TopCourt has launched! The new "Netflix for Tennis"
A tennis project backed by the Bryan Brothers, Sloane Stephens, and other world-class players. Tennis lessons demonstrated by some of the best in the world.
Marriage of Tennis and Tech
In 2020, the fundamental way we enjoy our sport gets redefined. Indian Wells was canceled, and suddenly the tennis world found itself having a LOT of extra time on their hands. Equipped with 4K cameras, drones, and a tech-savvy team (led by fellow ACC tennis alums) - TopCourt was born.
The tennis platform designed to bring the player and fan at home onto each pro's tennis court. Its Hollywood production value and an All-Star lineup fuels the new gold standard for entertaining students of the game.
Our Tennis-Bargains Exclusive Preview -
(Link shared exclusively for Tennis-Bargains fans)
The secret reasons why we go to pro tennis events
Going to any Major like the US Open, I value these 2 bucket list experiences above all else:
1) Watching the 5th set Grand Slam match live on center court
2) Seeing and *listening* to the Tennis Pros prepare and practice from courtside
For #1, we can still rely on ESPN and Tennis Channel for all the big matches on our TV.
For #2, fans won't be allowed on the US Open grounds this year. We will miss all those special moments of exhibition genius and every off-camera funny insight that the World comes to NYC for.
Privately we want to train, feel, and hit like our tennis heroes.
Even for the lucky few who manage to squeeze into a front seat at a US Open practice, it isn't always comfortable. Waiting around P1-P5 all day patiently in a queue, they peek behind a wall of fans for a glimpse of one or two favorite stars.
Unfortunately, it is nearly impossible at the noisy event to ever catch all the tips thrown around in a drill or understand the coach's subtle advice to the player. Even if you could hear over the crowd noise and not get blocked, it would be really nice for once not to suffer the risk of being suffocated by a giant tennis mob crowding over you.
Now in 2020, there's a better way to "be there"...
Up Close and Professional
This is the unique first-person experience that makes TopCourt so unique and special. You are the "fly on the wall" with overhead drone shots, intimate camera angles, and personalized commentary speaking directly to you as the student in a private lesson.
TopCourt offers 30+ different pros and coaches - all gathered together, then recorded and mic'd up for one reason - to show you their inner game and shots that shaped them. Each pro has a different skillset and specialty which makes the TopCourt campus so diverse.
Watching the Lindsay Davenport documented series is like following a well-choreographed story with each chapter of her career. During her drills, you never feel the pro is holding back or the shots she explains are too imposing to try yourself. The edits are well done with many enhanced cues (such as the mini-court icon at the bottom revealing where each player and ball bounce is placed).
You get the benefit of their years of experience on tour, which distills differently with each pro's own style and humor in their teaching role. Chapters are bite-sized enough to absorb a few key ideas and then go out to implement, without feeling you have to binge-watch everything in one sitting.
Hitting Well: both the How and the Why
On their TopCourt show court, you learn straight from the pro's own descriptions. It covers both the nuts and bolts technique down to the internal intent involved to maximize each shot.
On TV, we get so focused on just the beauty of a great play or follow a slow-mo shot replaying the last winner, but almost never does anyone explain the subtle mental mechanics that go into creating that point. Agassi did this beautifully as a guest commentator on ESPN once. When you see the Flash play on screen, you should get to understand the Dazzle that goes behind setting it up.
Presence of Professors
Those few precious moments alone, just standing in awe on one single square-foot of real estate, was worth my flight ticket halfway around the World. I'll never forget standing next to Rafael Nadal. Last year, I found myself on the same red clay court as Rafa (twice) in Spain.
If I had to do it over again, I would go back to Barcelona or Mallorca again without hesitation. My Spanish isn't even that great - and even so, I enjoyed watching Moya and Nadal dialogue back and forth through every tennis ball so much that I was in a trance. Just being there within earshot of your tennis idol will exceed your greatest expectations.
When you get *this* close around these top pros, you also receive what I describe as an Education by Osmosis, byway of sheer proximity.
Given press credentials as a journalist and photographer to cover any pro event, even I would prefer to arrive during qualifications or early rounds. All the top guys are still loose and comfortable. When revisiting any of the four Grand Slams, if I could only be there for just one hour, I would beeline straight to the practice court of Federer or Nadal. Hanging out on the side of any Indian Wells practice court for an hour simply feels just so relaxed. It gives you everything else, outside of center court matches.
Upfront and center is exactly the seat where TopCourt aims to keep its viewers every time.
Stories from the Locker Rooms and Behind the Press Interviews
Be it their parents or coaches influence at an early age or a major turning point in their career, we see what fueled them early on. The interviews and stories on TopCourt take you beyond the spotlight. Very might like ESPN's 30 for 30 series, it adds a lot of humanity to each player's journey.
Another big bonus is that fans also get to relive the drama of their biggest wins and losses, truer to life than any tennis biography. They can speak in a clear zen-like state from the heart, sharing their life's ups and downs since childhood. Away from the constant pressures of competition and media probing at most tournaments for a sound byte, they have time to reflect deeply and showcase their favorite moments.
- Bryan Brothers
- Lindsay Davenport
- Taylor Fritz
- Belinda Bencic
- Fernando Verdasco
- Genie Bouchard
- Ajla Tomljanovic
- Sloane Stephens (available on 7/18)
(The bolded names, are the video series I recommend watching first)
Coming up next in August will be two legendary coaches:- Paul Annacone
Coached Roger Federer and Pete Sampras
- Brad Gilbert
Coached Andre Agassi and Andy Murray
Every 2-3 weeks will be another player video chapter released:
- Sofia Kenin
- Petra Kvitova
- Sam Querrey
- Elina Svitolina
- Reilley Opelka
- and many more
Free Limited-Time 14-day Trial
We can offer a 14-day free trial this week exclusively for our fans, are you interested to try?
Since no fans are allowed into the US Open this year, this was the closest experience we can offer to replicate the player's practice experience. As our valued reader, we are so proud to offer our free trial - as a "TopCourt Ambassador" immediately after its June launch. We signed up with our own company credit card to test the sauce and it doesn't disappoint.
Just as with every tennis product that has ever been reviewed on Tennis-Bargains.com, we put our personal money at risk first before our readers. TopCourt even sends you an email notification 2 days in advance of the trial expiration to remind you, in case you are not happy before the 14 days are up.
Reviewing every product firsthand is the only way to give the Tennis-Bargains seal of approval - on every racket, string, ball, event ticket, or tennis gadget. If we did not put up my own money to research and try it first, we would not expect you to do so either. At any later time, if a better product eclipsed it or felt it hasn't lived up to hype or expectations over the long run, then it would not stay on this site very long. This is Tennis-Bargains and we stand by the products we recommend.
