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2020 07 20

Approaching the crucial points in tennis

Tennis consists of many single points. To win the game, we have to win at least four points. To win the set, we have to win at least six games. To win the match, we have to win at least two sets. It all looks simple, but the more we play tennis, the more we understand that during some points, we feel different than during the other points. So, does every point count the same?

When we look at the score of the tennis match, we can see only the numbers. However, when we see the whole match, we can see that these numbers do not always reflect the actions on the court. Sometimes, the player who lost 6/2 6/2 didn’t have a chance to beat the more advanced rival, but another time the player who lost 6/3 6/1 played a really good match but underperformed during the critical moments of the rivalry. That is why the score is not always an indicator of the player’s level. Thus, the competitors should pay more attention to the actions on the court and to the moments that decide about the situational advantage.

Every match has its crucial points. However, crucial points at one level can be completely different for the different types of players. Generally, we can call the points „crucial” when winning or losing them will convert into a game. For example, 30:40, 40:15, or 0:40 are the situations when one ball can make a leading player win the game and have a positive impact on the future performance. These points increase the tension, so competitors approach them differently than the points that cannot be turned into a game in one ball. However, various players and levels of performance can emphasize other moments that can have an impact on the actions on the court. The whole game played at 5:4 can be called „crucial” because every point can take the leading player closer to finish the set. The first game after the lost set can also be a crucial moment because it can change the leading in a new set and put the winning player in a completely different position. A lot of players also say that the first point of every game is crucial, so they focus more on the beginning to take a lead and increase their chance of winning the whole game.

There is no doubt that crucial moments have a significant impact on the mental side of the player. More stress, some doubts, and intense feelings can make one player play great, but at the same time, the other player collapses. Without understanding this situation and implementing the specific techniques, it is impossible to win critical points consistently and beat the rivals who are more advanced than we are.

To play your best tennis when it counts, you should:

Take your time.

You have 20 seconds between the points and 90 seconds when changing sides of the court. Unfortunately, many players lose the crucial points because they hurry up. They finish one point, take the ball, go to the baseline and quickly start the new point. That is the easiest recipe to lose a few important points in a row, decrease your quality of play and affect your confidence. Before the decisive point, make sure you use the whole time allowed. You should go through your routine to prepare your body and mind for the incoming challenge.

Have a plan.

Preparation is the key to effective performance. If you face some pressing situations on the court, it is required that you have a plan. By knowing what to do and which skills to use against your opponent, you significantly lower the stress level because you won’t have to make a decision right before the hit. Twenty seconds between the points is enough to create a simple tactic that will give you an advantage during the point.

Don’t change your game if it works.

That’s one of the biggest mistakes every player makes at some point in their career. If you are winning the points and you have a chance to close the game or set, make sure you continue with the same approach. Remember to put pressure on the rival in the same way as before the decisive point, because the score shows it is working. By approaching the crucial points with a defensive mindset based only on pushing the shots, you can lose the initiative during the match and lose the lead at the same time.

Focus on just one point.

We already know that one point can be converted into the opportunity, game, set, or match, but you should focus on just one point. It does not matter what will happen after winning the point because you cannot affect it now. What you can control is your mindset and actions during a single point, so all the energy has to be used to play your best tennis during this short period. We can focus entirely on only one thought at a given time, so make sure you direct this ability at a proper information.

Individual sports always put a lot of pressure on the competitors. In tennis, because of the scoring format, players feel how mentally tiring the competition can be all the time. You never know when the match is going to end, so one or two points can determine the winner of this battle. If you want to leave the court as a champion, you have to solely play the crucial points better than your opponent. Use the tips from this article to make sure that when the situation occurs, you can use it for your benefit.

2020 07 14

Wimbledon is something more than a tournament

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Without any doubt, all of us tennis fans regret the fact that tennis games to which we have been used to for over a decade are now suspended. The tournaments that all tennis enthusiasts grieve the most is, of course, the Grand Slam. In the end, it is no secret that the tournament that gathers the largest number of supporters is Wimbledon – an event which, due to its environment and attachment to tradition, is extremely awaited by everyone. This year, as we already know, the championship in London will not take place. However, the organizers of the competition are doing their best to ensure that our love for Wimbledon will not diminish even a little, and the longing for the next edition will be even greater.

It is hard to imagine a worse time for tennis tournament organizers than the one they are currently experiencing. They can be divided into two categories: those who have canceled their events and those who are still hoping that the games will be played later in the season. Each of them faces a difficult situation – some organizers know they are no longer able to do anything, and others have to fight for every penny from a potential sponsor, because they still see a chance that the tournament will take place.

To some extent, the people in charge of Wimbledon don’t experience this issue. Yes, everyone wants the event to take place like every year, but the pandemic has already seized any chances for that scenario. The organizers of this tournament can sleep well, although just after the cancellation it seemed that there is a huge loss waiting for them. Meanwhile, it turned out that the organizers of the London tournament are well prepared for such an unbelievable event. Since 2004, Wimbledon has been paying a policy of two million dollars in case of a pandemic. Thanks to such precaution, a total of 34 million dollars has been saved since then. Now, thanks to such foresight, Wimbledon’s account has been credited with…141 million dollars!

In fact, here we could end the deliberations on this subject – the organizers got the money, no damage will be done, no massive losses – this is, indeed good news for both the fans and organizers of the event. Meanwhile, the tournament managers have done something that has made all tennis fans even more enthusiastic!

It was reported that each of the 620 tennis players who, based on the ATP and WTA rankings, were guaranteed to participate in this year’s edition of Wimbledon, will receive a cash prize. There are more than 10 million dollars in the total pool, which will be divided according to the different stages of the tournament. The highest amount will go to the accounts of 256 tennis players who were supposed to play in the main ladder – that is 25 thousand dollars for each competitor. Players who were supposed to compete for the title in a double game can expect a transfer of over 12 thousand dollars. Lastly, the amount of six thousand will be given to tennis players who were supposed to take part in the tournament on wheelchairs and five thousand to the players from the “Quad” category.

Apart from the applause, it is difficult to respond to the gesture of Wimbledon organizers in any other way. After the action of that kind, there is no wonder that the whole tennis community treats the Wimbledon tournament in such a symbolic way. It is only a pity that we have to wait until 2021 for the next edition of this outstanding event.

2020 07 03

Your new weapon – topspin shot

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Top players use their unique weapons all the time. Roger Federer uses his forehand to dominate rivals, while Serena Williams is the champion of the baseline, and she feels the best in this area of the court. Rafa Nadal is known as the king of clay, and his consistency is marvelous. What about you? Are you aware of your weapons? No matter the answer, you should consider the powerful potential of the weapon called topspin.

There is no doubt that all players have personal weapons. Some of the players can win points because of hitting great forehands or because they make effective tactical decisions. Other players’ strength lies in the physical or mental area, so they can run for many hours or deal effectively with stressful situations. Overall, we all have many strengths and weaknesses, but to win some matches it is important to be aware of your skills and use them most efficiently.

The truth is that without the topspin skills, you will be unable to compete successfully in tennis. Even if you have some extra weapons, the lack of the ability to apply topspin to the ball can limit your performance and decrease your chance to beat a tough rival. Topspin is the most important skill while improving control over the shots. It guarantees a higher trajectory over the net and since it drops quickly, it allows the player to hit the ball with more power and maintain various quality repetitions in a row.

To constantly improve the level of their performance, players have to look at their own game from a long-term perspective. If the players are at the beginner level, they take a look and predict how effective could this game be at an intermediate level. Later, the intermediate player will try to recognize these details and improve to get to the advanced level. This process always has to include topspin, because, without this particular movement, the players tend to make more mistakes at a higher level, and they cannot win matches and tournaments easily, even while possessing other valuable skills.

Playing effectively with topspin requires some steady technical abilities. There are a few aspects that all players should train to develop their new weapon – topspin ball. Here they are:

Proper grip.

There are different grips that players use from the baseline. Players use continental, eastern, semi-western or western grip to play forehands and backhands successfully. However, to make it easier to learn a safe and consistent topspin shot, players should choose between the eastern and semi-western grip. Continental or western grips won’t allow to develop a good topspin shot that goes consistently close to the baseline, so even when there is some spin, it won’t have a specific impact on the player’s performance and results.

Racket’s head below the ball.

Controlling the head of your racket is necessary to apply topspin to the ball. Topspin technique requires low-to-high motion, so the racket’s head has to go below the ball to enable this motion. When the racket is lined up with the ball, it is impossible to apply topspin, and the trajectory won’t be similar to the arc.

Racket’s head slightly closed at the point of contact.

Motion from low to high is necessary to apply topspin, but even with this motion being executed, topspin is not guaranteed. Proper technique has to include a slightly closed racket’s head at the point of contact. This angle produces the spin, so when combined with a proper motion, the player can hit the ball that goes higher over the net and drops quicker than any other.

Acceleration.

Thinking that relaxing the arm down while hitting the ball will be a safe option to play consistently can be misleading. The truth is acceleration is required to play consistent topspin shots. The mistake that many players struggle with is that after hitting a few long shots, they start to decelerate the racket. The proper response to this situation should be different – the player should maintain the acceleration, but at the same time keep the focus on changes related to the motion’s trajectory and the angle of the racket’s head.

To sum up, topspin is necessary to achieve success at all levels of performance. Beginners need topspin to keep the ball in play multiple times in a row, while advanced players need it to control the balls hit with maximum power. It does not matter at which level you actually are you should consider spending more time on exercising the aspects related to topspin. Treat this move as your new weapon that will open your opportunities to execute more successful tactical decisions.

2020 05 27

How are the tennis players handling the current situation? Some of them work in the supermarket and others…apply for welfare.

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At the time of the pandemic, many athletes found themselves in a difficult situation. However, most of them have signed contracts, so in the end, some (although less than in the usual circumstances) money goes to their bank accounts. This allows them to survive the times when they can’t do their regular job. On the other hand, there are tennis players who make their money only when they go out on the court. At this point, not counting the individual sparring tournaments, it is simply impossible to work for them. Unsurprisingly, some players found themselves in an extremely difficult situation, and decided to temporarily change their career paths and go to a ‘normal job’.

The most talked-about is of Kevin Krawietz, who seems to have gained more popularity now. The tennis world first heard of Krawietz only less than a year ago, when he and Andreas Mies, as players from the so-called ‘tennis periphery’, unexpectedly reached for the title in a double game at the French Open. So, what has now brought the attention towards the German player, since the courts are still closed? Well, at a time when most tennis players complain that because of the COVID-19 pandemic they can’t make any money, he took the matters into his own hands and…found a job. And since he decided to work in the Lidl supermarket, the media immediately picked up the case. Although the 28-year-old player from Coburg didn’t intend to create a buzz around himself, and the sudden change is supposedly not a marketing campaign, the situation caused the 2019 French Open champion to spend more time talking to the media than doing his job in the last days of his work.

To begin with, we have to clarify some things. It is not that Krawietz, who has won the French Open and played in the semi-finals of the US Open, and also earned over 500 thousand euros on the court, has been left without money after just a few weeks without playing in the tournaments. ‘It’s not about the money, because luckily, we did very well last year’ — stated the 13th ATP ranking debutant after being asked by the Daily Mail about his motives for working at Lidl. —’I was very bored with the quarantine, and I have a friend who works in this retail chain. One time, he joked that they were looking for new workers.’

In the end, the joke turned into a serious job offer. A few days later, Krawietz started working for Lidl. As a store worker, he earned 12.50 euros per hour. Just to remind you — we are still talking about the tennis player, who has earned over 500 thousand euros on the court last summer. — ‘I thought it was worth a try. I was looking for a fresh experience, and although it’s not the same as being a doctor, working in a supermarket at the moment is very important in terms of helping the community’ described Krawietz, who wasn’t expecting any special treatment at work. — ‘A few times, I started work at 5:30, when I was putting goods on the shelves and finished at 8:30, when I was taking care of the trolleys. Sometimes I had to stand in front of the shop and organize the people entering there. At our store, everyone has to have a trolley to keep the distance between each other. You have to explain this to every customer, even if they only want to buy some fruit. My job was also to sanitize the trolleys.’

Krawietz was hoping to get through the period of working at Lidl anonymously. However, the plan did not work out, since he was exposed by the daily newspaper Der Spiegel. — ‘Some of my shop mates were shocked when they found out who I am. Actually, one of the nicest things was getting to know them. It taught me that everyone has a story.’

Before he and Mies were paired, the 28-year-old has spent long years on the court without any notable success. This is best shown by the fact that, although he has earned over one million euros in his career, he’s got half of it in 2019 only. Before the successful French Open, Krawietz has been having trouble making ends meet for roughly nine years of his tennis career.

***

Kevin Kravietz is not the only tennis player who decided to look for an alternative income due to a lack of professional games. So did his older, but less titled native competitor — Andre Begemann. However, once the 36th world tennis player, secured himself earlier. At the beginning of the 21st century, he graduated from the prestigious University of Pepperdine as Master of Business Administration, which ended up useful for him in the future. The German representative has been the owner of the bank and post office for several years. While he usually dealt with business management, during the pandemic, he handled the simplest activities as well.

— ‘I bought a post office and a bank in Germany. Although I am used to doing business on the entrepreneur’s side, now I help people at first-hand – as a cashier and intermediary. Even before I started my tennis career, I graduated from the university in the United States, and then started building my own business while playing tennis. I do this to be financially secure after the tennis adventure, but also for the circumstances like this. I recommend every tennis player try the various options — whether it’s about helping the society or making a living and being financially stable’ — says the 35-year-old, who has won four ATP tournaments in his career — the last one in 2014 in Gstaad, Switzerland.
Of course, not everyone looked as far ahead as Begemann. Much less everyone, if not anybody, expected that a global pandemic would make the tennis players unemployed. Michael Krueger, the American player, seems to be completely helpless, which led to him signing up for unemployment. From a logical point of view — why shouldn’t he do that? After all, he has lost the opportunity to earn money. On the other hand, when the games were at their best, he wasn’t employed anywhere, just like now.
Currently, the 195th tennis player of the world tried contacting the Texas Workforce Commission to get unemployment benefits, but to no avail. The 26-year-old player also thinks that the current break from the competition means that many tennis players will not return to the professional sport again and will simply choose a regular job instead. — ‘Tennis players will soon realize they will not survive without a stable income. They will decide on a temporary job at first, but then they’ll think, “Hey, I make a much better living.” I would lie if I said I hadn’t thought about what I could do myself.’ revealed the American player.
Some players simply don’t bother to work. Their only concern in the current situation is the lack of space to train, as was the case with Arthur Reymond. Currently, the 588th tennis player of the world, together with his father, decided to use his free time to renovate their private court. The whole work took them two weeks, but the results are quite great!

2020 05 20

Don’t let your opponent hit the slice

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Tennis players can use any strokes they want to increase own chance for winning the battle. There are no limitations according to technical and tactical executions. It simply creates a possibility for everyone to put pressure on the rival and force opponent to make more mistakes. One of the aspects that especially female competitors struggle with is responding to slice.

Looking at male and female tennis worlds we can clearly see the differences in strokes and tactical approaches. Male players hit more aces and winning serves than female players. Male players tend to use more forehands during every point than female players. Female players look for opportunity to finish the point from the baseline while male players don’t hesitate to come to the net and use volley to win the point. There is also a visible difference in responding to slice too. Male players don’t make many mistakes while responding to slice while female players tend to make more unforced errors while dealing with low bouncing backspin shot.

Slice is mostly use in defense. Modern tennis is based on power so women want to stay offensive as often as possible. However when solid player is put into difficult situation she doesn’t risk too much and hits safe shot with backspin. Unfortunately a lot of players don’t train how to respond to this kind of balls and they make many unforced errors while trying to stay offensive. Without understanding the characteristics of the incoming ball and making specific technical and tactical adaptations player won’t be able to firstly effectively deal with opponent’s slice and secondly to make rival change own plans of hitting this kind of ball in the near future.

There are few areas that have to be implemented to effectively deal with slice balls. Here they are:

Go low with your legs

Slice balls bounce low. It means that to not make a mistake player has to go lower with own legs to maintain control over the shot. A lot of players make a mistake by bending the body at waist level and it results in lost balance. That is why they are not able to hit successful shot and they get irritated at opponent’s decisions. To prevent this situation player has to bend the knees almost to the ground and maintain straight upper body to have good balance and let the racket play.

Apply a lot of topspin

Players who tend to hit the balls flat struggle a lot with low bouncing balls. Flat balls fly in straight line so if the ball is below net level at the point of contact it definitely won’t go over the net without the help of the spin. Applying topspin by going below the ball level with racket’s head is a proven method to answer slice ball effectively and show the opponent that one backspin shot is not enough to win the point.

Accelerate the racket

A lot of players slow the racket down while hitting off slice ball because they mistakenly think that it will give them more security. That is not true. Firstly by accelerating the racket we have more control over the ball because our motion is continuous. Our body works better in fluent motions so player should always remember to accelerate the racket and put enough spin to own shots. Secondly by accelerating the racket the ball will bounce higher so for the opponent it will be more difficult to hit another slice of high-bouncing ball. This combination of technical and tactical approaches is an effective solution to force rival to hit different response than dangerous slice.

Hit the ball deep

It is easy to hit slice off short or slow-pace balls. It is much more difficult job to hit deep and low-bouncing slice while moving back. That is why players should use this strategy against opponents who want to hit too many slice shots. By placing the balls close to the baseline opponents will have to move further behind the baseline and there is a good chance that they will choose to hit regular topspin shot which is an easier option for us to attack on the next attempt.

There are not too many female players who have world-class slice shots. Most of the time they base own game on offensive forehands and backhands. However even intermediate slice will make a lot of problems for players who don’t train specific responses to different spins. Use knowledge from this article to never be surprised by your opponent’s slice and teach her a lesson that she has to make much more effort to beat you.

2020 04 15

‘I don’t know anybody who thinks about tennis these days’ – how COVID-19 pandemic impacts the daily life of tennis players

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It’s been another week… another week when our life is totally different and lacks daily routine. Tennis players are also strongly affected by the lockdown. Those who competed on different tournament levels, starting from the highest ranked ATP tournaments, ending with ITF events, cannot practice as they used to anymore. How has the life of tennis players changed since the pandemic broke out?

Coronavirus is still taking its toll all over the world. Even though the statistics improve one day, they get back to ‘normal’ the following day. For the first couple of days, since the pandemic broke out and tennis was slowly being ‘shut down’, there was a heated debate over the future of our beloved discipline moving forward, but it’s not the case anymore. It seems that most of us have become aware of the situation and nobody insists on the tennis games to take place anytime soon. Unfortunately, there’s still a long way to go before we see our favourite tennis players on the court again.

Many sportsmen, who participate in sports events on different levels, expressed their opinion about the current situation. Also, the tennis players who won the Olympic medals or beat Roger Federer on his beloved courts of Wimbledon, former leaders of the junior ITF rankings and those who proved to be the best during junior Grand Slam tournaments shared their thoughts with us. We’ve got even a comment from this year’s quarter-finalist of the Australian Open. Those who haven’t had a chance to experience the world-class tennis yet seem to be in a difficult position, too, as their careers have been put on hold.

Noah Rubin (the world no. 224)

– The fact I don’t touch a tennis racket these days at all is a massive change in my life. The current situation is affecting my project ‘Behind the Racquet’ because it’s barely possible to create any new content. We’ve been through tough weeks, but it seems that it’ll take even longer. The only thing we can do at this point is to adapt to the situation. Personally, I do my utmost best. I use this time to grow in other fields of life.

Marcelo (the world no. 57 in doubles)

– I believe that everything happening in the world concerns all of us. I would say I’ve got used to it. I’ve internalized it and I am trying to look on the bright side. In the end, I can spend some time at home with my family. The most important is to obey the government regulations. We will fight the disease only if we stick together.

– This is something I don’t know. For sure, both myself and all other tennis players hope it will come to an end as soon as possible. I want to do what I am passionate about again – play tennis, participate in tournaments, play exciting games on the greatest courts.

Yannick Maden (the world no. 149)

– Let me start with the most important thing: I am still lucky to be healthy. As far as the tennis life is concerned, it’s obvious – it’s suspended and nobody can train. Therefore, there’s no chance to earn any money. Honestly speaking, private life doesn’t exist either.

– To be fair, I don’t think anybody knows at the moment, whether it would be possible to go back to play at the beginning of June or not. I could express my opinion, but I find it pointless. I believe that ATP and governments know best how the outbreak will progress in the following weeks.

Goncalo Oliveira (no. 78 in the world in doubles)

– This affects all of us, but I don’t know anybody who would think about tennis at this point. I just #stayhome and do everything we’re advised to do by healthcare organisations. I’d like to say something to all of you – stay away from other people, stay at home and go out only if necessary.

Florin Mergea (the world no. 135 in doubles)

– We were not allowed to leave our houses between 10PM and 6AM for the last couple of days. During the day, we are advised to go out only in special circumstances, such as going to the supermarket or helping our relatives. What’s happening in the world, obviously affects our tennis, too. At the moment, we cannot train, but I am lucky since my parents have a court in a backyard and I will be able to train on it soon. Unfortunately, my tennis and fitness coaches are far away from me. Even though, we talk regularly, it’s far from perfect. Currently, I give priority to my wife and son, bearing in mind the stage I am at in my career. That’s why I try to look on the bright side – I aim to do what I usually can’t when I am away.

– To make it fair for everyone, the tour should resume when every tennis player is free to travel. Tennis is a global sports discipline and tournaments should be available for everyone. I wish we’d be back at the beginning of June, but I am not too hopeful about it.

Mateusz Terczyński (the world no. 1677 in the ATP rankings)

– It’s an unusual situation for us. We don’t know when we’re going to play and how to prepare for that. Another thing is that if you don’t take part in tournaments, you receive no income. However, I try to stay positive and use this time to develop my skills. When this situation is over, I want to be a better player and human being. During this time, I want to make a difference – play better and win more matches. It’s tricky, though, because you can work your fingers to the bone over the following weeks and then find out you’re still not allowed to play. The most important is to keep mental fitness. There was a plan to start a league in Germany, whose revenues would help cover most of the expenses for the entire season. At this point no one knows if it’s going to happen at all. In terms of finances, it’s really difficult because you never know if you earn what you would expect. If you start thinking about it too much, you will freak out. I try to be positive, but I’ve got many friends who give up because they simply don’t feel like trying anymore. As I have some spare time, I build a tennis court in our backyard along with my father. We had this idea before, but we’ve made it only now, when all the courts are closed. Otherwise, it would be difficult to find a place for a training. I will surely bring here some fellow players, so that we can train together.

Sergiy Stakhovsky (the world no. 167)

– In the end, I can spend some time with my family – my wife and three kids. Since ATP announced the tour to be suspended, I took a break and resumed training only after a couple of days.

– It’s hard to say how long it’s going to take, but the coronavirus can still possibly remain out of control in the next couple of weeks. Another thing is that we don’t know when the borders will be opened again.

Robin Haase (the world no. 169)

– I don’t understand why the opinion of mine or other sportsmen would matter at all. This sort of questions should be directed to the specialists in this field, not us. Tennis has stopped for now, it’s obvious.

Holger Rune (the world no. 846)

– First of all, it’s horrible what’s happening in the world. First it was China, then Europe and the rest of the world. It’s terrible. We must support our friends all over the world, especially Italians, who have been caught in a terrible situation. I really don’t like that every country gets locked down and don’t see beyond its own needs. We need to help each other. It would be better if we thought globally rather than locally. All tennis courts in Denmark are closed, so I cannot train. I really miss my daily routine and participation in tournaments.

– I woke up in the morning and thought it would pass quicker than we expected. I hope the situation will get better by the end of April, so that we could go back to training in May and tournaments in the following days.

Gastao Elias (the world no. 532)

– I think it affects every tennis player in the world, especially those who haven’t had a chance to play in the main tour yet. If you take part in the ATP Challenger Tour or ITF Futures tournaments, get ready for hard times because you will get no revenues. On the contrary, top ranked 100 players can afford not to play for a couple of months and they will still be able to cover their expenses.

– It’s a difficult question. To suspend competition was the least we could do, in my opinion. I am afraid it may not suffice, but let’s hope it will have a happy ending.

Benjamin Hassan (the world no. 350)

– The influence is massive because we won’t be able to participate in the tournaments at least till June. That said, we have no opportunities to earn a living and pay the bills! On top of that, we can’t train, so even if the situation is back on track, we will need some time to get in shape.

– Unfortunately, I reckon it will take longer than expected. There’s still no treatment for the coronavirus and all indications are that it may get even worse. But I truly hope I’m wrong. For lower ranked players the most problematic part is that they won’t be able to participate in the league games, which bring the highest revenues and let players fund the tour.

Marco Bortolotti (the world no. 537)

– I am lucky to be able to train because our federation agreed to it, as far as the best tennis players are concerned. The difficulty is to gain motivation because we don’t know when we will be back. As I have plenty of time, I try to use it effectively and develop each element of my playing style. Although this break has been dragging for a long time, we need to keep in mind that people’s health comes first. I’d like to get back to playing as soon as possible, but it’s too early to make it happen.

Andre Begemann (the world no. 92 in doubles)

– The influence is obvious. I cannot train and play tennis the way I used to. Now, everything revolves around the coronavirus and without tennis. I’ve got many other projects I spend my time on. I believe Mother Nature is sending a subtle warning our way to raise environmental awareness and make us more responsible for our planet.

– I am not sure how long this break is going to take and I can’t do anything to shorten it. My job now is to stay at home, prevent the virus from spreading and wait for the information from people who are in charge of tennis tournaments. When we will be able to play tennis again is our least problem in these hard times.

2020 03 25

3 variations to make on-court warm up more effective

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Practice sessions have different goals. Some sessions are focused on improving technical aspects while others pay more attention to developing tactical skills in specific situations on the court. Individual approach is needed to let players improve at the fastest possible pace so it should also include the first part of the session. The warm up.

When we look at the typical tennis practice we can see that warm up time is used to hit some balls without specific goals. Players get on the court and start hitting to each other from the service line. After few minutes players move back to the baseline and start hitting again to each other with no focus at pace, depth, footwork or spin. Generally players hit some balls without improving anything.

Success in tennis is based on repeating simple things for days, months and years. There is no magic in getting better and taking own level to the more advanced state. Players who are aware of necessary steps can work on them and get advantage over the opponents who use warm up time just to hit to each other. It is important to understand that every 10-15 minutes at the beginning of tennis practice is a great opportunity to work on different aspects so if this time is not used properly overall quality of the practice session drops. For players who train 4 or 5 times a week it can mean that additional 1 hour is possible for players to improve if they approach warm up time with specific mindset.

There is no doubt that every part of the training session should have a goal to accomplish. It doesn’t matter if it is the warm up time during the first minutes of the practice or playing points at the end of it, playing without a goal doesn’t allow players to have big improvements. That is why it is crucial to develop a habit to set specific goals right from the beginning to always work on some area even when the exercise is not performed at the highest intensity.

3 variations to make on-court warm up more effective:

Hit deep

During the match ability to play the ball deep is a basic strategy that allows to put pressure on the opponent. That is why it is important to practice technical and tactical skills that are responsible for controlling the depth. During the warm up players can set the deep zone using cones and try to hit balls as often as possible into this zone.

Alternate shots

There should be 2 major goals every time players step on the court and start warming up. These goals are related to preparing for the next more intensive training drills and improving various personal skills. Good way to achieve both of these goals is to alternate hitting forehands and backhands. Many players make mistake by using mostly forehands while hitting from the center so these players improve only one area of their game forgetting that opponents will look for weaknesses in their performance and play many balls to the side that is less stable.

Hit inside and outside

Good technical and tactical adaptation is needed to compete effectively. Players who don’t practice shots that happen during the match can’t expect to avoid specific mistakes while being under pressure. Good variation of the warm up focused on developing adaptation is hitting based on alternating own position on the court. Hitting one ball inside the baseline and one ball outside the baseline forces player to move consciously and make changes related to technical and tactical skills.

Play with one ball

A lot of players don’t put enough physical and mental energy into warm up time. Slow movement and lack of focus don’t allow players to improve so setting specific goal is the solution to make players work hard and improve during the first 10 minutes of the practice. Using only one ball to warm up for 10 minutes forces players to maintain good focus and play consistently without using too much power.

Practice makes perfect. This quote is famous among the athletes but to make perfect practice it has to start with the first ball on the court. Players have to approach warm up time as any other part of the session – with good focus, fast footwork and motivation to get better. If these factors are present player will definitely improve significantly and will prepare own body and mind for the next more specific drills.

2020 03 15

Top mistakes made by beginners during the match

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Tennis is a beautiful sport because it doesn’t put age limit on players. It doesn’t matter if you are 6 years old or you already have own family and business you can always start the journey with racket in hand. Even at the beginning stages of tennis development players want to start competing as soon as possible so they have to practice skills that will allow them to win tennis matches. It is important to understand the most common mistakes that players make at the beginning level to avoid them and increase own chances for positive result.

There is no doubt that beginners still have to improve many areas of tennis development. They can have basic technical and tactical skills but they have to focus also on more advanced skills that will allow their performance to go to the higher level. Being aware of own limitations is a good sign but it shouldn’t prevent players from participating in competitive matches during regional league or regular tournament. However players have to see the difference between practice session and tennis match and they have to prepare properly to be able to leave the court as a winner.

To win tennis match players have to take care of many details. Technical quality is needed to perform different strokes but without good decisions during the match opponent can get advantage. Additionally player has to be in shape as also should possess mental skills that will allow him to deal with different psychological challenges of competition. Then we have to also add nutritional aspect, that omitted many times by players, can be the reason of negative surprise. To make it clear, to constantly improve level and achieve expected results players have to work hard with conscious plan to take care both of own strengths and weaknesses.

When it comes to a match many times players underperform. It is mostly related to 2 factors: stress and opponent. When feeling too much stress players start to hit less quality shots and they totally forget about tactical decisions that worked really well in the training environment. Also surprised by opponent’s style and decisions players lose control over the points and stop to focus on own game. That is why beginners get angry after lost matches to theoretically less-advanced opponents and they lose self-confidence because they are not able to transfer training performance into competitive match.

Below you can find top mistakes made by beginners during the match:

Being inconsistent

That’s definitely number one. At the beginner level many players can’t hit few balls in a row so focusing on consistency is a key to win points. Sometimes the reason of lacking consistency is wrong tactical purpose but other time it can be related to technical flaws or physical deficiencies. Finding own reason of underperformance is the first step to improve this area and consistency at the same time.

Hitting to the opponent’s stronger side

Another mistake is related more to the tactical side. Having good consistency will allow you to win with some beginners but if you hit too many balls into rival’s stronger side you won’t be able to beat beginners who are at a little bit better level. Every player has individual strengths and weaknesses so to improve own chances for winning the point players should put the ball as often as possible to the weaker side. This strategy guarantees easy responses or even unforced errors from the opponent.

Losing to yourself

On the court there are always 2 players and the ball. Unfortunately many beginners lose matches not to their opponents but to themselves. They are competitive so they can’t accept underperformance while being under stress and it leads to getting angry, blaming own person and using negative self-talk after lost points. Tennis as an individual sport puts a lot of emphasis on mental aspects and beginners don’t know it or forget about this truth during the heat of the battle. Using 20 seconds between the points to calm down is the proven technique to not only improve your performance but also to give a chance to your rival to miss some balls and get angry too.

Trying to play like a pro

Most of the beginners watch pro tournaments to admire beautiful shots made by Roger Federer or Naomi Osaka. It is also recommended by coaches to watch matches to be able to learn something for own performance. However beginners have to remember that they watch guys who play professional tennis for many years and they spend several hours a day to be able to play at this level. There is nothing wrong to try to implement something from top stars but it has to be adjusted to the current technical and physical level. When beginner tries to play as one who is advanced it has to finish in many errors.

The group of beginners is huge among tennis participants around the world. Players who start journey with tennis are present everywhere and they more often start to think not only about the practice but also to check own abilities during the competitions. Learning the most common mistakes made by beginners and using this knowledge in daily practice sessions will allow beginners to play better, win more matches and move up to the intermediate level.

2020 03 05

Serve – which stand should you use?

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One of the most difficult strokes in tennis to learn is the serve. Players start every point with serve so it should make all of us aware that this aspect is of crucial importance for being able to compete at any level. It doesn’t matter if we just start the journey with tennis or we already have few trophies on the shelf because we should always strive to improve serving aspect to achieve better results.

Serve provides many opportunities to take advantage from the beginning of the point. Players can direct the ball to the weaker side of the opponent to put pressure on him right from the beginning. There are variety of spins that can be used to check rival’s technical adaptation and the quality of his return while dealing with changing factors. We can also add controlled speeds and depths of the serve to this repertoire and we can see how big weapon we have in our hands every time we start serving.

As with any other stroke the quality of the serve depends on the technical level. The more advanced the stroke is the more possibilities player has to dominate the rival and win more points in easier way. Unfortunately, from the technical point of view, serve is the most complex stroke in tennis so that is why a lot of players struggle with effective execution of this first shot in the point. Players tend to toss the ball improperly, use only upper body to serve or decelerate the racket while hitting the ball which cause low possibility to use serve to build the point on own terms.

There are different reasons why players make mistakes while serving. Sometimes players don’t train specific aspects enough but other times they are just not aware of the areas that can be changed. It is also important to understand that there are some guidelines for developing world-class serve but at the same time players can use some individual approaches that make them comfortable to serve well.

Stance. Important aspect in forehand and in serve too. Which one should players use? It depends. There are 2 stances to choose from while serving: the pin-point stance and the platform stance. Pin-point stance means bringing the back foot up and having legs together before using ground to jump to the ball and hit it. On the other hand there is a platform stance which keeps legs separated on the court during the whole preparation phase so player jumps to the ball without bringing the back foot up.

When we take a look at the pro level we can observe that different players have different approaches to stance. There are champions who use pin-point stance as also there are players who hit aces using platform stance. Is it possible to say that one stance is better than the other? Should player use one stance over the other at different stages of serve development? Let’s see the facts.

There are some studies related to this important area in tennis. According to the studies there is no significant difference between pin-point stance and platform stance according to speed or effectiveness of the serve. Both of the methods create similar possibilities for going up to the ball and using ground’s force to add power to the ball. However there is one factor that can be useful for players who want to decide which stance is more recommended for them. That’s coordination.

In tennis there is not much time to prepare any stroke. With serve players have to perform complex chain of actions while the ball is in the air so controlling own body is a priority to achieve expected quality. Without effective coordination of lower and upper body it is impossible to get the most of any type of delivery. That is why players should test both stances and see how comfortable for them is to serve given way from the physical perspective. For some players it is much easier to take actions while not moving the back leg but other group needs this dynamic action to feel the rhythm and coordinate all body parts. It simply means that the only factor that players should consider while choosing the stance to serve is coordination. If they are fluent with own body motions and they feel that they can develop maximum acceleration during every stage of the serve it proves that this stance is the right one for them.

Nowadays serve is definitely the most important stroke at the advanced level but it also should be priority for players at lower levels of performance. Understanding different parts of the serve is necessary to work on them separately to improve the overall level of this shot. Players should look for individual comfort zone while choosing the stance remembering at the same time that comfort has to go with maximum quality. If it doesn’t it will keep player at the same level for many months so improvement won’t be visible.

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