TennisTalk: Ask Glen
Ask Glen is a weekly article providing key tips on everything from rules to gameplay to court savvy...to even a little bit of history. "Glen", of course, is Glen Howe, USPTA Master Professional and superintendent of the Tennis Division.
Use the following form to "Ask Glen", and be sure to look here every week for more answers to some of our best questions.
This Week's Questions
Dear Glen,
My doubles partner and I have some confusion about the crossing of the center line during doubles play. Every time I cross the center line to intercept a shot, my partner accuses me of "ball hogging". Somewhere along the line she was told that each player has their side of the court to cover. What do you think?
Dear Doubles Player,
I like the concept of crossing the centerline to put the ball away. It may be the only effective way to cover the entire court during a doubles match. The bigger question might be if it is a social or competitive match. If the match is social in content, it may be better to stay on your side.
Dear Glen,
I seem to get caught in no-man's land a lot of times. I'm not quite sure when the appropriate time is to move in to try to put the ball away. Should I retreat back to the baseline? These decisions need to be made quickly and want to create the best positioning possible. Any suggestions that you might have would be helpful.
Matt
Dear Matt,
The element that is missing is the anticipation of how effective that your shot was hit. If your shot creates distress, I would recommend moving forward. Second, if the shot has put your team in distress, move back as a team to the baseline. And lastly, one option that has not been considered would be to take the ball out of the air in no-man's land. This tactic is used by many over-sixty nationally ranked players. Minimal movement is needed and control is kept of the point.
Dear Glen,
I have always had a weak overhead smash. Even though I don't seem to have a lot of trouble when an opponent hits a defensive lob, hitting topspin lobs are very difficult to handle. Do you have any suggestions?
Dear Player,
I have found that it is a trend in the game not to hit defensive lobs as much as in other times in tennis history. The topspin lob is the weapon of choice because it resembles the groundstrokes. The simple answer is to only come in tight to the net when the opponent is on defense and moving. This will complicate the shot and will not be hit as effective. The only other option would be to not close the net so close.
Dear Glen,
I know that I should drink water regularly during singles matches, but find that it is not needed during the winter. Should I force myself to drink on changeovers? What do you think about Gatorade?
Pete
Dear Pete,
Since the body is made up of 85% water, a loss of more than 3% body water loss will create a depletion of physical skills. I would recommend drinking a little water on the change-over to maintain the habit. The only issue with Gatorade is the high content of sugar. Most sports nutritionist recommend that sports drinks are diluted with water.
Other Recent Questions
Dear Glen,
I have a number of opponents that tend to get on hot streaks when playing. The games and set go very quickly sometimes. Do you have any suggestions of how to stop getting steamrolled?
Dear Player,
Depending on the relative level of the opponent, there are a number of things that I would try to cool my opponent down. First, I would serve and hit all my shots to the weaker side of my opponent. The key is to try to deteriorate his confidence in his game. Second, I would disrupt rhythm by either mixing dropshots or moonballs to try to take control of the match. And lastly, speeding up or slowing down the in between time of a match can be critical in taking back the momentum of the game.
Dear Glen,
There seems to be a disconnect as far as my consistency when serving during matches. I serve numerous hoppers of balls each week and feel very good about my serving process. As soon as game play starts, the ball can't seem to find its way into the box. It seems to be out of rhythm to the point that even when the serve goes in, I'm not prepared to play the game. Any ideas on how to improve this aspect of my game?
Sam
Dear Sam,
The one aspect of your serve that needs to be considered is the serving ritual prior to the serve. Bouncing the ball, breathing, and setting your play are some of the ritual aspects of good match play. In addition, targeting your placement and expelling air at the point of contact can make a big difference to the outcome. Watch World-Class players and how ritualistic their serve become during play and it will be obvious of the importance of this process.
Dear Glen,
Over the years, there has been an imbalance of my groundstrokes and my confidence level to hit both shots well. When I practice one shot and focus on this stroke production, the other wing tends to deteriorate. Any thoughts would be appreciated.
Xavier
Dear Xavier,
This is very common in all players that have worked on their game. Even great players tend to favor one side over the other. This usually happens when too much focus is placed on a particular side. My suggestion is to work on the weaker side, but don't neglect your strength when practicing.
Dear Glen,
I know that going crosscourt and hitting down the middle of the court is the highest percentage and best way to play doubles. When do you go down the line?
Dear Player,
I tend to go down the line in several instances. First, if the serve is short, I will go down the line to cut reaction time. Next, I will hit directly at my opponent down the line. Many times their volley is not as good as the groundstroke. And lastly, if I have an active opponent that is trying to poach, hitting up the line will keep him home. As a tactic, I will hit a long service return down the line. The reason is to practice and to let my opponent know I am thinking about hitting this shot.
Dear Glen,
I am retired and am thinking about taking up teaching tennis in my retirement. Knowing that you are a tester, what is involved with the certification process for the USPTA?
Dear Future Teaching Professional,
I have known numerous retirees and have found them to be the perfect coaching and teaching professionals. Retired school teachers have also been a great resource to our profession due to their understanding of dealing and managing individuals.The first step is to sign up online at USPTA.com. After this take place, a three ring binder or web access to information is provided to prepare for the certification exam. The tests consists of private, group, play test, feeding exam, grips, and written exam. The test is not easy and a classification of P-1, P-2, P-3, or Recreational Coach will be given upon completion of the exam. Only 8% taking the test get a P-1 first time. My recommendation is to get a mentor to prepare for the test.
Dear Glen,
What do you think about all the emphasis to bending your knees when hitting the ball? I have heard that overused phrase so much since I was a kid. Does it really make a difference when hitting the ball?
Dear Player,
There used to be an old saying, "Watch the ball, and bend your knees, which will be $65 please". Lowering your center of gravity is essential in producing an effective hit. Not only do you see the ball better, but balance is enhanced. A better way stated is to get your eyes down on the level of the ball. This in turn will create a knee bend.
Dear Glen,
Looking for a way to get the edge when serving, is there ever a time when you serve to the forehand? In most cases, the forehand is the better of the two groundstrokes.
Lucy
Dear Lucy,
There are a couple of times that hitting to the forehand on the serves is appropriate. First, your opponent over-hits his forehand and produces errors. Second, if your opponent is cheating over to the backhand side. And lastly, use as a tactic to produce errors. Jimmy Connors used to hit to the forehand than to the backhand to produce moving shots in his opponents.
Dear Glen,
While playing a point, the first serve was hit and just before the ball crossed the net, a "let" was called by my opponent. A let was called because there was an errant ball from the next court behind me. After turning around, the serve was out by about a foot. I called the let after it was struck, so the call didn't inhibit the motion. Does my opponent still get two serves?
Dear Player,
According to USTA guideline 23, in all cases two serves are awarded if a let is called on the first serve. If a service let is called on the second serve, only one ball is awarded to the server.
Dear Glen,
I have noticed that the Williams sisters have great approach volleys. What are the keys to creating this shot? This is a shot that would really help me transition to the net more effectively.
Melissa
Dear Melissa,
There are a number of cues and keys to be able to execute this shot. First, after the ball is struck aggressively, it can be anticipated that a floater is coming back to your side. This is critical in catching the ball at chest height. Second, it is OK to take a full topspin swing at the ball. Thirdly, contact must be out in front of the body. And lastly, hit up on the ball to clear the net.This is a shot that needs to be practiced many times to have the confidence to execute in a match. Hit this shot whenever warming up to get a feel for the shot. The easiest way to practice is to rent the ball machine and let the machine feed soft high balls a couple of thousand times.
Dear Glen,
My racquet head tend to drop below my wrist at contact. In earlier articles, you have emphasized the importance of keeping the head up. Do you have any techniques that would help with this shot?
Dear Player,
This is one of the biggest factors in consistent volleys as a tennis player. Using the senses has always worked very well to maintain this racquet position. "Feel" the position of the racquet head above the wrist and it can be "seen" visually in front during the ready position. A technique that I learned this past weekend at a testing used the tennis net to rest the racquet head in the proper position. This will give a reference point.
Dear Glen,
I seemed to be late regularly on my return of serve and the first strike ball. Should the ready position be different for the return of serve verses regular ground strokes?
Frank
Dear Frank,
This is a very good question that could help a lot of players that play the game. I refer to your racquet head position as critical depending on the speed of the traveling ball. Most good players use a loop when hitting groundstrokes. Recognize that there is about four seconds from the time the ball is struck to the time it returns to its origin. The racquet head should and can start from a higher position.On the other end of the tennis spectrum, returning serves gives a reaction time of less than one and a half seconds. The racquet head should start from a lower plane. Take a look at arguably the best returner of all time. Andre Agassi starts with his racquet at waist level. It's a fact that Andre had six different swings on his forehand depending on the surface, speed of ball, and reaction time.
Take the time to experiment with a lower starting position when time is cut by returns or volleys.
Dear Glen,
Can a doubles team change its serving order for the beginning of a new set? What about the match tiebreaker? This came up at a league match last week when we wanted to change the serving order in the match tiebreaker and our opponents said we couldn't do that.
Dear Player,
According to USTA comment 14.1, the server may change at the beginning of every set. The match tiebreaker is considered a new set so your team should have had the ability to change your order of servers.