1.GET YOUR FIRST SERVE IN

Getting your first serve in does more than keep you from having to hit a second serve. It puts your opponent on the defensive from the start of the point, preventing him from attacking you. You don’t need to hit a blistering serve to be effective. Varying spin, speed and placement will keep your opponent off balance and unable to tee off on your serve. Getting the first serve in opens doors to attack short returns or to put away volleys.

 

2. GIVE YOUR OPPONENT LESS TIME TO HIT THE BALL

In tennis, the more time you have to hit the ball, the better you should be able to hit it. Therefore, if you give your opponent less time to hit the ball, you’ll make things more difficult for him. How do you do that? You do it by hitting with more pace, taking the ball on the rise so it reaches him sooner or attacking the net. Giving him less time to hit the ball will keep him on the defensive.

 

3. TAKE ONLY ONE RISK PER POINT

You can’t play tennis well and not take some chances, but the key is knowing when to gamble and when to play it safe. The good percentage player takes only one risk per point. Taking unnecessary risks costs matches. Sure, you can hit a winner occasionally with a high-risk, low-percent-age shot, but tennis is not a game of chance. In the long run, the high –percent-age players wins.

 

4. ON BIG POINTS, FORCE YOUR OPPONENT TO HIT THE BIG SHOT

The idea in tennis is to make your opponent beat you, not to beat yourself. So on important points, avoid low-percentage shots and don’t go for a winner unless you have a clear opportunity. Get the ball back consistently deep and give the other guy a chance to make mistakes, because most points are lost on errors, not won on placements. On big points, you’re both apt to be nervous and less able to control your shots. So don’t give him an opportunity to attack; force him to hit a more difficult shot than necessary to beat you.

 

5. PLAN AHEAD TO SET UP YOUR POINTS

The smart player does not try to pound the ball past his opponent on every shot. Don’t try to hit a winner from an inappropriate court position because it leads to too many errors. The smart player combines shots so that each shot makes the following shot more effective. Point combinations let you take the offensive by hitting progressively easier shots while putting your opponent in progressively more difficult positions.

 

6.DEPTH IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN POWER

If you hit deep when your opponent is at the baseline, he’ll have difficulty attacking you. In addition, if you hit deep your opponent will tend to hit short, giving you an opportunity to attack. In fact, depth is an excellent substitute for power. A deep ball may move faster than a harder hit, short ball because the latter travels much of its distance after it has bounced and slowed down. So whether you’re hitting a ground stroke or a volley, go for depth more than power.

 

7.KNOW WHEN TO ATTACK A WEAKNESS

To take maximum advantage of an opponent’s weakness, you have to set up your opportunities. Hammering away at a weakness may give your opponent more confidence the more he hits the shot. Instead, attack other parts of his game as well, keeping his weakness in reserve for big points. By attacking his weakness judiciously, you put maximum pressure on him psychologically as well as tactically.