Hello dear readers, friends, and racket sports enthusiasts.

Welcome to the June 2024 edition of Racket Business (the 126th issue of Tennis Club Business).

Before we delve into the content, we have a question to ask:

What's wrong with our Grand Slams?

It is noteworthy that issues are accumulating at a time when significant discussions are taking place regarding a Premium Tour led by the four esteemed Grand Slam organizations. This is evident when considering the following examples:

Or, “Can someone explain why there were so many pink seats, aka “resale” tickets to purchase at a PRE-SALE?” Or, “US Open - Why do you guys partner with such a scummy, reviled company?” Is it plausible to consider that this was a deliberate effort to conclude the Pre-Sale promptly? Why do they permit scalpers to acquire a substantial number of Pre-Sale tickets in the initial stages? Furthermore, it is worth noting that the US Open main draw is notably lacking in family-friendly and child-friendly offerings, which sets it apart from other Grand Slam tournaments. This is indeed concerning.

This may have actually been a prudent decision, especially when considering the opinions of the players.

One more thing regarding the French Open. The Tennis Channel is offering a promotion for USTA members only: Subscribe now for 25% off your annual subscription. Use code USTA24. Subscribe here. (No, this is neither paid advertising nor an affiliate link.)

In addition, Craig Tiley is currently dissatisfied due to the potential consideration by PIF Saudi Arabia to host a Masters 1000 event in January. This situation is of concern.

When compared to the other Grand Slams, these concerns may appear insignificant in light of Wimbledon's renowned reputation for graciousness and the delectable serving of strawberries and cream.

Rich will be at the Wimbledon Championships for two days this year and promised to write a full report! Anyone interested in meeting up for a pint or two?

Now to the June content:

We are covering a wide range of racquet sports this month. Rich Neher, always striving to represent the underprivileged, is revisiting the topic of US Open ticket prices in the Publisher's Notes section titled "The Perfect Racket." The Commish also made an appearance in this column to share their observations. Additionally, The Commish wrote a Guest Post for this month titled "How To Make A Million Dollars While Doing Almost Nothing." In this post, they discuss an imaginary Q+A session they had with a USTA executive.

Robert Davis posted part 2 of his series How clubs, coaches, and parents got performance tennis right titled “Against All Odds- How Did They Do It? Club Independiente Tandil, Argentina.”

The Update Around the World informs about the latest developments for various hotly contested topics such as Saudi Arabia, Cheating, Transgender Women in Sports, or USTA Southern California. We also included an update by the sons of the late Darryl Cummings about their dad’s Friends of Tennis Fund.

Internationally recognized leader (and Tennis Director of the Kazakhstan Tennis Federation) Dave Miley writes a tribute to his work colleague and friend Brian Tobin who recently passed away at age 93: “A Farewell to Brian Tobin.”

The Odds And Ends in Racketsportsland cover Tennis, Pickleball, and Padel news. Spotlight Racket Sports Industry is a new column featuring a Q+A with USPTA CEO Brian Dillman, Tennis Resorts Online Travel Editor Jordana Klein, and Carlos Esteire’s write-up of the international wheelchair tournament ‘2nd Enrique Esteire Open’ at the Rafa Nadal Academy.

We are currently consolidating Events, Book Reviews, and Learning content into a new section called “Racket Sports Business: Need To Know.” The ‘Mark Your Calendar’ part is growing quite a bit and includes (of course) the USPTA’s September conference WRC24 in Rancho Mirage, California where Racket Business will be an exhibitor. Stop by our booth and maybe Tacos and Margaritas at Don Diego’s of Indian Wells afterward. 😀 

Tim is wondering where the courts are the British LTA announced that huge investment for New courts please! Where are all the promised indoor tennis facilities? Chuck Kriese introduces the four personality types of tennis students in a post titled Build Your Best Game.

Rod Heckelman gives us his thoughts on why few new players need league or tournament play and what we can do about it under Something to Think About. Gary Horvath tackles the frequently confusing topic of Markovian chains and point, game, set, and match probabilities in Where Can You Find a Handful of Points? CourtReserve Co-Founder and Marketing Guru Ashley Owens writes about How Technology Drives Success for Racquet Sports Instructors in “Ashley’s Tech Blog” this month.

So much more. Enjoy! And have a dynamite June!

Rich & Tim

Please note that all of our content is created by human professionals. While we may utilize Generative AI technology to assist in correcting syntax and grammar, our articles are written entirely by our team of experts. We value the expertise and creativity of our human writers in delivering high-quality content to our readers.