Choosing the Best Beginner’s Tennis Racquet

May 16, 2012 7:44 am / Leave a Comment /

One of the first questions that comes to mind when you’re about to engage in a new sport is the equipment. Most beginners find this their biggest trouble. Without any game experience, knowing the right type of equipment for starters can take much time and even cause disinterest in the sport. Tennis is a fun game, but don’t let yourself be frustrated by worrying about a tennis racquet firsthand. Here’s a short guide to help you find that perfect racquet so you can start swinging and running.

1. The Beginner’s Racquet

There are three types of tennis racquets available in the market today, the beginner, ‘tweener’ and the advanced racquets. Beginners can choose from the beginner and tweener sections only; the advanced sections are quite difficult to maneuver given they have more weight and power for a beginner. The basic rule is to try swinging with the tennis racquet. Finding the right amount of control from a tennis racquet takes a few swings. If you find one comfortable with your wrist, does not completely strain your arms around the first swing and you find that you can maneuver it without difficulty, this is possibly the best tennis racquet for you.

2. Material

A good tennis racquet has a frame made from aluminum, steel, carbon fibre or even ceramics and has the gut area made from nylon, polyamide and other plastics. These parts affect the weight and durability of the racquet. It also affects the price of the tennis racket. On average, a durable aluminum and nylon-made racquet goes around $30 apiece. A thing to remember: aluminum can easily bend if used harshly, so beginners with powerful swings might need a stronger tennis racquet, such as one made from graphite.

3. The Head Size and Power

Why it was mentioned that the tennis racquet that you can easily swing and control is probably the best tennis racket for you is because its head size and frame flexibility actually complements your abilities. The head size affects the overall weight of the tennis racquet, which can affect your swing and the frame flexibility affects your hitting power. So in number two, the material, if it is easily bent by strong hits, may not be suitable for a player with strong strokes. The racquet you might choose at this point may be the best for you, but if you keep getting better at the game, you might need to review these items again to find your ideal tennis racquet.

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A Simplified Rulebook for Playing Tennis

May 8, 2012 6:47 am / Leave a Comment /

We all know you don’t want to struggle reading through a 5000-word essay on how to play tennis. So here’s a simplified version of the rulebook that only covers the basic points players need to know and need to avoid. Of course, technical offences are a different story, but these should help you enjoy a casual or amateur game.

1. Players are to stand on the opposite sides of the tennis court upon the start of the match. One player will be the server and the other is the receiver.

2. A coin toss will determine who will serve the ball and who will be the receiver of the ball. Each one is to strictly follow the results of the coin toss without switching (unless its a casual game of course)

3. A server cannot serve the ball if the receiver has not signalled that he or she is prepared to get the ball. It is a foul ball if the receiver was sent a ball he or she did not know was coming.

4. A server must avoid hitting the base line of the other court when serving the ball. An automatic point for the receiver is given if the server misses the baseline and hits between the audience and the base line.

5. Score keeping is very important. Players must announce their score before serving the ball. The scores of tennis starts at 15 and increments by 30 to 40. A tennis player with no score or has ’0′ shouts ‘love’ as their score.

6. Players must stay inside the lines of the court. If a player hits a ball from outside these lines, they will lose points. ‘Net’ balls or balls that hit the net then fall a few centimetres to the other player’s side is considered a ball still in ‘play’.

7. As long as the ball is not caught by a player and falls inside the boundaries of the court, it is counted as a point for the other player. Any ball that falls outside the boundaries is considered an out ball.

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The Top Five Famous Women of Tennis

May 1, 2012 7:33 am / Leave a Comment /

Now you may be wondering who are the top women of tennis nowadays. Ranked in no particular order are female players who had awed the audiences with their achievements in court, as well as their beauty. Many of these names may be familiar to you as they are regarded the best (and some the most beautiful) of all the female players in tennis today.

Chris Evert

Chris Evert

One of the many women in tennis that had a great career in the sport, Chris Evert is famous for having exhibited great skill in winning the 18 Grand Slam singles tennis championship she competed in the last few years. Christine Marie Evert is a professional US tennis player, ending five years as the number one singles player two decades ago. Her career win-loss is over 89.96%, quite a feat having 1,309 wins over 146 losses. She is definitely worth mentioning as one of the greatest players in tennis.

Martina Navratilova

Martina Navratilova

Definitely somebody we cannot miss in this list, Martina Navratilova is an exemplary tennis player. She rivaled Chris Evert, winning 18 Grand Slam singles, 31 major women’s doubles and 10 mixed doubles. She is noted for having the longest winning streak, boasting 74 consecutive wins in a singles match and boasting 109 consecutive matches in women’s doubles. Today, she remains a legend even if she has retired from tennis.

Steffi Graf

Steffi Graf

The beautiful Steffi Graf, married to famous tennis player Andrei Agassi, is also a very formidable player in court. She boasts 22 Grand Slam singles titles, a bit lower than the legendary Margaret Court’s record of 24. In general, she had won 107 singles titles. As we all know, some players have a certain speciality for grass, clay and hard courts. Only Steffi Graf has the versatility to play in all courts, winning her a Calendar Year Grand Slam title in the process.

Maria Sharapova

Maria Sharapova

Regarded as the most beautiful player in court, Maria Sharapova is a professional tennis player who won the Australia Open in 2008, the US Open in 2006 and Wimbledon in 2004. As a tennis player, she is not too far from Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova and Steffi Graf. However, she became famous in tennis by beating Serena Williams, the two time champion and top seed of the Wimbledon final. She is also considered the most attractive player in the world of tennis.

Serena Williams

Serena Williams

The world’s best female tennis player, Serena Williams boasts 27 Grand Slam titles. Thirteen of her Grand Slam titles come from the singles cup, twelve in women’s doubles and 2 in mixed doubles. She is considered the only woman to have won $35 million in prize money among all the women who participate in tennis. Serena has also won two Olympic Gold medals. Along with her sister, they are regarded as the best female players of modern tennis.

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Rafael Nadal Wary Over Knee Ahead of Monte Carlo Masters

April 16, 2012 7:26 pm / Leave a Comment /

Rafael Nadal hopes a problematic knee will not jeopardise his bid for an eighth consecutive Monte Carlo Masters title this week.

The world number two, who suffers from tendonitis, had to pull out of a semi-final clash with Andy Murray at the Miami Masters in March.

He has only just returned to training after missing two weeks.

“It needs time to see how it is when I play to the top level…when I put all my efforts on the knee,” he said.

Nadal’s Monte Carlo finals

  • 2011: bt David Ferrer
  • 2010: bt Fernando Verdasco
  • 2009: bt Novak Djokovic
  • 2008: bt Roger Federer
  • 2007: bt Roger Federer
  • 2006: bt Roger Federer
  • 2005: bt Guillermo Coria

But he added: “The knee is well. I’m able to practise in the right condition and that’s the most important thing. It seems like I’m able to practise with no impediments.”

The 25-year-old Spaniard, who has not won a title since last year’s French Open, has a bye in the opening round and his second-round match against Jarkko Nieminen will be played on Wednesday.

“I started practising four days ago, it’s 15 days off without a chance to practise physically because I could not move my knees.

SOURCE: BBC Sport

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Could PPI Claims Help You To Get out of Debt?

March 1, 2012 8:48 pm / Leave a Comment /

Loans are great options for people in need of finance, especially during difficult economic times. You may not want to get a loan, but most of the time; you just don’t have a better option. In case you have obtained a loan and you feel something is wrong, PPI claims are the answer to your problem and there is a lot of help available for you to succeed in your claim.

Payment Protection Insurance (PPI) is insurance that pays for any debts you acquire and cannot pay for. Many insurance companies today offer PPI as a necessity for future needs. Simply put, it makes sure that you have enough money in case you get sick, meet an accident, or lose your job. You can buy it as a monthly contract that continues as a single premium. You must pay on a given term.

PPI Claims

Many people choose to have PPI because of the financial protection it offers. It works to your advantage by paying off financial obligations and by giving you enough monetary leeway until you recover and find work. Such loan protection policies, commonly known as a PPI claim, serve as backup to your inability to meet mortgage payments or debts. These debts normally come in the form of loans or overdrafts.

While there is nothing wrong with getting PPI, the problem comes when there is mis selling. It happens when loan companies do not abide by the regulations when selling this insurance to potential policyholders. Some unscrupulous lenders misstate the importance of paying for an overpriced policy. They say it is a requirement for you to be eligible for the loan. Others do not provide enough information for buyers. Sometimes, they do not inform borrowers about policy restrictions and penalties for delays in payment. You have to make sure that you have valid PPI claims to avoid these situations. After confirming the validity, you must gather all the necessary documents and start the filing process with the bank or the lender. Make sure you understand all policy exclusions and clauses. Doing so will help avoid any claim cancellations.

You may also look into the coverage cost and find out if you need additional quotes. In case you feel uncomfortable with the cost or if additions were made without your consent, you can cancel the agreement right away. More importantly, know if the policy suits your present situation. There is a valid reason for a PPI reclaim in case any of these apply to your situation. This means you have enough bases to have your loan or debt cancelled.

Mis sold policies can cause distress to policyholders. The good news is that there is a solution when all goes wrong. There are many online companies to help you with your PPI refunds. They have professional lawyers to help you have a better chance of recovering your money. Start searching online for experienced reliable companies.

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