Tennis Strategy and Tennis Tactics are very popular topics among tennis players and coaches!
In this section of the website we will talk about what areas of the court to hit the ball to and what strategies to use against certain types of opponents.
Similar to Tennis Technique, there are many myths regarding strategy in Tennis! One of the most common misunderstandings for example is how close the pros hit the balls to the lines!
Federer against Nadal: Are they hitting close to the sidelines ?
So are these guys really hitting many balls close to the sidelines ? The answer is definitely no!
Next time you watch Pro Tennis on television try to get a feel for how many balls actually land close to the sidelines and what their tennis strategy is really all about!
So does this mean you should not hit very close to the sidelines ? The answer is: It depends on the situation that you are in and what your skill level is. In my ebook/video series on strategy and tactics I will show you in detail how to apply concepts like this to your game to take it to the next level!
Popularity of Tennis Tactics
The reason players like to work on tactics more than on technique is that changing technique seems much more complicated than hitting the ball to different places and trying different patterns of play.
Without solid stroke mechanics, the best tactical concepts can only help you a little bit!
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Therefore, if you think your strokes still need a lot of work i suggest you check out the technique section of this website first and then return here later.
At the pro level, tactics play a major role because players are usually not willing to make any technical changes anymore (even though I strongly believe some players like Roddick would benefit a lot more from slight technical changes)
As important as tennis tactics are (and they are extremely important), one thing to remember is that without good strokes it is impossible to make good use of the strategy and tactics concepts.
Again, Andy Roddick is a good example. Even though his backhand is an amazing shot in comparison to 99% of all tennis players, it is a weakness at his level of play. His swing pattern is outside in rather than inside out (check out technique section if you do not know the essential swing patterns yet) and he cannot generate enough speed and spin with the backhand in comparison to his fellow professionals. This backhand problem then decreases his options on the tactical side of the game.
The higher the level of play in Tennis, the less time you have to react to your opponents shots!
When your opponent hits a groundstroke to you at 50mph, you have roughly 1.5 seconds to get there and hit the ball. At 70mph that time gets reduced to about 1 second!
Think about this for a second…at the pro level players have between 1 and 1.5 seconds to react to a groundstroke and hit it back! 1.5 seconds to move to the ball, get in a hitting stance and then swing. Most amateurs will have about 2 seconds to do the same at their level of play. Still not very much time!
The tennis strategy that unites almost all the great tennis champions is what I call aggressive percentage Tennis.
These players put pressure on their opponents without making many unforced errors! This, in my opinion, is the cornerstone for successful modern Tennis Tactics. In my upcoming ebook/video series I will explain in detail how the top players manage to play so aggressive and yet not commit many unforced errors. I think you will be surprised at some of the answers to this question!
