Ask the Pro: What's the best thing I can do to improve my game?

Tough question!  Regardless of playing standard, the best thing you can do to improve your game is to reduce the numbers of errors you make on your service returns.

If you can't consistently get the ball in play, you're never going to be in game. Not even a booming serve, great volleys, or the occasional killer return can make up for the major disadvantage of not being consistently in the point!

You certainly will not win friends and influence people if you make a habit of dumping every second serve in the net or trashing the service return out.  Conversely, take a leaf out of Hewitt's book: if your opposition knows that the serve return is coming back on just about every point, mental pressure builds on the server to try to do perhaps just a little too much causing errors to increase.  It's amazing how many times you can break serve at 4/4 or 5/5 when the opposition tries to over serve if you've laid the ground work in by returning well in the previous service games!

Assuming you are not playing two levels above your own standard, if you can't consistently get the ball in play, that should be a sign to get some help/lessons to improve your game through either your technique or your attitude or perhaps both?

Regrettably human nature being what it is means that most players make more errors than winners which leads to the secret of the game -- "the guy that gets the ball over the net and into the court the last time, wins the point!"

(c) Rob Muir, USPTA

Ask the Pro: Why do 'different surfaces' effect my game?

Manly Lawn has some newly surfaced courts which is effecting both the speed and height of the ball bounce. A number of players are having trouble adjusting and want to know why -- and what to do about it?

Whether you understand the physics, geometry and psychology behind hitting a tennis ball or not, just being able to coordinate your eye, hand and balance to hit a moving object is a marvellous feat of unconscious human engineering? And clearly our preference is for an even paced, even height ball to hit which helps our timing. This is why we all like to play/hit against a classical stroke maker. Conversely, we dislike playing against people who chop, hit extreme spins, or moon balls. We also hate playing in the wind when the ball is swirling around.

At a pro level, the ability to vary the speed, spin, and height of the bounce are integral to creating key advantages for certain players. In the men's game, Nadal's top spin on clay and Federer's approach to changes in speed and spin on any surface are great examples! In fact, Federer's ability to read that Djokic disliked a deep, no paced slice was the difference in the final of the US open. On the really big set points, Djokic's error rate soared as his frustration mounted when he couldn't time the slower paced balls?

Strange as it may seem that there is a common denominator between Djokic and the new surface at Manly Lawn -- it's about timing.   You see most players 'quick hit the ball' i.e. they combine the backswing and forward swing into a single motion -- and they are pretty good at it, typically hitting 6 out of 10 shots on a good day with the odds dropping to 2 out of 10 on the bad days. And that's on a familiar surface facing a 'regular hitter' hitting at medium pace. Imagine if you will, a better player who's also changing the speed, spin, depth and height of the ball (intentionally or not), where you have readjust your timing on every shot and you'll quickly understand why we have 2 out of 10 bad days. The bigger problem is that we cover it up by lamenting that 'we played bad' today -- any credit to our opponent for contributing to our demise is lost!

On the newer surface at Manly Lawn, we have a similar situation with the ball speed and height being naturally changed. Even so the answer is the same, make sure you prepare EARLIER to hit the ball by not quick hitting the ball.  Perfection is to have your racket prepared before the ball bounces in front of you. This allows you to adjust the timing of your stroke to suit the speed and bounce of the ball rather than having the ball play you when you're rushed.

(c) Rob Muir, USPTA

Ask the Pro: How do I stop feeling intimidated?

You would have seen that Federer and Henin literally 'owned' most of the players they faced in the US Open. Their opponents just didn't believe they could win -- and played accordingly even when winning opportunities presented themselves! Intentional, or not, intimidation does help most players win!

In tennis, psychologists tell us that 'intimidation' comes in two flavours: purposeful and self.  Most of us are too familiar with 'purposeful intimidation' or psyching. This comes in several guises -- bad calls, stalling, verbal abuse. You're immediately thinking of McEnroe right although having played against Newcombe, I can tell you he was also a master of purposeful intimidation although in subtler forms.  Such tactics are designed to disrupt the rhythm of the opponent -- often an opponent who has great tennis talent but less emotional energy which is at the heart of 'self intimidation'.

'Self intimidation' is often a carry over from our earlier life experiences where for whatever reason we feel, or we were made to feel, we just didn't measure up! It's a slippery slope as soon as we start comparing ourselves to our opposition.

Regardless of ability, confident players do not allow other players to intimidate them or intimidate themselves. The challenge is to learn to control your emotions to look forward to the challenge of testing your skills against better players. This is an opportunity to find out about the strengths and weakness of your game, and you, as a person in general. Dealing with adversity is really a life challenge says my life partner. The bigger and the better the challenge, the more enjoyment of having a few small wins. As my son says, dad you should always celebrate your small wins!

Learn to focus on competing to the best of your ability on the day without either beating yourself when you make errors or when the opposition outplays you. An occasional "too good" is just as cathartic for you as well as your opposition! From personal experience I know that beating yourself is sure to create immense feelings of disappointment. There's no shame in losing to a better player having competed with your all. There's no disappointment in losing to a better player having competed with your all.

(c) Rob Muir, USPTA

Ask the Pro: How do I play in the wind?

As we observed at the US Open, the wind is a great leveller as well as a physical and mental challenge to most players even in the semi finals of a Grand Slam.  It certainly is a challenge to the typical hitter who over hits frequently when hitting down wind.

Some folks hit abbreviated shots (no follow through) and try to keep the ball too low to stop the wind catching the ball. The result: a lot of shots into the net, particularly on service returns.  There are two keys to playing in the wind:

1) hit through the ball/the wind with a complete swing and let physics be your friend. An incomplete or partial stroke will cause the ball to fly off your racket and breaks the first rule of Newtonian physics – and you all know what that is right?

2) movement on court becomes even more critical to ensure you’re in position to hit the ball as it swirls around in the wind! Use your feet to move quickly towards the bounce of the ball and, most importantly, to maintain your balance. If you either have to reach for the ball, or play off your back foot, your error rate will soar!

For intermediate players, a basic game is to ‘bunt the wall’ back into court and advance to the net since it’s much harder for your opponent to hit a good passing shot – from either end.

Learn to make the wind your friend particularly when playing against better players.

(c) Rob Muir, USPTA