During the match, are you crushed by your opponent who annihilates you in every rally with a series of winning shots?
For sure, you must feel pressured. And stress makes you play shorter and expose yourself even more to their furious shot-making. It’s like a vicious circle. Tennis players often feel like there’s nothing they can do when their opponent is doing great. They think: “I have no chance: my opponent is in having an excellent moment and they are destroying me.” Or “Oh my god, he’s so good, I have no solutions.”
Well, there is no such thing as an impossible player to beat and there are ways to deal with good shot-making.
There are two things you can do to get out of this next time it happens to you:
1. Check which balls your opponent likes to hit… at which height they’re hitting the most winners from. Shoulders? Hip? Lower than the hip? Wherever they are, that’s where they feel at ease. Once identified, put them in an awkward position.
If they like high balls: slice or hit flatter.
If they like low or flat balls: Increase the trajectory and use more spin.
If you take your opponent out of their comfort zone, they won’t always be able to hit winners… they will lose confidence and it won’t be so “easy” anymore for them.
2. The best way to protect yourself is to find DEPTH. I know it sounds obvious and it’s not always that easy… But it’s actually more than you think. If you are giving your opponent short balls, they will try to go deeper…
Ways to find depth are:
— Keep the ball on the racquet strings for a long time
— Lengthening the finishing shot and using more supports
— Passing higher over the net
If you can apply these tips… your opponent will not be in their optimal zone and will start making mistakes… this will lower their confidence and the whole match could have a different ending.
Let me know if this helps you win more games!
