Best 2nd Serve Returners of All-Time

Most coaches will make you feel inferior if you don't step into your returns, as if you don't understand the essence of hitting a great second serve return.  Maybe you are always feeling awkward being in "no-mans land" after making contact with a big kicker well inside the baseline, leaving you vulnerable on your next shot.  Or maybe you are making too many errors trying to play aggressive tennis.  Maybe you aren't wired to take risks, so you are fighting internally with yourself.   

There is nothing wrong with "cutting off the angle" or "taking the ball earlier."  All great advice.  By all means, if you can do it, I highly recommend stepping into the return.  However, judging from the stats taken straight off the ATP website, I notice a different breed of players.  Atleast half of these players are risk-averse players who like to hang back well behind the baseline and give the forehand a heavy ride (granted these stats could be inflated from claycourt play).  With servers generating massive kick and height after the bounce, taking the ball early isn't as easy as it sounds.  For starters, you need to be well inside the court, potentially leaving you in a weird part of the court if you don't do enough with the return.  Secondly, you might give away too many free points doing something that isn't comfortable for you under pressure. 

Judge for yourself, but the proof is in the pudding.  One can never underestimate the value of putting one more ball into the court.  See what works better for you.  It might not be pretty or efficient, but atleast you increased your odds of winning!  That's the only thing that matters at the end of the day, stop being so dogmatic and perfect!  Most coaches can't hit a heavy kicker inside the court, it's not that easy!  Take some pressure of yourself and let the shot develop and give the ball a ride.  One possibility is using a hybrid of staying back and picking opportune times to step in.  Plant the seed inside the servers mind for those moments deep in the set or match at 4-4 deuce or 5-5 30-all.  Those are the little chinks in the armor that change matches and tip a rookie player over the cliff.   

4 Reminders: Below The Knees and Above The Shoulders

Unless you possess overwhelming power, then here are 4 simple reminders to help you increase your odds of winning.  

1) Make your opponent run.  This is why every great player is a master of the figure-8 drill.  Can you effectively control the ball accurately into the corners while you are moving, hitting over the high part of the net, and changing the direction of the ball?  Everyone talks about hitting great crosscourts (nothing wrong with that), but I challenge you to get really good at hitting down-the-lines and not missing!  Hit down-the-lines in a way that do not hurt you on the next ball- below their knees or above their shoulders.  The moment a coach says practice down-the-lines, the player swings for the fences.  This is not good tennis and will certainly guarantee you losing 1 and 1.  Don't want to be labeled a pusher, well you will be labeled a bonafide loser.  What the coach really means is to find a ball you can effectively hit 10 out of 10 times.  Yes 10 out of 10 is manageable and is what is expected of a great player.  

2) Make your opponent hit balls over the shoulder.  Work on their head.  See if they can mentally handle balls over the shoulder (you must be willing to do your part), point after point.  Be ready to defend and know that winners will be hit against you.  It's okay, that goes with the territory. Play the odds and frustrate them as the match unfolds.  You must not give your opponent any comfortable shots to hit (if you can help it).  You must send a message that this is your identity and you are willing to make them hit 24 winners to win the set. If they win the set, congratulate them and make them work just as hard in the 2nd.  Make life miserable for them, in fact, make them cry!  You will be surprised how many wimps and Momma's Boys there are in the tennis world (Rafa made a living on this!).  "Mommy, mommy!"  Make them cry.

3) Make your opponent hit balls below the knees.  Get really good at slicing.  Slices that bounce above the knees are not slices, so get back on the practice court and learn how to slice.  I don't care what anyone says, its very hard to hit winners against a good slice (ala Stevie Johnson, Federer, Schiavone, Feliciana Lopez).  The ball is below the level of the net and it defies physics to be able to torque a ball hard enough up and over the net to hit a winner.  Your opponent labors trying to generate enough pace to create an opening.  The slice has been known to drive some supposed "tough cookies" mad.  Federer chucked his racquet across the court against Santoro.  Djokovic should have lost the 1st set to Dolgopolov and was clearly puzzled/annoyed/pissed at the same time.  

4) Aim for the middle.  If all else fails, take all the pace off the ball and hit it up the middle.  Hit it high middle, low middle.  So many players can't volley, so make them beat you with a volley.  I would argue your pass is better than their volley.  Odds are your opponent has hit 1 volley for every 50 groundstrokes (sounds extreme, but I'm right).  Middle gives your opponent no angle and no easy way to run you off the court (if you hit it high or low or deep).  Smoke a cigar in-between points as the fume comes out of their ears.  Throw in a defensive moon lob for good measure to accelerate the crying process.  Be ready to run!  But next time you are on the practice courts, do figure eights to learn how to hit closer to the lines while on the move, so you can expand your game.   

My Karma Ran Over My Dogma

Tennis is a difficult sport to learn because of the many components that must be perfectly orchestrated in order to produce a player's individual masterpiece. However, when learning the game, it is becoming on a player to use some critical thinking and analytical skills in order to cut through the flak, misinformation as well as seemingly conflicting information and get to the truth. In this regard, when a coach tells you to "never" do this or "never" attempt that, it is helpful to keep in mind that because the game is so complex, the "never" can mean "most of the time", "sometime" or "heck, I don't know. I don't feel like explaining the difference...just don't do it again".

Take for example our previous article on building forearm and wrist strength. In the article, we sought to emphasize the importance of having a strong grip. One of our favorite readers mentioned, like many players across the United States, that he was taught to hold the racket with the same grip strength that he would use when holding a bird. Sound advice...but is it? USPTA High Performance Coach and former WTA player Yvonne Gallop takes issue with this approach. Her opinion is that the grip must be varied to take into account pace of the oncoming shot as well as your intent vis-a-vis the ball. For example, squeezing the grip against a hard, incoming ball will propel the ball past it's intended target (like a ball rebounding against a wall). Similarly, having an overly-stiff grip and wrist against a soft ball may prevent you from generating sufficient pace. In short, there is no rule of thumb...it's a lot of trial and error and integrating various components (emphasizing some; de-emphasizing others) in the particular circumstance. 

Nevertheless, this brings into question an interesting concept: when we're talking about grip STRENGTH are we, ipso facto, talking about grip PRESSURE? The answer is "no". Think of grip strength as a barbell collar (device that keeps the weights from sliding off the bar). It is a pretty sturdy device made out of metal (first picture above) yet it slides easily onto the bar. If the bar is levered (i.e. tipped) against the collar, the latter won't break...because it's strong. On the other hand, grip pressure is the inward force (purple and red arrows in the second picture, above) that the collar applies to the bar when it's squeezed shut. Once it's locked, the bar doesn't slide within the collar due to the application of this pressure and friction. So, as a player, it's important to be strong when it comes to your grip so that you can apply the right amount of pressure as required by the particular circumstance. Try holding the racket like a birdie against an Isner rocket serve and you'll be collecting the stick from the next ZIP code. On the other hand, try choking the handle against a soft ball and your shot will have difficulty clearing the net.

In a similar vein, when talking about which grip is best and which one this player has or that player favors, keep in mind that there is no general rule. Take for example, tennis legend's Johan Kriek's take on Roger Federer's forehand grip:

"Roger adapts his forehand grip depending on the height of the ball...I have been doing it also for many years...tricky hey!" and "I used to use a continental grip but a little more to the strong backhand grip due to everybody thinking my backhand was the place to serve, which was great for me since it was actually my best shot. I could do anything off my backhand; my forehand was changed 2 years into my career from a continental to a more semi western grip but I used a little more eastern grip on fast surfaces. In 1986 I got to the semis of the French and that was for me one of the most satisfying results ever because of what it took in mental strength to attack so much on clay and the stamina it took to grind and attack at the right time. I eventually lost to Lendl but I was cooked physically by then, just too many 5 setters."

Many authorities, including Larry Stefanki, said the same thing about Bjorn Borg's forehand grip...that he adjusted it based on surface and trajectory of incoming ball. How many teaching pros have told you that you should probably master one forehand but be well-versed in many other grips?! Probably not many. How many pros have told you: (a) never hit swinging volleys (what about a floater?); (b) never play in the no-man's land (what if the opponent can't hit past the service line?); (c) never hit a flat second serve (what if you're serving for the match at 5-3; 40-0?); (d) never hit a drop-shot from behind the baseline (what if the opponent is 15 feet behind the baseline and tired?); (e) never serve and volley on clay (what about Johan Kriek's amazing run to the semis of the French Open?); (f) never hit to your opponent's strength (what if you want to do so in order to open up a weakness); etc.

When it comes to tennis, there are exceptions to every rule. It's your job as a player to read through the "nevers" as well as the "always" and determine when you should apply the exception and when to apply the rule. The more you play, the more experience you will acquire and the more adept you will become at parsing the communication. No coach in the world will be able to give you the exact recipe for every shot or every play since the exact factors that may exist in a practice scenario may be missing in a match. Accordingly, you have to do the dirty work of discovering the game yourself.

Top 15 Technical Mistakes Made By Rookies In Match Situations

Be aware of the following technical mistakes that may occur during a match. It only takes 48 points to lose (or win) the match so when you spot some of these signs, stop and make the proper adjustment. Repeat one or two of these mistakes and you will have handed your opponent the match on a silver platter: 

1. Failing to adjust your backswing to the pace, spin and trajectory of the ball. Most players' backswings resemble a loop. The racket, generally, needs more time to complete a bigger loop than a smaller loop (circumference of big circle v. small circle). When the opponent's ball comes in fast, you must make the adjustment in the preparation in order to continue to make contact out in front. Cut down on the loop so that the racket has a shorter distance to travel - which allows you to transfer the momentum (body and racket) forward. In this scenario, your opponent is providing you with all the pace that you need; all you're required to do is add control. 


2. Failing to adjust your footwork to the pace, spin and trajectory of the ball. A shot that comes in low and fast requires a different set of "dance" steps than one that comes in with a lot of spin. The latter ball explodes off the court requiring you to constantly move in so that you can make contact around the waist. A flat, fast shot tends to come to you so that the basic preparation involves fewer steps but better balance (i.e. dropping your body-weight fast). Learn the difference and, more importantly, learn how to spot the difference early.


3. Flailing at returns. When returning serve, remember that even a slow serve will have a decent amount of pace. Therefore, it's more important to return with your "shoulders and feet" than standing still and returning by flailing your arms which results in mis-hits and over-hits. Use your opponent's pace and redirect the ball for maximum benefit. 


4. Failing to make appropriate adjustments in your serve positioning. How many times have you made all the adjustments that you thought were necessary and continued to miss the same serve? Sometimes, it may help to not just "play" with the basic stroke components but to also shift the location from which you hit a serve. Try to move to the right, left an/or back and see what works. Often times, the stroke is there but the condition of the court (court may be on a slant [angling your body-weight upwards, downwards or to a side]; or you might be serving from a "hole" or depression in the court) may affect where your serves are going. For example, if you are getting good net clearance but the ball is sailing on you slightly, step back an inch or two...those balls whould be landing inside the service line. This can be a simple fix without messing too much with the stroke itself. 


5. Attacking the net with the racket by your shoelaces. This is another biggie. When good players rush the net, their rackets are always in the "ready" position. However, players who are not as good, charge the net with rackets held low - like a baton in track and field. When they reach the volley-location, they still have to make some last second adjustments - which usually cost them the point - in order to bring the racket up from below their waist. It is impotant in these instances to remember that tennis is about "moving in position"...not so much about (a) moving, then (b) getting in position, and then (c) hitting the ball. All these components take time - something that's in limited supply. {Note: Coach Roy Coopersmith, former coach of Jelena Jankovic and several other notable WTA players, suggests remebering to also push the arms out in front since the natural running motion tends to keep the elbows back by the chest}


6. Failing to match the strokes to the game-style. This is a situation where you see yourself as a certain type of a player yet your strokes are tailored to an entirely different gamestyle. For example, if you see yourself as a grinder, you need to adjust the trajectory of your shots accordingly. You are not going to be very effective at grinding when your shots don’t cross the net with a wide enough margin. You may be belting the ball - thereby utilixing all your energy - while putting the ball in the optimal strike range for your opponent. Or, on the other hand, you’re not going to be an aggressive baseliner if your shots don’t have enough punch to them. Match your strokes to your game-style; forcing a square peg in a round hole is inefficient. 


7. Losing the point before winning it. Often times, rookie players set up the point perfectly only to lose it at the very second. For example, they work the point side-to-side, get to the net beautifully only to dump the volley from right on top of the net. They fail to recognize that even this last shot requires proper technique and start thinking about the next point before the one at hand is over. Remember, 99% is an A+ anywhere except for tennis. 99% in tennis is still a FAIL. 


8. Going for more than is necessary under the situation. How many times have you had the open court only to miss the put-away? This doesn’t have to be an easy “sitter”; it can be a situation where you hit a great cross-court forehand, the opponent sent the ball back to your backhand and now you have the open court cross-court. Like a volley on top of the net, “it ain’t over ‘til it’s over”. You still need the proper footwork, preparation and concentration in order to put the finishing touches on the point. So stop “shoplifting” and actually pay for your item first before putting it in your bag. In tennis, this means preparing well and hitting confidently through the shot. Save the fist-pump for later. 


9. Hitting flat shots from 15 feet behind the baseline. This is an “oldie but a goodie”. I love sending an opponent into the vineyard only to let him attempt to hit the ball hard a flat. There’s nothing that a good player hates more than a short ball, waist high and with a decent amount of pace (being facetious, of course). If you get pushed back, adjust the trajectory of your shots accordingly in order to buy yourself time to recover and also to put the ball out of your opponent's strike zone.


10. Overhitting when moving forward. Proper adjustments have to be made when moving towards the net so as to account for the movement/momentum of your own body. Similar to volleys (above), when moving forward with a ground-stroke (e.g. approach shot), many players fail to "take the racket with them". That is, forward movement with your body tends to create a backswing (if only slight) with the racket if you fail to account for this and don’t make a proper adjustment (e.g., pumping your arms when you run a sprint - as a part of your body moves forward, the opposite arm shifts back). Failing to adjust can result in over-hitting and a loss of confidence. Again, 99% ain't good enough. 


11. Running around the opponent’s slice backhands in order to hit a forehand. If the opponent has a good slice backhand cross-court, the ball will curve beyond the bounce (i.e. continue to skid). If you attempt to run around this shot in order to hit a forehand, you will often find yourself trying to hit a low, awkward ball out of position (great, you hit a forehand, but now you have to back-track). Instead, move your feet, bend your knees and step into the slice with your backhand. At the very least, you will find yourself in the middle of the court. As a matter of fact, it helps - when seeing the opponent's racket opening up to hit a slice - to pretend that he's hitting a drop shot: lean in/step in rather than thinking about "circling back" to hit a forehand. Slices are often easier to handle "off the bounce". 


12. Failing to cut off the opponent’s cross-court. When the opponent has a cross-court opening, your first instinct should be to move forward towards the cross-court (i.e. at an angle) as opposed to “tracing” the baseline. This will ensure that, not only will you have to cover a shorter distance but, if you manage to get to the ball, the contact point will be in front of you (as opposed to behind you) – allowing you to generate some pace with not just your swing but also with your momentum. 


13. Failing to read the shot until it’s bounced. A lot of players wait for the ball to bounce before making the necessary preparation. The fact is that you should be able to spot where your opponent’s shot is headed within 3 feet of it leaving his string-bed. Read the shot as early as possible so that you can play proactive tennis. Unless you're playing magician David Copperfield, the shot will not trick you; if the ball is headed towards the backhand, it will end up towards the backhand. Prepare early so that you can hit early. 


14. Slicing high balls. Unless this is your specialty, slicing a high ball is probably not the best idea. First, the face of the racket is open to the sky so you’re likely to send the ball flying back – overshooting the baseline. Second, even if you make it, it’s not exactly an aggressive shot. If the opponent doesn't hammer the easy floater out of the air, most likely, the ball will just sit in the middle of the court enabling your opponent to pounce on it with a groundstroke. On these occasions (high balls), it is often a better play to move in and rip it with a topspin or at least CHIP the ball (face of the racket being a bit more perpendicular to the ground than on a slice) aggressively. 


15. Drop-shotting high volleys. Unless you have very good touch around the net, you should never drop shot a high volley. The ball will just bounce higher due to gravity allowing your opponent to get there and make you look silly. High volleys should be punched (best play is, probably, to angle them away); volleys below the net can be drop-volleyed if you are able to absorb the pace of the ball with your legs (like catching a punted football). 

As The Wind Blows

Given that California is currently experiencing some massive windstorms, we thought that we would provide you with some tips for playing tennis in the wind or using it to your advantage:

1. Since drilling in the wind is frustrating, windy conditions are great for playing points. Therefore, rather than performing repetition-type drills, find someone to play sets against and use it to get better.

2. Wind requires even better footwork than usual. The ball tends to swirl around until the very last second so it's important for you to constantly strive to position yourself for the optimal shot. 

3. This may be obvious, but try not to aim for the lines (or even inside the lines). If you aim for the lines and the ball is moved by the wind in a ten foot radius, there is a great likelihood that you're going to miss. Instead, aim for the middle of the court and have the wind move the ball for you. That same 10ft radius will be inside the lines.

4. Even if it's not natural for you, try to approach the net (either serve and volley, chip and charge or off a ground-stroke). It's difficult to be precise in the wind so your opponents will have a more difficult time trying to pass you. On the other hand, you will be better positioned to knock balls down into the opponent's court and, therefore, not be affected by the conditions. 

5. Use slices for two major reasons: (A) your opponent will have to bend her knees and move her feet even more than usual increasing the chances that she will miss (hitting a skidding ball is hard enough under normal conditions); and (B) slices (well-struck ones, anyway) tend to not have such a high arc when crossing the net - therefore, the wind will not have the opportunity to affect such shots. As always, however, don't attempt this shot for the first time in a match and under windy conditions. Practice, practice, practice beforehand. 

6. Not aiming for the lines is not just for groundstrokes but also for the serve. The kick-serve and slice serve are probably your best bet under these conditions. First of all, determine which one of your serves requires a lower toss - that should be your "A" serve. As above, a lower toss has less chance of being affected by the wind. Once you figure out this aspect, make just slight adjustments to vary the intended target - the wind will take care of the rest (the ball will "sail" with the direction of the wind). For example, slice/kick down the T, middle of the court, or out wide. Sometimes, it also helps to be sneaky - by not putting a lot of pace/spin on the ball, the wind will play with it, making it swirl and, consequently, difficult and frustrating to return. When hitting serves against the wind, we have found that a slice serve tends to penetrate better than a kick or flat serve. When the wind is behind you, try to kick the serve more so that the ball explodes on your opponent and he has trouble generating pace from above his shoulders. 

7. If you know that your opponent has trouble with "dinkers" under normal conditions, these problems will be magnified by the wind. Don't rip the ball with a lot of spin (since such shots will penetrate the wind and will be easier to handle); use only enough pace and spin to maintain proper ball control. Give your opponent a wobbly ball to hit against and allow him to self-destruct. 

8. Remember the "10 and under play" or the sneak-attack. This is where you lob a high-topspin ball and, while your opponent is backing up and trying to figure out how to best handle it, you sneak in (wind may drown out your footsteps) and knock your opponent's shot out of the air. It works once in a while, particularly against some inexperienced players who back up for every ball. 

9. Keep tabs of the shift in wind; check out the swaying of the trees, blowing of the dust, or puffing of the net or windscreens. Remember to make proper adjustments when changing sides. If, on one side, you're facing the wind, chances are that you will be over-hitting when you change ends. Therefore, remember to add more spin. Conversely, when you change from side where the wind was behind you to one where it is in front, add more pace.

In addition, if the court has a drainage "tilt" (which can either be side-to-side or end-to-end, depending on the set-up of the facility), it may be exacerbated by the wind; see if you can use it to your advantage by sliding the ball with the wind into the low part of the court and having your opponent get even more out of position. 

10. Wind may be beautiful for sailing but when it comes to tennis it's all ugly. Therefore, expect to play ugly and win ugly. Under these conditions, it's all about getting the job done, not making the highlight reel.