I was inspired to write this article after a match I recently played against one of my top students.

What happened during that match?

Even though my student is much younger than I am (he is 17), I found myself overpowered by the strength of his strokes and his quickness. This usually makes me proud to see in my students, but in that particular situation, I had to save my pride by trying not to lose to him.😁

One thing I had to do to stay “alive” in that match was to be creative and step out of my comfort zone. To achieve that, I had to mix up my shots much more often than I usually do. I had to plan every stroke ahead (meaning, I had to think of at least two tactical shots before the point began) and react much quicker…

So what is the lesson you can learn from my experience?

• If a player wants to achieve top performance in tennis, they must strive for consistency and stroke dependability first. This consistency must be applied to at least two shots on each side (forehand, backhand, or serve). Because if one fails, you must be able to rely on the other.
  How can a stroke fail you? In my case, against this particular student, he would crush my kick serve 90% of the time (putting it away), so I had to use my slice on the second serve most of the time to keep him from winning the point off my second serve. By having two dependable serves (kick and slice), I could switch between them when one failed me.
• As a player, you must learn to think ahead during the point. Avoid just hitting the ball in play and waiting to see what happens. Instead, you must make things happen. If your opponent, let’s say, is slow, then hit the ball often to the open court to make them hit it on the run (off-balance). If they like to come up to the net, you can visualize a two-shot combination: one shot short at their feet, followed by an attacking shot (assuming the low ball at their feet will produce a slow return), etc. Think of at least two shots that will put you ahead in the point!
• A good player must be quick. If you are not, then you can train to become quicker. When I say quick, I do not mean fast. For example, I was never a fast runner, but I was quick on the tennis court. How can you be quick on the tennis court? Apart from doing footwork and specific drills, you must train your eyes to read your opponent’s body language. Pay attention to the way their body is facing before the shot or the grip they’re using to strike the ball. Also, learn proper court coverage so you know ahead of time (before your opponent strikes the ball) what their options are based on their location on the court.

Consider these new tips when assessing your game, and identify what you lack and what you need to improve.

Above all, work on stroke variety in your practice sessions. Is your slice backhand a weak shot? Then go ahead and practice it. You never know when you will face someone who struggles against slices. Is your slice serve a weak shot? Well… you know what to do. And so on. Practice what you are not very good at because being able to change your game and mix up your shots will pay off in many tennis matches.

Having fun playing comes from being confident that you can rely on your strokes when needed.

Practice all your shots, not just the ones you like.

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