If everyone in your home has a “reserved” seat at the dinner table, you understand the value of friendly habits. Familiarity provides comfort. It’s why serving rituals in which we bounce the ball the same exact way before starting our motion is so important. If you are a young person schooling from home, it’s…
In 1999, a young Novak Djokovic sheltered in place, huddled in a basement while NATO bombed his hometown of Belgrade, Serbia for over two weeks. He credits this difficult time with changing his life by making him stronger. When he resumed playing tennis, it was a joy. There was no pressure because he realized…
This is a difficult time for everyone. For young tennis players it’s frustrating, scary and confusing. But maybe it’s also an opportunity to learn, grow and mature. Education is a shared responsibility, and for the moment that’s an imposed reality. We can sit in isolation and feel like victims or we can rise above and take action to empower…
Players generally stand in the middle of the baseline to warm up before a singles match. However, it is rare that both players are standing in this position during an actual point. In singles, the server will be slightly to the right or left of the center of the court and behind the baseline….
Your movement on the tennis court is one of the most important tools you can use to win the match. There are many different ways to do this. First, by running after every ball and getting many of your opponent’s best shots back in play, you can force them to go bigger and try…
A rule quickly gaining traction in the tennis world is “no-ad scoring,” which eliminates serving advantages. Many tennis fans have mixed feelings about this method, arguing that while it opens the game up to chance, it regulates the pace of the match and almost guarantees a conclusion within two hours. This is billed as…
Although spin has become a big part of the modern game of tennis, it is still very important to let your racquet follow the ball towards your target. The best players in the world are very aware of the racquet head just prior to contact, as the ball is being hit and immediately after…
Hitting the return of serve and following it to the net puts immediate pressure on the server. If you are returning a second serve, especially against someone who tries to simply get the second serve in play, coming in behind the return can make their next second serve weaker, take away time on the…
Players who hit a two-handed backhand have to get in a more precise position than players with a one hander. This would seem to make it more difficult to execute but, in most cases, it actually helps the player use the correct footwork which can make this shot a weapon. If your opponent hits…
Tennis is a complex sport. If I were to simplify how to teach a beginner how to hit the ball from the baseline, this is where I would start: First, practice watching the ball from the opponent’s point of contact all the way past your own point of contact. Determine whether it is a…