eNewsHound

The Australian Open is coming up, and with it, a renewed interest in tennis: its history and its players.  Perhaps one the most polarizing people ever in the history tennis was not the groundbreaking Billie Jean King and all that she did to make tennis a more even playing ground for women to compete in, but the Superbrat.  Named so by the British press for his nasty tantrums that included swearing and classic one-liners like “You cannot be SERIOUS!” John McEnroe has made a name for himself as a seriously good tennis player.  His tennis scores and matches throughout the years prove it.

Often people tuned into the matches, people who were not normally fans, simply to wait and watch for one of his famous tantrums and shouting sessions.  Nearing fifty, he has yet to cool down.  And incidentally, his famous line actually turned out to do him some good use later on his life.  It became a serious of commercials for the car rental company, National Car Rental, and when he wrote his autobiography, he did not have to look far for a title.  In later years, he has branched out even further, doing an episode of CSI: NY.

Despite his flare-ups and seeming rudeness on the courts, he actually has deep respect for many of the people he has played against, but not so much for many of the calls umpires made during those matches.  Bjorn Borg and he had a famously intense rivalry, but both hold an extreme reverence for the other a player, both during their heyday challenging the other to new heights and accomplishments.

He might be rude.  He might have hurt tennis’s reputations.  But there is one thing that John McEnroe never was or will be: boring.

American tennis player Andy Roddick was a little bit of the American tennis gem there for a little bit. After winning the 2003 US Open, he then reached three other Grand Slam finals. Two in Wimbledon and another US Open, he lost to Roger Federer each time. He has failed to reach the finals in The French Open and the Australian Open.

Roddick holds the record for the fastest serve ever recorded in professional tennis of 155 mph.

After his amazing 2003 season he then suffered a series of injuries and has been fighting his way back to world number on status ever since. He currently sits at number six in the world. But competition is fierce now.

Not to mention his tennis rival Roger Federer has been knocked out as the world number one, he still sits in between Roddick and the number one ranking. And then there is Rafael Nadal, who has just become a tennis powerhouse. He is going for his fourth consecutive title at The French Open this year.

The French Open has been a place of defeat for both Roddick and Federer.

Roddick has seen prosperity on the grass courts of Wimbledon, and could find that to be the surface he excels on and of course the US Open.

Time will tell if Roddick can ever regain his former number one glory.

Dubai is a vibrant metropolis with much to offer residents and tourists alike. Sports and physical activities play an important element in most of the population’s lifestyle. Rock climbing is one of the often overlooked yet extremely exciting possibilities Dubai offers for outdoors fun. Many people prefer to take classes and practice their skills on an indoor wall, and sometimes people enjoy this so much they never venture to a big rock on the outside. Others consider themselves to be purists and would only find themselves clinging to rocks out in the great wide open. Dorell Climbing is a unique sports facility that offers both options for climbing enthusiasts. Sometimes when on vacation people find themselves more willing to branch out and try new things. This is often the case in Dubai, and many tourists often have their first rock climbing experience while visiting. Hotels Dubai UAE should have climbing information and transportation service assistance available for their guests.

The Dorell indoor artificial wall is the perfect place for beginners and more advanced climbers to practice their skills. The polyester and medal structure has natural rocks and sediment incorporated into its design to create a more natural feeling for the climber. It’s even great for sun and heat sensitive climbers who prefer the outdoors but would like to stay in out of the elements and still enjoy the sport. Dorell offers various levels of classes for children and adults alike. For the first timer’s course, there is no need to have any previous climbing experience and the professionally trained instructor will teach them the basic climbing skills and safety precautions necessary for fulfilling climbing. The top rope-climbing course continues with the basics and teaches balance, movement and the different types of holds. The next level is the intermediate class and is where students learn basic strength training, back stepping and crossovers. Other skills taught in this class include Stemming, lock offs and high stepping. The lead class is for the advanced student and includes problem solving in difficult scenarios. Here the student learns how to lead climb, clip, rest and fall safely.

The 2008 tennis season is going strong and so far there have been only a couple of surprises. Justine Henin shocked the tennis world when she announced her retirement, two weeks before the French Open. The Tennis Channel had excellent coverage of this tournament and of the Henin surprise. And it was no surprise that the men’s singles winner was once again Rafael Nadal. He won four straight in a row, again keeping Roger Federer from securing a career Grand Slam.

And currently the Wimbledon tournament is going on and Federer is going strong. I think that it will be Federer versus Nadal for the men’s singles and I think that Roger will win again. But I predict that he will lose next season if he doesn’t retire before then. I think he is only still playing because he wants to win the French Open first. Nadal will defend his title next year and I hope that he loses to Federer and I hope that Federer goes out on top.

I love tennis season. I know that it sort of starts in January with the Australian Open but for me it doesn’t start until the summertime. It has been great so far and there are several reasons why. First, the women’s singles defending French Open champ, Justine Henin, surprised everyone when she announced that she was retiring. I thought that she was going to try to make in four straight wins and beat her own record. That didn’t happen, though.

Rafael Nadal won the French Open for a fourth straight time and for a third time he beat world ranked number one Roger Federer. Federer only lacks this tennis tournament to have his career Grand Slam. But Nadal will not let him have the FO trophy. Federer is on his way to winning the Wimbledon tournament again. He is the king of grass which is ironic because he grew up playing on clay courts in Switzerland.

I just love tennis season for reasons like these and because the sport is so beautiful. You sometimes see players acting foolish but not as much as you see this kind of behavior in other sports. No, in tennis you often see people with their dreams crushed but still being good sports.

When the subject of golf schools comes up, many golf enthusiasts pay close attention. The idea of attending such a venue to learn about their favorite sport is more than intriguing. However, those who assume they will simply be spending time out on the green improving their swing will be sorely disappointed. Though teaching golf means getting to be out on the green, it also means students will spend plenty of time in the classroom. Having a career in golf requires one to have a good knowledge of basic elements. These elements simply cannot all be learned without textbooks and lecture time.

It used to be that a general knowledge of the sport and experience was all one needed to obtain a job in golf instruction. However, times have changed and employers expect prospective employees to be fully qualified. An individual who completes a program of study shows that he or she is truly interested in pursuing a profession in golf. This lets employers know that they will not be wasting their time hiring the individual before them. A degree that results from completing a fully accredited golf related curriculum could open all the right doors.

The Roland Garros French Open tennis tournament is the second of the Grand Slams tournaments. It is played on a clay court in Paris, France. Most of history’s tennis superstars have won this tournament and last year was no exception. Justine Henin-Hardenne won the ’07 women’s singles and Rafael Nadal won the ’07 men’s singles.

The French Open coverage is always superb and one reason for this is because the clay court is considered the most physically demanding of the courts because of the slow playing surface and the five-set men’s singles matches without a tie breaker. The clay courts slow down the ball and produce a high bounce compared to grass and hard courts.

The champions receive replicas of the actual trophy. Both are pure silver with finely etched decorations on their sides. The winner’s name in on the plate holding the trophy.

This year’s tournament is sure to be as exciting as last year’s. The men’s singles playoffs for 2007 were between Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. Though the two men will not say they are rivals, Federer will try to win this allusive championship again this year.

Last year’s runner up, Roger Federer, is hopeful of losing his 2 year losing streak at the second Grand Slam of the season, the French Open. Federer lost to Rafael Nadal in 2006 and 2007. He says of him, "He is definitely my number one rival." He was awesome in the Wimbledon tennis tournament coverage.

With that being said, Federer also stated that he doesn’t need luck and that he is "good enough on clay." This might be hard to swallow for those interested in French Open tennis tournament news since he lost in January at the Australian Open in the semi-final round. Along with the super-confident attitude, Federer has said that he will not practice again until March, when he competes in Dubai.

We’ll have to wait to see if he finally accomplishes his goal of winning this prominent tennis tournament or if it continues to allude him.