As everyone knows, we are in the process of being taught a lesson on our ability to control certain things in our day to day lives. That being said, there are things we can do to help the situation even though there are uncontrollable aspects to the problem.
Applying this to a tennis match, you can help influence these things by focusing on certain controllable techniques or strategy ideas on your side of the court. For instance, if you serve well, it will make it very difficult for your opponent to execute their game plan and help get things going in a positive direction. Also, displaying a good attitude with resiliency and calmness in times of adversity will put pressure on them to continue a high level of play, often resulting in more unforced errors and frustration on their end.
Another simple idea is to keep your shots deep, which will likely result in shorter replies from your opponent. Basic execution thoughts like watching the ball, following through, and always being ready for the ball to come back, will help you control the point and allow less of the uncontrollable aspects of the game to affect the outcome.
Control the things you can and keep looking for things you are able to control on the court that will help give you a better chance to achieve the result you are looking for.
Steve Annacone
Steve Annacone, USPTA Elite Pro, is the Director of Annacone Tennis, www.annaconetennis.com and MyHamptonspPro, www.MyHamptonsPro.com throughout the Hamptons, NY. Sam Alexander, Steve, 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
