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Artengo apparel review

by Ferenc Ferdinand Weisz
written by Ferenc Ferdinand Weisz

Here is another post from our contributor Ferenc Ferdinand Weisz, this time he has written an Artengo apparel review.

I am often surprised about the pricing of tennis apparel because I think 40-100€ for a T-shirt or a pair of shorts is too much for me. Sometimes I hear on court how this is a former Federer, Djokovic or Nadal model, and I don’t understand why this is important to anybody? For me, functional skills combined with good pricing is much more important. Following this idea, I’m wearing Artengo apparel on the court, mostly with satisfaction.

Artengo Soft 100 T-shirt

Despite this being the cheapest price range T-shirt from Artengo, I’m really satisfied with it. I have three pieces, two orange with different designs, and one blue. The touch of the 100% polyester is nice. Not rubbing my nipples which is important because I had a problem with other non-cotton sports clothing. Effective in sweat drainage. With under 10€ price, this is the best buy product.

Artengo THERMIC 900 long sleeve T-shirt

I use this long sleeve deep-blue T-shirt mostly early spring, fall, and colder days when I’m playing in the tent hall. Well stretching thanks to 11% elastane which is mixed with polyester and mesh sleeves. It provides a pleasant warmth when needed, but also well in sweat drainage.

Artengo TTS 500 TH long sleeve t-shirt

This long-sleeve T-shirt is different than THERMIC 900. Also, stretchy because it contains 16% elastane, but much heavier than the previously mentioned one. Suitable for colder days.

Artengo Dry 500 shorts

I have three of these shorts, an orange, a lighter and a deeper blue, and mostly I use these while playing tennis, but I wore it last summer during the daytime also. I miss the net from inside, but despite this downside, I wear these shorts without underpants. Effective in sweat absorption. Have room for three balls in pockets, but two is comfortable like most tennis shorts. Earlier I had Essential 100 shorts which were really poor quality, the material was like paper and pockets were smaller. Dry 500 is a much better one, but I will imagine a better tennis short.

Soft 500 sweater

 

This is a fluffy zippered sweater, not silky. Really comfortable and warm. I think this is better for arriving/leaving the court on colder days. Not the best for playing, because it is too warm and not comfortable while serving. It has two front pockets. I’m satisfied with this sweater, much more than silky ones.

TPA 500 sweatpants

These sweatpants are also not the silky type, but the material is different than my Soft 500 sweater, not fluffy. Pockets are big enough for 2-3 balls and also have zippers on the bottom for taking off without taking off the shoes. Enough comfortable to play in it.

RS 500 mid socks

I have more than two dozen pairs from these socks and I also use them for everyday wear. Unbeatable price with good quality. Mid means the height of the ankle, available in standard high version and low (secret sock) version. After 2-3 years these socks are ruined which is good, after this intensity of use and this amount of clay collected and washed out from these. I highly recommend these socks to everyone.

TS 590 shoes

 

Shoes are really important to me because I have extra wide feet. For example, I have a wide version of cycling shoes that have an extra centimeter than the standard model. The other thing which makes this question more important is how I’m heavier than 100 kg which provides heavier load and shorter sole lifecycle to the shoes.

This is a stronger build shoe with padded upper price, not like the modern ones like Nike Air Zoom Ultra which takes shape of the feet because it’s made from one-layer thin material. I like this type more because I think this is a more solid construction. Not as wide as my former Head Revolt, but when I don’t knit taut this does not push my feet painfully. Sole is non-marking despite being a clay court shoe, which is positive when somebody sometimes plays on hard court because they don’t need to buy another shoe for this surface.

I’m started using these a few months ago, so I don’t have much experience with durability. Anyway, I like how this does not have any extra holes for air, because I hate clay inside shoes. Currently it does not look worse than my recent Head and Wilson shoes.

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ReviewsTennis Tools

Scoring Right Review

by TN
written by TN

Do you have trouble keeping score during a match? Check out Scoring Right – a scoring tool that attaches to your racquet. Here is my Scoring Right review.

Scoring Right is a semi-rigid plastic unit that attaches to the throat of your racquet. It helps to keep score and tells you which side of the court to serve from. It is an interesting tool to teach kids the scoring of tennis but also works well for forgetful recreational players.

I have been playing with Scoring Right on two racquets for a while and although some commenters on my Instagram thought it was a silly idea, it can actually be quite useful.  Not only for you who forget the score but also as a way to build a routine into your game. As you might notice with most pros, they always fiddle with something or have deeply ingrained routines that help to center them mentally and prepare for the next point. Adjusting the score on this small device can be a good routine.

Buy Scoring Right here – use the code TENNISNERD and get 10% off.

Scoring Right Review – How does it work

This is not really a product that needs an instructional manual. It is easy to attach it to the racquet and once you've done that it sticks really well to the frame. Thanks to a 3M automotive-grade adhesive, no matter how hard I swung my racquets, it remained in place. The quality of the product is nice and I did not use any print coming off during my weeks of testing.

It does add a bit under two grams to the throat of the racquet, so if you are really specific about the weight of your racquet you need to keep this in mind. When it comes to the balance of the racquet, the throat is a neutral position so there are no issues with the balance.

The functionality is basic. After each point, you move the tiny beads into the position of the score. One unit measures sets and the other bigger unit measures games and points. There is no measurement for tie-breaks sadly.

Is it worth buying?

 

The product is made with high quality and it doesn't affect the playability of your racquet much (for most people it won't affect it at all). It is easy to install and does not protrude or make you think about it when you're playing. The question is really if you will use it or not.

Let's look at the pros and cons:

+ Easy to install
+ Doesn't fall off
+ Doesn't alter the racquet much
+ Doesn't rattle or create any noise
– Doesn't do tie-breaks
– Doesn't work on ultra-thin beam racquets like the Phantom 93P, but the vast majority of them, yes.
– The beads can be a bit tricky to move at times, but that is maybe due to my finger dexterity being similar to a Gorilla's.

I think this is a great product for kids who want to learn to keep score or have trouble doing so in a match. If you have a bad memory or your mind tends to wander during matches, it is also great. But for most recreational players keeping score in a traditional way (using your mind) is probably enough.

Buy Scoring Right here – use the code TENNISNERD and get 10% off.

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ReviewsTennis Instruction

Functional Tennis Practice Journal

by TN
written by TN

A while back I reviewed the Functional Tennis Match Journal, a great tool for improving your tennis. Here is the Functional Tennis Practice Journal.

You can read more about the Functional Tennis Match Journal here. The Functional Tennis Practice Journal is, as the name implies, is for you who want to keep track of your practice sessions. It comes packed with some great advice, stats and other things to keep you inspired. If you are ambitious about your tennis and want to make sure you practice with quality, this is a really useful guide to make sure you stay on track.

Tennis players need to practice a lot to get good at their craft. But it is not always easy to stay inspired and focused. The Functional Tennis Practice Journal is a tool to make sure you track your practice sessions and work towards a clear goal. The setup is similar to the Functional Tennis Match Journal, that helps you evaluate your matches, it is just that this one is focused on your practice.

What is included in the practice journal?

There are a lot of things to like inside the Functional Tennis Practice journal. There are plenty of pages to work on (60 practice sheets), the price is good at 29.99 euros, it comes with a nice pouch, the quality of the paper and cover is top-notch and you also get some cue word stickers as a nice bonus.

The focus of the journal is on the practice sheets that make you rate your mind and body for that particular session, helps you set up focus areas for that practice and the patterns you will work on. This will help guide both you and/or your coach towards a clear plan of improvement.

There is even a coach feedback section on the post-practice part of the sheet.

Nuggets of wisdom

One thing I really enjoy about this journal is that it is sprayed with different nuggets of tennis wisdom from the game's greats. The idea is to teach and inspire players to have the right mindset for both practice and matches. Tennis is both an intensely physical and mental sport and you need to prepare both mind and body for it. It is not just making sure to get the ball over the net, the game is much, much deeper than that.

The book is sprinkled nicely with quotes, insights, and facts to help you elevate your understanding of the sport and remind you of the fundamentals. There are even sections such as “Training values”, “Warm-up and Warm-down” and “Pressure Tests” which will provide you with knowledge and tools to take your game further.

I think the Functional Tennis Practice Journal is a great tool for any aspiring tennis player. And could be especially helpful for junior playing working with a coach. Well done to Fabio of Functional Tennis for this product.

You can buy the Practice Journal here.

Did you check out the Functional Tennis Match or Practice Journals? What do you think about them?

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Reviews

Over the Net – French Tennis Documentary

by TN
written by TN

I've just finished watching a French tennis documentary called “Over the net: Dream or Illusion” on Vimeo (it is a rental) and I can really recommend it you fellow tennis nerds.

Over the Net: Dream or Illusion is created by Mehdi Darlis and deals with life on the less glamorous side of the ATP tour, players ranked below the magic 100 number and who are fighting to make a living by playing Futures and Challenger tournaments.

It is not such a rosy picture when painted this way and it requires a lot of passion and talent from a player to get past the grinding phase of traveling around with unstable income and an uncertain future. Very few who try get to live the life of Federer, Nadal or even Gilles Muller who at the filming of this documentary were 67 in the world, but since, despite the “advanced” age 34, has won two ATP Tour titles (this year) and reached a career high ranking of 26.

So despite struggling in the lower ranks of the ATP tour, the dream can stay alive. But “Over the Net: Dream or Illusion” really gives an honest and thought-provoking insight into the life of the professional tennis player and features players such as Juan-Carlos Ferrero (and his academy), Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Benoit Paire, Adrian Mannarino and many more, mostly relatively unknown players.

The message is clear: the life of a tennis professional is tough and you need passion, talent, will-power, funding and luck to reach the pinnacle of tennis and make a living playing the sport you love. Sometimes it almost gets a bit too pessimistic, but the reality is that despite being a top world sport it is remarkably tough compared to big team sports to make it in tennis. Just imagine the contrast with being ranked 300 in tennis and being the world's number 300 football (soccer) player. It's impossible to compare these two situations, but it's not like tennis is a small sport – it's usually ranked in the top 5 of the biggest sports in the world, taking into account a multitude of factors and Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are two of the world's biggest personal brands.

So what can be done to make life in professional tennis more “doable” even beyond top 100?

Here is a list of ideas and things that would need to change for this to happen:

* Even out the prize money. Most Future tournaments have ridiculously low prize money structures while the Wimbledon winner takes home a few millions. Maybe there could be a way to raise the lower level tournaments?
* Find more sponsors. This is tough for all sports, but now that you can't buy your way to the customer through TV like you could in the past, sponsoring sports is a popular and fruitful activity for a lot of companies.
* Stream tennis live from the futures level and try to drive interest around also lower level tennis.

Do you have any other ideas to make life on the lower levels of the ATP tour a little bit better? Comment if you've seen the documentary and tell me what you think. It was about 4 euro/4 dollars to rent and worth every penny in my mind.

OVER THE NET: DREAM OR ILLUSION ? from Mehdi Darlis on Vimeo.

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Reviews

Tennis: Winning the Mental Match Review

by TN
written by TN

I've just finished a great little tennis book on my Kindle that I want to tell you about. It's called Tennis: Winning the Mental Match and is written by Allen Fox. Here is the blurb so you get what it's about:

THIS IS A BOOK ABOUT THE MENTAL ASPECTS OF TENNIS:
Tennis is more difficult mentally than most other sports. It feels more important than it is; it has a diabolical scoring system; drawn-out competitive matches are highly stressful; and losing can be very painful. During competition emotions get out of hand, fears and nerves are hard to control, and confidence comes and goes. This book attacks these and other issues faced by players of all levels. Dr. Allen Fox’s solutions are logical and straightforward, and most importantly, they have been tested on court and they work.

I really think this book can help a lot of players to think about how they act and think on court and try to use the tough mental side of tennis to their advantage instead of the opposite. One of the strongest examples in this book is how to treat both success and failure equally and in tennis this is obviously something that goes on around every point. I'm personally prone to beat myself up massively when I make a mistake and then hardly celebrate my good shots at all. Dr Fox (cool name) suggests to handle these situations much like Roger Federer does, by keeping a calm and collected expression after almost every point.

Okay, Roger also gets a bit hot-headed at times and you'll see the occasional clenched fist and Hewitt-like “Come on!”, but mostly he plays it rather cool. Even Nadal has massively dialed down on his jumping bicep-showing celebrations, which he did way too much at a young age. If you take guys like Edberg and Sampras, you could hardly tell the result of a point, game or set by looking at their faces.

There is also some really good advice in Tennis: Winning the Mental Match around how to perceive yourself and your own skills on the tennis court. I particularly like the chapter dealing with players seeing themselves as much better than they are, meaning that they think “I should beat this guy easily” and then, when they lose, they kick themselves hard or make a great number of excuses for how they were off on that day, how something else was on their mind, how their back was hurting, or something else that somehow took the pressure off of their own ego and downplayed their opponent's victory.

I've done this myself and I've also had it happen to me countless times. Tennis is such a frustrating sport to lose in that you start behaving in strange ways to avoid the stress of it. After reading Tennis: Winning the Mental Match I've made the decision to avoid that kind of “loser” behaviour at all costs. If the opponent wins, he deserved it. If I win, I deserved it and I won't let excuses diminish the enjoyment of that.

After all, it's just a sport. A beautiful sport, but just a sport.

And I think that's really the beauty of Tennis: Winning the Mental Match – the book treats tennis as a truly beautiful and sacred thing and teaches you how to get the most out of it, without having to go to the gym, without having to resort to pointless excuses, without having to put yourself down.

Recommended to players of all levels.

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Racquet ReviewsReviews

Wilson Burn with Countervail Review

by TN
written by TN

Wilson Tennis has released a new version of the Burn line (took over from the Steams) with Countervail. The Wilson Burn racquets (including the FST update) were a relatively stiff line of racquets but the reviews talked about a relatively comfortable feel for strung RA ratings around 70(!). The Burn 95 (extended length) and especially the Burn FST 95 received some great feedback from customers and play-testers.

Now Wilson is putting the shock-reducing material Countervail into the Burn line and giving them a cleaner look with orange lines on the side, very similar to the green of the new Wilson Blades and the red of the Wilson Pro Staffs. Reviews so far of the new Wilson Burns has been good overall. If you have sensitive elbows or wrists, you might want to play-test this because the stiffness rating is quite high. I play-tested it a bit together with a hitting partner (he's a full-time tennis coach) and it felt remarkably good for a stiff and modern frame. My hitting partner, who would be ranked around 5.5-6.0 NTRP is actually switching to the Wilson Burn 100.

Although I'm not as much on the bandwagon of the new Burns as he is, I'm impressed by how much Countervail has managed to dampen a quite stiff racquet. And I wouldn't say too dampened, because the guy hit like 10 close to perfect drop shots and drop volleys during our two hour hitting session. The Wilson Blade 100 with Countervail was strung with Babolat Pro Hurricane Tour which is not my favorite string, but played pretty nicely in the Burn 100. I would recommend trying the racquet with my go-to-string Solinco Hyper-G or a soft co-poly such as Luxilon 4G soft or Solinco Tour Bite Soft.

I will however stick to my Tecnifibre Tfights, but you do get curious about the new Countervail line of racquets from Wilson tennis. Since I used to play with the Wilson Blade 98 (2015), the new Wilson Blade 98 with CV could maybe do the trick!

You can order the Wilson Burns with Countervail at Tennis Express here.

screen-shot-2016-12-05-at-10-40-18The new Burn line with Countervail consist of the following models:

  • Burn CV 100S
  • Burn CV 100
  • Burn CV 95



Buy Wilson racquets from one of our affiliates:

Amazon
Racquet Depot (UK)
Do It Tennis
Tennis Express

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Racquet ReviewsReviewsStrings

Snauwaert Racquet and Strings Review

by TN
written by TN

I've been trying out the new line of Snauwaert racquet and strings including the Vitas 100 and the Grinta 98 racquet as well as the Black Beam and White Beam Strings and I want to give my impression of this re-release of the Belgian Snauwaert brand.

Snauwaert Grinta 98 specs

  • Length 27 in
  • Weight 315 g
  • Stiffness 65 RA
  • Headsize 98 sq.in. / 632 cm²
  • String Pattern 16×16
  • Balance 310 mm
  • Swing weight 290 kg x cm²

Spec-wise these are similar to for example a Yonex DR or AI 98, except for that the string pattern is even more open with something of a spin-effect like 16×16. And you really feel that extra spin straight away. However, if you're looking for a control-oriented racquet, I don't think the Grinta 98 is for you. This racquet gives you good power and spin and you need to really put some racquet head speed on the ball to control its flight.

I played the Grinta 98 with the Snauwaert Black Beam string and it wasn't a bad duo at all, although I think I prefer it with a Solinco Hyper-G or Völkl Cyclone string. I would also add lead at the 3 and 9, because it does feel slightly wobbly at time, especially when you don't hit in the sweet spot. However, when you do, it is a really nice feeling racquet.

I do think it reminds me quite a bit in feel of the One Strings Spindeeper 14×19 that I was testing for a while (and still have for sale if you're interested). It's not arm-unfriendly at all, but what you need to watch out for is the power. It really does give you what it says: power and spin. I wouldn't recommend it to people looking for a classic feeling racquet or who wants to serve an volley.

The design of the racquet is pretty cool (Darth Maul) although the head shape with is kind of “triangular” can take some getting used to visually, but doesn't really impact play in any noticeable way.

Vitas 100 specs

  • Length 27 in
  • Weight 300 g
  • Stiffness 71 RA
  • Headsize 100 sq.in. / 645 cm²
  • String Pattern 16×19
  • Balance 315 mm
  • Swing weight 285 kg x cm²

When companies want to create a “safe bet racquet”, you could bet your salary that they're going for a Babolat Pure Drive style rather stiff, 100 sq inch, 16×19 string pattern racquet. I've learned over the years that such a racquet has a large following for a reason (infectious blend of power and spin with a LARGE sweet spot), but it's simply not for me.

The Vitas 100 is definitely very similar to a Pure Drive. I would say it feels slightly less solid, but what Snauwaert has worked well on is making you feel the sweet spot of the racquet. I think this racquet, as well as the Pure Drive, appeals to a large audience. Players who wants a big margin for error and might not have the full strokes of more advanced players (hence they need the extra power). I found the racquet to be perfectly decent but had a little trouble adjusting to the Snauwaert White Beam strings. In a racquet like this I would go for a softer poly like Solinco Tour Bite Soft, Luxilon 4G Soft or Weisscannon Silverstring.

I think both the Vitas 100 and the Grinta 98 played well and commend Snauwaert for doing a decent job. Like I said, they wouldn't be my first choice for control-oriented players or those who like to serve and volley, but for aggressive baselines they stand up pretty well to the competition. I much preferred the racquets over the strings, which I didn't gel with a hundred percent. The Black Beam felt a bit springy and slippery and I lacked a crispness that I think does the racquets more justice. The White Beam was soft, but had similar flaws and didn't give me the confidence to hit the Vitas all in.

I wouldn't say these are bad strings in any way, but compared to the vast choice of today's tennis industry, I'd easily find a number of strings I prefer.

Summary

First of all I want to give kudos to Snauwaert for relaunching their brand and producing well designed and interesting products. The demo kit included two decent racquets, three sets of strings that I personally didn't gel with and a can of balls which I must say was my favourite of the bunch! They had a nice, softish feel and good durability.

What I would have liked to personally see from their line-up of racquets was a flexier, potentially 95-inch racquet, but I realize that those things are becoming a thing of the past. The racquets they had felt modern and fast and should stand up well in comparison to quite a few racquets out there today. They were not my favourite modern racquets out now, but definitely a viable choice. The strings I didn't enjoy quite as much, but the balls I give thumbs up.

 

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Racquet ReviewsReviews

Racquet review: Wilson Blade with Countervail

by TN
written by TN

One of the most popular racquets among promising juniors and more advanced players of late has been the Wilson Blade series. Wilson has managed to find that nice blend between control and power in a racquet that is relatively easy to play with but also not too harsh on your arm, which could be the case with a Babolat Pure Drive for example.

Most popular racquet models are updated every two years and a few months ago Wilson released their new Blade line – this time including Countervail technology. Countervail is meant to reduce shock and according to sources top three player Milos Raonic is already using Countervail in his Blade pro stock racquets.

Countervail is vibration-cancelling technology that is also used in Bianchi bicycles. Whether it works well in tennis racquets is quite hard to identify, although play-testers does talk about increased comfortability despite a higher RA (albeit only one point, Countervail Blades are at 65 while the previous version was at 64).

You want to find out more information about Countervail technology, read this article from SportTechie.

Testing the Wilson Blade 98 with Countervail

I used the previous version of the Wilson Blade 98 (18×20) quite happily for about six months until racquetholism set in and I went to the Prince Textreme Tour 95. The only real issue I had was that it felt somewhat stiff at times and I wondered if Countervail would reduce that feeling. I did try a bunch of strings in the previous version: Solinco Hyper-G, Luxilon 4Gs, Diadem Solstice Pro, and the racquet played without major difference which means it is a pretty happy ride no matter what string you use as long as you string it low (22-23 kg is my max tension). For my demo version of the Wilson Blade 98 with Countervail I had it strung with Luxilon Alu Power.

Since the previous version played so great it must have been difficult for Wilson Tennis to find a way to make it better. Maybe more users had the concerns about stiffness that I had and they were looking for a way to dampen the harshness? No matter what, from what I hear from people using the Countervail version of the Wilson Blade 98, Wilson succeeded in making it a more muted racquet. In fact it was so muted at times that I had a hard time finding the range on my shots. The feel sure made it comfortable, but I also felt a little out of touch. To really groove with this racquet you need to spend some decent time with it. It performs really well on all areas, although if you're looking for power, you don't get tons of free juice with this one. It's more in the spectrum of control-oriented racquets and to get some extra power you should string it quite low. I'm sure you could go as low as 20 kgs in tension without spraying balls.

I haven't tried the 16×19 string pattern yet, but my guess is I'd prefer that more to get a little bit extra spin on the ball. The launch ange on this Blade 98 18×20 with Countervail is rather low and when you're used to 16 main strings that might take some adjustment. I personally prefer the Wilson Blade 98 from 2015 more because I like the responsiveness of that racquet, but it's all about taste in the end.

Whether you like feedback or more comfort is up to you, no matter what – the Wilson Blade 98 line is one of the best racquets out there and it's nice that they give you an option of string patterns to choose from: 18×20, 16×19 and the lighter S version with 18×16.

Another difference from the previous version is a slight bump up in swing weight. Since the Wilson Blades aren't heavy racquets, I think this could easily be counter-weighed with some lead tape, but it's still good to keep in mind. The higher swing weight makes the racquet slightly more difficult to swing, but definitely more stable so that's also a decision for the user to make.

Buy Wilson racquets from one of our affiliates:

Amazon
Racquet Depot (UK)
Do It Tennis
Tennis Express

Specs for Wilson Blade with Countervail

Head Size: 98 sq. in MP
Length: 27 inches
Weight: Strung — 11.2 oz Unstrung — 10.7 oz
Tension: 50-60 Pounds
Balance: 6 Pts Head Light
Beam Width: 20.6mm Flat Beam
Composition: Braided Graphite/Basalt/Countervail
Flex: 62
Grip Type: Wilson Sublime
Power Level: Low
String Pattern: 18 Mains / 20 Crosses
Mains skip: 8T, 8H, 10T, 10H
Two Piece
No Shared Holes
Swing Speed: Fast
Swing Weight: 326
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MiscPlayersReviews

Ilie “Nasty” Nastase wrote novels

by TN
written by TN

Until three days ago I had no idea that Romanian ex-tennis star Ilie “Nasty” Nastase wrote novels. But I was walking around Valletta, the capital city of Malta and found myself in a small used book store. I like those kind of places partly due to the old-book-smell, but also because I genuinely love books and I'm dabbling in writing them myself too (third novel is taking LONG however, which might be a sign that I find writing about tennis more enjoyable than fiction?). I didn't think I would find anything interesting in store and I already have a decent “to-read-list”, but then my eyes fell on two novels with the name of Nastase on the side of the book.

They look like this:

2016-11-26-12-44-31

I only later found out that they are two editions of the same story, but it turns out Nastase also wrote another novel, called “The Net”, but that seems even harder to find than Break Point / Tie-Break. There is also an autobiography of Ilie Nastase, which I own and recommend. Some tennis books are boring even for a hard-core fan (Pete Sampras “A Champion's Mind“ was a bit of a snooze, while Agassi shone in “Open”) but that one had some personality to it.

Let's see what Nastase can bring to the table in the form of a novel…

A REVIEW OF BREAK POINT (NOT MINE)

I have yet to read the book yet so will have to give you the review from Sun Sentinel in 1986 about Break Point / Tie-Break:

Nastase Aces Novel Of Tennis Break Point.
By Ilie Nastase. St. Martin`s Press. $15.95.
BOOKS – Jim Sarni covers tennis for the News/Sun-Sentinel.
August 24, 1986
By JIM SARNI, Staff Writer

The first line of the novel reads:

“He drove with his left hand, pivoting the big car smoothly southwest, through the streets of Paris, while the other wandered languorously over the girl`s thigh.”

The author is:

a) Harold Robbins

b) Jackie Collins

c) Sidney Sheldon

d) Ilie Nastase

Nastase Ilie Nastase? The clown prince of tennis?

Yup. “Nasty,“ in the twilight of his extraordinary tennis career, is now writing trashy novels. And his pen is almost as sharp as his racket.

Break Point is a murder mystery set against the background of the men`s international tennis circuit Nastase knows so well. It is a fast-paced tale of intrigue and romance, sex, drugs and money — perfect for a weekend by the pool with some wine coolers and the U.S. Open on your Watchman.

Nastase, 40, the player-coach for the Miami Beach Breakers of the Domino`s Pizza TeamTennis League, originally wrote the book in French, under the title Tiebreak. It was translated into an English edition and released in Great Britain in May, and it has now been “Americanized“ for its U.S. release.

This may be one time when the translation is superior to the original. The story is unbelievable but fun, especially for the tennis fan trying to identify the characters.

Nastase is in the book as Milovan Tigrid, a fiery and playful Yugoslav, who was once the best player in the world. Tigrid doesn`t win any of the Grand Slam tournaments, but he doesn`t go to bed lonely, either.

Koras Belynkas, the star of the circuit, is modeled after Vitas Gerulaitis, one of Nastase`s buddies. He is the pivotal character in the book.

Jimmy Connors is Davey Cooper, a young American whose mother follows him around the circuit and has “kept her 24-year-old son at the same age — 13 1/ 2 — for the last decade.“

Not every tennis player in the book is based on a real athlete. Nastase created some players to keep the reader honest.

The best characters in Break Point are found off the court. For example, there`s Princess Athena von Heidelberg, a well-traveled groupie (she just happens to be royalty) who is caught in the snare of Abdul Saadi, a wealthy Arab oil sheik (naturally, groupie princesses always fall for those sheiks) who is trying to take over the tennis world. Jaclyn Smith could play the princess in the miniseries.

Throw in a New York mobster, a French inspector, a hit man, an albino prostitute and an American private eye named Mike Malone, and you get a dazzling tabloid of Nastase`s vivid imagination.

Mike tries his best to solve the murders, but this would be a tough case even for Angela Lansbury and her crack TV writers.

Victim No. 1 drops dead of a heart attack in the semifinals of the French Open. He made the mistake of mixing anxiety pills with aphrodisiac drops. He also made the mistake of flirting with Athena.

Victim No. 2, a semifinalist at Wimbledon, is killed by a shotgun as he steps out of the shower the morning of the match.

Needless to say, the semifinalists at the U.S. Open are a little tense.

By the time everyone reaches Flushing Meadow, the story has gotten out of control — like Nastase on the court — but that`s part of the fun of a novel that is nasty but also nice. Nastase is a sucker for happy endings.

Rita Mae Brown, Martina Navratilova`s ex-lover, tried to write an insider`s tennis novel but failed miserably with Sudden Death. Nastase has done it — in two languages.

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Reviews

Late to the Ball: A Book Review

by TN
written by TN

When I first heard about the subject of Gerald Marzorati's book, “Late to the Ball” I was thrilled. A book about someone of age (a writer and an editor in this case) making an attempt at becoming a competitive tennis player is exactly my cup of tea. Partly because I'm no spring chicken myself anymore but still dedicated to improving as a tennis player and also because I come from a writing background.

The subject of the book is compelling – can you really aim to push yourself towards a relatively high level in a physically taxing sport at the age span of 55-60? Would there be too many hurdles? A severe risk of injury? In short: how would the ageing body react?

In the book Marzorati details the amount of tennis training and exercise required for him to start playing matches on the men's senior tour (which seems to be a very well organized tour from both reading and hearing about it). He is coached by a young ex-player, he gets his shots videotaped at tennis academy's and seems to spare little expense in getting that extra little edge in his tennis abilities.

However, as we all know, he also becomes achingly aware of the sports' difficulty as well as his own limitations. Tennis is one of those sports that requires a relative high quantity of training to just be able to play some reliable shots and most players think they have a good technique until they see footage of themselves.

I personally really enjoyed the parts about re-writing your tennis story which Marzorati learns about from a life coach. Something which I sometimes feel I need to do. Here's a quote that's quite telling:

“…Maybe you need to ask yourself: Is part of my old story that I lose focus on big points? Or confidence? Lots of players do. And then I want to work with you to start writing a new story. What I hope that new story is going to do for you is get you to a place where on a windy day, serving at deuce in a tight match, you are saying to yourself, and mean it: “We're in tennis heaven!”

This part is particularly telling to me because I often feel that I tighten up and lose focus on big points which leads me to giving up on a game, set or even a match, way to soon instead of battling through. I think it's from a fear of me giving my all and realizing it's not enough, so instead I just give up. This is obviously not what tennis on any level should be about. You should always fight for every point and have fun in the process.

The clever part about your tennis story is one of my favorite bits in the book and there is some solid advice there for other aspiring players of all age. But there are many other good parts too of “Late to the Ball” and Marzorati has done a great job of keeping a book that could be, even for tennis fans, a bit boring, and made it both entertaining and enlightening.

I end this brief review with a clear recommendation to read this little gem of a tennis book with another quote which summarizes what tennis is for me and many others (besides being a beautiful sport). Said by life coach Bob after Gerald loses a match he doesn't particularly enjoy being a part of 6-4 6-3.

“What did you learn in that match, Gerry? About yourself and your game? You are a learner, right? You took up tennis at the age you did to learn, to grow, to defy your age, perhaps. There was a learning experience in that match. I want you to be someone who learns every day. If you learn something every time you play, you will play better. And if you play better, you are likely to win more. That's how you grow. And growing is what playing is about, ultimately, or should be.”

Buy Late to the Ball by Gerald Marzorati at Amazon (affiliate link).

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