RAVI'S COURT…by Ravi Gill, USPTA Professional

Playing The Percentages...

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Tennis has become more physical than ever, so stamina is a crucial part of a player's fitness and success. Percentage tennis means playing the type of tennis that gives you the highest probability of keeping the ball in play. There are two basic mistakes you can make during a match...Hit the ball into the net (the obstacle) or hit the ball outside the court (long or wide).

Now let us consider some of the basic facts when we consider the geometry of a tennis court... A rectangle!! the net gets higher as you go away from the middle of the court toward sides (3' in the middle and 3 .5' at the net posts) and cross-court angle distance is longer than down-the-line distance (82.5' compared to 78' down-the-line). There is a higher risk in hitting a down-the-line shot compared to hitting cross-court. Hitting down-the-line requires a higher margin for ball clearance over the net and a shorter distance for the ball to travel before the court ends. Both require more energy to generate the spin on the ball and when the ball is hit at a higher speed, the risk is even greater.

It is even more risky when the angle at which the ball is redirected increases because the timing required to perform this change is very crucial and exact. This action requires faster footwork and good timing. The safest way to return the ball is to maintain it's direction and increase the number of balls that travel over the middle part of the net. A wide serve requires a cross-court return, hitting the ball over the lower part of the net and maintaining a low redirecting angle... sending the ball on a longer path which also ggives you more time to recover to the court. A serve down-the-T calls for a return down the middle of the court, which if returned successfully, gives the returner a better chance to win the point.

It is very important to maintain a good ball speed that is realistic with player's ability to stay consistent... so hitting 90mph forehand inside the line 10 times in a row has a low probability of success, but lowering the speed of that forehand will increase the probability of winning the point. The more your body and mind are ready to play by the laws of probability, which favor success in tennis, the more successful you'll become as a competitive player. It's a mixture of strength, conditioning, technique, tactics and mental toughness, when applied in a right way helps a player perform and achieve a greater success in a competitive match.


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