NEW YORK -- You get just five precious minutes. Five minutes to hit tennis balls on the court where youre about to play a match that could win you tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars and the chance for even more riches at the tournament -- or could send you to the airport.Five minutes to feel the depth, spin and speed of your opponents shots, in the wind, sun and humidity youre about to contend with. Five minutes to practice every type of shot you might have to hit, some of them dozens or hundreds of times: serves, forehands, backhands.Yet just about every pro spends at least half of those five precious minutes standing near the net, hitting the ball out of the air -- something he or, especially, she might do more in those five minutes of warm-ups than in the actual match.Tennis players dont come to net in matches as much as they used to, and some essentially dont do it at all of their own volition, though they might find themselves up there unwillingly after retrieving an opponents drop shot. Yet even the most dedicated baseliner hits about 15 volleys and smashes during warm-ups.Even Angelique Kerber, the world No. 2, who won the Australian Open and is a semifinalist here at the US Open.Sometimes you [are] going to the net, Kerber said after her fourth-round match against Petra Kvitova, a match in which Kerber went to net on just eight points, winning four. When you know you have a little bit [of] warm-up in the net its actually better for your [confidence]. Im not going too often to the net, but still its good to know that you hit during your practice [a] few balls there.Kerber played a lower percentage of her points at the net than just about any of the other 32 men and women who reached the round of 16 at the U.S. Open: just 5.6 percent through her first three matches. Not every match is scored, and counting can be inconsistent, because of the subjective nature of stat-keeping in tennis. Nonetheless, the naked eye and Kerber herself confirm that she rarely chooses to come to net. That didnt change much against Kvitova (6.1 percent).Venus Williams, who lost in the fourth round, played at net more frequently than most of her peers in the tournament.Some people come in just to shake hands and do the coin toss, she said. Im not one of those people.The seven-time major singles champ pointed out that slow courts and advanced racket strings make it easier for players to hit shots past opponents at the net. Kerber is much better at hitting passing shots than she is at cutting them off.Men generally go to net more often than women, in part because their bigger serves and topspin-laden ground strokes can push opponents back farther behind the baseline, and in part because their longer wingspans make it harder to hit over or around them.The frequency of net approaches varies widely among the men. British 21-year-old Kyle Edmund is among the least likely to come to net, and when he did in his fourth-round match against No. 1 Novak Djokovic, it often started with a Djokovic drop shot and ended with a missed or misplayed Edmund volley. Edmund won just 7 of 19 points at net.How many net shots players take in warm-ups seems to have little correlation to how often they venture to the net during matches. I counted warm-up net shots for 20 different players for 13 matches during the Open. And 70 percent of the players averaged between 13 and 17 net shots during warm-ups, typically dividing them up something like five forehand volleys, five backhand volleys and four smashes. (Theyd hit backhand smashes only when their opponents lobs went to the wrong side of the court.)Karolina Pliskova, who rarely goes to net, averaged nine net shots during warm-ups, while Serena Williams, who has been coming to net more this year, averaged 23. One sign that frequency of net points during matches has little to do with how much of their warm-ups players devote to net shots: Men averaged exactly as many warm-up net shots as women.Former pro and ESPN commentator Brad Gilbert pointed out in an interview that golfers dont warm up: They just play. Hed like to see tennis players do the same.You come to the court, do the coin toss, whoever wins, start play, Gilbert said. Nobody comes out on the court cold.His broadcasting colleague, 18-time major singles champ Chris Evert, said she used to take about 30 seconds warming up at net. Her rival Martina Navratilova, who played much more at net than Evert did, would use a minute and a half at net. (American teenager Taylor Townsend, whose net game is a throwback, starts her warm-ups at the net rather than the baseline.)Evert said she thinks even Kerber types should practice volleys during warm-ups.It gives you a quicker reaction, Evert said. You see the ball quicker.There are lots of other reasons to practice net shots, too. Players who dont choose to come to net much might get drawn forward by their opponents, like Kerber was by Roberta Vinci with drop shots in their quarterfinal on Tuesday. (Kerber ended up winning 7 of 13 net points.) And showing you can hit competent smashes might help dissuade your opponent from throwing up lobs whenever theyre out of position.Even Evert, who encourages everyone to warm up their volleys, reminds pros not to skimp on warm-up serves.The serve is the most important thing to practice. Air Max 270 Mens Yellow . After Gasquet beat fifth-seeded Ivan Dodig of Croatia 7-5, 6-3, Tsonga followed up with a 6-7 (3), 6-2, 6-2 win against sixth-seeded Edouard Roger-Vasselin in an all-French match. Air Max 180 Womens . Its sharpness matched my mind. This was no night to go to sleep. http://www.cheapairmax270.us.com/cheap-nike-air-vapormax/vapormax-97.html . Collaros, 25, was solid last season, posting a 5-2 record as the starter while incumbent Ricky Ray was injured. Collaros also started Torontos 23-20 regular-season finale loss to Montreal — Ray didnt dress because the Argos had already clinched first in the East Division — but was one of three quarterbacks to play that day. Air Max 270 Mens Sale . "Thank you for the warm welcome," Beckham said on an 80-degree February morning. In this case, it was soccer weather. The sport moved a step closer to returning to South Florida on Wednesday, when Beckham confirmed he has exercised his option to purchase a Major League Soccer expansion franchise in Miami. Air Max 270 Sale . -- There were a lot of firsts for the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday night. ANTIOCH, Calif. -- Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh checked an item off his bucket list during the?Wolverines?bye week: He announced the homecoming queen at a high school football game.Harbaugh was on a recruiting trip at Antioch High School, about an hour outside of San Francisco, to see running back?Najee Harris, the No. 3 player in the ESPN 300 recruiting rankings who is committed to?Alabama.The Antioch Panthers announced their homecoming queen at halftime of their game against Liberty High Schoool (Brentwood, Calif.dddddddddddd) and asked Harbaugh -- already on the sideline -- to do the honors.The cheerleaders and crowd roared when Harbaugh announced Tatiana Mendez as the Antioch High School homecoming queen.Harbaugh said hed never before been asked to play emcee on a recruiting visit.That was an all-time first for me, Harbaugh said. That was really cool. Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys cheap jerseys Cheap Jersyes Cheap Basketball Jerseys Cheap NHL Jerseys cheap jerseys Cheap Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Cheap Jerseys From China Cheap NFL Jerseys ' ' '