Tip of the Week: Use Your Serve and Return of Serve to Get Control of the Point

By Steve Annacone
It is extremely important to get your first serve in and to get your return of serve in play. However, one of the keys to winning a tennis match is to get control of the point more often than your opponent. In addition to making your serve and return of serve, try to get the opponent in some...Read more

Tip of the Week: Keep a Calm Mentality in the Heat of the Match

By Steve Annacone
Most players are much better off leaving their emotions on the sidelines when a match gets tight. There have been a few such as John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors, Illie Nastase and more who have actually played better at times after getting wound up. However, staying calm and keeping your focus on the...Read more

Tip of the Week: Play the Ball, But Pay Attention to Your Opponent

By Steve Annacone
Most coaches tend to scout and find out their opponent’s weaknesses, and then tell their player how to play based on that information. But it is better to know your own strengths and weaknesses, play your game, and focus on the ball. Pay attention to what the opponent is doing and make slight...Read more

Tip of the Week: Tennis is Crazy

By Steve Annacone
Whenever two players step on the singles court for a tennis match, there is a favorite. Usually, the favorite is the person who is ranked higher or has the better career results. However, there is a very strange thing that happens in tennis, more than any other sport: the better player does not...Read more

Tip of the Week: Why Your Attitude Makes a Difference

Photo courtesy of Getty Images
By Steve Annacone
It’s hard for us to understand how our attitude can play such a big role in the outcome of a tennis match. Most players believe that if they hit the ball well, use the right strategy, and take advantage of their opportunities, they will win. However, if the other player is matching your hitting...Read more

Tip of the Week: Ready, Couple of Steps, Swing

By Steve Annacone
Tennis needs to be automatic, instinctive, and repetitive. Unfortunately, the thoughts going through your head when you are playing make it very difficult for any of those things to happen. Keeping the most simple ideas in your head can help get your reactions to become less complicated from all...Read more

Tip of the Week: Hit Three Shots In a Row

Photo Credit: Brad Penner/USTA
By Steve Annacone
I have written about this idea in several different ways in the past. It seems too simple for it to actually work. However, Rafael Nadal just won his 22nd Grand Slam and his 14th French Open by basically doing this better on more of the points than his opponents. When analyzing his last match...Read more

Tip of the Week: Playing With an Injury

By Steve Annacone
Tennis players on the pro tour rarely step on the court feeling 100 percent physically. They almost always have nagging injuries, soreness, or sometimes even chronic problems that are basically caused by the repetitive nature of the game. A player needs to pay attention to these issues and do...Read more

Tip of the Week: Pick Shots You Admire and Imitate Them

By Steve Annacone
Watching tennis is a highly underrated way of learning the game. Each player has their own unique style and no one hits the ball exactly the same way. Developing your own shots and adjusting your technique are important learning tools that can help you become a better player. One of the best ways...Read more

Tip of the Week: Keys for the Serve

By Steve Annacone
The serve is the most important shot in tennis. Serving in a match can become extremely complicated, making it important to focus on more simple keys to hitting your serve well. Start by walking up to the baseline, bouncing the ball once and then touching the ball to your racquet. Keep the racquet...Read more

Under Promise and Over Deliver

By Steven Kaplan
The desire to “Grow The Game” is a lofty goal because if you love tennis, you want to share your devotion to the sport with others. Coaches choose to spread enthusiasm, passion, understanding and experience because they recognize that knowledge is true power and education is empowering. If you love...Read more

Tip of the Week: Stand In On the Opponent’s Second Serve

By Steve Annacone
Returning the second serve in a tennis match can be the key to success or failure. Most players’ second serve is the weakest part of their game, and many players do whatever they can just to get the shot in. The speed of the second serve usually drops off severely because of this. Try standing in...Read more