On a rare excursion away from the computer back when Tennis Server was first launched, editor Cliff Kurtzman works out with a future tennis star (who just happens to be his daughter) on the fundamentals of the game. |
It is not often that you get a chance to change the way an industry
communicates, but that is just what happened when the Tennis Server was
launched as the Internet's first tennis publication back in July of 1994.
At that time, the Internet was more a place of scholarly pursuit rather
than one of building community among sports enthusiasts or helping
merchants market tennis equipment.
A lot of people thought we were crazy. Looking back on all the nights and
weekends spent making this publication a reality, I'm sometimes not so sure
they were entirely wrong. But the bottom line is that we love the game and
want to help others enjoy the sport we love so much. My only regret is
that between the time I spend speaking at conferences, running the web site, and answering the e-mail, I rarely have time left over to actually get out on the court and play a set or two.
While running an ongoing dialog with our 25,000 subscribers and 100,000+ monthly web site visitors is always a
challenge, your kind words are what keeps us going. We are continually
overwhelmed by the positive response to the Tennis Server. It makes all
the effort worthwhile.
In addition to our subscribers, many thanks go to a lot of other people who
have made us successful. Tennis
Warehouse has been a steady major sponsor of our publication,
providing resources that keep us publishing from month to month. We have
received very strong feedback from our readers telling us that our sponsors
are providing them great value. It has truly been a win-win-win
partnership for us, our sponsors, and our subscribers. There is no better medium than the Internet for reaching and connecting with the niche tennis audience. Part of our goal is not just to bring tennis information to our readers, but to also help the tennis industry build their brands and enter into substantive and synergistic relationships with the online tennis audience.
Many people have contributed to the Tennis Server's success, often on a
purely volunteer basis. John Mills has been with us from the beginning,
contributing his monthly tips. For the time they wrote for us, David Higdon and Joel Drucker
brought the publication to new levels of journalistic excellence and
professionalism. There seems to be no end to the accolades for Dr. John
Murray's Mental Equipment sports psychology column. Ron Waite, Ray Bowers, Tom Veneziano and Greg Moran are major contributors, developing a loyal following and providing real insight into the
game. Dr. Jani Macari Pallis provides fascinating intellectual discourse with her column on tennis science, engineering, and technology. We are also thrilled to have had Mike Whittington, Vince Barr and Tony Severino as frequent contributors, with more new
writers showcased each month in our Wild Cards section. And a special thank you to Liza Horan -- her Tennis
USTA articles back in our early days really helped us get out the word to
the tennis community about the Tennis Server.
We've come a long way since 1994 but there is clearly a lot
more we can do. We will continue to enhance and expand the publication in
the future, and look forward to seeing you visit us often at tennisserver.com,
right here at Center Court for Tennis on the Internet.
Best,
Clifford R. Kurtzman, Ph.D.
Publisher and Editor-in-Chief
The Tennis Server
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281/480-6300
