You can, however, get some pointers from his mental process on the court. And who knows? His playing ideas might be the much-needed injection that you need to resurrect your debilitating game. Here are seven tips for you to begin with.
1) Plan the match. The pro does not hesitate to switch to Plan B when Plan A does not work. For instance, if his shot is sailing over the baseline, he resets by hitting the ball inside the no person land. If his down the line shot is not going over the net, the pro tries the cross court return to re-group. .If his strong flat serve is not hurting his opponent, the pro resorts to place the serve instead. If his passing shot is eaten away, the pro tries the lob shot.
2) Meet strength head-on. Most weekenders jab the weaker side right away. The pro takes the strength of his opponent instead. Two reasons for this thinking: First, the pro keeps his opponent guessing as to when the former is going to hit the ball to the latter’s weaker side. Secondly, when the opponent’s strength is beaten, the confidence wanes. And the rest of the match will just be a walk in the park.
3) Play the ball. The pro does not let the ball play him. If the ball is coming back to him deep, he moves farther back to position himself for a powerful reply. If the ball bounces high, he waits for it to go down and blast it. When the serve is so fast, he positions himself 8 to 10 feet behind the baseline. The pro never allows the ball to control him.
4) Rely on consistency. The pro does not sit on the baseline and waits for his opponent to commit a mistake. Instead, he manufactures an opportunity to win the point cleanly. For instance, when the pro hits ball down the line deep, he positions himself for the winning shot. The pro relies on the consistency of his game and not in the hope and prayer that his opponent will hit the return to the net.
5) Face the transition. The pro reacts quickly on transition with commitment and resolve. For instance, the pro takes the short ball opportunity without any hesitation. And follows it up with overhead or volley to the open court. Transition situations include running for a drop shot, and retrieving down a deep lob.
6) Flatten out the shot. If you happened to watch 2011 U.S. Open Men’s single finals between Djokovic and Nadal, the former had flattened out most of his shots, producing pressure to the latter’s game. Two reasons of its effectiveness on fast court: First, it is faster and bounces low. Second, it is tough for topspin player to lift it up.
7) Play the odds. The pro handles the odds better. When the pro leads at 40-15 he pounds the ball to the stronger side of his opponent. Why? Because his opponent is guarding his weaker side, thus widening the court on his stronger side. And therefore, the margin of error is high. If he is trailing 15-30, the pro jumps into his opponent weaker side. If the pro is behind 0-40, he plays percentage tennis.
