Top 10 Things in Tennis that Need to Change

Pro and recreational tennis have come a long way since the birth of the sport. But that’s no reason not to seek continuous improvement. Here are 10 things that need to change in 2013 to improve the sport.

10. Rafa’s absence
Is he injured or not? Stomach virus is causing him to withdraw from the Australian Open three weeks before the event? His knees are better? We need Nadal to start playing or officially retire. He is missed.

9. Get rid of the let serve
At all levels, not just the NCAA. Let’s play service lets in the pros and USTA leagues. Netcord aces would be thrilling (to hit)!

8. No-ad scoring in USTA leagues
Ugh, I lose more than my fair share of deuce points. Can we at least play ONE ad?

7. Lack of televised doubles
There are six doubles players and two singles players per USTA team. Most people play doubles, let’s see more on TV. Require the top players to play events.

6. Comcast f&#%ing up my DVR recordings of the Grand Slams
Please! I don’t want the recording to stop after four sets. I want to watch the 5th set too!

5. Online streaming
The US Open is the best grand slam in terms of online access. Let’s have that for all the events.

4. Depth on the women’s side
Serena is awesome. But it’d be great if it wasn’t Serena vs. everyone else in terms of talent.

3. Shortened USTA seasons
With the new 18+ and 40+ my 4.0 league went from 9 matches to just 6. I want more matches and I bet others do too.

2. The USTA’s website
Tennislink, tournaments, leagues, what? Why does the back button not go back just one page? Too much weird javascript. Why can’t I send a direct link to someone? So many ads too! It’s a mess of a website that needs a major overhaul.

1. Clown-colored shoes
What happened to style and sophistication? They are tennis shoes, not a pack of Skittles.