Keeping your shots deep is a strategy that most pros and coaches continuously encourage their students to follow. The reason this is such a good idea is because it reduces the options that your opponent has on their next shot. A deep ball often results in a short or weak shot from your opponent. If…
When a player decides to move forward during the point, most approach shots should be hit down the line and volleys should be hit crosscourt. If the approach shot is hit deep and down the line to one side of the court, the player can move more towards the direction of the approach shot and…
The inaugural Laver Cup, pitting Team Europe against Team World, was a huge success and the best idea to reinvigorate tennis in a long time. This was the tennis version of Golf’s Ryder Cup, and it was fast-paced, exciting and highly-competitive. I’m no fan of tennis exhibitions, because it is not real competition as the…
It is natural to run to where you believe the ball will end up on the tennis court. If a player can move in that direction and also go slightly towards where the ball is (forward), this will take time away from their opponent. Try to make the last few steps a little more on…
Maria Sharapova is back and better than ever. She is practically unstoppable. With this year’s U.S. Open behind us, it’s now time for the “Maria Sharapova Image Rehabilitation Tour.” Maria has a tell-all, say-nothing book about the profound difficulties of being a beautiful, wealthy, incredibly successful tennis star who was rightfully convicted of cheating. The…
The better the player, the more difficult it is to win the point by hitting the ball away from them. Sometimes hitting the ball right towards them is a great way to draw a weaker shot, which you can then direct away from them. It is often more difficult to get out of the way…
A very important, yet overlooked aspect of moving on the tennis court has to do with when to get your feet going and when to be stopped. Whenever you, your partner or your opponent are about to hit the ball (the forward swing is starting), your feet should be set. Using the split step just…
It is much easier to move side to side on the court than up and back. Try to watch the ball coming off the racquet and the height over the net. If it comes off the racquet low with the face flat, immediately take a step or two forward even if it looks like the…
This has been the hardest year of my life. My brothers, John and Mark, and I lost both of our parents this year, including my mom, Katherine, to cancer less than a month ago. I’ve turned to running as a coping mechanism, which has proven to be very healthy for my mind. It gives me…
The U.S. Open is about to bring the tennis world together into our backyard, but here on Long Island, the local tennis scene is anything but cohesive and it’s worth a discussion. Self-promotion is a great way to grow your program, but sadly, I see many examples of some going too far with dishonest representations,…