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Meridian Tennis
858.754.1160 |
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Winners Tennis Club
(our home base)
550 Via de la Valle
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Check out these recent photos
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* NEW Survey *
Please take a few minutes to complete our survey and receive a 10% discount on your next clinic or lesson. |
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Hello :
The marine layer has lifted, the heat of summer has arrived, and our summer tennis camps are in full swing. Although our first week started off slowly with just a few dedicated players we had a great second week with a fun and enthusiastic group. Camps will continue throughout the summer. We appreciate your help in spreading the word. We will also continue to have our weekly clinics so come out, invite your friends, and join in! We appreciate your support!
Wimbledon has come and gone but not before we witnessed some tremendous tennis. On the womens side we saw the skill, strength and athleticism of the Williams sister in all their matches but the awkwardness of their singles final. On the mens side we saw some old favorites back at the top of their game - Lleyton Hewitt, Juan Carlos Ferrero, Tommy Haas, along with the expected favorites - Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Andy Roddick, and the favorite son Andy Murray. What we did not expect was another epic Wimbledon final with Roger Federer and Andy Roddick (yes, the American Andy!) battling in front of tennis royalties Bjorn Borg, Rod Laver, and Pete Sampras. With his previous success at the French Open everyone expected that Federer would be in his glory, and he definitely was all that. But what was not expected was that Roddick would play the game of his life, toe-to-toe with Federer not just serving well but playing an all-around intelligent game and at times actually out-hitting Federer. What a shame that someone had to lose this longest ever 5th set at Wimbledon. Roddick played with heart and fight that he will hopefully carry forward to once again becoming a top contender for Grand Slam titles.
Professional tennis is now moving into their summer hard court season and without a doubt there will be a lot of exciting tennis to follow:
Mens:
July 20-26 Indianapolis
July 27-Aug 2 Los Angeles
August 2-9 Washington D.C.
August 8-16 Rogers Cup, Montreal
August 16-23 Cincinnati
August 23-29 New Haven
Aug 31-Sept 13 U.S. Open, New York
Womens:
July 27-Aug 2 Stanford
August 3-9 Los Angeles
August 10-16 Cincinnati
August 17-23 Rogers Cup, Toronto
August 23-29 New Haven
Aug 31-Sept 13 U.S. Open, New York
Greetings from Matt 
The Resurgence of Andy Roddick
Over the past few months, Andy Roddick has taken huge strides in re-establishing his position as one of the elite players of the game today. Recently... (read more)
Greetings from Zac
Tennis Tip - Return of Serve in Doubles
The main objective for your doubles return is to keep the ball away from the net player. The backhand return from the deuce side ... (read more)
Greetings from Craig
Pre-match 'Defrosting'
So what exactly do I mean by 'pre-match defrosting'? What I mean is warming up the strokes but more importantly, the mind... (read more) |
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We look forward to seeing you on the courts!
Sincerely,
Matt . Zac . Craig
Meridian Tennis Group
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New Clinic Schedule
(effective July 1, 2009) |
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Tues 9:00-10:30am Ladies CC-team
Tues 6:30-8:00pm Adult workout
Wed 8:30-10:00am Special doubles clinic
Thurs 9:00-10:30am Ladies B-team
Thurs 6:30-8:00pm Adult clinic (theme-based)
Fri 8:30-10:00am Adult workout
TBD Beginners clinics |
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Note: Thursday morning & Thursday evening adult clinics will be theme-based, rotating from week to week with topics such as doubles strategy, mixed doubles clinic, serve & volley training, etc.)
Minis . Juniors . High School . Tournament
Mon.Wed.Fri 3:30-4:30pm Minis
Mon.Wed.Fri 4:30-6:00pm Juniors
Tue.Thurs 4:00-5:30 HS.Tournament
Sat 3:00-4:30pm HS.Tournament
Sun 10:00-11:00am Minis
Additional clinics can be added upon request!
CLICK HERE FOR SUMMER CAMP INFORMATION
(Note: Pre-season high school training in August)
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 Greetings from Matt
The Resurgence of Andy Roddick
Over the past few months, Andy Roddick has taken huge strides in re-establishing his position as one of the elite players of the game today. Recently, Roddick's ranking had slipped to as low as 10 but he now sits at 6 in the world rankings. Earlier in his career Roddick reached as high as world number 1 back in 2003 before Roger Federer took control at the top. When Roddick first came onto the tour he was a dangerous opponent because he had an amazingly big serve which he used to earn free points. He holds the record for the fastest serve recorded out in Palm Springs which was clocked at 155 mph. Roddick's serve is made even more difficult to break because he is able to consistently make about 70% of his first serves, with an average speed of 134 mph. That is scary! Try this for yourself - go out and hit 10 serves as hard as you can. If you can make 7 of them then you are on the same scale as Roddick. Unbelievable. During Roddick's career he has won 27 titles, most notably the US Open in 2003, and he has an amazing Davis Cup singles record of 29-11 which ranks him only behind John McEnroe (41 wins) and Andre Agassi (30 wins). However, Roddick was often criticized for having a one-dimensional game.
Roddick's most recent performance in the final at Wimbledon, falling just short of beating Federer, shows us a reborn tennis player. With coach Larry Stefanki helping to transform him into a fitter, stronger, and wiser player Roddick should certainly see continued success. Some noticeable improvements in Roddick's game include his two-handed backhand. He is now able to use it in a more offensive manner whereby he can push his opponent out of the court or end the point with a winning shot. His on court movement and balance have improved due to losing some muscle mass (and weight) that was hindering his quickness. Now he is quick to react to shots and can move into position to make better offensive and defensive decisions. His confidence has grown knowing he can now put pressure on opponents not just with his huge serve and big forehand but also with his all-court presence. Roddick can no longer be criticized for his lack of variety.
Now entering into the U.S. Open Series, where Roddick has had a history of doing very well, he can take his more mature approach to the game and play confidently in these venues and have continued success. With good showings in these tournaments he can again finish in the top 5 by the end of the year.
One last note, possibly from the influence of Larry Stefanki, Roddick is showing inner growth and has brought back a positive, engaging face to U.S. mens tennis. Thankfully, he is shrugging off the self-centered, boorish, Connors-influenced bad boy attitude and has a more central, warm, Agassi-like presence. Throughout his Wimbledon run and particularly in the final he was exemplary in every way, playing within himself with focus and determination, demonstrating true class and sportsmanship. A wonderful and welcome resurgence to be sure.
Come by and say hi!
Matt Copland
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Greetings from Zac
Tennis Tip - Return of Serve in Doubles
The main objective for your doubles return is to keep the ball away from the net player. The backhand return from the deuce side (from the ad side for left-handed players) can be especially difficult. To make this shot more successful, focus on turning your shoulders more than normal. One way to do this is to think of showing more of your back to the net while keeping your racket out in front of your body. This will help to keep your return away from the net player giving your team a good opportunity to be aggressive for the rest of the point.
Keep up the practice! Zac Markham zac@meridiantennis.com
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 | Greetings from Craig
So what exactly do I mean by 'pre-match defrosting'? What I mean is warming up the strokes but more importantly, the mind.
Do these retorts sound familiar: "I'm just a slow starter" or "It takes me a while to get settled" or "It takes me forever to warm-up" or some other such excuse to justify getting down love-four in the blink of an eye. Perhaps, the real astonishment is that at this juncture in the match, you've just realized that your opponent is a leftie and this is the reason you've lost every backhand rally. No... !
The warm-up, just like in any sport, starts from the ground up but must always finish with the mind. Stretching and light calisthenics are crucial to getting the body prepared for the task at hand. However, more than just increasing the blood flow, loosening up your body and honing on your strokes, a warm-up is most importantly used to prepare the mind.
A well-known tennis cliché is "a match begins far before the first ball is hit". In some cases the match is even won or lost before the first ball has been hit. People freeze-up, get the jitters and can't overcome the anxiety until a break down in the second set and by that time the match is in the frig.
Your warm-up should consist of adequate time to mentally preparing yourself, just as importantly as it is to physically preparing yourself. Take a page out of Roddick's playbook and play a little pre-match music to get yourself fired up and emerge as the victor.
Look forward to seeing you on the courts!
~ Craig Johnson
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