Fed Wins Big- Guaranteed #1 Spot in Semis of Barclay’s World Tour Finals 2011

Roger Federer put a hurtin’ on Rafa Nadal 6-3, 6-0 in their round robin match at the ATP Barclay’s World Tour Finals (Masters) 2011. With that convincing win, Federer was guaranteed a berth in the semifinals whether he wins or loses tomorrow against Mardy Fish (6am pst Tennis Channel). In the semis, he will face the #2 player from Group A, which is still undecided. David Ferrer leads that group with two convincing wins over Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic. Djokovic suffered only his fifth loss of the season today versus the tenacious Spaniard 6-3, 6-1.

Dynamic Stretching for Tennis this Winter

The weather’s getting cold, so make sure you warm up before your matches during the winter months.  Pre-match warm-up should consist of dynamic stretching, some light jogging around the court (3 laps is ideal), and some footwork exercises so you are ready to move from point one.  Arm circles, trunk rotations, and knee bends are just some of the excellent dynamic stretches you can do.  For a visual on these exercises, check out Gene’s latest video on youtube called, “5 Dynamic Stretches for Tennis.”  See you on the courts!

Marina City Club’s Annual Palm Desert Trip 2011

Dinner at The Nest

November 11-13, 2011 marked another trip to the beautiful Shadow Mountain Resort in Palm Desert for the Marina City Club faithful. Friday was beautiful, with casual doubles played by members and the pro, Gene, in the late afternoon in balmy desert weather under clear skies. Saturday morning, the skies opened and kept the courts wet all day, preventing us from playing a much-anticipated match with Ironwood Country Club. Members went to movies, casinos, The Living Desert, and relaxed by shopping. Saturday night was a wonderful four-course dinner at The Nest, a desert hot-spot, with live music and dancing. Eighteen members attended the dinner and a wonderful time was had by all.
On Sunday morning, we played mixed doubles against Shadow Mountain and our team won all but on match. It was a beautiful day and everyone was thrilled to get some tennis in, before returning to Marina Del Rey that afternoon. Although the weather did not cooperate completely, we had another memorable trip to the desert with friends.

Dinner at The Nest

Federer wins Paris!

In the last 1000 level atp tournament of the year, Federer finally left his mark, winning the Paris Indoors with a 6-1, 7-6(3) victory over Frenchman Jo-Wilfred Tsonga. Amazingly, despite Tsonga being French and playing the Paris, the crowd showed great support for the ever-popular Swiss legend as he won this title for the first time in his illustrious career. It is Fed’s 69th professional title and he topped the 800-win mark for his career earlier this week.

Fed Impresses at Swiss Indoors Basel

Federer returned to his winning ways, ousting Kei Nishikori, 6-1, 6-3 in the finals of the Swiss Indoors Basel.  The 21-year-old Japanese sensation who took out Novak Djokovic in the semis to face a solid Federer in the final and move to No. 24 in the world, the highest ranking ever by a Japanese male tennis player.  Federer secured his spot in the London Masters months ago, but this year had only one title in Qatar, back in January, so this hometown victory brought tears to the great player’s eyes.  Congrats to both athletes for making their countries proud.  Nadal did not play and Andy Murray pulled out of Basel with an injury.