Tip of the Week: Return of Serve

By Steve Annacone
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...Read more

Tip of the Week: Get Your First Serve In

By Steve Annacone
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 error and it is likely...Read more

Tip of the Week: Play the Ball, Not the Opponent

By Steve Annacone
It is very difficult to make the tennis ball your main focus on the court. Often, players try to hit the ball to the openings on the court as well as trying to anticipate the next shot our opponents’ might hit. This tends to result in watching the court openings or the players, rather than the ball...Read more

Tip of the Week: Use Your Footwork to Help Hit the Ball More Solid

By Steve Annacone
The tennis ball is traveling faster and faster in today's game. By reminding yourself to contact the ball at the peak of the bounce you will get to the ball more quickly, be able to use your regular swing, and give yourself the best chance of consistently hitting the ball more solid. Human nature...Read more

Tip of the Week: Make Adjustments to Your Stringing to Help Your Play

By Steve Annacone
Polyester string is all the rage on the pro tour. Most players use some type of poly or a hybrid of poly and synthetic gut or gut. The polyester strings are generally more stiff and allow the pros to get more spin and power because they can swing more freely without worrying about the ball flying...Read more

Tip of the Week: Three Basic Technique Ideas and Three Basic Strategy Ideas

By Steve Annacone
Keep your thoughts as simple as possible. Here are a few technique and a few strategy ideas to consider. Try to execute one at a time. Watch the ball all the way through the point of contact on all of your shots. Get ready for the ball to come back after each shot. Follow through on all of your...Read more

My Thoughts On The 2018 New York Tennis Expo

By Steven Kaplan
Long Island and New York Tennis Magazine does so much to promote and grow local tennis that when David Sickmen asked if my club would participate in The New York Tennis Expo, it was an offer I couldn't refuse. My motives were not purely philanthropic, however. The first few New York Tennis Expo's...Read more

Tip of the Week: Tennis is Still a Sideways Sport

By Steve Annacone
Although the majority of players these days hit many shots with an open stance, tennis is still a sideways sport. The best players have their shoulders sideways (or even past sideways) to the net just prior to starting the forward part of the swing. This applies to all shots, even the serve. The...Read more

Tip of the Week: Adjust Your Court Position

By Steve Annacone
A good player tends to react to the shot that was just hit by moving their feet prior to the next shot. If the shot that they (or their partner) has hit is offensive, and/or hit well, movement forward happens prior to the opponent's response. If the shot is more defensive or not hit well, a step or...Read more

Tip of the Week: Have a Convenient Memory

By Steve Annacone
Let’s face it—almost every tennis match you play will be a roller coaster ride. There will be lots of highs and lows. The longer you are on the court, the more likely this will be the case. If you look at both the Men's and Women's 2018 Australian Open singles finals, all four players had their...Read more

Tip of the Week: Keys to Placing Your Serve

By Steve Annacone
The modern game tends to emphasize power and pace on your shots. This is very evident on the serve where even the good club player can now hit a serve with enough speed to give the opponent trouble-if it goes in! Being able to place your serve is a very underrated skill and can be the key to your...Read more

Tip of the Week: Your Volleys Can Win the Match

By Steve Annacone
In both singles and doubles, your ability to volley well can be the deciding factor in the match. Most players these days can hit their groundstrokes well. If you can use your offensive shots from the baseline to work your way into the net and finish by hitting a winning volley, this could be the...Read more
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