HOW TO PLAY TENNIS

Like most sports, the mental part of the game is just as important as the physical part. And tennis is no different. In fact, strong tennis mental might even be more important. Tennis has many ups and downs, and beginners especially need to stay focused. The best way to do this is to take each point, whether you won it or not, and put it behind you. It has no bearing on what happens with the next point. Also, keep your concentration on the ball. Don’t worry about the opponent or what they are doing. If you simply focus on seeing the ball and reacting to it, your mental focus should remain strong.

Beginner players are more focused on just playing and trying to get better. However, more advanced players need to have a different focus. To prepare for a match, they need think more about strategy than a beginner. Review in your head what is style of play has been working recently and is your plan B style of play in case you are "off" on match day. Be ready and adaptable on court, as they say: "the ball is round", anything can happen.

All tennis players need a level of mental focus, and the advanced preparation can also make a difference between winning or losing.

This is a part of the mental preparation. If you know in advance some of the strengths and weaknesses of the opponent, it becomes part of your game plan. How they hit, are they quick do they like to do a high topspin etc.

If not, observe them during warmups and the first few games to see where they are vulnerable. Taking advantage of your opponents weak points can give you a good advantage. Keep it simple and don't change a winning game until it stops working. Stay mentally agile.

A beginner in tennis has normally had some practice time before actually playing a match against an opponent. Hopefully, they have learned the basic strokes and understand the game. But once you get into your first few matches you may get a little bit nervous.

The key is to take one point at a time and keep your mind on the game and what you need to do. Focus on the ball and getting your body in the proper position to hit the shot. If you do that, and trust your tennis strokes, chances are you will be successful.

As a beginner, you probably don’t have a lot of shots in your arsenal. Therefore, use some basic tactics to help you win. For instance, if your opponent has a weak backhand, try to hit more shots there. Also, try to move them around by hitting a shot to one side of the court and the next to the other side. Another tactic is to just keep the rally going for as long as possible. Work on returning as many shots as possible and keeping them in play. Test yourself to see how many returns you can get. It will help to improve your game going forward.

Beginners will use the more basic tactics, but the more experienced player can call on a different plan. Depending on the opponent, they may choose to play more of a serve and volley game, or use more drop shots and lobs. The key is to know your opponent, find their weaknesses, and adjust your game to target them. A more experienced player will also look to make shots with sharp or short angles. Those shot types are much harder for the opponent to return and can give you the advantage.

Yes, check out home tennis drills and exercises. During this Covid 19 pandemic, we have created more tips for you online. Hope it helps you up your tennis level.

As you gain more experience, there are other more advanced shots you can add.

A few of those include the lob, the drop shot, and the drive volley.

The lob can be an effective weapon to move your opponent back and give you some time to recover and get back into position.

The drop shot is used when your opponent is deep or in the backcourt and you want to surprise them with a short shot they may not be able to reach.

And the drive volley is a shot players use when coming to the net and getting a ball they can put away for a winner.

So once you feel confident with the basic strokes, work with your coach to learn some of these more advanced tennis strokes.