By Liza Horan

With Memorial Day about a month away, it's not soon to start thinking how much tennis you'll be able to fit into the summer. Whether it's urging friends to take free lessons as part of USPTA's Tennis Across America campaign, joining a clinic offered at a nearby Tennis Welcome Center, vowing to have fun while dropping a few pounds through Cardio Tennis, or competing in a local USTA Flex League, there are lots of choices to play. Your best bet may be to find out about special events in your own USTA Section.

However, there are lots of ways to enjoy tennis off the court, too. Your summer should have some R&R, right?

Here are some easy ways to squeeze more tennis into your summer:

- Get inspired by watching the pros: The three Grand Slams and the U.S. Open Series will have plenty of viewing options through ESPN (TV and website), Tennis Channel and the official websites at www.RolandGarros.org, www.Wimbledon,org and www.USOpen.org.

- Play with the pros: Well, virtually anyway, not actually. EA SPORTS has just announced its "Grand Slam Tennis" game will be available for the Wii on June 15 and for PlayStation 3 this fall. The company is releasing eight regional versions of the game. Roger Federer, Serena Williams and John McEnroe are featured on the North American version. Click for details.

- Give and get a cool tennis experience: It'll cost some dough, but a ticket to the Legends Ball on Sept. 11 will allow you to rub elbows with the likes of Monica Seles, Tracy Austin, Jim Courier, and Billie Jean King while raising money to help the International Tennis Hall of Fame's efforts to preserve the game and get kids picking up racquets. Seles is sure to be at the event since she's being inducted to the Hall in July, and the long list of legends will be confirmed as the event draws near. The annual live auction often includes outings with top athletes, such as a hitting session with Pete Sampras or a round of golf with a football star. Regular tickets start at $750, and a limited amount of junior tickets (for ages 18 to 40)are available for $350. Call 212-843-1740 for details.

- Volunteer at a USTA Block Party: These mini tennis festivals happen on courts in every state. If you want to spread the tennis love by donating some time, contact your USTA Section, which can put you in touch with local community tennis associations who run the free events. Click for contact info.

- Relax with a good tennis tome: There are lots of classic tennis books to help you take your game to the next level, but if you want to be purely entertained with real-life drama, check out these titles:

• "Getting a Grip: On My Body, My Mind, My Self" by Monica Seles. Fifteen years after the 19-year-old was stabbed during a changeover, fans are getting the real dope from a 35-year-old woman with perspective, confidence and the guts to tell her story in a way that services others. In the Introduction, Seles writes, "Albert Einstein said that insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different results. I wish I'd paid better attention to those words. When I was 19 years old, my life was turned upside down and for the next 10 years I was caught in the grip of that kind of madness." Click for the full review on TheBuzz and to purchase on Amazon.
• "Strokes of Genius" by L. Jon Wertheim. The 288 magical minutes that Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer treated us to in last year's Wimbledon final is captured here in 187 pages. Whatever tension, suspense and drama united and divided the players on that day is heightened as Wertheim explores the psyche and career path of each man and how their lives are intertwined. Readers are brought into the locker room—with Federer standing in front of locker #66 and Nadal at #101—just before the match begins, but it's not simply a play-by-play of the five-setter that is known as "the greatest match ever played." Theirs is truly a great tale of rivalry, and Wertheim's account illuminates and intensifies it. "Strokes of Genius" is scheduled to hit bookstores on June 4. Click to pre-order on Amazon.
• "Inside the U.S. Open" by Richard Kent. This author takes you into all corners of America's Grand Slam by exploring the experiences of ball boys, ushers and others who together number the thousands of people who work at the tournament. Click to purchase on Amazon.
• "Shooting for Tiger: How Golf's Obsessed New Generation Is Transforming a Country Club Sport" by William Echikson. American golf, like tennis, is waiting for The Next Big Thing. Who will be the next Tiger or Serena or Andre? In Echikson's quest to find out how phenoms get built and discovered, he interviewed up-and-coming golfers. Among them are world-class tennis spawn: Ivan Lendl's daughters Marika and Isabelle, and Petr Korda's daughter Jessica. It's an interesting look at the breeding of champions from an early age, and also an intriguing twist at why two tennis champions chose golf over tennis for their children. Publication date is May 4. Click to pre-order on Amazon.

Share your suggestions on how to have a tennis-filled summer by posting a comment below.