During a match my opponent yelled something unintelligible and seemed infuriated. Upset by this, I lost the next three points. What was happening and how do I deal with this?

Competitive tennis is about match ups, and your ability to read your opponent(s) psychological state of mind.  This allows you to not only ‘feed’ off your opponent’s mental energy and calm your own nerves when feeling down or out, but also to adjust the ‘timing’ of the game (rhythm) to effect a better ‘match up’ during play.

In essence, you keep the game going if your opponent is visibly upset, and you slow it down if he/she is getting on top of you, or it’s a big point.

So, how do you read the signs that your opponent is ‘visibly upset’? The following are common ‘tells’ or indications that your opponent is under pressure (and don’t forget, they also apply to you):

By reading these ‘signs’, and changes in your opponent’s behaviour during the course of a match, you should have a pretty good idea of their ‘state of mind’ and how they handle match pressure, particularly on big points.

This means you can ‘feed off their behaviour’, not only to adjust your tactics during play but, more importantly, help you calm your own nerves at crucial times. Too often, we focus our energies internally, which causes us to compete against ourselves rather than our opponents.

Conversely, how do you behave during match play? What ‘tells’ do you give your opposition during play that show them you are upset and thus encourage them? There’s a lot to be said for quietly getting on with your game and keeping distractions, whether yours or theirs, to a minimum.

(c) Rob Muir USPTA
June 11, 2010

Any tips for our senior members who mostly have well developed game, bad habits and all, would be appreciated?

The game of tennis offers so many challenges that many people, regardless of age, find it a fascinating game and never run out of options to improve. For most senior players, ‘rat cunning’ is the great equalizer against youthful exuberance and mobility!   

The challenge for the older player is to learn new tactics and court positions to compensate for any decline in physical skills. For example, while watching a couple of young 70 year olds recently, I noticed that they took two steps forward after serving – which allowed them to be positioned to cover the short return if required. 

A recent article published in the International Tennis Federation's Coaching & Sport Science Review presented a summary of a book entitled “Playing Tennis After 50”. The article has a heavy emphasis on strategy for doubles and mixed doubles. Click here to read the article which offers some helpful advice for new players, 'lapsed players' (those who returning to the game) and of course tennis lifers who must adjust their play to accommodate aging bodies. 

While physical skills may decline, the secret to winning the game remains the same for ALL players: whoever hits the ball over the net and into the court the last time, wins the point!

(c) Rob Muir USPTA
June 11, 2010