13 things not to do on the tennis court in 2023
The 2023 season has started. Tennis insider Marco Kühn lists 13 things you should avoid on the court this year.
by Marco Kühn
last edit: Jan 06, 2023, 01:30 pm
Aren't we all a bit Zverev? Much like our number one, many club players are entering the 2023 season with question marks on their racket. In this article, I want to walk you through 13 things to avoid on the court this year. The smart player learns from the mistakes of other players - not only from his own. This allows you to develop faster.
Let's see how you can take your tennis to the next level this year.
1) Getting angry about a mistake for a long time
At 3:4 and 30:30 you relocate the simple forehand from the half-field by three centimeters next to the sideline. You grab your racquet by the racquet's heart and would like to smash it onto the T-line. As you fret over that one mistake, the next few minutes of the match just fly past you.
You lose the set 3:6.
It's always better to brush off mistakes quickly than to pull yourself up on a mistake for a long time.
2) Draw horror scenarios in your head before a match
Even the old philosophers like Seneca knew that man suffers most in his own imagination. This knowledge applies all the more to tennis. Many players have already lost the match before they are even in the car to the tennis court.
What can help here?
Draw a comedy or action movie in your mind. Go through emotional rallies. Imagine chasing your opponent right-left across the court to finish the point with a short-cross forehand. You better prepare your mind for the tournament situation with these simple mental tools.
3) Pushing instead of hitting
Players keep telling me they push their shots instead of hitting them in a match. That would give them security. But is it really safe if you just play wait and see? Security actually means that you are variable in your game. That you can react better to new match dynamics.
In addition, a loose swing on the forehand and backhand is the crucial detail to control the length, speed and precision of your shots. Give yourself a light kick in the buttocks and swing easily through the match. You will find that your game will improve.
4) Play not to lose
This point builds on point number three. Is your mindset programmed for victory? Or do you play in such a way that you just don't want to lose? Any form of avoidance in tennis is a concrete block on your racquet. If you just don't want to lose, you don't go for the balls. He often lies on his back when he punches.
Rafa Nadal once said in an interview that he goes out on the pitch to find solutions to his problems. That's an excellent winning mentality that every club player can learn from him.
5) Want to win training games
Yes, wins are always cool. We always want to win and play really good tennis. But are your training games and the results there as important as your tournament matches?
You can use your training games as a kind of workshop to hone your game. You can try moves, new stroke variations and new strategies. The nice thing is that you can train all of this directly in a match-oriented manner. The pure result of your training games then becomes a minor matter.
The result? You can play new moves and variations in your important tournament matches with more confidence.
6) Curse Groundsman
Especially at the beginning of the summer season, the courses are softer, slower and more prone to course errors. The trick is not to hand over the responsibility for your own performance to the groundskeeper. Likewise, it's not the wind or the sun's fault that you serve double faults. You'll laugh, but many club players are distracted by external circumstances. They get upset about a bouncing ball and hold on to their anger.
Is that a good basis for successful tournament tennis? Probably not. A very good player knows that it is his responsibility to deal with all circumstances. He can adapt to the place and the weather.
7) Only start preparing for the season in April
You will know players in your club who haven't developed in terms of their game for five or 15 years. What could be the reason? They rust in the winter. Imagine you only do muscle building training in the summer. You really step on the gas and build up a thick biceps. As soon as it gets colder and winter approaches, you stop exercising. By the start of next summer, will your biceps still be as toned as they were before? You know the answer.
The clever players use the winter season to work on their physical and mental fitness. In addition, I know from many very good club players that they use the one or two hours on the pitch - per week - intensively. They train their eye for the ball, play a lot of rhythm exercises and just keep at it.
Because let's be honest: in April it's too late to start a targeted preparation for the season.
8) Return fast balls of the opponent even faster
In the past 30+ years of tennis I have made one observation over and over again. Technically very good players, who undoubtedly play a really hot ball, want to play faster from shot to shot in the match.
The peak is reached when the opponent also plays quickly. However, this "tactic" creates many unnecessary, annoying errors. You can use your full potential differently. Example: Slow down in faster rallies. Deliberately play slow when your opponent is playing fast.
The highlight is that many players have great problems accelerating slow balls.
9) Thinking yourself worse than you are
Besides Novak Djokovic, is there a player who doesn't doubt himself? Hardly likely. And yet, as a player with ambitions, you often cross a line. A mentally healthy and fit player sees himself as a tennis character with all his strengths and weaknesses. He understands pretty well what he does and doesn't do well on the court.
A player who has great mental potential only sees his weaknesses. And that's the line. A wonderful exercise for any player is as follows: Brainstorm and write down everything that characterizes you as a player in the match. Good shots, weak shots. Positive behaviors, negative behaviors. But also negative and positive thought patterns. When the brainstorming is complete, you put all of your findings into "strengths" and "weaknesses" categories.
With this exercise you draw a realistic picture of yourself as a player. And not just a false, negative image.
10) Thinking the opponent stronger than he is
This point builds on number nine. In a match, you put your opponent on a much too high pedestal too quickly. You create a dragon in your head that you can hardly defeat. And just because you think your opponent is much stronger than he is, you automatically feel a lot more pressure on your well-trained shoulders.
The solution? Draw a realistic picture of your opponent as well. Put him not only in the bright sun, but also in the drizzle. When does he make mistakes? Is he lazy? Does he get upset quickly? Does he lose patience after the third shot in the rally? If you go looking, you will find weaknesses for sure.
11) Give great gifts to moon ball players
You can't get past them. You will have to play one or two matches against a moon ball player. What is a moon ball player? Someone who only plays your backhand high and slow. These are the boys and girls who just wait for mistakes but don't make any themselves.
What does such a moon ball player want to achieve? What is the greatest gift you can give him? Exactly, the moon ball player wants you to get upset about his play. So much so that you frustratedly play every second ball on the fabric into the fence.
Don't give gifts, stay cool and play smart.
12) Change grip positions
Over the past few years, many players have told me how much they experiment with their grip positions. Well, for some players this might be a fine thing. But changing your grip position is a bit like open heart surgery - risky. I've heard from numerous players how changing grip position only made them more insecure. Anything you change, you have to practice first. So think carefully about whether you want to optimize your grip on your forehand or backhand. If so, then schedule two to three months of intense training before you can confidently use your "new" grip in a match.
13) Always chasing the next win
I deliberately chose this as the last point. Of course, victories and successes are important. every player wants to be successful. But what comes before this success? What do you have to achieve first so that you can achieve awesome successes? Exactly, you have to improve your technique, your tactics, your fitness and your mentality. In short: You have to become a stronger player. The problem is that tough defeats can quickly lose motivation. The players who focus more on their game development than on victories become better and more successful players in the long run.
Hopefully you can get some ideas from these points. I wish you a lot of fun on the pitch and the decisive net roller!