13 things you shouldn't do as a tennis player in 2020
The anticipation is great, even if it is not yet clear who is really allowed to go back to the tennis court and when. In preparation, tennis insider Marco Kühn already has the most important tips ready for you.
by Marco Kühn
last edit: Apr 19, 2020, 09:07 am
Are you always annoyed about the recurring mistakes that you just can't fix?
These do not always have to be the technical errors in the forehand or backhand. It can also be habits that conjure up the famous pudding in your arm before the start of a match.
Once the racket-free time is over, you want to play your best tennis quickly. So let's talk through 13 things in this article that you should avoid as a tennis player. We not only talk about funny behaviors, but also areas that you can quickly implement for yourself.
1) Stalk opponents
Cross-comparisons, research of the latest results and other interpretations in numbers do not help you. Tennis is a sport that is often decided on the form of the day. The game style has a lot to do with the result. So stubbornly comparing results brings you to only one goal: confusion.
You can get some information about your next opponent. But hold back with a thorough analysis of the information you have received.
2) Play fast, fast
If you want to constantly convert your strong forehand from the half-field into points in the match, you need security first. You gain this security if you don't play too quickly from the start. Yes, of course, it's incredibly fun to answer the opponent's quick forehand with an even faster whip.
But keep in mind that playing fast is associated with increased risk. A Dominic Thiem can fire the backhand longline directly from the first point, as if he had only played backhand for the past three hours. Dominic shouldn't be your yardstick.
As a hobby player with big goals, you should first take a small detour. Play safely and half-high over the net. Gain confidence in your playful strengths and then use them in the match.
3) Hold the groundsman accountable
"The ball always jumps ..." or: "Far too slowly the court ...". You will know the numerous excuses for your own poor performance. Don't always blame the poor groundsman for a slight mistake. By doing so, you give up responsibility for your results.
Instead, think about how you can best adjust to the difficult to play space. Try to remember areas on the course that are particularly prone to ball jumping.
You act much smarter and take full responsibility for your performance. It always takes you further.
4) Discuss with the opponent
An opponent who constantly wants to get you into discussions has only one goal: to make your nerves flutter. He wants you to distract yourself and, at best, get excited. With this mental strategy, he brings you out of your actually constant beat rhythm.
Keep your reactions to your opponents' attempts to discuss low. Nod your head or react with a grin. Keep an eye on your emotions and make sure that you never react too emotionally to your opponent and his behavior.
5) Get excited about the moon ball player
The greatest strength of the moon ball player is your frustration. Any opponent who alludes to you high on your backhand first wants to drive you crazy. Then when he has you there, he also plays a stop.
See through this psychology and do not fall into the traps of the moon ball player. Don't play too fast. Accept longer rallies and play more angles. It is more complicated for the moon ball player to play high and long balls just before the baseline from the run.
6) Place the opponent on a pedestal
Your opponent does not make a mistake in the import and also plays an extreme spin with the forehand. What happens in your head when you face the first return in the match?
You think you have to take on Roland Garros' future champion. In most cases, however, you will not be able to imagine. The quality of a player can be seen in how he copes with the hits from the run. The pure passing, such as in the import, however, is not a yardstick for the quality of a player.
7) Quickly put your head in the clay court
In the worst case, two recklessly missed returns in the first service game can form your emotional basis for the rest of the match.
It's not a good basis for a competitive match with all ups and downs, is it? However, this is the dynamic of every match. You need a high level of frustration tolerance in order to constantly improve your performance.
This means that you can understand and accept the weak phases of a match as well as the phases in which your forehand flutters into the opponent's corner as if drawn on the line. If you put your hand in the sand too quickly, you are blocking yourself and your potential.
Tip: After a slight mistake, immediately analyze what you can do better the next time you hit a similar position. You gain a sense of achievement in your head.
8) Talking yourself worse than you are
On the one hand, we are all experts in speaking strongly against the enemy. On the other hand, our thoughts in the match are far too negative for ourselves. We are unfair to ourselves and expect moves that are not always playable. In addition, even well-scored points are immediately ticked off with an "Oh, it does work ...".
In short: we can never make ourselves right in the match.
In training we have a trainer who motivates us after three mistakes. In the match we have to be a coach to ourselves. We have to build, motivate and cheer ourselves on. This is the much healthier variant of the thoughts.
Tip: Check off minor mistakes faster by cheering yourself on again: "Come on, Rafa makes mistakes too. The next forehand comes again!" or: "There was too much supine. The next time you hit the ball again, move forward. Let's go!".
9) Chaos in your tennis bag
Imagine sitting at 3: 6 and 4: 5 from your point of view on the bench. Your condition is already in standby mode. You know that you have packed a banana in this case.
Due to the chaos in your pocket, you will only find this banana after 70 seconds. You are annoyed by yourself again during these 70 seconds. In the last 20 seconds you somehow gobble this banana into yourself. Then you chew to the return.
With such a preparation, how will you play the first points in the service game during the change of sides? Just ...
Pack your bag consciously and at least with a little system. If you are a hopeless mess, put your most important utensils directly on the chaos in your pocket.
10) Compare training and tournament
"Man, ey ... The day before yesterday the backhand came like a line in training. What's going on here?"
In training you didn't have your head full of doubts either. In training you had no pressure to perform. In training you didn't really care how the training game ended.
Comparing your performance from training and tournament play is unfair to yourself. This structure of thought only flushes you deeper into the pull of nervousness, fear and the famous trembling arm.
A strong tournament player compares his performance from the tournament games with each other. That's a big difference.
11) Rush from point to point
Finally, take your time. You don't have to rush from point to point or from the first to the second serve. There are players who don't even take a breath after a missed first serve before starting the second serve.
However, this agitation only has disadvantages. You can quickly bring more calm into your processes between the points using simple methods. Tap the ball five times with your racket and take a deep breath.
Tip: With hectic pace, breathing deeply can quickly bring your mind to rest. This is unusual at first, but can quickly become a very healthy habit for you.
12) Always serve through the middle
Your opponent gets used to your serve played quickly through the middle faster than to a slice serve - sometimes in the middle, sometimes outwards.
The scheme of "first serve hard, second serve slow" turns your serve games into a newspaper that your opponent read yesterday.
Nothing new or unusual happens.
But you have many variations in your repertoire - use them. Serve with slice on the opponent's body on the first serve. If you can play the kick well, then play this variant at the "first". Your serve should be hard to guess for your opponent. This concerns your opponent and can make your service games significantly more successful.
13) Sliding instead of running
Every player likes to slide on the red ashes. In certain situations, sliding is even tactically wise. But it is not wise to slide to almost every ball.
Your footwork suffers in the long run. You lose the feeling for the timing of your strokes and then too often do not really stand up for the ball. We do not want to paint what happens if you change to the hall after the summer season and can no longer slide there.
Better run out the balls on the red ashes. Exceptions could be a good stop by your opponent or a defensive strike. Your footwork and timing will thank you especially in the long run.
Good luck on the red ashes!