Tip of the Week: Play the Return of Serve and First Few Balls Deep and Down the Middle

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By Steve Annacone
Against high level players and great movers on the tennis court, it is often better to play the ball down the middle at the beginning of the point . These players tend to cover the open court and use their speed to get the opponent to hit an extra shot and go for more. Many times this down the...Read more

Tip of the Week: Emphasize the Basics at Crunch Time

By Steve Annacone
In the heat of the match it often seems like you need to come up with a great shot or a great point in order to win. We often remember that spectacular shot that the top players hit in their victories and forget all of the simple things they execute over and over again throughout the match. I am a...Read more

Tip of the Week: Hang in There, No Matter What

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By Steve Annacone
It would be great if each time we walk on a tennis court our level of play equaled what our expectations are. This rarely happens. One of the characteristics of the best players in the world is the ability to hang in and keep the match close , despite being disappointed with their play. I think...Read more

Tip of the Week: Things You Can Do to Practice on Your Own

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By Steve Annacone
Tennis is a great sport, partly because you only need one other person to go out and hit or play. In addition, you can also do a lot of things by yourself to practice and improve . The most obvious is to go out and hit serves. Since the serve is the most difficult shot to learn, and also, the most...Read more

Tip of the Week: Vary Your Position to Return Serve

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By Steve Annacone
There are many different approaches to returning serve. Many players like having more time so they can take a bigger swing at the ball. These players tend to stand somewhere behind the baseline. There are also players who use more of an abbreviated swing and try to get the return back to the server...Read more

Tip of the Week: Take Away Your Opponent's Rhythm

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By Steve Annacone
Many tennis players rely on rhythm to be successful. Hitting several groundstrokes in a row often gives a player confidence to hit that more aggressive shot as the point gets longer. There are quite a few ways to disrupt your opponent's rhythm. One is to try to keep the points as short as possible...Read more

Tip of the Week: Relax Your Grip to Generate More Racquet Head Speed

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By Steve Annacone
When I learned how to play tennis, I remember being told to keep a firm grip on the racquet to help eliminate wrist movement during the swing. Obviously, tennis has changed pretty dramatically since then and almost every player relies on some wrist action to add speed to their shots. Starting with...Read more

Tip of the Week: Use the Rally Ball to Start the Point

By Steve Annacone
Most of us play tennis with the idea that it would be best if the ball does not come back after we hit our shot, but it’s extremely important to think that the ball is always going to come back. Try reinforcing this idea by actually hitting your shot so that the opponent is able to hit it back...Read more

Tip of the Week: Mix Up the Depth of Your Shot

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By Steve Annacone
Players have become better and better at handling the deep, hard shots that most of the modern players use to get their opponent in trouble or to win the point. Many of today's best players are capable of taking a few steps back and using the speed and depth of the shot to hit an even better shot...Read more

Tip of the Week: Easy Power

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By Steve Annacone
Many players on the ATP and WTA Tours produce powerful shots with swings that do not look extremely fast. Some of this comes from their natural ability, but there are things you can do to improve your power without adding more effort to your swings. First, you must realize that hitting the ball in...Read more

Tip of the Week: Holding Serve

By Steve Annacone
If you have played someone with a good serve and the game to back it up, you know how difficult it is to win the match or even stay close enough to give yourself a chance to win since they will hold serve most of the time. Roger Federer's ability to hold serve has definitely played a major role in...Read more

Tip of the Week: Step to the Middle in Doubles

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By Steve Annacone
If you are the server's partner at the net and the serve lands anywhere from the middle of the box to the center service line, make a diagonal move towards the middle of the court. Most returners are not likely to hit the return towards your alley if the serve is hit well and in this area. If they...Read more