My website is moving!
GeoCities will close on 26th October 2009, so I will be moving this page to my new website (when I have thoroughly checked and edited it):
Please update your links and bookmarks ASAP, because there will be no redirection after 26th October.
Tennis is a game that involves two players hitting a ball over a net using rackets. The idea is to hit the ball so that it bounces twice without your opponent touching it, without hitting it out of the court or into the net. As simple as it sounds, the game is amazingly addictive, and when played by players of the highest calibre, it becomes a fine art-form of power, accuracy, style and finesse in an unbelievable atmosphere of tension and excitement.
No other sport enables its players to express themselves as richly as they can by hitting a small yellow ball to construct amazing, intricate and unique rallies. (Table-tennis comes closest, and can be more fun to play than tennis, but professional table-tennis is too fast and furious to appreciate on the same level, plus tennis allows volleying, which you cannot do in table-tennis.)
My beliefs and values:
- Tennis at its best is played predominantly from the baseline (standing on or just inside it - not behind it), with:
- spreading rallies: using the full width (and length) of the court to move the opponent and create openings for winners;
- flairsome power: power that comes from great timing (the ball looks thin and sharp as it flies off the racket) rather than huge muscles (the ball looks thick and blunt as it flies off the racket);
- two-handed groundstrokes (a two-handed backhand is a must, and is predominant these days; a two-handed forehand is a rarity practised only by Monica Seles and all Selesians);
- occasional variety (e.g. volleys, dropshots, lobs, spins, and short, acute angles).
- Those who play such tennis tend to be very attractive ladies in their late teens or early 20s from Eastern or Central Europe! ;-) However, I judge every player as a specific individual, regardless of gender, age, race or nationality. I judge them by their tennis-qualities and, admittedly, their looks.
- Monica Seles is the greatest tennis-player of all time (not "would have been if she hadn't been stabbed").
- I require both Passion and Reason to induct a player into my Eternal Fanship: an irrevocable vow to follow her career with the maximum commitment that my resources allow.
- Passion: how I feel about a player, from the joy of victory to the agony of defeat, and about following her career with a predefined level of commitment;
- Reason: my appreciation of a player's tennis-qualities.
- Tennis is best appreciated by watching it on television, writing point-by-point descriptions to remain actively involved with a match, and going through the best rallies with a fine pause-key. This activity is as valid for old matches as for live tennis.
- Female tennis-players deserve equal coverage in the media, especially television.
Pages dedicated to the members of my Eternal Fanship
Monica Seles
Maria Sharapova
Daniela Hantuchová
Jelena Dokic
Iva Majoli
Karina Habšudová
Vera Zvonarëva
Nicole Vaidišová
Anna Chakvetadze
Lucie Šafárová
Iroda Tulyaganova
Magdaléna Rybáriková
Other tennis-related pages on this site
My Photos
Wooden-Spoon Lists
External links: WTA/ATP/ITF sites
The official WTA Tour site
The official ATP Tour site
The official ITF site
External links: General tennis-websites
Open Directory: Sports: Tennis
WTA Tournaments, Draws, Rankings, Photos...
Yahoo! Sports: Tennis
BBC Sport: Tennis
Tennis On The Line Magazine
Tennis.info
Inside-Tennis.net
Junior Tennis
The Worldwide Tennis Website
Tennis ACT
CrossCourt.net
ETA Tennis
Tennis Corner
ASAP Sports: archive of interviews
External links: Tournament-websites
WTA Tour Calendar (with links to tournament-websites)
Australian Open 2009 [2008]
French Open 2009 [2008]
Wimbledon 2009 [2008]
US Open 2008 [2008 | 2007]
Olympic Games: Beijing 2008
ITF Tennis: Olympic Tennis Event
Lawn Tennis Association (for tournaments in Britain)
External links: Results
BBC Sport: Tennis: World results
The WTA Tour since 1996
ATP and WTA Tour results
ITF Women's Circuit (challengers and satellites)
ITF Men's Circuit (challengers and satellites)
ITF Juniors
TennisEurope.org
The New Tennis Information Web Site (Sam Settle et al.)
External links: Photos
Yahoo! Sports: Tennis: Photo Gallery
Search Yahoo! News (select "News Photos" and search for a player)
Getty Images (search for a player)
The WTA Tour's Photo Gallery (predominantly off-court)
Photos on The WTA Tour since 1996 (recommended for esoteric players)
Advantage Tennis Photo Site
On The Line Picture Gallery
Projekte von Ralf Reinecke
Webshots Community: Tennis
Andre Jahnke Sportphoto
Sportphoto.de
www.medienpublikation.de (Patrick Becher)
The Tennis Server - Tennis Pictures
Rus. T's Photo Gallery
WTA-Tennisphotos (Sandra Schmidt)
Sportfiles: Tennis Photo Gallery
Nicolas Meunier's photos
CFT Pictures
Teaboy's photos
Tennis Photo Gallery by John Morris at pbase.com
Tennis Photo Library
Photoworld (ATP & WTA players)
Corbis: Celebrity photographs
Photopool
action plus sports images
WTA Players (Tennis Photos) Forum
The Women of Tennis - A Photo Gallery (Bill Mitchell)
External links: Video- and DVD-copying services
Disclaimer
I have no affiliation with the following websites, and I cannot accept responsibility for any losses or damages that may result from using the services they offer.
Tennis Videos International (tried and trusted by Yours Truly)
VIDEOARC: Italian Tennis Videos Archive
TennisTapes.Com
External links: Message-boards
WTAworld.com
Tennisrulz.com Message Board
Talk Tennis (WTAWorld 2)
The Worldwide Tennis Forum
External links: Other gubbins
The World Clock - Time Zones
Yahoo! Groups: Tennis category
USENET newsgroups
rec.sport.tennis [Google Groups]
alt.tennis [Google Groups]
Email me