I hope you are enjoying the US Open 2008 as much as I am. I've watched some great matches and it's getting more and more interesting in the final rounds. Will Nadal finally win his first US Open? Can Federer finally win a Grand Slam this year?

Two more days and we'll know how it all went. I hope to watch the US Open 2009 live in New York... ;)

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1. What's new?
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Have you ever experienced a "tennis arm" and shallow breathing when you played a competitive tennis match? If yes, then you have also experienced the so-called choking.

The pros experience choking too and here are the 3 matches from the top of my head where pros choked:

- Jana Novotna had 4-1, 40-15 in the final set against Steffi Graf in the 1993 Wimbledon and lost 6:4

- Ana Ivanovic lost 6:1, 6:2 against Henin in the 2007 French Open final and was barely able to serve into the court

- Miroslav Mecir choked so much against Jimmy Connors at the WTC Cup in Dusseldorf in 1985 that he eventually served underhand. He was leading 5:2 and eventually lost 7:5.

So what can you do about it?

Dealing With Choking in Tennis

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2. Tennis Thoughts Blog
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a) Arturo from USA shares how his game changed after playing on clay courts for a while and then moving back to hard courts. Thanks to Arturo for sharing such great tips!

How Clay Court Tennis Helped my Game on Hard Courts

b) A reader asks 5 questions about serves, returns, mental toughness and other areas of tennis and I've shared my thoughts on the blog at:

5 Tennis Tips - Questions And Answers

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Thanks for reading, commenting on the blog and emailing me with your questions and kind words. Enjoy your game and pick up some new things from the US Open matches!

Talk to you in two weeks!

Best, Tomaz

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