With the French Open about to begin, it will help players to watch how the pros use their slide to cover the court and keep their balance. The best place to start when trying to improve your sliding technique is to do some practice movements with your racquet in hand but without hitting the…
One of the most difficult situations a player may face on the tennis court is what to do when your opponent is capable of hitting a large variety of shots. This includes changing the pace, different spins, different trajectories, and different depths of shot. Your goal should be to try to hit your regular…
Almost every player has a shot that can be exploited. Initially, most players’ forehands are stronger than their backhands. If you are not sure which side is weaker, try attacking their backhand first and see what the response is. It may be necessary to hit the ball to their stronger side initially to open…
Players have always had different service motions. If you put 10 players on the baseline at once and watch them hit a serve, you will see 10 different serves. There will be similarities and there will also be many things that the best servers have in common. The toss will be consistent, the shoulder…
There are only a few days a year when you will walk on a tennis court and all seems to go well. There are many more instances when you are struggling with one or more shots and the ability to put a good point together. It is extremely important to learn how to be…
A player with a good slice backhand can cause a lot of frustration, especially in rallies from the baseline. The shot has less pace, bounces low, and it is difficult to change the direction of the shot due to the spin. A great strategy against players with a good slice backhand is to move…
It is human nature to get nervous during a match. Your best defense against nerves is to stay, or return to, as relaxed a state as possible. There are a few physical things you can do to achieve this relaxed state. First, take some nice deep breaths just after, as well as, just prior…
Players who have a good slice can be very frustrating, but there are several things you can do to handle this shot better. First, try to keep your position on or inside the baseline. A slice will stay low and you must be ready to move right towards where the ball will bounce. Next,…
The return of serve is one of the two most important shots in tennis—the serve being other. Most people can hit their serve faster than any other shot. In addition, the serve has to land inside the service line forcing the returner to hit the return of serve sooner than other shots. Because of…
It is such a big advantage to get your first serve in play. Your opponent has no idea how you are going to hit the first serve-speed, spin, direction, etc. If you miss your first serve, you have to get the second serve in. This means you have to give yourself more margin for…