Biking in Cayucos, CA

May 23, 2011

Summer is just around the corner, and I’ve been enjoying my last days at home here in Los Angeles before I take off for my summer stretch of tournaments. I’m gearing up for a series of eleven tournaments in eleven weeks, starting with the West Coast Championships this weekend at USC. As soon as the tournament is completed I’ll begin my drive up the coast, stopping first in Sacramento and Chico for two professional Futures events. Following those will be the eight-tournament Pacific Northwest summer circuit that has been a favorite of mine for a number of years.

A big issue for tennis professionals starting out in the lower ranks (like myself) is finance. When you are first starting out and the prize money in the lower level (Futures and Challengers) tournaments is small, it is difficult to support yourself and you are traveling off only your winnings. Guys on tour have to worry about their food, accommodations at tournaments, travel between tournaments, ongoing equipment needs (shoes, string, racquets, grips, etc.), and sometimes even a traveling coach. At the Futures level where the guy that wins the tournament is only earning a little over $1,000, most weeks your paycheck isn’t even enough to cover that week’s expenses. Thus, players have to find other ways to raise money for their travel, and they do so in a number of different ways. Some of these ways include finding sponsors (either individuals or companies) that will pay for some or all of the expenses, teaching private lessons during the brief stints at home, having some sort of job that one can do remotely via the internet, playing money tournaments between the professional events, or a combination of all of these things.

I earn the majority of my traveling funds from playing money tournaments in between professional events. These money tournaments are usually put on by country clubs, open for anyone to enter, and often times have upwards of $20,000 in prize money, twice as much as the Futures events that have only a $10,000 purse to offer. There are money tournaments across the country for most of the year, and a lot of the mid-level pros (guys ranked between 200 and 1500 ATP) have figured out a way to travel and work in significant money tournaments between their professional events. There are also great money circuits abroad, the most prominent one being in France, where there are multiple tournaments every week throughout the year. The one downside to playing these money tournaments is that it does take you away from your professional events, where you might be forced to miss weeks that are good opportunities to earn ATP points. The more pro tournaments you play the more opportunities you have to move up in the rankings, and if you’re playing money tournaments then you’re not playing the pro tournaments. However, I believe that matches are matches, and often times the competition in these money tournaments is as good, in not better, as that in Futures events. As long as I’m getting competitive matches, I’m getting in better shape and improving my game, which is the most important thing in my opinion.Plus, if it gives me a chance to earn some much-needed traveling money, then even better!

Nine of the eleven tournaments in my upcoming schedule are money tournaments, with Sacramento and Chico being the only two Futures events. My travel funds have run a little low, and if I prepare well and give myself a good chance to be successful, I’ll be able to earn some money for the fall and winter to travel with. I know this is going to be a long stretch with a lot of tennis being played, so right now I’m training hard and managing my body to make sure I’m healthy leading into the summer. I’ve been cross training a lot by either surfing or road cycling in order to decrease the pounding on my body from the hard courts. I’ve been stretching between 45 minutes to an hour a day, keeping myself loose and limber, and also being sure I ice down anything that might be sore during the day. If you treat your body well then your body will treat you well, and I want to establish a good daily “body-maintenance” routine before I hit the road.

Stay tuned as I play the West Coast Championships this weekend, and then head up north for the Sacramento Futures…thanks for reading!

-AG

Andy Gerst

May 16, 2011

My biggest focus for the month of May in my own game is making improvements in my mental game. I’ve been getting too emotional on the court, which has been affecting my decision-making and my ability to stay focused during matches. Any time you let yourself get too frustrated or allow yourself to get “tight”, 99% of the time your game takes a turn for the worse (unless your name is John McEnroe). But fear not, THE FOUR R’S can help you stay calm, cool, and collected even in the toughest situations in those big matches.

The four R’s represent a process that takes place between points that can help you stay focused and keep your negative emotions at bay. By practicing this between-point discipline, you’ll get better and better at it, and just like working on your shots it will become routine, even when the pressure is on in a match. Each “R” represents a stage in your between-point thought process, eventually leading to the beginning of the following point…

1. RELEASE- The first thing you have to do after a point is release it…let it go! Whether you won or lost the point, your reaction to it should be relatively consistent point-to-point. The release process should only take a second or two, and it should be a cue to yourself to forget the previous point and move on to the next one. For example, you can put the racquet in your opposite hand and start playing with the strings, or turn your back to the net and walk back to the baseline or the fence (picture Agassi). The stronger and more positive your body language is during this process, the better!

2. REVIEW- Take a quick review of the previous point and learn from it. Remember, this process is rational thought, not emotional. Questions like “what worked or didn’t work in the previous point?”, “how can I use my strengths to exploit my opponent’s weaknesses?”, “am I sticking to my game plan?”. Avoid making judgments about your game, like “wow, that was a bad point” or “my forehand sucks right now”. Organize a game plan for the next point. Figure out where you want to serve or return, and how you want to play the point. Do I want to be aggressive this point, or be consistent and see if my opponent can make a winning shot to beat me? The review process will take up a bulk of your between-point time.

3. REFOCUS- This should only take a couple seconds, and should reinforce in your mind how you want to play the next point. Tell yourself a simple sentence or two that presents a picture in your mind of how you want the next point to go. Things like, “serve out wide, volley to the open court”, or “keep the ball deep and hit to big targets” are perfect. Always be positive and direct. This should be the thought most present in your mind as you step up to the line to serve or return serve.

4. RITUAL- If you watch every professional on the tour, they all have a pre-point ritual that clears their mind and gets them focused for the point at hand. A well-established ritual also reminds your body that you’ve done this thousands and thousands of times, and there’s nothing new. Whether it’s practice or 5-5 in the third set in the finals of a tournament, it’s the same ritual, every time. If your serving, maybe it’s bouncing the ball a certain number of times before you start your motion. For me, I always bounce the ball 7 times before my first serve and 3 times before my second serve. Always! That never changes. If your returning, maybe it’s blinking a certain number of times before the ball is tossed, or shuffling your feet (like Nadal). Establish and practice a consistent ritual, and it will help put your mind at ease in the toughest situations!

I always remind myself of the FOUR R’S if I find myself getting too emotional during a match. It’s something I learned at a young age and continue to practice to this day. But remember, it’s like anything else in tennis…establishing it as habit is a process, and won’t happen over night! The more conscious you are of it, and the more you practice it, the better and better you’ll get at it. Use this tool to stay calm, cool, and collected during your matches.

Thanks for reading,

-Andy