PlayYourCourt

Go and get the ball, beat it to the bounce.

A lot of newer players treat tennis like a retrieving game. They wait for the ball to bounce, see where it’s going, and then start moving towards it. By that point, they’re already running out of time and rushing simply to get their racket on the ball.

The goal is to move early and get to the ball before you’re forced to react. When you beat the ball to the bounce, you give yourself time to adjust your feet, create the right spacing and properly set up before you swing.

You also want to position yourself so you can make contact inside your ideal strike zone, roughly between just above your knee and just above your hip. This is where your racket can operate most naturally and where hitting the ball becomes much easier.

Once the ball drops below your knees or gets up above your shoulders, everything becomes more difficult.

So, if you’re learning tennis, remember one simple thing: don’t wait for the ball. Beat it to the bounce.

Is the Wilson Tennis Defyer the best tennis racket of the last two decades?

We put it through the Wilson Performance Lab test to find out…

How did Roger Federer make the inside-out / inside-in forehand look so clean? 😮‍💨

It’s all in the footwork… 👟

One of the most common tennis coaching cues is to “shake hands with the target” on your volley, but that only tells you part of what your hand and racquet should be doing.

Instead of keeping your wrist completely neutral, think about revving a motorcycle. Laying the wrist back and keeping it firm through contact creates more leverage behind the ball and can help you hit cleaner, stronger and more controlled volleys.

Grip pressure matters too. Stay relaxed as the ball approaches, then firm up the grip at contact by squeezing with the bottom two fingers and thumb.

Relaxed before contact. Firm at contact.

Try this simple volley technique next time you’re on the tennis court and see if it improves your control, consistency and power at the net 🎯

Struggling with negative thoughts between points? 🎾

Try the Four Room Technique ⤵️

A simple way to mentally reset during the 25 seconds between points.

🚽 Bathroom: Flush the last point. Win or lose, it’s gone.
🛋️ Living Room: Breathe, relax and calm your nerves.
💻 Office: Make your plan and get your tactics ready.
🚪 Hallway: Step back onto court with confidence and show your opponent you mean business.

Four rooms. 25 seconds. One complete mental reset before the next point 👊

Struggling to deal with high serves to your backhand? 🙃

One technique used by the pros is the scissor kick backhand return. Using Andrey Rublev as an example, watch how he steps into his split step before turning his left foot slightly to load up and prepare for the return.

From there, he steps in with his right foot and jumps into the shot, driving his left knee upwards to help generate forward momentum. As he makes contact, his left foot kicks back and he lands on his right foot, creating a movement similar to the scissor kick used on an overhead.

This footwork pattern allows players to attack higher backhand returns while still driving their weight forward through the shot.

If you’re generating plenty of topspin on your forehand but struggling to create power, your swing path could be the problem 💡

Players are often told to swing low to high to create topspin, but taking that advice too far can lead to an overly steep swing. Instead of driving through the ball, the racket brushes sharply up the back of it, creating lots of spin but very little pe*******on or power.

To hit a heavier, more effective forehand, focus on getting the strings to travel through the ball for longer. The more you plow through contact, the more energy you can transfer into the shot.

You still want that low-to-high swing path, but the key is finding the right balance between brushing up for topspin and driving through for power. Too much emphasis on topspin can actually be holding your forehand back.