I’m excited to share that I have made slow, steady progress. My goal is to help our community, in and around Berkeley, continuously improve its tennis, and enjoy playing at a higher level than each of us may have ever imagined. It is possible.

My love of the game started in the 70s, growing up in Connecticut, and playing mostly with my father and one of my best friends. Back then it was only singles (for me at least given my young age), and the most important elements of the game were maintaining quick footwork, keeping your eye on the ball, and hitting through the ball. Doing all three, minute after minute for several hours, was mentally and physically taxing, but also re-generative. So keeping them in mind seems even more important now. The other truism that stuck in my head from those days is that to improve, one has to play frequently enough. Back then, the rule of thumb was that you had to play at least a few times a week to improve, at least once a week to maintain, and anything less frequent would lead one’s tennis into a downward spiral.

All of these have stayed with me and influenced the soon-to-be launched community tennis ladder. Stay tuned!