Weekend Update – Shubert’s Blog
Weekend Update - Shubert's Blog Robby Ginepri of the US hits a return to John Isner of the US during their second round match on the fifth day of the 2011 US Open Tennis Championship at the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York, USA 02 September 2011. The US Open runs through 11 September 2011. EPA/ANDREW GOMBERT |
The practices and workouts have been tough the past few days.. When I’m not playing tennis or re-fueling, I’ve been keeping an eye on a few of the ATP 250 and ATP 500 tournaments going on in San Jose and Rotterdam. Qualifying for the Memphis 500 tour event also started and Robby Ginepri made it through the first round against veteran Michael Russell. Go Ginepri! But first I’ll let you know why I was happy Jarko Nieminen did well in Rotterdam this past week.
During my practices, I learned that Jarko used to do “monster-walks” or “lunges” during his practices. So while he’s picking up balls or between points, he’s getting his legs used to the constant strain and stretch that comes with staying low on the court. I started employing this as well and boy do I notice a difference already. On top of constantly “burning”, I get a better workout and feel more focused each point. I’ll admit I’ve been so lazy lately when it comes to staying low through my shots and handling deep balls this way. You’ve all seen Nadal and Djokovic scraping their knees and even falling onto their bottoms when they are faced with a very deep return or ground stroke right? Well, lately my practice partner Leo Rosenberg has been pretty keen on that baseline and manages to hit it pretty regularly with his strokes. So I’ve become more accustomed to handling this Kevin Kim-esque deep/hard/flat ball by pushing my legs and devoting more energy to a lower stance. I enjoy better balance and better weight transfer. That coupled with a more compact back swing and a longer extension through my shots and I’d have to say I’m hitting the ball pretty well right now! On to more good news!
The official media credentials have been confirmed for the upcoming 2012 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California. I’ve been lucky enough to gain one and represent www.10sBalls.com and continue this amazing tennis adventure of mine! Let me get straight to the point and fill you in on some of my goals for this upcoming venture: 1. Completely and whole-heartedly dedicate myself to the scene and keep an open mind to learning from all the individuals I encounter. 2. Write material that is interesting, unique, fun, and/or otherwise not represented by any other journalist/reporter/blogger out there. 3. Try to adapt and maintain a fast and steady pace of work where I can meld in and become acquainted to the hustle/bustle of this ATP “traveling circus”. 4. Be a hitting partner for the pros. I want to live the dream of hitting/practicing with Fed, Nadal, or Djokovic (hell I’ll hit with anybody if they ask/schedule me so that I can discover what levels these ATP 1000 players are at so that one day I can attain that status). So if you see me running around the grounds frantically, don’t be alarmed, it’s part of the reality I envision for myself (I guarantee nobody is a faster runner than me out there with a backpack full of media gadgets). Also, if you see me hitting the court with somebody, again don’t be alarmed, it’s all part of the “plan”. One last thing if I am out there… Take some pictures will ya?!? 
I’m so excited right now that I can’t wait to put more energy into tomorrow’s off day and get back to work Monday morning!
Shubert
Topics: Michael Russell, Robby Ginepri
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