Geoff Williams grew up playing tennis in his hometown of Richmond, California, winning his first and only junior tournament at age 11. Over the years he went on to become a fixture on the Northern California NTRP tournament scene, winning numerous titles at both the 4.5 and 5.0 levels. He accomplished this with a self-taught style, shunning lessons. His recent return to glory was inspired in part by his intensive study of Tennisplayer.net. He claims with a straight face to have read literally every article on the site. An electrical contractor by profession, Geoff lives in the East Bay with his wife Ronda.
Want to swap stories with Geoff or talk Gear Head talk? Email him: bestelectrician@sbcglobal.net
Geoff Williams
Classic Lessons
After 20 years away from competitive tennis in Northern California, I returned to play tournaments with a goal. To win a NTRP 4.5 tournament over the age of 50. Was that possible? Yes, but that gets ahead of the story....
Classic Lessons
I did not hit any topspin back hands for my first 12 years of tennis. My father, who was just a hacker, never hit a single topspin back hand in his life. As a child I was a fan of...
Classic Lessons
I was not a grunter for the first ten years of my tennis life. That was the period when none of the pro players were grunting at all. Then Johnny Mac and Jimmy Connors started grunting, and a tennis buddy...
Classic Lessons
For the last several years, there has been an explosion of new strings and new string combinations as part of the always evolving polyester revolution. So much has changed and continues to change that the average player can be befuddled...
Strategy
Tennis is a Warrior sport. I believe that all of us have had other lives where there were no games, just hunting animals or your neighbor. Every match/point is a small hunt. It's in the DNA of all people. It's...
Classic Lessons
The first tournament I won, a city of Richmond California open tournament, I won at the age of 11 years, against an 18 year old named Brian Taylor. Brian thought he had won the match, but on match point I...
Classic Lessons
The backhand overhead is generally thought to be the most difficult shot in tennis. But, like any other shot, mastering it is only a matter of the right technique. I believe the backhand overhead should be an aggressive shot hit...