All posts tagged Rafael Nadal

Become The Next Tennis Champion In Virtua Tennis 4 Wii

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Grand Slams occur only four times a year in the game of tennis. Unless youre a Tennis fanatic, perhaps these four grand slams are the only tennis tournaments you watch. And in these tournaments every year we either see a new champion crowned or a familiar rivalry match up. Whichever the case is, nothing gets more exciting than watching these tournaments. So what if the viewer gets a chance to play these tournamentsas one of the Tennis heroes like Federer, Nadal, Williams and Ivanovic? Dream come true.

Virtua Tennis 4 for the Wii is a fun game completely devoted to Tennis. It does not make any effort to add any extra levels of interest in the game. It is simply a game where the player can play as his favorite Tennis player and play in Grand Slam tournaments as well as other tournaments. The game has a total of 16 tournaments. Four tournaments are Grand Slams (Australian, French, Wimbledon, though it is called the English Grand Slam in the game, and the US Open). Four tournaments are called the Special courts which feature different types of court however the cities in which they are located are unknown. These courts are: The Tennis Hall (Indoor), SPT Final (Hard), Fancy Dress Matches at World Tour (Indoor), Special Matches at World Tour (Indoor). The remaining eight are called the Advantage Series and the World Tour Venues which consists of Championships and Tournaments based in China, Egypt, Sweden, Canada, Spain, Czech Republic and the United States. The types of courts in these tournaments are a mixture of Hard, Clay, and Grass and Indoor.

The playable Tennis Players include the various current top players in the world right now. Among men, there is Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Andy Roddick and a few other lesser unknown top ranked players. Among women there is Venus Williams, Ana Ivanovic, Caroline Wozniacki, Maria Sharapova, and Svetlana Kuznetsova.

A clear disappointment overall

The game is fun for maybe a few days. It isnt a game that will be remembered by players after a week of playing it. There are several reasons for this. One of the major reasons is the game play. Playing the game even in the most difficult level is like playing in beginner level. It would expected that top ranked players would be harder to beat in the game, however pick the lowest ranked player in the game and pit him against Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal and the score will probably read 6-0,6-0 and 6-0 for the lower ranked player. While the game does claim that it supports the new Wii Motion Plus, the game itself is not a motion based game. The player can step into the shoes of their favorite players, but unfortunately he wont be jumping or running at all in those shoes. For the majority of the game, players operate on the boring buttons of the Wii Remote (You dont buy Wii games to just press buttons). Also the game lacks players and tournaments. As I mentioned in the introduction that people who watch only the four grand slams would love this game (until even they get bored). For Tennis Fanatics, lack of more players and even players who are top ranked in doubles will definitely make this game a no buy for Tennis Fanatics.

Perhaps the only part of the game that can be called good is the graphics. Playing this game for the first time, it will be exciting to see almost identical virtual figures of the real players along with the realistic display of the courts. But the strong graphics are a major cause for glitches also. Perhaps, the money to buy this game can be saved to buy a better game.

Home Recreation And Sports Tennis How To Choose A Tennis Racket – Grip Size Explained

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Choosing the best tennis racket for you isn’t as simple as it may seem. Grip size is an important consideration. The days of going to the store and picking up the cheapest or most available rackets are long gone as players are faced with a myriad of tennis racket choices. Additionally, picking the right or wrong racket can have a significant impact on your performance as a tennis player.

What we’ll do in this article series is narrow down the essential elements of racket selection so you can be sure to choose the best tennis racket for you.

We’ll start with grip size.

How to decide which tennis racket grip size is right for you?

Although there are no hard and fast rules, the generally accepted standard in grip selection is a crude measurement, but serves as a good guide for tennis racket grip selection.

Try this:

Visit your tennis shop and hold the racket in your dominant hand. Next slide your non-dominant hand’s index finger between your dominant hand’s finger tips and palm. If your index finger does not fit between your finger tips and palm, then the grip is too small. If it fits, but there is plenty of room on either side of you index finger, then the grip is too big. Ideally, the theory holds that the best grip size for you is one in which the non-dominant hand’s index finger slides and fits snuggly between your dominant hand finger tips and palm.

If you choose a racket grip size that is too small, you may find that the racket turns or slips in your hand at ball contact because of less stability. Conversely, if you grip is too big, you may lose some of your ability to easily maneuver the racket. Additionally, a racket grip that is too big or too small may contribute to tennis related injuries like wrist or elbow injuries.

Although there are general guidelines about choosing the best tennis racket grip size for you, the ideal size is somewhat dependent on the player’s preference as well. For example, Rafael Nadal’s tennis racket grip size is very small (4 1/4) for someone his size. It is widely held that the most common grip size sold for men is likely a 4 3/8. Rafael Nadal’s use of intense wrist snap and topspin lends meshes well with his use of a small tennis racket grip. His incredible strength allows him to get away with this without a significant added risk of injury.

In conclusion, with the aid of your tennis professional and your local tennis shop, you should take time to carefully measure for the best racket grip size for you. You tennis professional can also provide guidance about how your style, strength, and experience level may be important factors for you when choosing the best tennis racket and grip size for you.

Babolat Tennis Racquets The Choice Of Tennis Stars

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For many years, Babolat tennis racquets have been the last choice of the tennis players when it came to choosing tennis racquets. Producing the world class tennis racquets since the year 1875, the company is now involved in the manufacturing of various equipments and accessories.

Babolat tennis racquets have been used by the top notch tennis players, some of the advanced club players and also by the budding tennis players for years. Many touring pros who endorsed other racquet brands in the past always used Babolat strings on their frames and even now, they continue to use it. It is evident that how even the top-class players relied on Babolat.

The greatest of players from the world of tennis, Rafael Nadal, has trusted the Babolat tennis racquets and also the strings throughout his extremely successful career. The Spaniard is known to have grabbed nine Grand slams, which includes five French open titles. The AeroPro Drive series produced by the company is first and last choice for many of the highly skilled players. Those in need of maximum head speed as well as spin would feel proud on their decision of having chosen this series.

The players with the ability of generating the strokes using their energy should go for the Pure Storm series. Having a traditionally manufactured frame, these Wilson tennis rackets are of optimal weight and also a balanced distribution.

Pure Drive Team is another range of these racquets. This range is the lightest in the market and is considered ultimate for the serve and volley players. You might find the frame a bit stiff on the either side but the Cortex technology makes it comfortable enough for a tennis player. This frame is controlled but magically generates power and hard hits the shot, surprising the opponent any moment of the game.

The mid-level tennis players who take their game seriously should go for the Babolat Drive Z 110. Having a smart grip and Cortex system, these racquets come with comfort at its best. The smart grip being offered in these racquets is adjustable and gives the player the ergonomic feel.

Wilson tennis rackets are also being loved by the tennis players. Made out of pure graphite, these rackets offer a perfecrt balance between the control and the power.Babolat tennis racquets are known to have achieved the position of the most technically advanced frames.

Choosing A Tennis Racquet That Fits Can Help Prevent Tennis Injuries

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With the UCLA Farmer’s Classic in full effect this week, we got a healthy dose of tennis fever here at the Bauerfeind Performance Center. I thought it would be a great time to discuss how to choose a tennis racquet. My clients often ask me about how to choose a tennis racquet best suited for their needs, especially if they have been injured during tennis. Retailers carry a variety of different brands, all claiming that their technology is superior to others. In a saturated market, how does one go about choosing a tennis racquet that best suits your needs?

Tennis players place a high emphasis on, “feel” of their racquet during play. While it is important to become comfortable with the way you feel the racquet in your hand, there is more to choosing a tennis racquet than just taking a few practice swings with every racket in the store. There are several important variables to consider when choosing a tennis raquet. The right combination of size and balance of the racquet, string type and tension can ensure sustained play without causing tennis injuries.

Start by realistically evaluating your skill level before choosing a tennis racquet. While we all like to imagine that with a little practice and maybe the right racquet, we can also play like Rafael Nadal or Serena Williams. If we choose their tennis racquet, we will be one step closer to their level of play, right? Wrong. The number one mistake my clients make when choosing a tennis racquet is to base their choice on a tennis player they love. Consider your own strengths and weaknesses and base your choice on how you play now, not what you hope you play like in the future.

The first step in choosing a tennis racquet is to choose the size of your tennis racquet head. Elite players are capable of hitting the ball in the middle of the strings most of the time, so they do not, require a large head size. Less experienced players, or players prone to tennis elbow, will benefit from a racquet with a larger head size. This type of racquet has a larger sweet spot and provides the benefit of reducing the shock transmitted to your body.
Tennis racquet head size is also linked to weight distribution or balance of the racquet. Exceptions exist, but generally speaking, a racquet with a larger head size will be a head-heavy racquet while the smaller racquet will be head-light. Head-heavy racquets are better for the less experienced players because their weight helps generate more power on impact. Head-light racquets are more desirable for experienced players who have good strength and biomechanics so that they can utilize their own power and retain more control over the ball.

Three main types of strings to consider are, in order to increase stiffness, natural gut, nylon and polyester. Stiff strings transmit more vibration to hands and arms, so tennis players prone to upper extremity injuries are better off using natural gut or multifilament strings that help dampen vibrations in the strings. Many players like polyester strings because they are stiffer and players feel they can hit the ball harder with them. However, I have had many patients who simply change their strings to natural gut from polyester and this alone allowed them to break their cycle of recurring bouts of tennis elbow.

Finally, consider the string tension when choosing a tennis racquet. You should check the appropriate tension range corresponding to your particular racquet. However, you can still customize a tennis racket to your unique needs. Lower tension gives the player a bit more power but less control, while higher tension gives a slightly better control but less power. Here again, I make recommendations based on skill level. Less experienced players do not have the skills to control their racquets well and generally will benefit from slightly increased power. The reverse is true for the more experienced players.

Overall, the point I want to make here is that the racquet brand you select is less important than the type of racquet you choose and how you choose to string it. Modern frames are made of graphite and each manufacturer will have slightly different angles that they use to differentiate themselves from competition, but the differences can be debated and really subject to individual preferences. What each manufacturer will have in common is that they have different head size racquets, racquet balance, and stringing options to choose from that will allow you to adjust the points outlined above.

Here at the Bauerfeind Performance Center we carry Wilson tennis racquets and strings. Not only can we help you with choosing a tennis racquet, that’s the exact fit, but we can even string it for you on-site and get you the correct grips and shoes to minimize your risk of tennis injuries and raise your potential.