We have written numerous articles about what the tennis community can do to improve the interest of the general public in tennis. But there has been one important topic we have not yet addressed: Learning to accentuate the positive.

It is rare to watch a tennis match on TV without hearing about the short comings of the players. In fact, there seems to be no other enterprise in which participants are placed under such intense scrutiny and subjected to less than flattering commentary. 

What does not seem to be well understood by TV commentators is that the average viewer is not interested in hearing about the players' short comings. From the untrained eye, professional players seen on TV, look great. The general public watches tennis on TV because they feel some connection to the players. When their short comings are mentioned this bond between tennis and the public is weakened. After all, who wants to watch someone with whom that the commentators find fault. 

Finding fault is a turn off to the American TV viewing audience because the average American is both tolerant and forgiving. It is one of the trademarks of our society that makes us strong. It is turnoff because it is hard to make sense of critiquing players who have devoted their lives to doing something well and are our best examples of what is really great about tennis.

Professional tennis, whether you play the circuit or teach, is a difficult life. Very few players every make a good living, particularly women, yet every year there are new faces eagerly flowing into this sport with dreams of being number one.

Every man and woman who has dedicated themselves learning to hit a tennis ball with precision and grace have done so at the expense of other activities that most of us take for granted. Teenagers who aspire to play in college or professionally usually head to the practice court after school rather than hang out with their friends. The have to stay up late to finish their homework and get up early to practice again before school starts. They spend their weekends on the court rather than at the beach. They learn at an early age the price you have to pay to reach a high level of skill in any area.

Tennis professionals are great examples of commitment, dedication, determination, desire, and the pursuit of excellence. So when a commentator finds fault with one of these remarkable individuals, it is confusing to a public who admires the many important values that the professional player represents.

Every time we play a professional tournament, Becky and I marvel at the endurance and spirit that these young people must have to endure the hardships of professional tennis. You might wonder at this statement since it is hard to see how Capriati or Henin are making a sacrifice by being on TV and earning a six figure paycheck for a weeks work. But this is a veneer that conceals the true cost of professional tennis.

In order for anyone to reach the top ten in the world there must be hundreds of other players that form the backbone around which a major tournament can be organized. But the major tournaments are major because there are also many lesser known tournaments. In turn the lessor known tournaments would be unpopulated without the satellite and challenger tournaments. In short, the top ten professional men and women players stand on the shoulders of over two thousand dedicated but 'unknown' and unseen players without whom there would be no professional tennis circuit. The constant flow of new faces and new challengers into the top ranks is a direct result of the vast array of lessor tournaments and yet unknown players who are dedicated to doing something well. The 'story of tennis" is a powerful story of human achievement and values. It is this story that needs to be told because this is the story that the public can relate to.

To revitalize tennis we need to think about how to vitalize televised tennis. To bring to life is not the same as finding fault. In fact, because the American viewing audiences do not feel the need to find fault with players they admire and want to relate to, they also do not want to hear others finding fault.

There is enough unpleasantness in the news everyday that we have no need for anymore. When we tune in tennis, what we want to hear are 'feel good' comments and stories about the players that allow us to relax and forget about our own difficulties for a moment. We want to hear about how a player realized their dreams so that maybe we will have some hope of realizing our dreams too.

We tune into tennis to bring the beauty, excitement, inspiration, and joy of the game into our homes to be enjoyed with family and friends and we look to the TV commentators as the people we depend on to make this happen.