Billy McQuaid - Tennis Pro

After a 3-month long injury, Riley McQuaid wins the National Regional Open in the Girls 14s division in Palm Desert, CA in both the singles and doubles. As the #2 seed, Riley defeated the #1 seed (and her best friend) Ryan Peus from Santa Barbara 6-3, 6-4. Then, she teamed up with Katya Tabachnik from San Francisco to win the doubles 8-4. It was a great day for Riley!!!! The lesson here is simple...enjoy and never take for granted every moment, every day and every match you play!!! It's an opportunity some people only wish they had. One very important thing that I know about tennis is that things changes quickly. Sometimes it's for the better, sometimes for the worse. As I always say, "work on your development, have a great attitude, embrace and enjoy the journey"!!! Tonight, I think we're going to In-and-Out!!!!

I have been fortunate enouth to have coached two kids to a #1 national ranking...Joe DiGiulio (2007) and Riley McQuaid (2011). Remember, never confuse "anger" with "accountability". I'm not angry with anyone but I will hold you accountable. So, when you come on my court, you'd better be ready to BRING IT! It's that simple... (pictured in this album is 8 y.o. Grant and 13 y.o. Riley McQuaid)

So you want to become a better tennis player????

Then ask yourself 3 very important questions!!!!

1) DESIRE- do you really really want to get better? Do you take lessons or clinics to improve your strengths and weaknesses ? Do you play tournaments, competitive matches at the club or wherever? Do you play singles? Will you still play in a match even though you know you are by far the better player?

2)MOVEMENT- can and will you move(run) to get to the ball? You don't have to be as fast as Nadal, or the the fastest player at the club, but you need and want to be able to get from point A to point B and back to the center of the court in a timely matter.

3) PRACTICE- do you and will have time to practice(hit a ton of balls, say 50,000). My name is Billy, it's not Merlen. There's no magic out here. I don't care who you take lessons from!!! If you don't practice and hit lots of balls your simply not going to improve much. Like I always say" if you want to be a good swimmer? Then you need to spend some time in the pool"

If you answered yes to these 3 questions, congrats your already on your way to becoming a much better tennis player. Enjoy the journey!!!!!

Great article. Worth a read...

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444443504577603251303470774.html?KEYWORDS=don%27t+try+this+at+home

Don't Try This at Home With the U.S. Open starting next week, many tennis fans will be watching Federer, Murray and Serena Williams for tips on how to improve their own games. Why it's a mistake to try to emulate the bigger, stronger, faster pros.

"it ain't over till its over"
That's yogi berra's (NY Yankee hall of famer) famous quote. I use it all the time on ct.1. Remember tennis is one of the very few games you will play where there is no time limit to the match. There is no time clock in tennis. That is precisley why you will always have a chance to come back. Have you ever been down 2-5 in a set and came back and won the set? Sure you have. Or been up 4-1 and serving but somehow lost that same set 5-7. Sure you have. Reminding yourself "It ain't over til it's over" will keep you focused on the the most important part of the match? The point you are playing. Remember, your not playing Soccer. In Soccer when your up 2-0 with 4 hours to play. IT'S OVER!!!
Let me know what you think? Except you soccer fans.

"Quit trying to put the square peg in the round hole...it doesn't fit"
You've heard that cliche before, and I use it often on Ct. 1. But what does that have to do with tennis you may ask? It simply means if the shot's not there than the shot's not there. I see a lot of players trying to make the perfect shot on a ball hit where they are completely out of position. When someone hits a great shot against me the first thing I do is lower the expectation of how good my next shot should be. In other words "Don't make it too good just make it" when you're out of position. It takes a very smart, experienced, and mature player to understand that some balls need to be put in play, and some balls need to be put away. The next time you go for that perfect winner, make sure the ball is hit high enough, short enough, and preferably slow enough in order for you to be successful. Try putting the round peg in the round hole, it fits a whole lot better. That's the difference between someone who knows how to hit and someone who knows how to play. Let me know what you think...

Here are four of my favorite quotes. Tell me which one you like best...

"I never won a Grand Slam tournament. I never played at Wimbledon. And, I didn't make much money on the pro tour but man I wish I had a dollar for every guy I've beaten with a 32 inch waistline."

-Billy McQuaid

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"Keep things in perspective. Whether you won or you lost, it doesn't matter how good you are or how good you think you are, there will always be 300 million Chinese that won't even know you played today."

-Jim McQuaid (my dad)

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"Kid, the way I see it you have two choices: you either quit missing or you quit playing"

-Ken Stuart
(response to 19-year-old Billy McQuaid's
question on how he's going to become a
better tennis player)

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"He plays tennis all day and yells at people."

-Garrett "Dawg" McQuaid
(response to his preschool teacher's
question "What does your daddy do for a
living?")

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"After all is said and done, more is usually said than done" Remember problem solving plays a major impact on the outcome of a tennis match. Sometimes you need to take off the white collar and put on the blue collar and find a way to just GET IT DONE! You don't have to be the best player at the club, nor the best player in the tournament. You just need to be a little better than the person or persons across the net from you. just GET IT DONE BABY !!!

I'm pulling for fed, but I think it's going to be Murray's day!!! What do you think?