Tennis

Tennis Questions

What is your best shot?

a. Serve

b. Service Return
c. forehand

d. Backhand
e. volley

f. lob

What is your worst shot?

a. Serve

b. Service Return
c. forehand

d. Backhand
e. volley

f. lob

If you were hit a low ball to your forehand and you could see your opponent coming to the net where would you hit the ball?

a. With lots of topspin crosscourt
b. A high defensive lob crosscourt
c. A quick offensive lob down the line
d. An under spin forehand up the line
e. As hard as you can right at your opponent

What is the safest type of service return?

a. Slice backhand crosscourt
b. Forehand topspin down the line
c. Lob defensively
d. Flat forehand down the middle
e. Topspin backhand

What is the quickest way to lose a point in a match
a. Double fault
b. Hit into the net
c. Hit a ball long
d. Hit a ball wide
e. Think about something else

You are playing a very good player; he has solid ground strokes and if you start rallying with him he eats you alive and runs you down. You lost the first set 6-1 holding your serve once. His serve is not very strong and he stays on the baseline. He is serving to start the second set should you?

a. Change tactics and go to the net to volley
b. Mix up your shots and stay on the baseline
c. Attack his serve going for return winners and going to the net when he is in trouble
d. Don't try to change. Fight it out with him on the base line.
e. Play a dink offspeed game and bring him to the net so you can pass him.

Its match point after 3 hours you are up 5-4 40-15 and very tired.

a. Serve a big first and or second serve to end it.
b. Spin the first serve in put the pressure on your opponent
c. Serve into your opponent and come in to volley .
d. Serve down the middle and come in.
e. Serve wide and stay back.

You are in the middle of a match and down a service break at 1-3 you know if you lose this service you can write this set and probably the match off. Your opponent is not that good but you have been making all the errors. Your serve has let you down in your last game what do you do?

a. Hit the serve harder and hope for the best
b. Spin the first and second serve in and get into rallies
c. Push the serve over to get it in play
d. Give up because you can't win and you are in a slump. Prepare what to say to your opponent on how you had a bad day.
e. Get more aggressive and come to the net when possible forcing the action.

You ran into somebody that can't miss. Everything he hits is either coming in at 100 mph or hitting the line with unbelievable angles. You have been hitting solid and felt confident but are getting blown away. The score is 30-30 second set 0-2 after you lost the first 2-6. What is you attitude like? He is serving right handed.

a. There is no way I could beat this guy he is too good.
b. I am so crummy I can't win a point on my serve, my forehand, or anything I hit goes into the net or long.
c. This guy is on a roll I have got to stay in this long enough for his momentum to slip so I can ge back into the match.
d. I hope I can win my serve again so I don't lose as bad as it looks, I just to win a game.
E. Get the ball back low down the middle to his forehand volley.

It is a big tournament and you are in the semi-finals up 5-3 serving in the third set after two hours on the court. A lot of people are watching as you have been hitting winners all day and it looks like an upset is happening. If you get through to the finals it will be your first time in a tournament final this big. Your opponent who is ranked way above you has been going crazy losing points to you by being wild and angry. You have stayed cool but now are getting nervous because your opponent has a reputation of coming back and seems more determined. In the final you will play the #1 player in the Tournament. What should you do?

a. Concentrate on just getting the ball in and this guy will miss shots like he has been doing.
b. Don't think about winning just play the way you have been playing.
c. Raise your level up another notch and finish this guy off with a couple of hard shots.
d. Go for your best shots and play smart by keeping ahead and keeping the ball in.
e. Just keep the ball in play and don't make any mistakes.

In the middle of the first set nothing seems to be working especially your best shots, ground strokes. Your forehand is going wild and deep, your serve is going into the net and long, you are pushing your backhand and you are getting extremely frustrated. Your opponent is equally off but he is attacking the net and winning points when you miss or miss hit. Somehow you are still in the match at 3-3. Its his serve should you.

a. Hit harder and go for the passing shots or for outright winners don't let him get to the net.
b. Settle down hit slower and hold your own trying to extend the rallies from the baseline.
c. Mentally relax, try to get back to a balance and the fundamentals of stroking through the ball. Play point by point.
d. Attack the net aggressively, chip and charge.
e. Ask for advice from a friend near the court.

You show up to the tournament and you have just found out you have to play a player you have never beaten or even taken a set off of. This is a big tournament and you are prepared but your confidence is very low against this player. How do you prepare to play.

a. Ask the tournament director when the consolation is?
b. Get prepared like any other tournament and decide on a game plan that has worked against this player by others.
c. Get focused on playing your best no matter what you may think the odds of winning are even though you know you will lose.
d. Complain about the draw and your luck.

Everything is going great, you are in a zone and playing a good but not great player. You are winning most of the shots on winners or placement. Your opponent is working hard on every point but you have the feeling today. It is still the first set but you are up 4-1 and you are in complete control of the match. You are serving and have held your serve easily each time. This game though you have hit your first serves long, and your opponent has returned your second serves well and beaten you on two long rallies. His confidence is starting to return. Should you,

a. Go for a big serve on 0-30, play aggressively and come to the net to put away a volley.
b. Get the first serve in and play defensively to win this point and get back on track in the service game.
c. Take your time and define your strategy for this point. Realize that momentum can disappear quickly. Recall and visualize what has been working.
d. Hit a soft first serve to get him off balance, stay back and lob him when he comes to the net.
e. You are way ahead in the set even if you lose this game you are still in a great position to win the set and match so just play the way you have been and do not worry about his.

You are a seeded player in the tournament and facing an unknown. The kid has a good all around game though. Your reputation is on the line. You were up 3-0 in the first set and he came back to beat you 7-6 in a hard fought tie breaker. Now the pressure is on both of you. The people have been watching and you know that you have got to find a weakness and exploit it. You have been way over confident and now its time to get settle down and play tennis. What is the best tactic based on your type of game. Its your serve to start the second set.

a. Pick the backhand side to attack and hurt him with penetrating serves attacking the net on every point.
b. Get the serve in down the middle to cut off the angle returns and work from the baseline keeping the ball deep.
c. Use every trick in the book, serve wide, serve flat down the middle, use slice into the body, mix it up and play with slice backhands to pull him wide on both sides and hit strong forehands. Use drop shots and lobs when you get him out of position. Work causing him to produce unforced errors.
d. Pick up the pace, hit harder, force the timing, and put the pressure on him with your ground strokes.
e. Serve wide to the forehand side and attack his forehand to open up the backhand and force him to cover more court. Come in behind deep cross court backhand slices.

You are returning serve. The score is 30-30, 5-6. You know if you break him you go to a tie breaker. You have broken his serve before and lost yours. He has been serving to your backhand down the middle he missed his first serve. Should you:

a. Watch the ball closely and prepare to run around the serve for a strong forehand return up the line.
b. Move around on the baseline and try to distract his concentration and force a double fault.
c. Move in against his second serve and chip and charge.
d. Slice a backhand return inside out low and wide.

You are returning serve. The score is now ad out and it is match point. The second serve is coming straight into your body. Your opponent is staying on the baseline as usual. What would you do?

a. Take a big swing and hit it up the line for a winning return.
b. Move forward and contact the ball getting it back deep and in the middle of the court.
c. Call it out and go shake hands.
d. Step back away from the ball and return it back to the ad court with topspin deep.
e. Take it on the backhand side and slide it down the line short about to the service line on his deuce court.

SINGLES TENNIS STRATEGY

Before developing a game dependent on strategy first a player must have the strokes that will get the ball over the net. Hitting with depth is the second necessity. Limiting the number of options is the third. Overall strategy and point-to-point tactics are over rated for most players.

There are basic five things that a player can do to his opponent from the baseline;

• 1.(hit to your opponent's left)
• 2.(to his right)
• 3.(over his head)
• 4.(at his feet) and
• 5.(through him).

Strategy means devising a realistic game plan which forces you to evaluate your own game and to learn how to scout and play your opponent. For a beginner the first and most basic rule is to get it "Down the middle and deep". This works on any type of surface or conditions. It helps you win by (1)(Keeping your opponent hitting from behind the baseline; (2) the net is 5 1/2" lower in the middle that at the singles sideline giving you less chance for error; (3) you can concentrate more confidently on the stroke because you are not gambling with the sidelines; (4) By hitting down the middle you reduce the length of the diagonal available to your opponent if he wants to hit crosscourt. The problem with hitting down the middle is an opponent with a strong shot can step around and hit from his strength every time. It is important to remember if you can keep it going deep enough you will still come out ahead. Once you get better at this strategy you can play slightly to his weaker side.
Most players do not own any shot, one that they can hit consistently from anywhere on the court to any position, so worrying about a strategy complicates their game. They must deal with stroke production and not having the shot to fulfill the strategy. It is better for the beginner to just hit the ball correctly.

1. ATTACK THE NET AT EVERY OPPORTUNITY
No matter how good you get hitting DOWN the MIDDLE and DEEP should remain a fundamental aspect of your strategy. A basic law in the jungle is that the advanced player will attack the net at every opportunity and the intermediate will wait for the first short ball before going in. Anticipation is a key element in the development of an advanced player. An intermediate will often hit and back up or hesitate too long when getting his opponent in trouble or sensing when a ball will be short. The average player is average because he seldom hits the ball deep. In fact against most players the odds are that the next ball or every other ball will be short so you should anticipate this probability and be inside the baseline expecting a short ball.
Good tennis is a game of opportunities, it is a game of closing out a point and not letting your opponent keep playing. This means you must fight to get to the net. The best shot to come in behind is a deep shot that keeps your opponent pinned behind the baseline. If you can develop the confidence to take the short ball and hit an approach shot and volley and come in you will find you anticipate always moving forward rather than naturally staying back. Your opponent will feel this pressure and this will affect his concentration and rhythm of his swing and he will produce errors.

2. PLAY THE PERCENTAGES
The advanced player strives for consistency and to reduce errors understanding that more points are lost than won in a match. When points are combined of both players errors always out number winners. Understanding this percentage the one who produces more errors always loses. To reduce errors you must simplify your strategy. Keep the ball deep and safe and stay ready and in anticipation for short balls.

Your opponent can only hit to a few areas as can you. The more creative you get the more chance for errors. Statistics show that someone is about to make an error, limit your chances by following the percentages, deep and down the middle.
When forced by a tough shot hit a ball that has the highest percentage of staying in the court and keeping you in the point. When behind find a way to stay in the point by getting ball back over the net and deep. Trying for a winner to get you out of trouble is not a percentage play, it is a gamble and not a good one. If you are winning keep winning by doing exactly the same thing that produced your advantage. Trying something new or something you do not own will only allow the momentum to switch. When the momentum switches sometimes all you can do is watch it go right out from under you. Don't let this happen by testing your skill with fancy circus shots in a match. Follow the Just Win Strategy, practice the new shots tomorrow.

3. UNDER PRESSURE PLAY THE RIGHT SHOT
Pressure has a way of making any player play a SAFE ball. What generally happens is it throws off his entire bio-mechanics of stroke production and control. This causes the ball to SIT UP and boom the point is over because your opponent is generally playing from behind and thus more aggressively. This is called "CHOKING" knowing what to do but not doing because of the courage to hit the right shot. Instead of thinking about winning the match and knowing the pressure of the point or the game the advanced player must remember what will get him to victory, and that is consistency and aggressiveness.

4. WHEN FORCED GET THE BALL UP
On a baseline rally one player will get pulled wide which forces him to either try to blast the ball back hoping for a winner or produce an error. The best way to buy time and to get back into the point is to elevate this shot 10 to 12 feet above the net to get you back in to the point and change the momentum. Even if the player has is attacking the net which he should do making sure that at least you force him to hit a good volley. By elevating your shot you naturally increase the top spin and unless your opponent is at the net he may have to hit up and over the net which is the most difficult volley. If you see him coming to the net it is not a difficult adjustment to lift the ball even higher for a topspin lob which is your next best option. If he stays on the baseline he will have to wait for the ball and see his opportunity diminish get frustrated and most likely try for too much and miss the ball long or into the net. By getting the ball back without the pace it also forces his mechanics to be better along with his concentration. By him not advancing on this opportunity he will feel aggravated by your ability to return his best shot.

5. BREAKDOWN YOUR OPPONENT'S RHYTHM
If you are playing someone who likes pace hit them soft high balls that they have to prepare for differently. It is not necessary to play a pretty game to win. For example most two handers like the ball in the strike zone where they can use the natural fluid body movement and hit solid ground strokes. If you can avoid this area by hitting short and low and then hit topspin deep and high it forces them to adjust to the variances and thus gets them out of their natural rhythm. The basic idea is hit shots that your opponent does not want to hit. Determining what your opponent does not like is quite easy, what produces errors and what makes him angry and frustrated. Understand what shots produce power and which ones do not. Balls hit deep and high to either side with topspin are difficult to return because they re out of the power zone of the body. The player must hit them with almost all arm or take them on the rise both of which shots are physically tough to execute and return deep and strong.

6. OVERPLAY TO YOUR OPPONENT'S STRONG SHOT.
When your opponent has a great forehand and a weak backhand do not let him win with his strength. Anticipate the shot and force him to hit it better than he is capable of by overplaying to the appropriate side. In this case if he hits flat forehands overplay to cross court side forcing him to hit closer to the line or down the line over a higher net. A flat forehand is hit with a horizontal swing which is more difficult to execute down the line for many reasons. Understanding this you can also frustrate this shot by sending him backhand slice to his forehand that stays low and pulls away. This will cause him more difficulty and produce more errors on his better side and thus frustrate him and open up his weaker side for any order of shot.

7. HIT CROSS COURT GROUND STROKES
On the forehand the tendency is to hit down the line to the backhand corner for the right handers from the baseline. It is much safer to go cross court for these reasons; the net is lower in the middle than on the sides, the court is longer, you give yourself more time, and you tempt your opponent to hit the tougher return. The net is 5 1/2 inches lower than on the singles sideline and the court is 78 lf down the line where as it is 82 1/2 lf on the diagonal cross court shot. This depending upon the speed, spin and angle of the shot cause the probability of error to go up proportionately. In addition based upon the law of incident and reflective angles it requires less control to return a ball back upon the path of its origin. This is because when a ball is arriving at the racquet on a diagonal it tends to deflect off the racquet at an angle in direct relation to the angle of its approach.

There is no margin for safety when you go down the line; what looks to be an easy shot is not. It is a lower percentage play and must be hit with more control. Any deficiency will produce an error wide because or the angle of reflection, into the net because of the force of gravity and the height of the net, and long because of the shorter distance and the need for a more precise impact and topspin to control the flight of the ball.

If your opponent hits the ball to the backhand corner the easiest shot in the game is to hit a straight ball cross-court. It is a natural tendency to pull across the body and hit the ball on the diagonal. It takes a more talented player to hit a straight ball straight. Unless this tougher shot is executed perfectly you are now forcing yourself to move a larger number of steps in a shorter amount of time to cover a return. This is first caused because your momentum holds you on the sideline or out of the court when you hit down the line. Secondly you must be aware that any return will keep you dangerously far behind the baseline and out of position if you are unable to advance to the net in the form of an approach shot. Percentage play dictates that you work to get the short ball and come into the net and close out the point not hit tough winners from the baseline through a more difficult window.

8. HIT WITH PURPOSE
Advanced players understand that more shots are lost than won. Understanding this enables them to avoid the high risk shots while hitting strong and consistent with a purpose. On a high level it is very difficult to have an open court to hit into. What seems open is only there for an instance. The more important strategy is being able to hit the right shot at the right time and it does not matter if the opponent is out of position or not. The shot itself will either produce an error or lead to a short ball and thus an opportunity to close out the point.

9. PLAY WITH A GAME PLAN
A match is a long arduous struggle that has a momentum and changes. Seldom does a match result in the complete destruction of an opponent if they are of equal ability. Generally play is determined by subtle strengths and weaknesses in mental toughness or physical fitness. Being evenly matched in ability at the beginning of a match does not always mean by the end of the match it will be the same. Some especially junior players will hit out until they are worn out physically. Other players will run their opponents into the ground until they are unable to lift their arms. This is the essence of strategy.
Most great offensive players have exception serves, volleys overheads and approach shots. To meet such an adversary is formidable and you must work to get the points to last. The defensive player in this scenario is working to stay in the game and tire this offensive opponent. Keeping the ball in play and keeping a player like this away from the net will allow the defensive player to make a game of it. Trying for return winners and clean passing shots will only make the loss quicker. By getting each serve back into play you increase your chances of breaking him and keeping him working and using up his energy. Hitting hard returns may be exactly what you should not do. Find away to get the ball over the net and below it before he hits his approach or first volley. This will make him hit up and allow you the time you need to hit a offensive lob or passing shots. It is also imperative that you come to the net to keep this player honest and to keep aggressive. An opponent that knows you will not come into the net has a built in advantage that will result in an unfair advantage. No player has unlimited energy and in a 3 to 4 hour match many things can happen, much more than in a 1 hour match.

With a defensive player it sometimes is amazing the length they will go to to stay in a point. They run down everything and everything comes back. It can be very frustrating to have opportunity after opportunity lost by a player that digs out a ball and sends it by you or over you. Going for winners, aces and hitting harder is what this player is hoping you will do.

 Generally a defensive player is well conditioned and willing to stay out and hit all day. They thrive on your pace and power and like a target to hit at. If you have the shots from the baseline to relax and hit deep high bouncing lobs or ground strokes it can totally unnerve many of these defensive wizards as they lose the concept of what they are meant to do. By changing from a hard hitter to a moon baller you can get more short balls and find that the topspin that was so effective as passing shots are now sitters awaiting your approach and put away volleys.

What works at the beginning of the match may not be the ultimate source of winning or losing. During the course of the match players find certain shots that were unavailable at the beginning of the match or lose some that were. The advanced player watches what his opponent does and keeps a record as to what he is avoiding. If the player is running around the backhand and hitting winners that gives him two options keep hitting to the backhand corner or start to work the forehand more even though this player may have a much better forehand.

The serve may fade and most of the time a big server will lose the punch he had in the first and second sets. This allows you to be more aggressive on return. On your serve you may find that just spinning the ball deep is more effective than a flat serve. Your physical conditioning may require you to go for winners because you must or you will lose because of cramps or exhaustion.

A player may stop hitting topspin backhands and return slices cross-court. This will allow a player to come to the net more. A slice must go slower through the air because of the spin of the shot. Under pressure it will generally sit up a bit and is an easy volley at a close net position. So the defensive player can attack if he is aware of this change in play by his opponent. A player may also lose his feel for the forehand sitting back on the back foot hitting long or to the net. The pressures of trying to close out points quickly can produce mental errors and as the match wears on deficiencies will become much clearer and more evident.

10. BASICS OF SOUND STRATEGY

A. Every shot is very important because it could be your last.
B. Anticipate opportunities and hit the first short ball.
C. Instinctively want to move forward not back.
D. Mentally know that you are here for the whole match.
E. Forget the winners that your opponent hit just play.
F. Buy time at every opportunity so you can be prepared to hit.
G. Get all your serves in deep. The first puts pressure on the returner the second on the Server
H. Keep the ball down the middle and deep consistently
I. Swing through your shots don't shorten your swing if you hit long at first.
J. Keep moving and aware of your balance.
K. Strive to hit technically correct shots during the match.
L. Visualize your shots as you hit them, mental pictures produce physical results.

The percentages below are realistic levels of stroke production of an Advanced player.

CONSISTENCY, DEPTH, PLACEMENT AND POWER.
Serve 2nd S Forh Back For-A Bac-A ForV B-Volley
Consistency 60% 90% 90% 85% 90% 80% 90% 85%
Depth 83% 83% 75% 70% 80% 70% 75% 70%
Placement 67% 67% 75% 65% 70% 60% 75% 65%
Power 40% 50% 65% 50% 60% 50% 65% 50%

Winning Singles Strategies at the Beginner Plus Level

At any level of tennis competition, you'll fare best if you focus on having fun and improving your game, not on whether you win. Part of improving is learning how to win, but you should be happier about losing a match in which you played well against a better opponent than winning a match in which you played poorly.

The essence of your strategy early in your tennis development should be to win with consistency. At every level below advanced, players miss the vast majority of attempts at hitting a winner. If you get lots of balls back, giving an opponent more chances to make a mistake, he'll usually make that mistake and hand you the point. Most players run out of patience after a certain number of shots within a point. The more patient player has the advantage.

At the more advanced levels, a strategy centered on consistency requires good foot speed, but at the beginner level, your opponents won't get many hard shots in, so the balls you actually need to chase will usually be moving pretty slowly. You can win with consistency well into the intermediate level even if speed isn't one of your strengths. Approaching the advanced level, a slower player has to learn a more aggressive style, but we'll address that when we get there.

For beginners through early intermediates, here are five key tips for winning matches:

1. Hit ground strokes high to hit deep. Unless you hit hard, aiming your forehands and backhands between three and eight feet above the net will almost guarantee that you'll get the ball in, and it will also help you keep the ball deep. Very deep balls can often draw an error from an inexperienced opponent, and depth in general will limit your opponent's options. You'll want to hit some short balls on purpose, but your standard shot should be deep.
2. Hit second serves high to hit deep. Aim your second serves two to five feet above the net for reliability and depth. The pros do this too, but they use heavy topspin that allows them to add quite a bit more pace than you'll be able to. If you know you have a reliable second serve, you can experiment more with an aggressive first serve and probably earn a few easy points. Until you start learning to spin your first serve, not too many hard ones will go in, but experimenting will help you judge how much speed to attempt.
3. Pull your opponent forward, then hit past her. This is one of the easiest and most reliable tactics you can use. Hitting a short ball to an advanced player is extremely dangerous, because she'll usually reply with a winner, but beginners will most often just hit the ball right back to you. Beginners get caught in "No Person's (formerly No Man's) Land," the area between the baseline and service line, all the time. When you see your opponent there, just aim the ball to either side of her and several feet deeper than she is standing, and you'll almost certainly win the point.
4. Recover your court position quickly. This is your defense against tip #3 and a lot of other difficult situations. Unless you're attacking at the net, which isn't easy as a beginner, you should get back to a spot somewhat diagonally opposite your opponent and roughly three feet behind your baseline after each ball you hit.
5. Use full swings. Full swings don't have to be fast swings. It's tempting to poke at the ball as a way to keep from hitting too hard, but you'll find that a longer swing is far more reliable, and it will be much better for your arm and your rate of improvement. If you want to take some speed off your shot, just slow down your full swing.

Win With Consistency

For the vast majority of the tennis-playing population, consistency is the best way to win. Only at the higher levels of tennis does a flashier playing style prevail over consistent tennis with much frequency. For your flash to beat your opponent's consistency, you must hit shots hard enough and/or precisely enough that your opponent either can't get to them or can't get a clean hit on them, and you must make such shots more often than you miss them. This takes more skill than most players have. At the average recreational or club level, you can beat a flashy player simply by giving him enough chances to miss. He might hit a screaming winner now and then, but if you keep getting the ball back, his errors will tip the balance in your favor.

At the beginner level, just getting the ball back in the court, anywhere, is enough to win. Your beginner opponent won't be able to punish your short balls efficiently.

Once you reach the intermediate level, you need to start concentrating on keeping your shots deep. As long as your opponent is hitting from behind her baseline, you have an excellent chance of getting anything she hits, because even her hardest shots won't travel the 78 feet from baseline to baseline faster than you can run to them. If you hit her a short ball, it's a different story. If her shot comes from less far away, she won't have to hit nearly as hard to rob you of your time, and she'll also be able to hit sharper angles. Consistency's most essential partner is depth.

The safest way to get depth is to hit fairly high, which, of course, has the rather useful added benefit of making sure you clear the net. Even the flattest, hardest hitters should try to clear the net by at least three feet on their average baseline shots, which will mean that many will end up one foot above the net. If you can generate strong topspin, you can hit full-powered shots as high as six feet above the net. For less spin-proficient players, flat, slower shots ranging in height up through the lob category can produce depth that many opponents will find extremely difficult to beat. Back in the Moon Ball era, a number of highly ranked pros relied heavily on these semi-lobs, although the best of the Moonballers used more of a topspin than a flat semi-lob.

 

Volley Drills and Games

Rules of Tennis

The following Rules of Tennis and Cases and Decisions are the official rules of the International Tennis Federation (ITF), of which the United States Tennis Association (USTA) is a member. USTA Comments have the same weight and force in USTA tournaments as do ITF Cases and Decisions.

When a match is played without officials, The Code shall apply in any situation not covered by the Rules of Tennis. Except where otherwise stated, every reference in the Rules of Tennis to the masculine includes the feminine gender.

Click here to view the "Rules of Tennis" (.pdf document)