I have written about playing tennis in the wind before. Today, I gave a lesson with 15 mph winds with gusts up to 30 mph. It was also less than 40 degrees when we started and barely got to 50 by the end of the lesson. This reminded me of some of the things that…
Almost everyone has one side (hand and arm) that is dominant. When playing tennis, your non-dominant hand can be very helpful. First of all, you should use that hand to help get yourself back to the ready position. After hitting a forehand, make sure your other hand gets back on the racquet. This will help…
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…
I learned a lot about coaching during a match from my seven plus years of experience with my brother, Paul, on the ATP Tour and during his earlier development. One of the most interesting things about this is that I had a very difficult time using what I had learned in my own matches. I…
Every time I watch clips of Roger Federer, the smoothness of his swing jumps out at me. It just seems that he is so effortless from start to finish. Part of the reason he can hit the ball like this has to do with his incredible footwork. He gets himself very close to the same…
Tennis is a very difficult sport. Most people cannot just walk out on the court and be good at it. Learning the fundamentals and working on repeating similar swings over and over again can be frustrating and complicated. Since there are many different things that contribute to being a good tennis player, there are no…
Back in the early 2000’s I attended a USTA Training Center Conference in Key Biscayne. My brother, Paul, Eric Voges and I were sitting in the hotel room discussing what could be done to promote junior tennis, increase the number of players, and possibly give the United States the upper hand in the professional tennis…
I started playing tennis when I was 10 years old. Immediately, I realized how difficult the game was. However, despite the tough learning aspect of the game, there was something about the sport that made me want to get back on the court as soon as possible. As my game progressed, there were many ups…
We all like to think that we can control what happens on the tennis court. Unfortunately, a lot of what happens is not totally under your control. The opponent, conditions and luck all contribute to how you hit your shots and whether you win or lose the match. As a player, you should expect that…
Players use many different strategies in a tennis match. The best players can use several tactics to keep their opponent off balance or on the defensive. I would recommend that most players stick with one or possibly two basic strategies so there is some consistency to your thought process. My three favorite strategies in order…