More warm-up time The serve is a complex physical movement. It is one shot where you can’t just stick your racket out in front of you and block the ball back over the net. But one thing is certain. The serve is easier if you’re warmed up. Letting your opponent serve first (and relatively “unwarmed […]

Very likely the typical club player’s serve isn’t much of a weapon under the best of circumstances. It’s even less threatening when a player isn’t warmed up, isn’t into the match, isn’t relaxed, and isn’t really comfortable with their serve, which exactly describes the conditions for your opponent serving first in the match. It’s amazing […]

Here’s a bet you can win 90 percent of the time with your tennis friends: “What choices does the player who wins the spin of the racket (or toss) have?” Most of the time they will say the answer is to serve/receive or select which side to begin the match on. Wrong! There is one […]

This next step is the point of transition from the pre-match preparation into the heart of the contest. I consider the first two games to be included in this transition. I use this period to gain an edge that may be ignored by the other players. I’m looking for those moments in a match where […]

The players are those who give you trouble, the opponent whose style of play or type of shots beat you more often than not. For you, it may be a Serve-Volley Player or a Retriever. It could be a lefty who always gives you problems. It could be somebody who’s very fast out on the […]

As a final test, play a set against your practice partner using standard rules, with one exception: an either player who wins a point with a volley wins the game. Regardless of the score, the game is won if you or your opponent finishes a point with a volley. Use good judgment when going to […]

The drop shot is basically a forehand or backhand that is hit softly with an open racket face that puts a backspin or no spin on the ball. Your shot drops softly over and close to the net, away from your opponent on the other side. Use the drop shot when you are in a […]

The drop shot is all about shot selection, court positioning, and deception. Shot selection means hitting the right shot at the right time—that is when your opponent is out of position and not expecting a drop shot. The court position is simple. Don’t try a drop shot from your baseline. From this position, the drop […]

Some players deliberately try to distract you or interrupt your thinking with an assortment of gamesmanship or unsporting behaviors. Some of the more popular methods are illegally stalling, talking to you or to spectators, arguing, being overly dramatic, and making a bad call just to upset you. You can handle these situations two ways without […]

Maintain focus even if you are playing someone you should easily beat. Be nice, but try just as hard to win every point as you would against someone who is your equal or better. If you can win 6-0, do it. Never throw points or games in a match because you feel sorry for the […]

Sooner or later, every tennis player has to compete against someone with superior talent. Fortunately, going against someone who is physically superior doesn’t have to result in an automatic loss. Once a match begins, try not to worry about how good your opponent is. You are stuck with each other, so go ahead and play […]

Left-handed players have an advantage in tennis. The percentage of successful left-handed players seems to be disproportionately high. No one is used to playing left-handers, and few people enjoy the experience. Crucial shots seem to go to the left-handed player’s forehand. It can take a whole set or match to figure out their serves. If […]

Skills for this step are more mental than physical, and simulating game situations is not easy. The following scoring summary lists the drills that tested your ability to manage difficult situations. Enter your score for each drill and total your points. A score of 40 or more points out of 80 is a good one. […]

Noise is a problem only if you are not used to it. If people are making enough noise to warrant a complaint, either tolerate it or ask them to be quiet. If the noise is coming from traffic, from construction work being done near the courts, or from passersby, learn to live with the noise […]

Recreational mixed doubles have some unwritten rules: Everyone has a good time, everyone gets into the action, and everyone comes away from a match in good physical and emotional health. In tournament competition, these rules do not apply. Competitive mixed doubles should be played similarly to men’s doubles and more aggressively than women’s doubles. Here […]

Warming up for a tennis lesson, class, or match is important not only for preventing injuries but also for improving performance. Cooling down properly and safely gets your body back to normal and may help prepare you for the next time you play. In between, tennis players can sustain injuries. In this section, you’ll read […]

After a match or practice tennis session, don’t just finish the last point, walk off the court, and get in a car to go home. Take a few minutes to cool down. It reduces the risk of blood pooling in your legs, avoids the risk of a sudden drop in blood pressure, and allows your […]

In most cases, preparing to hit a defensive lob is a problem. If you are scrambling to survive a point, preparation is seldom the same, and fundamentals take second place to returning the ball high and deep any way you can. Points are not awarded for style. If you have time to set up perfectly […]

For tennis players, the two most likely places for blisters to develop are the racket hand (hand and racket friction) and the feet (shoe, sock, and foot friction). Shoes that don’t fit properly, differences in court surfaces, heat, sweating, and an increased level of activity are all factors that could lead to the formation of […]

Backhand Lob Preparation Backhand grip Run and plant foot Short backswing on defensive lobs Swing Open racket face Low-to-high swing Follow-Through High racket finish on defensive lobs Complete follow-through on offensive lobs Misstep Lobs are hit out. Correction Reduce the length of your backswing, don’t swing as hard, or compensate for wind at your back. […]

You can hit a lob using either a forehand or a backhand. The grip for a forehand lob is the same as that for a forehand groundstroke and can be an Eastern, semi-Western, or Western grip—your choice. Preparation Forehand grip Run and plant foot Short backswing on defensive lobs Swing Open racket face Low-to-high swing […]

New players don’t recognize the lob as a weapon. To them, it looks like just another soft, high forehand or backhand. However, players who can use the lob are sure to frustrate those who can’t. It is not on a typical list of shots to be practiced, but it should be. A good lob can […]

If you like action, you will love volleying. The ball is hit before a bounce, and because you are moving closer to the net, you will have less time to react to your opponent’s shots. Volleys help you to force the action and take control of the point. If your personality has an aggressive side, […]

Intermediate and advanced players can use the full-swing serve to put the ball in play. Rather than just aiming at targets, imagine yourself in game situations in which you are ahead 40-30 and poised to win a game (or set) with a strong serve, or down 30-40 and in danger of losing a match with […]

A tiebreaker that is played in lieu of the third set is called a super tiebreaker, or 10-point tiebreaker. The super tiebreaker is played following either the 12-point or Coman tiebreaker procedures, except that the tiebreaker is played to 10; the first player or team to win 10 points when ahead by 2 wins the […]

Because most tennis matches are played on the honor system without officials, a few unwritten rules exist for players and spectators. If you ask someone to play a match, tennis balls are your responsibility. Take all practice serves before the first game begins, and not when it is your turn to serve the first time. […]

The Coman tiebreak procedure, according to the USTA, is the same 12-point tiebreaker, except that the players change ends after the first point, then after every 4 points (after the 5th, 9th, 13th, 17th points, and so on), and at the end of the tiebreaker (before the next set begins). The scoring is the same […]

In a 12-point tiebreaker, the player or team that wins 7 points and is ahead by at least 2 points wins the tiebreaker and, therefore, a set. The score is called out as 1, 2, 3, 4, and so on throughout the game. A final tiebreaker score might be 7-0, 7-1, 7-2, 7-3, 7-4, 7-5, […]

Open tennis meant that, for the first time, professional players were able to compete in tournaments traditionally restricted to amateurs. Before open tennis, money was paid covertly to some of the world’s best players, even though they retained their status as amateurs. Players such as Jack Kramer, Pancho Gonzales, Pancho Segura, and Bobby Riggs barnstormed […]

For a 41-year-old Welshman named Walter Clopton Wingfield, 1874 was a good year. The British army officer received a patent for a game he called sphairistike (alternately, lawn tennis); he published a 40-page rules book; and he sold more than a thousand kits that included a net, posts, balls, and rackets. The popularity of the […]

Tennis instruction and coaching are more available today than ever before. Tennis pros, teachers, coaches, camps, courses, recreation department programs, and clinics are easily accessible. Tennis organizations and companies conduct training schools and certification programs at many levels to produce future teaching professionals. The availability of information regarding every facet of the game has, for […]

Babolat, Donnay, Dunlop, Head, Prince, ProKennex, Slazenger, Volkl, Wilson, and Yonex are some of the brand names that you are likely to see. Labels, cards, stickers, and hangtags on the rackets provide valuable information about racket size, length, string tension, flexibility, and other features. Approximately 75 percent of all tennis rackets are factory prestrung. Rackets […]

Every drill up to this point has been done to get into a solid hitting position and to build, in segments, momentum for the forward swing. Now you’re ready to hit. The forward swing is a chain reaction of movements that started with your footwork. Taking a horizontal swing path with the racket face perpendicular […]

Beginning players can simplify the backswing by taking the racket straight back below the waist before bringing it straight forward to hit, similar to a door opening and closing. Very quickly, however, you’ll develop your own unique backswing style. As long as you stay within some general guidelines, it’s okay to develop your own style […]

The half volley is a necessary evil—a shot you are forced to hit because you have no other choice. Baseball and softball players sometimes field balls on the short hop. Tennis players have to do the same thing with half volleys, but they do it with a racket instead of a glove. The half volley […]

Most of the time, you will return your opponent’s volleys with groundstrokes from the baseline area. Just as a player hitting volleys has less time to react to your shots, you will have less time to return your opponent’s volleys. The first rule is not to panic. You don’t have to hit harder to win […]

Tennis shoes get most of the publicity, but serious players know that the socks inside those shoes can affect performance and prevent injuries. Socks designed specifically for tennis players are thick or double-layered, with extra padding for the toe and heel. Some socks are so thick and cushioned that you might have to buy shoes […]

Technology continues to change the sport of tennis. At one time courts were made of grass, clay, or concrete. Now they are made of synthetic materials with made-to-order surfaces that affect the pace of play. Slower courts result in longer points. Faster courts equal shorter points. Rackets were traditionally made of wood, but in the […]

Whom you play with can be as important as how well you play. Chemistry, compatibility, and complementing each other’s games make for successful, long-lasting teams (and friendships). Consider these suggestions when you have a choice of doubles partners: Don’t assume that a good singles player is a good doubles player. Play with someone you like. […]

Playing in cold weather is not as bad as it might seem. The body has a remarkable capacity to warm up quickly. Once you get into the flow of a match or practice session, the cold temperature is not really a serious factor. Cold weather combined with strong winds is another story. Here are some […]

Don’t ignore the problems hot weather can create. Players who try to prove how tough they are run the risks of cramping, dehydration, fatigue, and not being able to hold onto a sweaty grip during long points. When playing in extremely hot weather, consider these key points: Don’t wear yourself out trying to hit hard […]

It would be nice to play all matches in weather that is 68 °F (20 °C), with 50 percent humidity, but that rarely happens. Serious players have to prepare for competition in an extreme climate as if it were an added opponent. They acclimate themselves to the temperature as much as possible by wearing the […]

There are two ways to deal with the problem of playing in windy conditions. The first is to dread the whole experience, complain about conditions, and blame poor play or losses on windy conditions. The other approach is to try to use the wind to your advantage. When the wind is in your face, it […]

At the top of the list of things to focus on is the tennis ball. “Keep your eye on the ball” should be more than a platitude. If you are serving, try to watch the ball until it leaves your racket strings. If you are receiving the serve, follow the ball with your eyes from […]

Although outside distractions can be a problem, most concentration problems develop from within. We let our thoughts drift. We think about our families, jobs, or studies. We worry about people seeing us make a bad shot. And we think about a thousand other things. Start to improve your concentration skills by reducing as many extraneous […]

Adjusting to a slow court is easier than adjusting to a fast court. On slow, rough courts, the ball slows down and bounces higher than it does on fast courts. Instead of having less time to prepare for shots, you will have more than enough time on a slow court. You won’t be able to […]

Playing on a fast, slick court is particularly difficult because the ball skids and stays low after the bounce. The entire pace of the game is faster. Shots seem to be hit harder, rallies are shorter, and less time is available to get into the rhythm of your strokes in the match. If you have […]

The casual tennis fan may not know it, but court speed—how the surface of a court affects the bounce of the ball and its velocity after the bounce—determines the outcome of many tennis matches. Many of the great clay-court (slow-surface) players of the world do very poorly on slick, fast courts. And some great fast-court […]

When the server’s partner at the net moves across the court to cut off a crosscourt service return with a volley, it’s called poaching. Poaching is a very effective maneuver for winning points, intimidating the receiver, and keeping the other team off balance. But it is a skill that takes time to perfect in terms […]

Court positions are tactically important both when beginning a point and while it is being played. The most commonly used positions to begin a point are shown in the picture. The server serves from a position near a point where the singles sideline intersects the baseline. The server’s partner begins the point positioned 8 to […]

In doubles, court position, anticipation, and shot selection are more important than speed, power, and endurance. Players begin to enjoy doubles and get better at it long after they’ve achieved success in singles. In some cases, they become better at doubles than at singles, and they can compete at a high level as they get […]

To serve with topspin, toss the ball almost directly overhead. The racket brushes upward behind the ball from 7:00 in the direction of 1:00. Contact is farther back than in a normal serving motion. Topspin serves should clear the net 2 or 3 feet (60-90 cm) higher than the flat serve. To achieve a topspin […]

Increase the number of practice repetitions. Stand inside the baseline to serve during practice sessions. Keep your wrist from unnecessary wobbling. Reduce the velocity of the serve. Take the racket to a position behind your back and touch the middle of your back with the top edge of your racket. Lift the racket head a […]

Hold the racket with an Eastern forehand grip for the punch serve. As your serving motion becomes more fluid, change to a Continental or modified Continental grip. Stand behind the baseline at about a 45-degree angle to the net, facing one of the net posts. If you are right-handed, position your left foot forward at […]

You will eventually be able to do four things with your serve. The first is to get it into play consistently while using proper technique. At the beginning stage, technique is more important than consistency. Even if your serve is a bit inconsistent at the beginning, good technique will produce a better serve in the […]

Rackets endure a lot of abuse during the course of a lesson, practice session, or match. Make them last longer and stay stronger by following these suggestions: Avoid storing rackets in hot, cold, or damp places. Keep racket covers on rackets when they are not being used. Don’t spin the racket on the court to […]

Singles is a match between two players. Doubles is a match among four players—two on each team. Mixed doubles is a match pairing a man and woman on one team against a man and woman on the other team. One-up, one-down wheelchair tennis pairs a wheelchair player with an able-bodied player competing against a team […]

The traditional grip for the one-handed backhand is the Eastern grip. With this grip, a right-handed player’s wrist should be slightly to the left of the top of the racket handle when looking down on the racket, with the racket edges perpendicular to the court. A left-handed player’s wrist will be slightly to the right […]

There are more ways to hold and swing the racket on a backhand than on a forehand, which gives you more freedom for variety. If you are new to tennis, you can experiment with two or three grips and swing patterns to find the ones most comfortable for your body and your style of play. […]

Players often give away information on drop shots by not disguising their strokes or by their body language. Observe how your opponent prepares and hits this shot compared to the way he normally hits groundstrokes. You might be able to outguess your opponent and get to the net sooner to hit a winner off his […]

The drop shot definitely falls into the category of a new skill. Unlike with frequently used strokes such as the forehand, backhand, and serve, learning how and when to use the drop shot generally happens later in a tennis player’s development. Incorporating any new skill, including the drop shot, into a sport you already play […]

A can of three premium quality balls costs $2.50 to $8.00 at some specialty or pro shops. A mass merchandiser or sporting goods store sells them for less. Three dollars is an average price. Save a little more by buying a packet of three or four cans of tennis balls. Typical prices are $15 for […]

When you return an overhead smash, reaction time, anticipation, and luck are more important than technique. Forget success checks; concentrate on survival skills. Get the ball in play any way you can. In most cases, this means trying to return the smash with a high, deep defensive lob. Bargain for time and one more chance […]

The overhead smash is your closer, your finisher, your ultimate offensive weapon, and it is probably the most exciting shot in tennis. You’ve already put pressure on your opponent with strong groundstrokes, a high, deep approach shot, a crisp volley, or perhaps a well-timed lob. The only thing your opponent can do now is retreat […]

Television changed the game of tennis, mostly in good ways. In 1972, more than 50 million viewers watched Australian stars Ken Rosewall and Rod Laver play a five-set classic. Rosewall won. A year later, Billie Jean King defeated the once-great but aging tennis hustler Riggs in the Battle of the Sexes. The match took place […]