Great Tennis Journalism 2.0

[ti-amie]

Meanwhile a respected journalist tells us, in Tennis magazine, that Strycova won RG last year

[ashkor87]

On a positive note, String Theory by David Foster Wallace is a marvellous book of essays on tennis..well worth your time, both in terms of insights and sheer writing..the chapter on Federer has entered tennis lore, but I personally like the one on Tracy Austin best...

[ponchi101]

Actually, a book I have never read, and have heard nothing but positive praise.
I really should.

[Cuckoo4Coco]

On a positive note, String Theory by David Foster Wallace is a marvellous book of essays on tennis..well worth your time, both in terms of insights and sheer writing..the chapter on Federer has entered tennis lore, but I personally like the one on Tracy Austin best...

I will have to look for this book. Thanks for sharing about it.

[meganfernandez]

This IS wonderful creativity. Don’t know where else to put it.




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[Deuce]

This IS wonderful creativity. Don’t know where else to put it.

It's all too often very true.

[ponchi101]

This IS wonderful creativity. Don’t know where else to put it.




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Next time somebody says satire is dead....
Brilliant And, as an aspiring writer that will never make it, I roast with envy

[meganfernandez]

I wrote this for Milwaukee magazine. You can decide if you think it's great or *great" tennis journalism. IMO, it's neither. It's OK. (It's about Essential Tennis's founder, Ian Westermann, who lives and coaches in Wisconsin.)

https://www.milwaukeemag.com/youtubes-m ... milwaukee/

Also, I just started writing for Tennis.com, and I admit this isn't great journalism. But I had to find a Baseline story that day while juggling editing other stuff for the website, and this worked. Emma-Serena was the talk of the tennis world.

https://www.tennis.com/baseline/article ... ving-large

[ponchi101]

I am really tempted to start a new topic because both articles go completely against the spirit of this topic, which is LOUSY tennis journalism. I really enjoyed the Westermann article; I totally disagree with the "pros" that just feed you balls and never even give you a hint of what you are doing wrong. His approach seems, to me, the correct one.
Two great pieces (I also enjoyed the other, although not as much as the first one). YOU HAVE RUINED THIS TOPIC, MEGAN! Ruined it!
Congrats. Indeed, Great Tennis Journalism

[ptmcmahon]

Yeah no great journalism allowed in the Great Journalism thread

[meganfernandez]

I am really tempted to start a new topic because both articles go completely against the spirit of this topic, which is LOUSY tennis journalism. I really enjoyed the Westermann article; I totally disagree with the "pros" that just feed you balls and never even give you a hint of what you are doing wrong. His approach seems, to me, the correct one.
Two great pieces (I also enjoyed the other, although not as much as the first one). YOU HAVE RUINED THIS TOPIC, MEGAN! Ruined it!
Congrats. Indeed, Great Tennis Journalism

Sorry for spoiling the fun. This isn't great tennis journalism, but it's decent. Thanks for reading and for the kind words. I'd love to know what questions you're left with, because I'm going to write a more tennis-focused version of the story pretty soon. This one was a general profile.

I would have put this in Tennis Random, Random before it changed to On Court Only.

I made some true Great Tennis Journalism errors on the Tennis.com page when I was working on Saturday. I posted that Ruud beat Djokovic in the quarters at Toronto last year - nope, it was Rome last year, and I misread the match notes. Also mixed up Team Europe and Team World in a Ruud story, and that one stayed up for hours before I caught it. No one was proofing my stories. To me, the European team scanned as "world," and I just made a mistake. Looked at it 10 times before I caught it. Happens. I was waiting for someone to post those here.

[ponchi101]

If you have time, which I know it is precious due to deadlines, you can start a topic and we can help you proof-read it. It can be fun.

[meganfernandez]

If you have time, which I know it is precious due to deadlines, you can start a topic and we can help you proof-read it. It can be fun.

I wish there was for outside proof-read before posting. Maybe an hour in some cases... Might try it next time, whenever that is. I appreciate the offer!

Right now, I need new angles on Westermann. Something tennis-centric. Been circling around why tennis teaching pros don't use video more (Ian has never been invited to a coaching conference, for instance, and given his Youtube following, that's odd). Or why club players get so worked up about being a tiny bit better, when there's nothing at stake. That kind of life/identity/tennis intersection, which Ian specializes in.

In the past, I never got responses when I have asked for help with story ideas. Several times. I figured it's just not what people here are into.

[ponchi101]

But you have the idea right there. You read your article, and the question is obvious: why don't the other pros do this? Why just the basket of balls? After all, today, everybody has a camcorder in his/her pocket.
So, why and how did Westermann hit on the idea, but other people don't do it? For example, when we go skiing, I always film my GF with my phone, on the 2nd-3rd day. Then I will film her about every two weeks, so she can see her progress.
Why isn't this method adopted, and what other media can be used to enhance teaching?

[dave g]

I am surprised that other tennis teachers/coaches of club-level players aren't taping the people they are helping. I remember someone telling me that they had gone someplace to take some tennis lessons, and the coach has taped them so they could see what they were doing wrong. And that was 20 years ago.