Tennis Thoughts: Buddha on Tennis

“Each morning we are born again. What we do today is what matters most.” ~ Buddha

Is it me or does it seem like you're either winning everything or losing constantly? I seem to be in the middle of a tennis slump right now and its hard to know when that will end. I'm tired of losing.

But I try to remember, with each match, what the Buddha said: "Each morning we are born again. What we do today is what matters most." I'm pretty sure this applies to tennis just as much as it applies to life.

So, I'm not letting this slump get me down. I'm approaching every match with a good attitude and feeling like today's the day I win. I actually played some pretty great tennis last Friday although it was just for fun. But who knows? Maybe I've turned the corner. What I do in my next match is what matters most.





© Kim Selzman 2010
All Rights Reserved

Tennis Fashion Fix: Australian Open 2010-Sharapova Already Out!

Look quick! Because Maria Sharapova is already out in the first round of the Australian Open. Here are a few pics of what she wore. Obviously, it was not a lucky outfit for her. But it is different and interesting and cutting edge for tennis as Sharapova's tennis gear always is.

Sharapova looks a little dejected in these photos - probably taken towards the end of the match. I'm sorry to see her go but I'm happy to have the Australian Open underway!




© Kim Selzman 2010
All Rights Reserved

The Blog Pays Off

So occasionally people ask me - why are you doing this blog thing? Doesn't this take a lot of time that you really don't have? What do you know about tennis anyway? Aren't you not so good in tennis? In fact, aren't you only mediocre on your really good days? Why would anyone listen to anything YOU have to say about tennis? And just who are these people who supposedly read your blog? Are they even real people or are you just forcing your family to follow your blog and thereby up your readership?

Well, maybe people don't ask me all of those questions.

But, every once in a while, the blog pays off. And over this past holiday season, the Tennis Fixation blog paid off big. Remember I wrote a post called The Tennis Fixation Best Ever Tennis Gift Guide? And my very first top tennis gift was an incredible tennis bag from Whak Sak that was gold and silver zebra print? Well, behold that fabulous tennis bag holding MY racquets out on MY club's tennis courts:

Yes, I am now the owner of that wonderful gold and silver zebra print tennis bag! And it is even more cute in person than it is looking at a picture of it on the Internet. And, the best part, one of my lovely readers actually gave me this bag as a gift! Yes, that reader was my Mom but still - someone is paying attention! So thanks Mom for the bag that I really, really wanted. I love it!

And if you want to know exactly what you should be carrying around in your own tennis bag, just read this post: What's In My Tennis Bag?







© Kim Selzman 2010
All Rights Reserved

Roddick Gears Up For Australian Open By Cuddling Koalas

I just thought this was cute - Andy Roddick cuddling with a koala in Brisbane. Read all about how Andy and his wife, Brooklyn Decker, spent a day with koalas, pythons and kangaroos as the Australian Open gets underway: ANDY RODDICK AND BROOKLYN DECKER CUDDLE KOALAS, PAT PYTHONS IN BRISBANE | GOTOTENNIS

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Tennis Fashion Fix: Australian Open 2010-Jelena, Carolina & Dinara

So Australian Open 2010 is now just days away. Hurray! Let's see what some of the women are wearing.

You know from a previous post what Ana Ivanovic is expected to wear. How about her Serbian cohort - Jelena Jankovic? Here's the preview:

Just in case you're looking at that thinking, "That's not so bad," take another look:

Weird. While Ana drew the short straw for fashion last year, in my opinion, Jelena is the loser this year. The colors of this are cute, very striking and should show up well on the blue Aussie courts. But her torso looks way too long making the skirt look way too long, I think because the top of the skirt appears to be an extension of the shirt and the fruity, strawberry colored frills are low on the skirt's bottom. In my opinion. This is not a look I expect to see on my neighborhood courts. Unless something similar goes on sale at Walmart.

And how about Caroline Wozniacki, again sporting Stella McCartney's line for Adidas?  I like these two looks, the white one probably being for Wimbledon.

And these shorts are very interesting, but probably won't be worn by a lot of the ladies I play tennis with:

Any piece of apparel that might have the word "balloon" in the description isn't likely to catch on with ordinary ladies. Still, I'm glad Stella McCartney is interested in designing real sportswear.  My only complaint is the colors continue to be, frankly, boring.  Even I want to wear something brighter than this stuff.

As for Dinara Safina, she is dressed by Adidas and here is what she's expected to wear:

While this is a pretty standard outfit that I see out on the courts everyday, this is an appropriate outfit for Dinara since she has more to think about than what her tennis wear looks like. Things like - How can I avoid a complete mental breakdown on court?

I'm looking for a photo of what Maria Sharapova will wear since she's always so fashion-forward, but haven't found anything good yet. We'll probably have to wait until she starts playing. And that is just days away now! So when I see it, I'll post it so you can see it too.







© Kim Selzman 2010
All Rights Reserved

Do I Play Tennis?

I put my tennis shoes on this morning for the first time IN A MONTH! All I could think was, "Tennis? Do I play tennis?" Jeez, its not good to let the holidays go by without picking your racquet up a single time. And I have a league match this morning! My only hope is that no one else has played in a while either. We'll see. Stay tuned for tennis disaster updates!








© Kim Selzman 2010
All Rights Reserved

Best 2009 Tennis Fixation Posts

OK, I really, really wanted to do this post on December 31, 2009 but we went to Puerto Rico and I didn't plan it out in advance and so here it is, already January 2010, and I'm just now getting around to looking back at what was really great here at Tennis Fixation this past year.

But there were some great posts - I know from your comments and e-mails. And this is a good time to round them all up in one place so you can look at posts you may have missed or find some of the goodies that you might have forgotten.

So here they are - the best Tennis Fixation posts from 2009 (just click on the post title to go right to that post):

1. Why I Love Mini-Court - This post really struck a cord with people because, not surprisingly, most people hate mini-court. But once you read all of the reasons mini-court tennis can help your game, you too will become a believer in the power of this simple little warm-up drill.

2. "Your Calls Are So Bad - You Need Glasses!" - I still get comments on this one and run into people who want to talk about it. The bottom line is - while no one should be making bad line calls, being rude on the court is considered an even bigger faux pas.

3. Common Tennis Etiquette: When To Forfeit - Here's another post I loved because you loved it and I know you did because so many of you have told me your own horror stories of last second forfeits by opponents.

4. What Our Team Needs Is . . . A Cool Name! - This post is, hands down, the most Googled post on this blog. Apparently there are A LOT of tennis teams out there looking for cool team names. So, prepare yourself for a whole new list of cool team names in 2010!

5. Why Are You Losing To Weaker Opponents? - We all have this problem on occasion and this post gives some great tips for overcoming this problem.

6. Are You the Tennis Partner No One Wants to Play With? Well, this is one of MY favorite posts because it took me so long to come up with all of these clever names. I mean, come on, "Gloaty Gladys"? "Talkative Teresa"? That's good stuff!

7. When In Doubt, Call It . . . In - This is a great post because it shows what this blog is all about - playing good, fair and fun tennis and having a great time even when you lose.

Jeez, I could go on for a while. I hope you'll look down the right sidebar at the Blog Catalog or the Archives and click on some of the topics that sound interesting to you. Hope your 2010 is great, hope you're planning on playing lots and lots of tennis and hope you'll be checking back in here at Tennis Fixation for everything you need to know to play ordinary, fun tennis!



© Kim Selzman 2010
All Rights Reserved

Tennis Destination: Puerto Rico

See that blurry picture? Can you make out two tennis courts in the far distance? Well, that is the view from the balcony of my room in the beautiful Caribe Hilton in San Juan, Puerto Rico where we just returned from a week-long family getaway. And that is about as close as I got to playing tennis. We laid around by the pool, laid around on the beach and talked about playing tennis. But just never quite got there. The weather was fabulous, perfect for tennis, but laying around just seemed like a lot more fun. Lots of other people played tennis and I did spend some time on my balcony critiquing them as I drank my Medalla Light (the only beer they make in Puerto Rico is a light beer for some reason). Now though, I'm back in Houston and ready for some tennis! I hope you are too because the Australian Open is right around the corner, league tennis is starting up again and I have a whole bunch of great new tennis stuff to talk about!





© Kim Selzman 2010
All Rights Reserved

Happy New Year from Tennis Fixation!

Happy 2010 from Tennis Fixation!

Its the beginning of a new year and its a great time to figure out where you want to take your tennis game.  And the best way to do this?  Adopt at least one tennis resolution for 2010.

Just one short year ago, I set out what I thought the Top Tennis Resolutions for 2009 were. I myself pledged to take on Resolution No. 4 - play more tennis for fun. How successful was I? I would give myself a grade of "B" on the playing tennis for fun front. While I didn't actively try to set up a bunch of play for fun matches, I never turned down anyone who asked me to come and play. This is a great resolution because it gives you a chance to play without the pressure of having to win. And, by the way, tennis is supposed to be fun so you should always be out there trying to play for fun.

So what are the best tennis resolutions to take on in 2010?  How about adopting one of these?

Resolution No. 1 - Improve your serve.  Make 2010 the year you undertake a concerted effort to get  down at least one great, dependable serve.  Maybe this means taking lessons.  Maybe this means playing a lot more matches.  Maybe this just means getting out and serving 300 balls a week.  Just do whatever it takes to get this most important stroke down.

Resolution No. 2 - Learn something about the rules of tennis.  Why not be the person people turn to when they have a question about the rules instead of the person who says "Why don't we just play a let?"  Buy a rule book - they're pretty small - and read through it.  You'll probably be upset at all the points you gave up because you just didn't know what the rule was.

Resolution No. 3 - Invest in some good gear.  Its time to quit playing in running shoes.  Its time to buy a skirt or two that fit comfortably.  Its time to have a case of balls in the garage so you always have a fresh can in your bag.  Its time to get your racquet restrung!

Resolution No. 4 - Do a better warm-up before your matches.  I talk about this one all of the time because I know I play SO MUCH BETTER when I've warmed up well before playing.  Its just so dang hard to get in that good warm-up.  Who has the time?  So, make this the year you resolve to improve your match performance by just warming up better.  For a great pre-match warm-up, click here: Winning The Warm-Up.

If you aren't happy with these, try one of the 2009 resolutions.  Just come up with something that you really want to work on for this new year.

What is my tennis resolution for 2010?  I'm finally going for No. 1 above.  This is the year I get a great serve.  And guess what?  You should adopt a different resolution because you're going along for the ride with me on this one and your serve is bound to improve right along with mine when you read all of the great tennis serve tips I'll be blogging about.  So, as always, stay tuned to Tennis Fixation.  Let me know how your game's going and what you're working on.  Happy New Year and let's have some tennis fun in 2010!






© Kim Selzman 2010
All Rights Reserved