Sad News to the Tennisplayer Community

[jeffreycounts]

To the Tennisplayer community,

As many of you know John was not feeling well for the last two months. Last month John was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer and passed away on February 13th with his wife Isabel by his side. John's wish was to continue Tennisplayer so that a new generation of tennisplayers and coaches can be exposed to his life's work, where "Visual Tennis" and the "Hidden Game" of slow motion video analysis were his ground breaking contribution to this sport we all love. As we mourn the loss of John, I want to reassure members that the core staff of Tennisplayer are going to be keeping this wonderful site going with new articles and video footage, just as we always have. John's brilliance will live on forever in the content he has so passionately and painstakingly created over the past 20 years.

More to come to honor John.

Jeff

[stotty]

I'm devastated. That's so terribly sad to lose our amazing John. It's heartbreaking. I will come back and write more once I've gathered myself.

[morespin]

I'm very sad to hear of John's passing. My condolences to his family and friends.
We will all miss him.

[neilchok]

I am so sorry for his loss!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He is absolutely the man. I thank him so much for all the videos he has done and creating this website. I know he is in a better place!!! It is really sad to hear this news, it seems things are getting crazy in the world. I appreciate John and all the members in this community. You guys seem like very real people, and it is a comfort to know people like you guys exist!!

[glennsheiner]

I have been a member for at least 10 years and consider this site the top tennis resource site online.

Kudos to John for his imagination and determination in making that happen.

My condolences to his family.

[doctorhl]

A legend in tennis sports skill analysis. His passing is a reminder that every day of life is a gift.

[BrianGordon]

Tennis has lost a great student and friend - if a silver lining exists, it is that his tennis legacy will live on through continued publication of tennisplayer.net.

"Special thanks go to John Yandell whose immense renown in the tennis world made it possible to assemble this group, comprised of some of the most elite college tennis players in America, on a single weekend in Napa, California."

This quote is from the acknowledgement page of my doctoral dissertation. His renown was rooted in his unyielding effort to understand the sport. The citation is a microcosm of his support for my work when many don't, and I will always be grateful for that.

John's beliefs were deeply held and well considered. To his credit, this website is a testament to allowing others to voice their beliefs without regard to his. I met John in the mid 90's when I was working on my PhD and wrote to inform him that his logic was "majorly flawed" on an issue.

I think he found it entertaining and that started a long collaboration. Countless hours of debating concepts in person and virtually - many more hours of him editing my writing for "understanding" and me insisting he was compromising the conciseness of my message.

I was shocked to hear of his passing. Thanks for your support and friendship JY. I'm especially saddened because we were just getting started. BG

[stotty]

John was a true pioneer who transformed the way coaches and tennis enthusiasts deepen their understanding of the game. Through his website, he provided coaches and players with an extraordinary depth of knowledge, empowering those who were serious about improving their knowledge and expertise. I once described Tennisplayer as a body of work — a phrase John had never considered for his own work, yet one that truly reflected it. As I remember, he quietly liked the term. On reflection, I would go even further. Tennisplayer stands as a masterpiece, meticulously dissecting tennis strokes and serving as an invaluable resource that has raised the knowledge of coaches and inquisitive players alike. That’s a remarkable legacy to leave behind.

I never met John, although I came tantalisingly close to doing so when he made the trip to Wimbledon some years ago. I just couldn't make that one particular day due to work commitments. I wish I had forgone those commitments now. I would love to have met John in person. He influenced my coaching over the years more than anyone.

My impression was that John had an open mind, always willing to consider any coach's view that carried merit — and perhaps, I imagine, equally quick to dismiss those that did not. I always found him honest and straightforward to deal with. I have emails from John going back to 2007, which I guess is when I first subscribed. Those 18 years have flown by and Tennisplayer just seemed to get better and better with time.

John endorsed a section of my portfolio on my way to becoming a Level 5 coach here in the UK — something that meant a great deal to me. His support carried weight, and as you can imagine, it went down well with the assessors. John was perhaps more widely known and respected over here than he ever realised.

I sincerely hope Tennisplayer will continue into the future. I will keep writing on the forum and remain a welcoming presence for anyone wishing to share their views while continuing to do my best to be a neutral force – something I believe John always appreciated.

Thank you, John Yandell, for all you have given me. You empowered me and made me a better coach than I could have ever been without you.

I will miss John sorely. My condolences go out to Isabel, who I feel for immensely at this moment.

[jimlosaltos]

These are rough notes I threw together merely as background for someone that is writing about John's passing for a general audience.
I offer it only as a stopgap until proper write-ups appear:
~~~~~

John raised the level of tennis instruction by pioneering the use of slow motion video and an understanding of biomechanics to help the entire sport have a better understanding of what works and how. Before Hawkeye made RPMs ubiquitous, John was the sole source of that data, tediously counting logo revolutions in video of Pete Sampras, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and hundreds more pro players. I love the story of Andy Murray asking John if he hit with as much spin as Fed and Rafa. John said, "I had to tell him 'No, you're 200 RPMs lower.' "

His web site shaped how the sport understood its mechanics. Terms such as "Shot Tolerance" were introduced on Tennisplayer.net, that one in an article by pro player Eliot Telscher. Details such as the way we describe how players grip rackets, were defined on his web site, with diagrams numbering the fit of finger and palm to the bevels of a racket grip.

In his words, his "teaching systems using high-speed video and mental imagery training with players at all levels, including Grand Slam champions John McEnroe and Gabriella Sabatini. His instructional articles have appeared in Tennis, World Tennis, Tennis Match, and Inside Tennismagazines." Contributors have ranged from prominent coaches such as Robert Lansdorp (Maria Sharpaova, Pete Sampras) to players such as Chris Lewis to Elliott Telscher. Hohn has done personal video analysis for hundreds of high level competitive players, including Justine Henin-Hardenne, Taylor Dent, Gabriela Sabatini, and John McEnroe, among others."

John's reach extended beyond tennis insiders. This story amuses, from one of his friends, "I'm thinking about John's surprise phone call in college from the famous psychologist B.F. Skinner. After speaking for a moment, John said, "Who is this really?" Yep, if was B.F. And John got to meet him and wrote an article about him." A reply: "He got such a kick out of telling that story. That, and the call he got from Cybill Shepherd"


#

[stroke]

I first corresponded with John back in the 90's with tennisone.com. He was so nice and open to corresponding with just a regular guy with no credentials. I joined tennisplayer.net as soon as he left tennisone and started tennsplayer.net, and have been a member ever since. I met him in person one year at Cincy Masters 1000. I told him I was going and we met briefly at the tournament. I had his phone number, he had mine, and we talked 2 or 3 times through the years. He was so nice and I considered him a friend. I just learned of this just this moment. It is so sad.

[stroke]

2013 Cincy

[jimlosaltos]

Jeff, can you make this a "sticky post" so it goes to the top and stays there?

I don't want to post something else and push this one down. Thanks.

[seano]

John's death hit me pretty hard, seems to have come out of nowhere. I had been coordinating my trip to the Miami Open with John in late January. John will be greatly missed and his contribution to the tennis community and Tennisplayer.net specifically, will carry on for a long time. He was a wonderful person and a good man. R.I.P my friend.

[neilchok]

Yeah the other thing quickly. I remember I read the articles on Robert Lansdorp and was so impressed, and I contacted John privately to see if I could some how contact him, and he immediately got back to me with Robert's number, with a warning "he can be a little rough".

I eventually did get in contact with Robert and he said he would be happy to give me a lesson and if I had any questions I could contact him. He said himself he was not coaching for a little bit, since his blood pressure was very low.

John was so helpful, and there was a whole section where we could ask him anything, and within usually an hour he had a response! I just also loved how he would defer to other more senior pros, as he said my skillset was more video analysis.

He was just a great moderator, and he brought so many people together, and all the videos that have compiled on this page has been so helpful, and all the articles by top coaches, including this forum.

It is unfortunate people like this are no longer here.

[glacierguy]

The loss of John Yandell is a terrible blow. I am shocked and truly sad that he has gone. My condolences to his family and friends.

I stumbled across tennisplayer.net as an unremarkable but enthusiastic recreational player a few years ago, and was amazed at how much I didn't know. A couple of years later, having read loads of articles and learnt from players and coaches on the forum far more knowledgeable than me, I knew a bit more and had really enjoyed the journey. When John made a few positive comments about my strokes I was tickled to bits. I couldn't believe that someone so experienced and respected could be bothered to give me a second thought, but John gave his time generously.

I sincerely hope that tennisplayer.net continues as a testament to John. I will always be grateful to him.