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FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | SEPTEMBER 2022 59 Whenever we see an exceptionally tall athlete in person or on TV, our natural instinct is to think the athlete is probably a basketball player, right? Well, not anymore. Nowadays, it's not unusual to see a male professional tennis player whose height is 6'4" or 6'5", or a female professional tennis player standing at 6'1" or 6'2". The average height for male pros is generally about 6'1", and for female pros about 5'8". As in most sports, a tennis player's physique is a natural advantage. One physical characteristic which has always benefited pro tennis players is height. One notable advantage is their monster serve. Due to their height, they can generally hit a much harder and faster serve. Take for example, Ivo Karlovic, a Croatian tennis pro who stands at 6'11", is known for his super fast serve and his serve-and-volley game. He has clocked a first serve at 156 mph, and a second serve at 144 mph, while most male tennis pros don't even clock their first serve at 144 mph, let alone their second serve. In 2007, Karlovic reportedly served 1,318 aces in one single season. Reilly Opelka, an American pro who stands at 6'11", is also known for his big serve. All these very tall tennis players frequently benefit from their height while competing in the game. That said, it is by no means conclusive that tall tennis pros will dominate the pro circuit. On the contrary, the Big Three (Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic) have been dominating the ATP major championships for almost the past 20 years. These three players whose heights are 6'1", 6'1", and 6'2", respectively, are all around the average height for male pro tennis players. Thus, they have proven that they do not rely on height for their incredible achievements. At the other end of the spectrum, Rod Laver, who is considered one of the best who had ever played the game, only stands at 5'8". Therefore, we can safely say that while height could be helpful at times on the tennis court, the ultimate success is most likely attributable to the talents and hard work rather than the height of the player. See you all at The Courts! Website: https://sites.google.com/view/ tennis-fourseasons/home. ~ Stan Lam, (714) 757-2141, slamcpa@gmail.com Tennis Club Guess which one is Reilly Opelka Our paddle group finally had our long-awaited get-together. We gathered at The Summit for a pizza party filled with lots of fun, laughter, and full bellies. We changed our evening playtime from 6 to 7 pm. Saturday remains at 8 am. Welcome to our four new players: Brian and Rebecca Flowers, Beverly Haller, and Jim Wong. We are happy to teach you how to play. Come join us… 15, 30, 40, FUN. ~ Lizzie Carbajal Gallegos, Jpaez111555@gmail.com Paddle Tennis

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