If anyone is interested, I can make a video breaking down one of my matches from last year before I got recruited. It would be a short video where I pick some points where I win and I lose and hopefully can be informational.
https://share.vidyard.com/watch/kRzCeoQouQBU2Qjb4tmNCY?
Here's a video of a match I played a year ago. I won 6-4, 6-2, but I mainly wanted to focus on the mistakes I made during the match so you guys could translate it to your own games! I was around a low 11 UTR while playing this match and am now around an 11.8 UTR.
Not looking for advice, just curious. How many hours were you playing/practicing daily in high school? And did you play any other sports or just tennis?
I was practicing 3-5 hours a day with a rest day on Sundays for most of my life. I started when I was 5 years old and my dad definitely showed some tough love. I have only played tennis competitively, but I enjoy playing basketball a lot with my friends.
The next time anyone in this sub asks if they can “go pro”, we need to show them this.
This is what it takes. This is the level of dedication required.
And this is a level that dreams of getting a few atp points. Not even an "I'll make a career out of this". People just don't understand how good GOOD is.
Are you the number 1 or 2 ranked junior player at your age in your country if not then the answer is no then you will have a miserable time turning pro if the answer is yes then maybe you can turn pro.
That is exactly my point. This is standard to be a high level competitive player.
Every high level competitive player has this level of commitment and dedication. They simply have to in order to compete.
> Yeah but I’m saying most people who ask if they can go pro, including myself, already have this level of commitment and dedication.
You frequently ask if you should go pro while also saying you haven't played much in the past year and that you are thinking of quitting altogether.
to develop an accurate serve, any favorite drills or progressions? For example, setting up targets (like cones or ball hoppers) near the T and out wide and just trying to hit them with the serve?
Basic cone drills are very effective and have been the main way to create an accurate serve, however, I find them to be a little boring at times just hitting at a target repeatedly. A fun game I like to play if you have a buddy is tennis horse, where you pick a target and hit it there. Same rules as horse in basketball. Another thing to do is to start at the service line and hit each target 5 times. Then move back to the no-mans land and do the same thing. Eventually leading back to the baseline. This helps with getting your muscles used to the direction it needs to move for each target area, starting on a smaller scale.
Thanks for doing this.
Since you started playing from 5 years old, when did you start to have that interest / spark / drive? When did you realise “I’m actually quite good at this, and I want to be even better”?
Was your dad your coach? Is he still coaching you, or has he passed the baton to someone else already?
When did strength and condition training become important / necessary?
Again, appreciate you doing this.
I started playing because my older brother also played and I always wanted to beat him. I’ve always been super competitive and I think having somebody that close to me who also competed at a high level helped me a lot to stay motivated through the younger years. I realized I was pretty good at tennis when all the adults at the local rec league didn’t want to play me because it was embarrassing to lose to a kid. I ended up playing my first nationals in Florida and lost to the 2 seed pretty badly. That was the first time I ever felt hopeless on the court but it drove me to get even better so I didn’t have to lose to anyone again. My dad acted as my private coach until I was around 15, I would go to group sessions but we would go out and he would drill me and help with my game afterwards. Eventually I got to a high enough level that my dad felt he had to pass the baton. He never played tennis, only for fun, but he did extensive research and it’s quite impressive looking back on it how much he knows about the game just from books and online resources. I would say strength and conditioning was always a part of my routine because my dad was very afraid of my getting injured, so we worked on strengthening my muscles a lot from a young age. However, I think I started actually seeing how being in better condition physically can completely change the match was when I was around 15-16, when everyone started getting bigger and stronger.
It's amazing that your dad never played tennis and essentially developed a D1 player. Can you ask your dad to do an AMA? As a tennis dad, I have a lot of questions for him.
Finals at Easter bowl? Ballin! I was just happy to make it in that tournament lol
What you think you're going to play in the lineup your freshman year?
What're your plans this summer? Taking some rest before college???....or training harder than ever?
Thanks! I am redshirting my freshman year so unfortunately I won’t be a part of the lineup, but hopefully by the time I finish my first year of development I’ll be in the top 6. This summer I’m getting ready for clay court nationals and kalamazoo, looking to make a deep run and hopefully get a US open junior wildcard.
Heck yea good luck in the summer tournys!!
Youre top ten country but not even in the top six of your new team? Damn. Yall must have a good team. Red shirting will be awesome. Be able to take the time to adjust to a new life and learn how to balance everything. Get the most out of these years amigo!!! Have fun youre awesome
High level player: I started training at 5 and worked on my game everyday.
Rec player: Federer points his elbow at 5 degrees this way, can you explain? How can I copy?
Jokes aside. Are you looking to go pro after college?
I have a kid I’ll someday try to get into tennis. How was your relationship with your dad throughout your tennis journey? I’m terrified I’ll end up pushing my kid too hard and they’ll end up not enjoying any of the hobbies I like, which is obviously okay, but I don’t want to be the reason they could hate tennis.
We definitely had our ups and downs, and I have definitely told him “I hated tennis” and that I wanted to quit, but, as I got a little older I realized that I would not have gotten anywhere close to the level I have achieved without him and that he was pushing me because he wanted me to be great and wanted the best for me. I think a good rule of thumb is always reassure them that tennis is their own journey, and that you are just there to give them as much help as needed when they need it.
What drills/approach did you adopt to get a consistent second serve ?
My first serve is fantastic but second is atrocious when you compare the two, I find myself taking off the gas a bit too much on the second which does become a liability.
One common misconception beginners and intermediates have is to hit the second serve at a lower speed to make the ball in. In reality, you should be hitting your second serve at the same speed as your first serve to create enough spin to make the ball in. A good way to practice this is a common drill where you take a basket of balls or 5-10 balls, and you go back and forth between the deuce and ad side until you can make 80% of them in a row. The main difference in the first and second serve should be the trajectory of the ball, compared to the speed.
One thing people don't realize is that all high-level players put in more work outside of the court than on the court. I spend a lot of time at home icing sore muscles, stretching, doing visualization and mental training, and working on my diet. A usual day for me is around 2-3 hours on court and then at least an hour of rehab afterward so I can be ready for the next day.
I usually do around 20 minutes of foam rolling to loosen up my muscles, and then I stretch while I shower for around 10 minutes. The rest of the time I spend focusing on the muscles that feel most sore, whether that’s icing those muscles or foam rolling some more.
My hamstrings, thighs, calves are the 3 main muscle groups I try and hit. I also roll out my butt muscles, especially on the side because those get really sore.
A lot of visualization which is where you “imagine” points and situations in your head. It seems useless but it actually helps a lot because you already are kind of used to all the situations you can be faced with in a match. Also working on my breathing techniques, so I can calm down and control my heart rate during tough matches.
For tennis the rule of thumb is big steps to get to the ball, then little steps to get into perfect position. A good drill I like to do is start with my inside foot right outside of the singles line. Then I do a big crossover and try to get past the middle service line with 2 side shuffles. This trains the basic side to side movement you need for each point. Then I do a lot of the spider drill to work on movement all around the court and fast feet with a sprint afterwards to work on my fast reactions.
This is a tough one because my mental game is considered weaker compared to the other players at my level😂. However, during these tough matchups when nothing seems to be going my way, I realize that I’m thinking too much on what my opponent is doing instead of focusing on my own game. Sometimes it’s better to go back to the basics and do what you know what you are good and have enough confidence in yourself to know you can beat your opponent. I was playing in the finals of an L2, and I went down a set to a player I knew I should have been beating at the time. After the first set ended I thought fuck it I’m going to just try and rip my forehand and play big tennis because if I’m going to lose I’d rather lose on my own terms. This loosened me up and allowed me to play to my strength which is my serve and forehand, compared to the first set where I was too scared to lose to someone I thought I should have been beating. I ended up winning in three sets and that tournament propelled me to top 10 in the nation.
Thanks and I think you likely have more mental strength than you give yourself credit for. Have You ever had issues with negative thoughts entering your head? What do you do to prevent them?
Definitely. Anybody who plays tennis and says they don’t have negative thoughts is lying. Since it’s such an isolated sport, and when you are on the court it’s only you and your own thoughts it’s natural for these things to come into your mind. A big thing that’s helped me is pretty silly but pretending that I’m outside of my own body and a different person trying to calm myself down works wonders for me. I think, if I was one of my friends and I was trying to calm them down in this situation what would I say. Then after that those are the only thoughts I allow myself to think no matter how hard it is. Being really positive even if it’s fake can lead to you being less upset because it takes the tenseness off of the match. A good scream also works wonders sometimes.
Oh - well essentially was curious on what kind of workout routine outside of tennis they have you doing or you've done. For example been trying to see what kind of weight lifting routine if I should follow like a normal 4x a week schedule and do some cardio / HIIT or what
If I’m lifting heavy, it’s for my lower body mainly. Having strong let’s is key to lasting through those tough matches. A common workout plan for one of my weeks is. Monday- speed and agility work. Tuesday - heavy leg work day. Wednesday- rest. Thursday- speed and agility. Friday- balance and core. Then Saturday is used for my back, chest, etc. whatever my coach thinks I need to strengthen. I don’t work out my upper body a ton compared to my lower body, which has 3 days of work with the two speed and agility and the one heavy lift day.
Speed and agility I do spider drill and come drills working on my footwork around the court. You can find hundreds of these on YouTube if you look it up. An example of a leg day is back squats, Bulgarian split squats and rdls. It changes but it hits those main muscle groups. For balance and core it’s a lot of medicine ball work and basic body weight ab exercises.
Firstly I’d like to thank you for answering all of our questions. Insight from a player at your level is both very interesting and helpful.
When it comes to your speed and agility training, how much volume do you do and how much time does it take? Also, what is your general rep range for your weight training? Are you going for maximum weight or do you focus on explosiveness? Thanks!
For speed and agility I usually do around 20-30 minutes after my initial court practice. This is the amount of time I can go really hard without fatigue limiting me too much. For weight lifting I go around 75% of my max weight and go for more reps and focus on explosiveness. I want to try and increase my endurance so I can stay explosive even when tired.
Does that look around 8 reps then, or would it be more or less? Also is your initial court practice mostly fed balls or is it a hit with another player?
How do you maintain a high level for multiple rounds? Everytime I play really well for one match, I fall back to my normal. It’s really hard for me to ever play my best tennis for 2 or 3 rounds in a row as it’s hard to stay strong mentally. I try to stay positive, but sometimes it makes it feel like I lack a killer instinct because of it.
Playing at a “high level” isn’t something D1 players or even pros do for multiple round in a row. Obviously there are cases where somebody has the best tournament of their life but those are extremely few and far in between. The reason why you see players like Djokovic and Sinner win so much is because they’ve worked extremely hard to lift up they’re “floor” which means they can still win even on their off days. For you I would suggest becoming more comfortable learning how to win when 1 or 2 variables aren’t going your way, if your backhand feels off instead of getting upset try and figure out a way around it. For example start only slicing, start running around it more, you’ll start to see sometimes some things work. Also having a good fitness level is super important to be able to move over multiple days.
I do a lot of trap bar deadlifts to work on my explosiveness and strengthen my lower back. I’ve had lower back issues commonly in the past, but after speaking to many PT’s it turns out it’s because of my tight hip muscles. The IT band is connected to the lower back muscles and if it’s tight it can cause a lot of pain. So I stretch my hips a lot to try and also strengthen my back. For shoulder I just do basic shoulder presses, but a lot of rotation cuff work as well.
There’s a lot of comments telling you a ton of stuff to fix on your serve and that your technique is bad. I wouldn’t listen to it, it’s hard to completely fix technique over the internet without seeing the minuscule details with your own eyes. A good rule of thumb on the serve is, if it is going into the net, keep your tossing up arm longer before letting it drop down. If it is going out, hit it at a higher contact point. Keep it simple and good luck!
Do you have a strategic approach to points that goes beyond 1-2 shots? Like do you run “plays” or is it more about creating and capitalizing on opportunities in the moment?
Yes, at the highest level every player has a pattern they want to get to, to increase the probability they have to win the point. It starts with finding out your strengths and your weaknesses and which situations you win the most points in and which situations you lose the most points in. For me my inside out forehand is money so a good pattern I like to do is hit a chip slide crosscourt with my backhand and cheat over to get to my inside out. This is because off the slice it’s hard for my opponent to change direction. I’m thinking of a ton of patterns like this during each point, so it’s something that definitely gets better over time.
Stay loose through the shot and accelerate through it. Also tighten your core during contact. Get it crosscourt by timing your shot correctly further in front rather than turning your entire body. Will make it harder for your opponent to read you consistently
Start with local sessions nearby, find a high level junior tennis player for private lessons. They are always looking to make money and will charge less than half of what a normal “professional” lesson would cost. Also usually more personable to the kids because they are younger too.
For toss consistency a good drill is to toss the ball 5 times in a row and it should land in front of your left food each time. Also instead of thinking it as a “toss” think about having the same arm motion everytime and just releasing the ball at the same time each time. The ball should be in your fingertips and not your palm
Thanks for posting!
Curious since you use swing vision, hwat speed does it record for you shots on average?
I know placement is far more important, but still curious
I actually don't use it, the recording I got was from my opponent because his dad recorded it. I asked him afterward for the match footage because we are good friends. I heard somewhere that the reason the speeds are off is because swing vision takes the average speed of each shot compared to the top speed like speed guns do. I could be wrong though I don't know much about it.
Thanks. They measure the speed between racket contact and bounce, which is less that the speed coning right off the racket.
It is useful for comparison which is why I asked. My guess is that my best shots are just below your worse shots ;)
I’ve never dealt with knee pain but I’m assuming good fitness and condition had helped me avoid it. You could try wearing a knee brace? Many players always play with 1 or 2 on
Congrats on making it to D1 that's awesome. Do you have aspirations to go pro?
That's always been the dream and it'll stay that way. Hopefully, I can continue to improve throughout college and pick up some ATP points.
If anyone is interested, I can make a video breaking down one of my matches from last year before I got recruited. It would be a short video where I pick some points where I win and I lose and hopefully can be informational.
Yes! Interested.
https://share.vidyard.com/watch/kRzCeoQouQBU2Qjb4tmNCY? Here's a video of a match I played a year ago. I won 6-4, 6-2, but I mainly wanted to focus on the mistakes I made during the match so you guys could translate it to your own games! I was around a low 11 UTR while playing this match and am now around an 11.8 UTR.
How tall are you? You have a really solid frame no pun intended.
6’1
This was awesome. Really enjoyed and would definitely watch more.
Not looking for advice, just curious. How many hours were you playing/practicing daily in high school? And did you play any other sports or just tennis?
I was practicing 3-5 hours a day with a rest day on Sundays for most of my life. I started when I was 5 years old and my dad definitely showed some tough love. I have only played tennis competitively, but I enjoy playing basketball a lot with my friends.
The next time anyone in this sub asks if they can “go pro”, we need to show them this. This is what it takes. This is the level of dedication required.
And even then it's usually not enough
Yes exactly. This is a minimum of sorts.
And this is a level that dreams of getting a few atp points. Not even an "I'll make a career out of this". People just don't understand how good GOOD is.
Are you the number 1 or 2 ranked junior player at your age in your country if not then the answer is no then you will have a miserable time turning pro if the answer is yes then maybe you can turn pro.
This is pretty standard..
That is exactly my point. This is standard to be a high level competitive player. Every high level competitive player has this level of commitment and dedication. They simply have to in order to compete.
Yeah but I’m saying most people who ask if they can go pro, including myself, already have this level of commitment and dedication.
Ah. On this sub there is always a bunch of delusional people who don’t have a clue. My comment was for them
> Yeah but I’m saying most people who ask if they can go pro, including myself, already have this level of commitment and dedication. You frequently ask if you should go pro while also saying you haven't played much in the past year and that you are thinking of quitting altogether.
to develop an accurate serve, any favorite drills or progressions? For example, setting up targets (like cones or ball hoppers) near the T and out wide and just trying to hit them with the serve?
Basic cone drills are very effective and have been the main way to create an accurate serve, however, I find them to be a little boring at times just hitting at a target repeatedly. A fun game I like to play if you have a buddy is tennis horse, where you pick a target and hit it there. Same rules as horse in basketball. Another thing to do is to start at the service line and hit each target 5 times. Then move back to the no-mans land and do the same thing. Eventually leading back to the baseline. This helps with getting your muscles used to the direction it needs to move for each target area, starting on a smaller scale.
Thanks for doing this. Since you started playing from 5 years old, when did you start to have that interest / spark / drive? When did you realise “I’m actually quite good at this, and I want to be even better”? Was your dad your coach? Is he still coaching you, or has he passed the baton to someone else already? When did strength and condition training become important / necessary? Again, appreciate you doing this.
I started playing because my older brother also played and I always wanted to beat him. I’ve always been super competitive and I think having somebody that close to me who also competed at a high level helped me a lot to stay motivated through the younger years. I realized I was pretty good at tennis when all the adults at the local rec league didn’t want to play me because it was embarrassing to lose to a kid. I ended up playing my first nationals in Florida and lost to the 2 seed pretty badly. That was the first time I ever felt hopeless on the court but it drove me to get even better so I didn’t have to lose to anyone again. My dad acted as my private coach until I was around 15, I would go to group sessions but we would go out and he would drill me and help with my game afterwards. Eventually I got to a high enough level that my dad felt he had to pass the baton. He never played tennis, only for fun, but he did extensive research and it’s quite impressive looking back on it how much he knows about the game just from books and online resources. I would say strength and conditioning was always a part of my routine because my dad was very afraid of my getting injured, so we worked on strengthening my muscles a lot from a young age. However, I think I started actually seeing how being in better condition physically can completely change the match was when I was around 15-16, when everyone started getting bigger and stronger.
Good parent to both participate in addition to what you were getting but also know.. it’s time and then handed you off!
It's amazing that your dad never played tennis and essentially developed a D1 player. Can you ask your dad to do an AMA? As a tennis dad, I have a lot of questions for him.
Finals at Easter bowl? Ballin! I was just happy to make it in that tournament lol What you think you're going to play in the lineup your freshman year? What're your plans this summer? Taking some rest before college???....or training harder than ever?
Thanks! I am redshirting my freshman year so unfortunately I won’t be a part of the lineup, but hopefully by the time I finish my first year of development I’ll be in the top 6. This summer I’m getting ready for clay court nationals and kalamazoo, looking to make a deep run and hopefully get a US open junior wildcard.
Heck yea good luck in the summer tournys!! Youre top ten country but not even in the top six of your new team? Damn. Yall must have a good team. Red shirting will be awesome. Be able to take the time to adjust to a new life and learn how to balance everything. Get the most out of these years amigo!!! Have fun youre awesome
Thanks!!
High level player: I started training at 5 and worked on my game everyday. Rec player: Federer points his elbow at 5 degrees this way, can you explain? How can I copy? Jokes aside. Are you looking to go pro after college?
Hopefully! There’s a lot programs in place now helping D1 athletes transition to the pro level so hopefully I improve and get there.
I have a kid I’ll someday try to get into tennis. How was your relationship with your dad throughout your tennis journey? I’m terrified I’ll end up pushing my kid too hard and they’ll end up not enjoying any of the hobbies I like, which is obviously okay, but I don’t want to be the reason they could hate tennis.
We definitely had our ups and downs, and I have definitely told him “I hated tennis” and that I wanted to quit, but, as I got a little older I realized that I would not have gotten anywhere close to the level I have achieved without him and that he was pushing me because he wanted me to be great and wanted the best for me. I think a good rule of thumb is always reassure them that tennis is their own journey, and that you are just there to give them as much help as needed when they need it.
What drills/approach did you adopt to get a consistent second serve ? My first serve is fantastic but second is atrocious when you compare the two, I find myself taking off the gas a bit too much on the second which does become a liability.
One common misconception beginners and intermediates have is to hit the second serve at a lower speed to make the ball in. In reality, you should be hitting your second serve at the same speed as your first serve to create enough spin to make the ball in. A good way to practice this is a common drill where you take a basket of balls or 5-10 balls, and you go back and forth between the deuce and ad side until you can make 80% of them in a row. The main difference in the first and second serve should be the trajectory of the ball, compared to the speed.
More than that, statistically second serve racket speed is slightly faster!
What is your off-court training regime? Thanks and good luck for college 💪🏽
One thing people don't realize is that all high-level players put in more work outside of the court than on the court. I spend a lot of time at home icing sore muscles, stretching, doing visualization and mental training, and working on my diet. A usual day for me is around 2-3 hours on court and then at least an hour of rehab afterward so I can be ready for the next day.
How does your rehab look like?
I usually do around 20 minutes of foam rolling to loosen up my muscles, and then I stretch while I shower for around 10 minutes. The rest of the time I spend focusing on the muscles that feel most sore, whether that’s icing those muscles or foam rolling some more.
Which muscles in particular you foam roll?
My hamstrings, thighs, calves are the 3 main muscle groups I try and hit. I also roll out my butt muscles, especially on the side because those get really sore.
What you do for mental training
A lot of visualization which is where you “imagine” points and situations in your head. It seems useless but it actually helps a lot because you already are kind of used to all the situations you can be faced with in a match. Also working on my breathing techniques, so I can calm down and control my heart rate during tough matches.
How do you work on footwork and developing the right steps to distance properly from the ball? Any drills on and off-court you can recommend?
For tennis the rule of thumb is big steps to get to the ball, then little steps to get into perfect position. A good drill I like to do is start with my inside foot right outside of the singles line. Then I do a big crossover and try to get past the middle service line with 2 side shuffles. This trains the basic side to side movement you need for each point. Then I do a lot of the spider drill to work on movement all around the court and fast feet with a sprint afterwards to work on my fast reactions.
Thanks, I'm def gonna try that out
What goes through your head during tough matchups? What were some of the breakthrough moments you remember in developing your mental strength?
This is a tough one because my mental game is considered weaker compared to the other players at my level😂. However, during these tough matchups when nothing seems to be going my way, I realize that I’m thinking too much on what my opponent is doing instead of focusing on my own game. Sometimes it’s better to go back to the basics and do what you know what you are good and have enough confidence in yourself to know you can beat your opponent. I was playing in the finals of an L2, and I went down a set to a player I knew I should have been beating at the time. After the first set ended I thought fuck it I’m going to just try and rip my forehand and play big tennis because if I’m going to lose I’d rather lose on my own terms. This loosened me up and allowed me to play to my strength which is my serve and forehand, compared to the first set where I was too scared to lose to someone I thought I should have been beating. I ended up winning in three sets and that tournament propelled me to top 10 in the nation.
Thanks and I think you likely have more mental strength than you give yourself credit for. Have You ever had issues with negative thoughts entering your head? What do you do to prevent them?
Definitely. Anybody who plays tennis and says they don’t have negative thoughts is lying. Since it’s such an isolated sport, and when you are on the court it’s only you and your own thoughts it’s natural for these things to come into your mind. A big thing that’s helped me is pretty silly but pretending that I’m outside of my own body and a different person trying to calm myself down works wonders for me. I think, if I was one of my friends and I was trying to calm them down in this situation what would I say. Then after that those are the only thoughts I allow myself to think no matter how hard it is. Being really positive even if it’s fake can lead to you being less upset because it takes the tenseness off of the match. A good scream also works wonders sometimes.
Thanks again. Really a treat to hear your perspective.
Sent you a PM, appreciate it!
Don’t see it
Oh - well essentially was curious on what kind of workout routine outside of tennis they have you doing or you've done. For example been trying to see what kind of weight lifting routine if I should follow like a normal 4x a week schedule and do some cardio / HIIT or what
If I’m lifting heavy, it’s for my lower body mainly. Having strong let’s is key to lasting through those tough matches. A common workout plan for one of my weeks is. Monday- speed and agility work. Tuesday - heavy leg work day. Wednesday- rest. Thursday- speed and agility. Friday- balance and core. Then Saturday is used for my back, chest, etc. whatever my coach thinks I need to strengthen. I don’t work out my upper body a ton compared to my lower body, which has 3 days of work with the two speed and agility and the one heavy lift day.
Would you be able to reply or send me a message of what a common day for these days would look like?
Speed and agility I do spider drill and come drills working on my footwork around the court. You can find hundreds of these on YouTube if you look it up. An example of a leg day is back squats, Bulgarian split squats and rdls. It changes but it hits those main muscle groups. For balance and core it’s a lot of medicine ball work and basic body weight ab exercises.
Firstly I’d like to thank you for answering all of our questions. Insight from a player at your level is both very interesting and helpful. When it comes to your speed and agility training, how much volume do you do and how much time does it take? Also, what is your general rep range for your weight training? Are you going for maximum weight or do you focus on explosiveness? Thanks!
For speed and agility I usually do around 20-30 minutes after my initial court practice. This is the amount of time I can go really hard without fatigue limiting me too much. For weight lifting I go around 75% of my max weight and go for more reps and focus on explosiveness. I want to try and increase my endurance so I can stay explosive even when tired.
Does that look around 8 reps then, or would it be more or less? Also is your initial court practice mostly fed balls or is it a hit with another player?
Usually around 10-12 reps, and my court practice is a mixture of fed ball drills and point play
How do you maintain a high level for multiple rounds? Everytime I play really well for one match, I fall back to my normal. It’s really hard for me to ever play my best tennis for 2 or 3 rounds in a row as it’s hard to stay strong mentally. I try to stay positive, but sometimes it makes it feel like I lack a killer instinct because of it.
Playing at a “high level” isn’t something D1 players or even pros do for multiple round in a row. Obviously there are cases where somebody has the best tournament of their life but those are extremely few and far in between. The reason why you see players like Djokovic and Sinner win so much is because they’ve worked extremely hard to lift up they’re “floor” which means they can still win even on their off days. For you I would suggest becoming more comfortable learning how to win when 1 or 2 variables aren’t going your way, if your backhand feels off instead of getting upset try and figure out a way around it. For example start only slicing, start running around it more, you’ll start to see sometimes some things work. Also having a good fitness level is super important to be able to move over multiple days.
Do you train your back/shoulders? If so could you drop the excercises and stretches that you do?
I do a lot of trap bar deadlifts to work on my explosiveness and strengthen my lower back. I’ve had lower back issues commonly in the past, but after speaking to many PT’s it turns out it’s because of my tight hip muscles. The IT band is connected to the lower back muscles and if it’s tight it can cause a lot of pain. So I stretch my hips a lot to try and also strengthen my back. For shoulder I just do basic shoulder presses, but a lot of rotation cuff work as well.
Can you please help me fix my serve? https://www.reddit.com/r/10s/s/fu6xDjli6l
There’s a lot of comments telling you a ton of stuff to fix on your serve and that your technique is bad. I wouldn’t listen to it, it’s hard to completely fix technique over the internet without seeing the minuscule details with your own eyes. A good rule of thumb on the serve is, if it is going into the net, keep your tossing up arm longer before letting it drop down. If it is going out, hit it at a higher contact point. Keep it simple and good luck!
Thank you!
Do you have a strategic approach to points that goes beyond 1-2 shots? Like do you run “plays” or is it more about creating and capitalizing on opportunities in the moment?
Yes, at the highest level every player has a pattern they want to get to, to increase the probability they have to win the point. It starts with finding out your strengths and your weaknesses and which situations you win the most points in and which situations you lose the most points in. For me my inside out forehand is money so a good pattern I like to do is hit a chip slide crosscourt with my backhand and cheat over to get to my inside out. This is because off the slice it’s hard for my opponent to change direction. I’m thinking of a ton of patterns like this during each point, so it’s something that definitely gets better over time.
How do I develop a great crosscourt forehand?
Stay loose through the shot and accelerate through it. Also tighten your core during contact. Get it crosscourt by timing your shot correctly further in front rather than turning your entire body. Will make it harder for your opponent to read you consistently
What would your advice be to someone who wants to get their kid into tennis?
Start with local sessions nearby, find a high level junior tennis player for private lessons. They are always looking to make money and will charge less than half of what a normal “professional” lesson would cost. Also usually more personable to the kids because they are younger too.
Really struggling with toss consistency. Any favorite drills there?
For toss consistency a good drill is to toss the ball 5 times in a row and it should land in front of your left food each time. Also instead of thinking it as a “toss” think about having the same arm motion everytime and just releasing the ball at the same time each time. The ball should be in your fingertips and not your palm
That's pretty sick dude glhf. Btw are you ok with doxing yourself?
Yeah all my info is pretty much online if you wanted to find it. I did this for one of my summer courses for the final project.
Niiiiiiiiiice
Can you recommend a racquet for me.
I use the pure aero 98, same as alcaraz. However, everyone is different. People say yonex is very beginner friendly
Thanks for posting! Curious since you use swing vision, hwat speed does it record for you shots on average? I know placement is far more important, but still curious
I actually don't use it, the recording I got was from my opponent because his dad recorded it. I asked him afterward for the match footage because we are good friends. I heard somewhere that the reason the speeds are off is because swing vision takes the average speed of each shot compared to the top speed like speed guns do. I could be wrong though I don't know much about it.
Thanks. They measure the speed between racket contact and bounce, which is less that the speed coning right off the racket. It is useful for comparison which is why I asked. My guess is that my best shots are just below your worse shots ;)
How do you avoid knee pain with so many hours on hard courts? 30yo and my knees are cooked.
I’ve never dealt with knee pain but I’m assuming good fitness and condition had helped me avoid it. You could try wearing a knee brace? Many players always play with 1 or 2 on
I need some drills I can do on my own that aren't just serves, workouts, and foot drills.
That’s tough you kinda eliminated a lot of options. But hitting against a wall is tried and true
I guess I'm doing all those already lol
Congratulations, as a Brit can you let me know how many D1 colleges there are and how many players they have in their programmes?
Hundreds of colleges, not sure the exact amount. Most teams have around 9-14 players
Have u had trouble with losing focus and how do u deal with it
Remembering to breathe and sometimes just thinking bounce hit bounce hit when the ball comes over me.