Tennis is an extremely difficult sport, possibly the most difficult to excel at. Combining hitting the ball, movement, strategy, mental toughness, and the competitive aspect can be extremely challenging. In my opinion, being able to execute all of this over a two, three, four, or five hour period puts professional tennis players near the top of the “best athlete” category.
So how can we continue to improve our level of play? First, you need to spend a good amount of time on the court. Each player is different but a minimum of four or five hours a week doing tennis related activities is required. It is also helpful to practice with a variety of players. Everyone hits the ball differently, uses various strategies, and poses a unique problem for their opponent. Be willing to play with players better than you, equal to you, and those who are not as good as you. Being able to deal with all of the different levels, shots, styles, and speeds is part of improving and becoming a good player.
My recipe for improving your tennis consists of four things. First, learn and practice the fundamentals with some hitting. Watch the ball closely, work on early preparation, movement to the ball, and repeating the same swing each time. Try to hit three or four good shots in a row during the rally. Always walk out on the court with specific and simple ideas for your hitting session.
Next, work on your serve. Try to toss the ball close to the same spot on each serve, keeping your motion nice and smooth and finishing on the opposite side of your body. Practice both first and second serves as if you are playing a point, keeping the speed of the second serve about 50-75 percent of the speed of your first serve. Think smooth and continuous when working on timing and a solid hit.
Once your serve feels somewhat consistent, play some practice points with simple ideas. Work on getting your first serve in play, one or two good crosscourts (singles) or diagonals (doubles), and then try to figure out how to win the point by changing the direction or moving forward. It is not necessary to hit the ball much harder when you are going for the winning shot. Good placement and consistency is a much more reliable idea at the end of the point.
Lastly, play a lot of matches. As I stated above, it is extremely important to learn how to deal with all of the different types of players you will face. The best way to do this is in a match situation because it is a more realistic measure of how you and your opponent will play under pressure. Try to focus on one technique idea (mine is watching the ball all the way through the point of contact) and one basic strategy idea (serve and move forward as the point gets longer is my go to). Take the time in between points to remind yourself of these ideas and to get ready for the next point. Do not try to analyze what went wrong if you lost the point. Instead, go back to your basic thoughts and try to improve your execution by being more patient or slightly more aggressive.
Taking tennis clinics and private lessons can help you do some of the things described above. In addition, a good pro or coach can help you focus on specific shots or ideas that will speed up the improvement process, helping you reach the goal of improving your level of play. Remember, improving your game will help you enjoy the sport even more, and will also teach you a lot along the way.
Steve Annacone, USPTA Elite Pro, is the Director of Annacone Tennis, www.annaconetennis.com and MyHamptonsPro, www.myhamptonspro.com throughout the Hamptons, NY. Steve, Jeevaj Bondalapoati, and Gill Gross run the TOP (Tennis Optimization Players-Top Team) program at the Tucson Jewish Community Center (Tucson, AZ) for high level players ages 8-18. Please contact Steve at sannacone@tucsonjcc.org or 865-300-7323.