Giving Thanks

photo by Tim Mossholder, via unsplash

Thanksgiving is one of the days I take off every year; usually I'm on my way to Florida for the Eddie Herr-Orange Bowl-Junior Orange Bowl stretch, but this year, the Eddie Herr and Junior Orange Bowl are not happening, and the annual family celebration in North Carolina has been canceled as well. 

But even with those disappointments, there is much to thankful for, and I do want to take a moment to again express my appreciation to all of you for continuing to visit the Zootennis, even in this very unusual year, when much of the tennis news for months was simply cancellation after cancellation. 

I miss covering tournaments in person, and still view that as the most important and enjoyable facet of what I do, but I am grateful that even while confined to my home office, I have been able to continue to follow and report on, if only second-hand, the sport that has been my focus throughout the past 16 years.

Once a year is not often enough to say thank you, but a day dedicated to that reminds us all of what we take for granted, and the importance of making the effort to communicate our gratitude. I personally don't want to let that opportunity pass, especially this year. 

I want to thank Tennis Recruiting Network for continuing to provide an outlet for my writing, even though there has been much less to write about these past nine months. Many of you probably don't remember a time when that website did not exist, but its impact on junior and college tennis over the past 15 years can't be overstated. Look no farther than the schools' articles about Division I signings the past two weeks and you'll see that TRN's rankings and designations for recruits are among the first items mentioned. I have always been proud of my association with Tennis Recruiting, and look forward to a time when I can get back to providing them with more tournament recaps.

It's also a great time to thank my advertisers, who are instrumental in keeping this website free and open to everyone. OTZ Sports has been advertising their dampeners and grips here for many, many years; IMG took a brief break mid-pandemic, but has been a longtime sponsor; the John McEnroe Tennis Academy is another advertiser who has supported the site through advertising for years. CrossCourt Consulting is new this year, and I appreciate their confidence that I can get the word about their product. Click on their banners to find out more if you are in the market for any of their products or services.

If you buy online, please consider using the Tennis Warehouse link near the top left of the home page. Revenue from that affiliation has dropped dramatically in the past year or so, so consider this a reminder that using that link also helps me financially.

Again, thank you for reading, and for your comments; I appreciate that the vast majority have been made with the best intentions and with a desire to inform and be informed. 

See you back here on Friday.