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Wimbledon is the oldest and most prestigious Grand Slam event on the circuit, and every summer, it delights tennis fans around the world.

Last year the tennis calendar was disrupted, meaning when the first serve of Wimbledon 2021 flew over the net, fans were eager for their fill of excitement. They didn’t have to wait long; an 18-year-old wildcard entry ranked 338th in the world captured a nation’s heart with her dogged displays.

Definitely modern tennis is based on power. Blasting serves and fast forehands are hallmarks of professional tournaments so it is not surprising that younger players try to imitate their idols and play in the exact same way that they see on TV. However if we take a closer look even at the matches of Federer or Osaka, we can discover that not all the shots are played with maximum power. Top players vary the pace of own responses to make sure that they can increase own chances for winning the match.

Tournaments are part of the tennis journey. It doesn’t matter if you have just started playing tennis or you play tennis for several years, at one point you will start competing. Firstly you will play in domestic tournaments but later on you will want to feel like top stars. And compete in international tournaments.

In tennis we can choose only 2 directions to hit. Either we can hit the ball cross-court or down the line. The lower the level the more shots should go diagonally because it is safe direction that guarantees good consistency. What about the down the line direction? Should it be restricted just to players who we can watch on TV? Not really.

Many people, including tennis community, are looking forward to the end of 2020. Many industries have been severely affected by the pandemic. The same has happened to tennis competition, which resulted in the season being turned completely upside down. Event organisers as well as tennis players struggled a lot to make things go according to plan. Certainly, some of the players cannot be satisfied with their performance this year and it just confirms how unfortunate this past season was. Read their stories that concern both aspects of sport and other life areas.

Tennis is a game where players can choose different ways to win the point. They can play on the baseline or come to the net. They can use sheer power or focus totally on control. They can try to finish the point as soon as possible or they can be patient and keep the ball in play over and over again. Knowing that it is important to work on variety of skills because it will allow players to choose the most effective strategy against particular opponent.

The ATP Finals currently played in London are the last chapter of the professional tennis circuit in 2020. Fans are excited about a new season and another Grand Slam tournament, which is going to take place on the courts of sunny Australia. However, it’s become uncertain whether they’ll get a chance to see the world’s best male and female tennis players at all as the organisation of the event has been called into question.

Every year, after the tour is over, we summarise the events of the past season. 2020 welcomed us with exceptionally unusual circumstances, compared to the previous years. Obviously, the main reason for that is the pandemic, which caused lots of tournaments to have been cancelled. Nevertheless, we have managed to pick the male and female tennis players, who can surely admit that 2020 “was their time to shine”, regardless of the global situation. Let’s start with the women’s tennis and the WTA circuit.

Victoria Azarenka

Only a few days ago the Spaniards celebrated the 13th Grand Slam triumph of Rafael Nadal in Roland Garros. Although the tennis player from Manacor is getting older, nobody else seems to be able to challenge him on the courts in Paris. However, he is not the only reason for the Spanish fans to be hopeful about what the future holds for them, as among other solid players there is one who can become a Nadal’s successor. Carlos Alcaraz has everything to reach this level soon and to be an equal rival to Nadal himself.

What happened over the past few days during Roland Garros was something the Polish tennis fans could only dream of for many years. Although Agnieszka Radwańska and Jerzy Janowicz used to perform outstandingly on the international courts, along with Łukasz Kubot, who is still brilliant in doubles, up until now, we had lacked the icing on the cake – a Grand Slam championship in singles. Even though Iga Świątek has always been considered a great hope for this discipline in Poland, just two weeks ago barely anybody would have thought she would make the fans’ dreams come true in Paris.

Practice sessions provide big opportunities to become better tennis player. Drills, intensity, and volume of single training sessions have big influence on the quality of player’s work and future progress. Players spend time on improving baseline skills, net game skills as also serve and return abilities. In this article we will focus on the most common mistakes that players make while working on volleys.

Tennis players have just gone through their first tournament starts after the break caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. We have spoken with Karol Drzewiecki, currently the 159th doubles player in the world. After the resumption of the competition, Karol has already played in several ATP Challenger Tour tournaments, and shared his feelings regarding the events with Top Level Tennis.

It has long been known that tennis players, when preparing for the season, set a goal for themselves to have the best form in four particular periods. These are the times when the Grand Slam tournaments are played - the events where the players can get the most, whether it is about the ATP and WTA ranking points, or the big money that lies on the court. The situation related to the COVID-19 pandemic caused the current season to be turned upside down. In the end, however, the US Open is to be played, which in many aspects will not resemble the event we used to watch before.

Looking at the tennis match, we can easily notice which areas of the performance are most apparent. Powerful strokes, quick movement, or balanced position are the factors that top players possess at the highest level, but these are not the only skills that decide about their ability to play effectively against the more advanced opponents. The whole process starts with a little jump, which is a split step.