball. Well, actually, don’t brush up the ball! Don’t Brush Up the Ball Here is why you shouldn’t “brush up the ball” and how it can cause you errors. “Brush up on the ball,” the tennis pro said as he fed a ball slowly and without any spin. The boy swung at the ball and released his left hand off the racket at the finish. “Finish your swing,” the “pro” added. “Make sure you keep your hands together.” We’ve all heard these words before. Today, when I hear a teaching pro say …
Coach Evan Gaudreau is back with a new article: Why box training can take you to the next level. Do you box train? Why box training can take you to the next level Can Box training take you to the next level? What’s the alternative? Hit more crosscourts and down the lines? Work on your volleys? Make your forehand bigger? Serve? And so on. Players from the Club level up to the Professional level still think of playing tennis in halves…the Deuce and the Ad sides. And at the higher levels, they are a bit more consistent (rally pace is deeper …
Our creative coach, Evan Gaudreu, is back with his fictional take on what went on in the Ruud camp after his loss to Alcaraz in the US Open finals. The Hangover, the Ruud version Christian walked out of the room as Casper sat cross-legged on the mat. He began by focusing on his breathing and quieting his mind. So many negative thoughts crept in. What could I have changed? It’s funny, he thought, that the announcers thought it was nerves at the beginning of the match. He felt fine. It wasn’t nerves. He was overthinking how he wanted to start …
Here is another fictional-style analysis by Coach Evan Gaudreu. He reasons why Casper Ruud might win the US Open. Why Casper Ruud might win the US Open 2022 The temperature was rising on the court as Christian Ruud was putting down an Evian bottle a foot away from the right side of the hash mark in the middle of the court. “Normal” people never felt what it was like to get cooked on the court. It was rough. Like a flower wilting and drying up. “At points in the match, we need to work off this spot here,” Christian said …
Coach Evan likes to dabble in fictional pieces and here is one about what might be going on in Casper Ruud’s hotel room. In Casper Ruud’s hotel room Christian Ruud sat at the table and opened the MacBook Air while Casper lay on the floor, getting his thighs massaged. He clicked on the ESPN icon and searched through ESPN+, looking for the Khachanov vs Carreno Busta match. “We probably don’t need to focus on the Kyrgios match,” Casper said, not expecting an answer. Nick played Nick’s tennis. That wasn’t going to help plan for the upcoming match. “Can you see the …