Tennis for Dummies
January 15, 2017 | Author: Ebookreader2014 | Category: N/A
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. c * a n invaluable guide
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p e t e S a m p fa s
Ace the Same of Tennis with Tactics and Techniques!
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A Reference for the Rest of Us! by Patrick McEnroe ATP Tour Player and Tennis Commentator for ESPN and CBS
with Peter Bodo Senior Writer for Tennis Magazine
Foreword by John McEnroe
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The Grand Slam Guide to Tennis — fo r Players and Spectators Courtside Coverage o f Everything from Equipm ent and E tiq uette to Scoring and S trategies How to N e t Winning R esults in Your Singles and Doubles P lay ■
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Praise for Tennis For dummies “ P atrick M cE n roe p ro v id e s tip s fo r b o th th e n o v ic e and th e pro. Tennis F o r D u m m ies is an in va lu a b le gu id e fo r a n y o n e lo o k in g to im p ro v e th eir gam e o r just b e in sp ired to g e t out on th e c o u rt.” — P e te Sam pras
“Ten n is is a great s p o rt that can b e p la y ed and e n jo y e d b y p e o p le o f any age. In ad d ition , th e ga m e has trem en d o u s health and fitn ess b en efits. P atrick M cE n ro e’s b o o k Tennis F o r D u m m ies p ro v id e s a te rrific in tro d u ctio n to th e s p o rt fo r adu lts lo o k in g fo r a n ew c h a lle n g e as w e ll as fo r paren ts sta rtin g th eir kids in a life tim e s p o rt. You d o n ’t h a ve to b e a p ro to a p p re c ia te th e in fo rm a tio n P a trick p ro v id e s . In fact, this b o o k is gea red s p e c ific a lly to th o s e o f y o u w h o h a ve n o p re v io u s k n o w le d g e ab ou t th e gam e. P a tric k ’s sim p le and stra ig h t-fo rw a rd tip s w ill m ake you w an t to grab a racket and h ead ou t to th e cou rts. — E. Paul R o e te rt, Ph.D., USTA S p o rt S cien ce
“ P atrick M cE n roe is in to p fo rm in Tennis F o r D u m m ie s . . . a b o o k gu aran teed to m o tiv a te you to g e t ou t on th e c o u rt and m ake y o u a tennis en th u siast fo r life!” — Pam S h river
“T h e r e ’s so m uch m o re to ten n is than ju st h ittin g a ball w ith a racqu et. P atrick M cE n roe gu id es y o u th rou gh th e ta c tic s and stra te g ie s that w ill m ake y o u p la y like a p ro .” — M o n ica Seles
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5 /0 9
Wiley Publishing, Inc.
TENNI5 FOR
D U M M IE S ®
TENNIS FOR
DUMHIES" by Patrick McEnroe with Peter Bodo Foreword by John McEnroe
Wiley Publishing, Inc.
Tennis For Dummies® Pu b lish ed b y W ile y Pu blish in g, Inc. 111 R iv e r S treet H o b ok en , NJ 07030 ww w. w i 1e y . com C o p y righ t ©
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About the Authors Patrick M cE n roe gra d u a ted fro m S tan dford U n iv e rs ity in 1988 a fte r earn in g A ll-A m erican h o n o rs fo r fou r y e a rs and le a d in g his team to tw o N C A A C h am pion sh ips. H e tu rn ed p ro fe s s io n a l la ter in 1988, and h e has s te a d ily im p ro v e d his A T P T ou r sin gles and d o u b le s rankings ea ch year. In 1995, he fin ish ed th e y e a r w ith an A T P T ou r ranking o f N u m b er 35 in th e w o rld in sin gles and N u m b er 13 in th e w o rld in d ou b les. Patrick has rea ch ed th e finals o f fou r A T P T ou r tou rn am en ts, w in n in g his first c a re e r A T P T ou r sin gles title in S y d n e y in e a rly 1995. H e has rea ch ed the sem ifin als o f th e A u stralian O p en (1981) and th e q u a rterfin a ls o f th e U.S. O p en (1995). P a trick has r e c o rd e d sin gles w in s o v e r top-ten ranked p ro fe s sion als B oris B eck er and G oran Iva n isevic. H e has e a rn ed o v e r $3,000,000 in c a re e r p riz e m oney. In a d d itio n to his sin gles a cco m p lish m en ts, P a trick is an o u tsta n d in g d o u b le s player, h avin g w on 16 A T P T o u r d o u b les titles, in clu d in g tw o w ith his brother, John M cE n roe. P a trick is a 1989 French O p en D ou b les ch a m p io n and a 1989 y ea r-en d in g A T P T o u r M a sters D ou b les ch a m p ion , b oth w ith his S tanford team m ate, Jim G rabb. P a trick w as an A u stralian O p en d o u b les finalist w ith D avid W h e a to n in 1991. H e a c h ie v e d an A T P T o u r d o u b les ranking o f N u m b er 3 in th e w o rld in 1993. P a trick a lso p la y e d on th e U n ited S tates D avis Cup team s in 1993, 1994, and 1996. P a trick resid es in N e w Y ork City, w h e re h e w as b orn and raised. H e is cu rren tly a ten n is c o m m e n ta to r fo r b o th th e CBS and ESPN n etw ork s. W h en he is a w a y from th e cou rts, P a trick w o rk s on b eh a lf o f a n u m b er o f ch a ri ta b le causes, in clu d in g th e A rth u r A s h e E n d ow m en t fo r th e D efea t o f AIDS. P eter B o d o b e c a m e a s p o rts w r ite r a fte r gra d u a tin g from S eton Hall U n iver sity in 1971. He c o n v in c e d his e d ito r at th e Passaic Herald-New s to let him c o v e r his first p ro tou rn am en t in 1972 (th e U.S. In d o o r ch a m p io n sh ip s b e tw e e n R od L a v e r and Ken R o s e w a ll). B y 1976, P e te r w as w ritin g regu la rly fo r Tennis m agazin e, w h e re h e c u rre n tly s e r v e s as S en ior W riter. P e te r has c o v e r e d all th e Grand Slam e v e n ts on n u m erou s o c c a s io n s , and h e has tra v e le d to p la ces as far flu ng on th e ten n is b ea t as Russia, Haiti, S w eden , and China to g e t th e story. He is tw o -tim e w in n e r o f th e W T A T ou r ten n is jou rn a list o f th e y e a r aw ard. P e te r has w ritte n tw o b o o k s ab ou t tennis: Inside Tennis: A S eason on the P ro T ou r (D e ll, 1979) and The Courts o f B abylon: Tales o f G reed and G lo ry in the Harsh N ew W orld o f P ro fe s s io n a l Tennis (S cribn er, 1995). Peter, an a vid o u td o o rsm a n , is a lso a p rin cip a l O u td o o rs co lu m n ist fo r The N ew York Times. H e liv e s on a c o w farm in A n d es, N e w York.
Patrick’s dedication T o all you p layers in search o f th e p e rfe c t stroke, w h en that ball is in slo w m otion. It w o n ’t happen often , but it w ill b e w o rth th e p ra ctice and hard work!
Peter's dedication T o all th e ten n is nuts out there, from tea ch in g pros to USTA v o lu n teers, w h o h a ve w o rk e d s o hard to sp rea d th e ten n is g o s p e l and b rin g “ th e s p o rt fo r a life tim e ” to p e o p le e v e ry w h e re .
Patrick’s Acknowledgments Little d id I kn ow that th e sin gle m ost tryin g tim e o f m y profession al tennis c a reer w ou ld turn out to b e th e im petus behind a w h o le n ew w o rld o f o p p o r tunity. In th e sp rin g o f 1996,1 had th e first o f tw o sh ou ld er surgeries, w h ich m eant n o tennis fo r m e — at least fo r a w hile. During m y reco very, I had m y first o p p o rtu n ity to b e a full-tim e com m en ta to r fo r ESPN. I co u ld n ’t m o v e m y arm at all, but m y m outh still w ork ed . I re d is c o v e re d h o w m uch I lo v e this gam e. N o t just th e playing, but th e w atching, learning, and the history. A ll o f th e s e e x p e rie n c e s led m e to th e id ea fo r a book. T h en Tennis F o r D u m m ie s ca m e alon g, thanks in p art to m y h ard -w ork in g agen ts at IMG w h o w e re tired o f m y p esterin g. I ju m p ed at th e c h a n ce to w rite this book. But hey, I’m no w riter, and s o I c o rra lle d m y frien d P e te r B o d o to h elp m e out. N e e d le s s to say, I cou ld n ot h a v e d o n e it w ith o u t him. Peter, I h o p e you e n jo y e d o u r m arath on sessio n s in th e W est V illa ge as m uch as I did. And Joel Drucker, th e T ech n ica l Editor, to o k ou r text and c h eck ed to m ake sure that w e had all th e facts straigh t. Joel — are you sure th e dow n -th e-lin e a p p ro a ch is still th e best? M y passion fo r ten n is has alw ays b een a part o f me. I w o u ld n ot h a ve been a b le to fuel that passion w ith o u t th e s u p p o rt m y paren ts K ay and John h ave g iv e n m e o v e r th e years. From d riv in g m e to cou n tless ju n ior tou rn am en ts w ee k e n d a fte r w ee k e n d to rem in d in g m e to fo llo w m y h eart — I thank you M om and Dad. T o m y b ro th ers M ark and John fo r sp u rrin g m e on and sh o w in g m e th e way. An d fo r g iv in g m e lots o f h an d-m e-dow ns (in c lu d in g ra c q u e ts )! Th anks a lso to m y c o lle a g u e s C liff D ry sd a le and Fred Stalle w h o w e lc o m e d m e w ith o p e n arm s. T h e y co n tin u e to teach m e s o m uch ab ou t this beautiful ga m e and its tra d ition s.
A sp ecia l thanks to th e w om a n o f m y dream s, m y w ife-to-b e, M elissa. Thank yo u fo r h elp in g m e lo o k b eh in d all th o s e d o o rs and find so m an y great su rprises. A t IDG B ooks W o rld w id e , Inc., I thank S ta cy C ollins fo r h elp in g m ake this p ro je c t p o ssib le; M a ry G o o d w in fo r d ea lin g w ith m y p a ges o f b a re ly d e c i p h e ra b le print; Joe Jansen, K el O liver, and Tin a Sim s fo r m aking th e tex t sou n d s o great; and all th e folks d o w n in p ro d u c tio n w h o m a d e th e te x t and illu stration s rea lly shine.
Peter's Acknowledgments T w o s u c c e s s iv e e d ito rs at Tennis m agazin e, D onna D o h e rty and M ark W ood ru ff, g ra c io u s ly a llo w e d m e to w o rk on this b o o k w h ile I m ain tain ed m y w atch at th e m agazin e. Invariably, w ritin g a b o o k takes m o re tim e and e ffo rt than yo u an ticip ate, and I thank th em fo r th e ir p a tien ce. I w o rk e d side-bysid e in th e p ress ro o m s o f th e w o rld w ith D onna fo r th e b e tte r p art o f 20 y ears. T h e y w e re v e r y g o o d y e a rs in d eed . I first g o t to kn ow P atrick M cE n roe w h en h e w as a ro o k ie on th e p ro tour. By then, I knew P a t’s o ld e r b ro th e r John p re tty w ell. So w h en Pat a rriv e d on th e sc e n e in 1988, w ith o u t tw o nickels to rub togeth er, I figu red th e least I cou ld d o w as take th e kid (a n d his d o u b le s partner, Jim G ra b b ) ou t to dinner, w h ich w as th e b egin n in g o f a grea t frien d sh ip . I’v e n e v e r w o rk e d w ith an yon e m o re u n d erstan d in g and ev e n -te m p e re d than Pat M cE nroe. He h elp ed m ake w ritin g this b o o k a real pleasu re. M a ry G o o d w in o f IDG B ooks W o rld w id e , m y sp len d id p ro je c t editor, w o rk e d in d efa tig a b ly to turn m y p ro s e in to c le a r and re a d a b le English. She c o n sta n tly p la yed c o a c h and c h e e rle a d e r to m y G ru m py O ld Man, and I’m still w a itin g fo r h er to s h o w e v e n th e m erest flash o f im p a tien ce, e x a sp era tio n , o r fru stration w ith m y w r ite r ly tem p era m en t. M a ry ’s a ch am p, e v e n if sh e still isn ’t e n tire ly c o n v in c e d that a c o u rt can b e s o ft and fast at th e sam e tim e. Joel Drucker, ou r T ech n ic a l E d ito r on this p ro ject, p e rfo rm e d m agn ificen tly. He is o n e o f th o s e rare p e o p le w h o s e a b so lu te passion fo r ten n is is m atch ed b y a fo rm id a b ly c le a r and c o m p re h e n s iv e k n o w le d g e o f th e ga m e at e v e r y le v e l — from th e o rie s o f strin gin g ten sion to th e s tra teg ies e m p lo y e d b y th e v e r y b est p la y e rs in th e ga m e today. I w o u ld a lso like to thank fe llo w jou rn a list S te v e Flink, P a g e C roslan d and R an d y W alker o f th e USTA, Joe Lyn ch , G reg Sharko and M ic k e y Singh o f th e A T P Tour, and B arbara T ra v e rs o f th e ITF fo r th e ir h elp in c o m p ilin g s o m e o f th e in fo rm a tio n in this book.
Cartoons at a Glance By Rich Tennant
p a g e 31 7
"Oaoo, lode - he's goivg -to the net’ Thais & $utsy Yfl&Je for 2 dolphin"
p a g e 191
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Publisher’s Acknowledgments W e ’re p ro u d o f this b ook ; p le a s e reg ister y o u r c o m m en ts th rou gh ou r o n lin e registration fo rm lo c a te d at www. dummi e s .c o m / r e g is te r . Som e o f the p e o p le w h o h elped b rin g this b oo k to m arket include the follow ing:
Acquisitions, Editorial, and Media Development Project E d ito r M ary G oodw in Acquisitions E d ito r Stacy S. Collins Acquisitions Coordinators: Jonathan M alysiak, Karen Young Editorial C o o rd in a to r M aureen F. K elly Copy Editors: Joe Jansen, Kel Oliver, Tina Sims Technical E d ito r Joel Drucker Editorial M anagers: Elaine Brush, K elly Ewing Editorial Assistant: Paul Kuzm ic
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Contents at a Glance Introduction .......................................................
7
Part I: Tennis Anyone? .................................................................5 C h apter C h ap ter C h apter C h apter C h ap ter C h ap ter
1: 2: 3: 4: 5: 6:
W h at Is T e n n is ? ..................................................................................................... 7 M eet M e on th e Grass, Clay, o r Hard C o u r t s ................................................11 T h e W ell-E qu ipped Ten n is P l a y e r .................................................................. 27 S corin g in Tennis: L o v e M eans N o t h in g ........................................................49 K n ow in g A ll th e Rules and R e g u la tio n s .........................................................61 Ten n is E tiqu ette: Do You R ea lly W ant to T h r o w T h a t R a c q u e t? 75
Part II: Playing the Game ......................................................... 91 C h ap ter C h ap ter C h ap ter C h apter C h ap ter C h ap ter C h ap ter
7: M a sterin g Y ou r Ten n is F u n d a m e n ta ls ...........................................................93 8: T h e Forehand: Y ou r Bread and B u tte r......................................................... 115 9: Y ou r Backhand: U se It o r L o s e I t ! ................................................................. 123 10: T h e V olley: An E xclam ation P o i n t .............................................................. 137 11: T h e S erve: It’s E n tirely in Y ou r H a n d s ....................................................... 149 12: C o m p letin g th e A rsen al: L ob s, O verh ea d s, and D rop S h o t s ................163 13: W in n in g S trategies and T a ctics ...................................................................175
Part III: Taking \lour Game to the Next Let/el.................. 191 C h apter 14: E n joyin g Y ou r A m a teu r S ta tu s .....................................................................193 C h ap ter 15: P ra ctice: T h e “ P ” W o r d ................................................................................ 207 C h ap ter 16: P h ysica l C o n d ition in g fo r T e n n is ............................................................... 219 C h ap ter 17: W h en th e M ach in e Breaks D ow n: C om m on Ten n is In ju rie s ................ 237 C h apter 18: Im p ro vin g Y ou r G am e w ith L e s s o n s ..........................................................251
Part W: Tennis Aficionados O nly .......................................... 263 C h apter 19: T h e P ro G a m e ..................................................................................................265 C h ap ter 20: I’ll Take Four G rand Slams and a Cup, P le a s e ..........................................285 C h apter 21: Tennis from th e Stands and on T V ............................................................. 305
Part V: The Part o f Tens.......................................................... 317 C h apter 22: Ten Tennis T i p s ...............................................................................................319 C h ap ter 23: T h e Ten Best M en P la yers o f th e O p en E r a ............................................. 325 C h ap ter 24: T h e Ten Best W om en P la yers o f th e O p en E r a ........................................337 C h apter 25: T h e Ten G reatest M atch es o f th e O p en E r a ............................................. 347
Index ............................................................................................ 357
Table of Contents Introduction .................................................................................. 1 A b ou t T h is B o o k ........................................................................................................ 1 W h y You N e e d T h is B o o k ........................................................................................ 2 H ow to U se T h is B o o k .............................................................................................. 2 H ow T h is B ook Is O r g a n iz e d ................................................................................... 2 Part I: Tennis A n y o n e ? ...................................................................................3 Part II: P layin g th e G a m e ...............................................................................3 Part III: Taking Y ou r G am e to th e N ext L e v e l ............................................3 Part IV: Tennis A fic io n a d o s O n ly ................................................................. 3 P a rt V: T h e P art o f T e n s ................................................................................ 3 K n ow in g W h ich W ay to T u r n ..................................................................................4 Icons U sed In T h is B o o k .......................................................................................... 4
Part I: Tennis Anyone > ................................................................. 5 Chapter 1: W hat Is Tennis?..............................................................................7 Tennis: T h e S port fo r a L ife tim e ............................................................................. 7 G etting th e Poin t: Singles, D oubles, and W in n in g at B o t h .............................. 9 C learin g th e n e t ............................................................................................... 9 K eep in g th e ball in sid e th e b a llp a r k ......................................................... 10 O n e b o u n ce only, p le a s e .............................................................................. 10 S corin g m ore p o in t s ..................................................................................... 10
Chapter 2: M eet M e on the Grass, Clay, or Hard Courts.........................11 T h e U n iversal Tennis C o u r t .................................................................................. 11 G ettin g caught in th e n e t ............................................................................. 12 L ayin g d o w n th e l i n e s .................................................................................. 13 Court Surfaces — W h a t D ifferen ce D oes It M a k e ? ........................................... 14 Hard Courts: A s A m erica n as A p p le P i e ............................................................. 18 Syn th etic S u rfa c e s .................................................................................................. 20 M old in g Your P lay on C lay C o u r t s ...................................................................... 21 D ressing up th e c la y c o u r t ......................................................................... 21 T h e ups and d ow n s o f c la y p l a y ................................................................ 22 Grass: T h e Fastest C ou rt in th e W e s t ................................................................. 24
Chapter 3: The Well-Equipped Tennis Player...........................................27 Your R acqu et: Y ou r M ost Im p ortan t T o o l ..........................................................28 Sizing up th e fr a m e ....................................................................................... 28 T h e head and th e s w e e t s p o t ................................................................ 29 T h e b e a m ...................................................................................................30
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Tennis For Dummies T h e th roat and s h a ft ............................................................................... 30 T h e g r i p ..................................................................................................... 31 T h e butt c a p .............................................................................................31 T h e o v e ra ll le n g th ................................................................................... 31 T h e w e i g h t ................................................................................................ 32 R acqu et m a te r ia ls .........................................................................................32 C om p a rin g s o m e p op u la r r a c q u e t s ......................................................... 33 T e s tin g y o u r ra c q u e t b e fo r e y o u b u y (w h a t y o u r ra cq u et should d o fo r y o u ) ....................................................................................................... 35 H o w m any racqu ets d o y o u n e e d ? ........................................................... 36 Strings: T h e S ecret In g r e d ie n t ............................................................................. 36 N o gut, no g l o r y ............................................................................................36 S yn th etic s t r in g s ...........................................................................................37 S ettin g th e gauge: T h ic k fo r wear, thin fo r p e r fo r m a n c e .................... 38 String ten sion : A ten se s u b je c t ..................................................................38 W h en yo u n eed to r e s tr in g ......................................................................... 39 Lacin g Up Y ou r Ten n is S h o e s .............................................................................. 40 Tennis Balls: Fuzzy, Yellow , and S h o r t-L iv e d .................................................... 41 T h e a n a tom y o f a tennis b a ll...................................................................... 42 T h e n a p ...................................................................................................... 42 A ir p r e s s u r e .............................................................................................. 43 W h ich ball sh ou ld yo u p la y ? ...................................................................... 43 G ettin g D ressed fo r (T e n n is ) S u c c e s s ................................................................44 A c c e s s o rie s fo r th e W ell-E qu ipped P la y e r ........................................................ 45
Chapter 4: Scoring in Tennis: Love Means Nothing............................... 49 T h e A n a to m y o f a M a t c h ...................................................................................... 49 W in n in g P o in t s ........................................................................................................ 50 S corin g G a m e s ........................................................................................................ 51 S corin g p o i n t s ............................................................................................... 51 T h a t d arn ed d e u c e ...................................................................................... 52 S corin g S e t s ..............................................................................................................53 T h e h eartb reak in g t ie b r e a k e r ....................................................................54 T h e last o f th e d e u c e s e t s .......................................................................... 55 S corin g M a t c h e s ..................................................................................................... 56 T h e best-of-th ree s e t s ................................................................................. 57 T h e b est-of-five s e t .......................................................................................57 A lte rn a tiv e S corin g S y s te m s ................................................................................ 57 No-ad s c o r in g ................................................................................................ 58 T h e p ro s e t ..................................................................................................... 58 R ead in g Line S c o r e s ............................................................................................... 58
Chapter 5: Knowing All the Rules and Regulations................................ 61 S ervin g ’Em U p ........................................................................................................ 61 D ecid in g w h o s e rv e s f i r s t ........................................................................... 62 M anning y o u r b a ttle s ta tio n s .....................................................................63 A v o id in g fo o t fa u lt s ......................................................................................63 N ailin g an a c e ................................................................................................ 64
Table of Contents A v o id in g faults and d o u b le fa u lts .............................................................. 65 C alling lets du ring th e s e r v e ...................................................................... 66 R eceivin g th e S e r v e .................................................................................................66 T ra d in g Ends o f th e C o u r t..................................................................................... 67 C alling th e L in e s ...................................................................................................... 67 O th er W ays to L o s e th e P oin t: Hits, D ou b le Hits, and O th er B lo o p e r s 68 G etting stru ck b y th e b a l l ............................................................................68 C arryin g th e ball o r h ittin g it t w i c e ..........................................................69 T ou ch in g th e net o r y o u r o p p o n e n t’s s id e o f th e c o u r t .......................69 O ff th e light p o l e ........................................................................................... 69 G oin g around th e net rath er than o v e r i t ................................................ 69 R each in g o v e r o r tou ch in g th e n e t ........................................................... 70 T h ro w in g th e ra cq u et at th e b a ll............................................................... 71 C atching the b a ll........................................................................................... 71 S top p in g P la y w ith a L e t ........................................................................................ 71 D is c o v e rin g D ou bles R u le s ................................................................................... 72 O n e sh o t at a t i m e ........................................................................................ 72 C o v e rin g th e c o u r t ........................................................................................ 72 S ervin g tim es f o u r ........................................................................................ 73 C h oosin g a s e rv in g p o s i t i o n .......................................................................73 R e c e iv in g th e s e r v e ...................................................................................... 73 P layin g tieb rea k ers in d o u b le s .................................................................. 74
Chapter 6: Tennis Etiquette: Do You Really W ant to Throw That Racquet?...................................................................................................75 R esp ectin g Ball E tiq u e tte .......................................................................................75 K eep in g T ra ck o f th e S c o r e ................................................................................... 77 M aking T h o s e D elica te Line C a lls ........................................................................78 Taking th e pain out o f y o u r c a lls ............................................................... 78 W h en yo u qu estio n y o u r o p p o n e n t’s c a l l s ............................................. 79 W h en y o u r o p p o n e n t qu estio n s y o u ....................................................... 80 Line-calling in the p ro g a m e ....................................................................... 81 Taking T w o S e r v e s ...................................................................................................83 P ra cticin g and A b u sin g S p o rts m a n s h ip ............................................................. 83 T h o s e lucky le tc o rd s and o th e r o p p o rtu n itie s to a p o l o g i z e 84 N o t e m b a rra ssin g y o u r o p p o n e n t (o r y o u r s e l f ) ................................... 85 Venting a n g e r ..................................................................................................85 A v o id in g g a m e s m a n s h ip ..............................................................................87 B eing T ru e to You r D ou bles P a r t n e r .................................................................. 88 Ending th e M atch w ith S t y le ................................................................................. 89
Part II: Playing the Game......................................................... 91 Chapter 7: Mastering Your Tennis Fundamentals....................................93 G etting to K n ow Y ou r B asic S tr o k e s ................................................................... 94 T h e g r o u n d s tr o k e s ....................................................................................... 94 T h e l o b ............................................................................................................ 94
T h e s e r v e ........................................................................................................95 T h e o v e r h e a d ................................................................................................ 95 T h e v o l l e y ...................................................................................................... 95 C om in g to G rips w ith G r i p s ..................................................................................96 C h o o sin g from th e g r i p s ............................................................................. 96 Finding th e v e rs a tile eastern g r i p ............................................................ 97 G oin g to th e con tin en tal g rip — o o o h la la ............................................ 99 T h e w e s te rn grip, a on e-trick n u clear p o n y ..........................................100 G ettin g in co n tro l o f y o u r w r i s t ...............................................................101 W ork in g th e Face o f Y ou r R a c q u e t.................................................................... 102 T h e Sw ing o f th e R a c q u e t.................................................................................... 104 Y ou r goal: th e p e rfe c t sw in g b e g e ts th e p e rfe c t s h o t ........................105 G ettin g y o u r ra cq u et b a c k ........................................................................ 105 S tarting lo w and fin ish in g h ig h ................................................................ 106 M aking c o n t a c t ............................................................................................ 106 H itting th e s w e e t s p o t ................................................................................ 107 Finding th e p ro p e r sw in g s p e e d ..............................................................108 Finishing u p ..................................................................................................108 P u ttin g a D ifferen t Spin on T h in g s .................................................................... 109 W h alin g a w a y w ith t o p s p in ...................................................................... 109 S licing th e b a l l ............................................................................................. 109 T h e H o ly T rin ity o f Stroking, Plus O n e M o r e ................................................. 110 K e e p in g y o u r hands and feet lo ck ed and lo a d e d ...............................110 W atch in g th e b a l l ........................................................................................ 111 K eep in g y o u r knees c o m fo rta b ly r e la x e d ............................................. 112 W arm in g Up and C o o lin g D o w n ..........................................................................112
Chapter 8: The Forehand: Your Bread and Butter...................................115 O n e Hand Is B etter than T w o .............................................................................115 Finding You r Forehand G r ip ................................................................................116 Taking a Sw ing at th e F o r e h a n d ........................................................................ 117 B rin gin g a L ittle Spin to Y ou r F o re h a n d ...........................................................119 T o p s p in ......................................................................................................... 120 S lic e ................................................................................................................ 121
Chapter 9: Your Backhand: Use It or Lose I t ! ..........................................123 U n d erstan d in g th e B ackh an d’s Split P e r s o n a lit y ..........................................124 T h e tw o-h an d ed b a c k h a n d ........................................................................124 T h e on e-h an d ed b a c k h a n d ........................................................................126 T h e co n tin en ta l grip : O n e co m m o n d e n o m in a to r .............................. 127 H ittin g th e T w o-H an d ed B a c k h a n d ................................................................... 128 Finding th e tw o-h an d ed g r i p .................................................................... 129 B usting ou t th e (tw o -h a n d e d ) w h o o p in g s t ic k .................................... 129 H ittin g th e O ne-H anded B a c k h a n d ................................................................... 132 Finding th e on e-h an d ed backhand g r ip ................................................. 132 M akin ’ em p a y w ith th e on e-h an d ed b a c k h a n d .................................. 132 D ressin g up Y ou r B ackhand w ith S lic e .............................................................135
Table of Contents Chapter 10: The Volley: An Exclamation P oint....................................... 137 A Half-Stroke w ith Punch, P ossib ility, and R is k ............................................. 137 G rip p in g th e R a cq u et to V o l l e y .......................................................................... 138 H itting th e F orehand V o l l e y .................................................................................139 H itting th e Backhand V o l l e y ................................................................................142 T h e on e-h an ded backhand v o l l e y ........................................................... 142 T h e tw o-h an d ed backhand v o l l e y ........................................................... 142 Taking th e N et: G ettin g T h e re Is Half th e F u n .................................................144 Should yo u sta y o r sh o u ld y o u g o ? ......................................................... 145 M eetin g th e ball h a lfw a y ............................................................................ 145 H ot-footin g it up t h e r e ................................................................................146 Liftin g T h o s e L o w V o lle y s o v e r th e N e t ........................................................... 146 A d d in g S lice to Y ou r V o lle y s ................................................................................147
Chapter 11: The Serve: It's Entirely in Your Hands.................................149 T h ro w in g C o n sisten cy in to Y ou r S e r v e ............................................................ 150 G ettin g a G rip on Y ou r G r i p ................................................................................ 151 Taking Y ou r Stance at th e B a s e lin e ....................................................................151 P rep a rin g to S e r v e ................................................................................................. 152 B ou n ce th e ball to sta y l o o s e ....................................................................152 Take a Zen m o m e n t .................................................................................... 152 Kiss th e fra m e (w ith th e ball, n ot y o u r lip s !) ........................................ 153 H itting the Flat S e r v e ............................................................................................154 T o ssin g th e b a l l ............................................................................................154 R ota tin g y o u r sh o u ld ers fo r p o w e r and c o n t r o l ..................................156 S w inging a w a y ..............................................................................................158 M aking c o n ta c t w ith th e ball — and b e y o n d ........................................ 159 V aryin g Y ou r S e rv e b y U sing S p in ...................................................................... 160 T h e slic e s e r v e .............................................................................................161 T h e top sp in s e r v e ........................................................................................162
Chapter 12: Completing the Arsenal: Lobs, Overheads, and Drop Shots.............................................................................................. 163 L o v in g th e Lob: T h e L ittle Shot T h a t C o u ld ....................................................163 K n ow in g w h en to use th e l o b ....................................................................164 H itting the foreh an d l o b ............................................................................ 164 H itting th e backhand l o b ........................................................................... 166 T h e O verh ead : Sm ashing S u c c e s s ..................................................................... 166 K n ow in g w h en th e tim e is r ig h t ................................................................167 T o b o u n ce o r n ot to b o u n c e ...................................................................... 167 H itting a foreh an d o v e r h e a d ..................................................................... 168 N ailin g the backhand o v e r h e a d ................................................................170 Y ou r D rop Shot Is Da B o m b .................................................................................172 P rim e-tim e d ro p sh o t o p p o r tu n itie s ....................................................... 172 H itting th e d ro p s h o t .................................................................................. 173
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Tennis For Dummies Chapter 13: Winning Strategies and T a ctic s ..........................................175 S ervin g Up a S to r m ................................................................................................175 P la cin g y o u r s e r v e ...................................................................................... 176 U sing y o u r first s e r v e ................................................................................. 178 S tep p in g up to th e s e c o n d s e r v e ............................................................. 178 R etu rning S e r v e .....................................................................................................179 S ettin g up sh o p to r e t u r n ..........................................................................179 S eizin g th e in itia tive w ith y o u r re tu r n ................................................... 180 R idin g Y ou r G rou n d strok e to V ic t o r y ............................................................... 181 G rinding it o u t ............................................................................................. 181 P la yin g to y o u r s tro n g s i d e ...................................................................... 182 P la cin g y o u r s h o t s ...................................................................................... 182 N ettin g P rofits w ith Y ou r V o lle y .........................................................................182 P assin g Shots — Y ou r First Line o f D e fe n s e ................................................... 184 P la yin g y o u r Lob, O verh ea d , and D rop S h o t s ................................................ 185 K e e p in g y o u r o p p o n e n t o ff th e net w ith th e l o b ..................................185 U n load in g w ith th e o v e r h e a d ................................................................... 186 Sneaking in th e d ro p s h o t ..........................................................................186 W in n in g W ays fo r D o u b le s .................................................................................. 187 Lin in g up to r e c e iv e s e r v e .........................................................................187 S eizin g th e a d va n ta ge at th e n e t ............................................................. 188 T h e ro le o f th e net p la yers in d o u b le s .................................................. 188 P la yin g th e p erc e n ta g e s in d o u b le s ........................................................189 O u tfoxin g a L e f t y ................................................................................................... 190
Part III: Taking \lour Game to the Next LeOel.................. 191 Chapter 14: Enjoying Your Amateur Status..............................................193 D ifferen t Strokes (er, C o u rts ) fo r D ifferen t F o lk s ........................................... 193 P u b lic tennis fa c ilit ie s ................................................................................ 193 Small tennis c lu b s ....................................................................................... 195 C o m e to th e clu b fo r a m a h vellou s lunch, d a h lin g ............................. 196 T h e great in d o o r s ....................................................................................... 196 Tennis, y o u r first r e s o r t .............................................................................198 Joining Up w ith th e U S T A .................................................................................... 198 USTA p la y e r r a t in g s ....................................................................................198 USTA L eagu e p l a y .......................................................................................200 S an ction ed USTA to u r n a m e n ts ................................................................202 Earning y o u r p rize d ranking s p u rs .................................................... 202 E ntering sa n ction ed to u rn a m e n ts ..................................................... 203 G ettin g in to Non-USTA O rga n ized C o m p e titio n .............................................204 N on -sa n ction ed to u r n a m e n ts ..................................................................204 Scalin g th e tennis la d d er to s u c c e s s ..................................................... 205 B e tru e to y o u r s c h o o l b y p la yin g fo r i t ................................................206
Table of Contents Chapter 15: Practice: The "P" W o rd ......................................................... 207 P ra cticin g A lon e, o ff th e C o u r t ...........................................................................207 M irror, m irror, on th e b a ll......................................................................... 207 P layin g en d less p oin ts o f s h a d o w t e n n is .............................................. 209 B eating y o u r (r a c q u e t) head against th e w a l l ......................................210 S tarting ou t w ith M in i-T e n n is ............................................................................. 211 G etting d o w n w ith P ra c tic e R o u tin e s ............................................................... 212 A standard on e-h ou r ro u tin e .................................................................... 212 An a ccu ra cy r o u t in e ...................................................................................214 Y ou r s e r v e ................................................................................................214 Y ou r g r o u n d s tr o k e s ...............................................................................214 D rilling a w a y at S u c c e s s ...................................................................................... 215 T h e cross-cou rt and dow n -th e-lin e d r ill ................................................ 215 T h e s cra m b le d r i l l ...................................................................................... 216 T h e high -low d r ill ........................................................................................ 216 Dink d o u b le s .................................................................................................217 T h e all-advan ce d o u b les d r i l l .................................................................. 217
Chapter 16: Physical Conditioning for T en n is ........................................219 S tretch in g Y ou r G am e to N e w H e ig h t s .............................................................220 G ettin g th e m ost ou t o f y o u r s t r e t c h e s ................................................. 220 W arm ing up y o u r n e c k ...............................................................................221 S tretch in g y o u r sh o u ld ers and a r m s ......................................................222 S tretch in g y o u r lo w e r back and hip m u s c le s .......................................223 U sing a w all to stretch y o u r ca lf m u s c le s ............................................. 224 K eep in g y o u r ham m ies s t r e t c h e d ...........................................................225 S tretch in g y o u r q u a d s ................................................................................226 Building Up Y ou r S tre n g th ................................................................................... 227 W ork in g y o u r s h o u ld e r s ............................................................................228 Enhancing y o u r arm s t r e n g t h .................................................................. 228 D oing th e le g w o r k ....................................................................................... 229 Firm ing up y o u r tum m y, er, a b d o m in a ls ............................................... 230 W orkin g y o u r b a c k ...................................................................................... 231 Building up w ris t and fo rea rm s t r e n g t h ................................................ 232 Q uickness Drills: Im p ro vin g on T w o F r o n t s ................................................... 233 Running th e l i n e s ........................................................................................ 233 Five-ball pick-up d r ill .................................................................................. 234 Eating R ig h t ............................................................................................................ 235
Chapter 17: When the Machine Breaks Down: Common Tennis Injuries............................................................................................... 237 T h e L ittle A ch es and P a in s ................................................................................. 237 B lis t e r s .......................................................................................................... 238 C r a m p s .......................................................................................................... 239 Pu lled m u s c le s ............................................................................................ 239 Shin s p lin t s ...................................................................................................240
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Tennis For Dummies Ten n is t o e .................................................................................................... 240 S u n b u rn ........................................................................................................ 241 Bad Injuries Can H appen to G ood P la y e r s ...................................................... 241 T h e ro ta to r c u ff...........................................................................................242 Y ou r (te n n is ) e l b o w ................................................................................... 243 T h e w rist (t e n d in it is )................................................................................ 244 Oh m y ach in g b a c k .................................................................................... 244 You r k n e e s ................................................................................................... 245 T h e a n k le s .................................................................................................... 245 T rea tin g In ju r ie s ................................................................................................... 246 R ed u cin g in flam m ation s w ith R IC E ........................................................ 246 A p p ly in g h e a t .............................................................................................. 247 D ipp in g in to th e m ed icin e c h e s t ............................................................ 248 K eep in g Injuries at B a y ....................................................................................... 248 G ivin g y o u rs e lf tim e to r e s t ...................................................................... 249 W arm in g up and c o o lin g d o w n ............................................................... 249 U sing w ra p s and b r a c e s ............................................................................ 249 Pu ttin g y o u r b est feet f i r s t ....................................................................... 250 H y d r a tin g ..................................................................................................... 250
Chapter 18: Improving Your Game with Lessons................................... 251 W h a t L esson s Can (R e a lis tic a lly ) D o fo r Y o u ................................................251 In crea se y o u r rate o f im p r o v e m e n t ....................................................... 252 Break logja m s in y o u r g a m e ..................................................................... 252 Strength in N u m b e r s ............................................................................................252 H irin g a C ertified P ro fo r P riv a te L e s s o n s ...................................................... 254 Taking Y ou r C h an ces w ith an U n certified P r o ................................................256 M axim izin g th e E fficien cy o f Y ou r H o u r .......................................................... 257 M ining O th er S ou rces fo r H elp w ith Y ou r G a m e ............................................259 Tennis M agazin e: U n lim ited lesson s fo r $12 a y e a r ! ...........................259 Tennis v i d e o s .............................................................................................. 259 Surfing th e W eb fo r tennis s it e s .............................................................. 260
Part W: Tennis Aficionados O nly ......................................... 263 Chapter 19: The Pro G am e.......................................................................... 265 T h e S u prem e R uler o f th e P ro G a m e ................................................................266 T h e A T P and th e A T P T o u r ................................................................................. 266 T h e W T A and the W T A T o u r .............................................................................. 269 A D ay in th e L ife o f a P r o .....................................................................................269 F or th e L o v e o f Rank and M on ey: T h e G am es P ros P l a y .............................275 T h e p ertin en t p ro e v e n t s .......................................................................... 276 Ranking up p o in t s .......................................................................................278 R ollin g o v e r p o i n t s .................................................................................... 279 S e le c tiv e s e r v i c e .........................................................................................280 T h e Structure o f P ro T o u rn a m e n ts ...................................................................280
Table of Contents Chapter 20: I'll Take Four Grand Slams and a Cup, P lease................. 285 T h e Grand Slam: M o re than a Big B reakfast O r d e r .......................................285 T h e w in n ers (an d th e c o n t e n d e r s ).........................................................286 W h y th e slam s are g r a n d ...........................................................................287 T h e A u stralian O pen: Eggs O v e r Easy on S izzlin g C o u r t s ........................... 289 T h e c o u r t s ....................................................................................................289 T h e a tm o s p h e r e .......................................................................................... 290 Sm ashing m atch es at the A u stralian O p e n ........................................... 291 T h e French O pen: D irtb allers, Bagels, and B agu ettes in P a r is ...................292 T h e c o u r t s ....................................................................................................292 T h e a tm o s p h e r e .......................................................................................... 294 Beau g e s te s at th e French O p e n ..............................................................295 W im b led o n : A T est o f N e r v e s and S e r v e s ....................................................... 295 T h e c o u r t s ....................................................................................................296 T h e a tm o s p h e r e .......................................................................................... 297 H ighlight o f m atch es from W im b le d o n .................................................. 298 T h e U.S. O pen: Fanfare fo r th e C om m on M a n ................................................ 299 T h e c o u r t s ....................................................................................................299 T h e a tm o s p h e r e .......................................................................................... 300 M om en ts o f g lo r y at th e U.S. O p e n ........................................................ 301 T h e D avis Cup: Half-Full, H a lf-E m p ty................................................................302
Chapter 21: Tennis from the Stands and on T V .......................................305 M aking th e M o st o f Y ou r D ay at a T o u r n a m e n t............................................. 305 D on ’t le a v e h o m e w it h o u t .........................................................................305 W h o to w a tch — and w h e r e ......................................................................307 Take y o u r seat, p le a s e ................................................................................309 S p ecta to r e t iq u e t t e .....................................................................................310 W atch in g Tennis in T e lly la n d ..............................................................................311 T h e e le c tro n ic a d v a n ta g e ......................................................................... 311 W h at te le v is io n ca n ’t s h o w y o u ..............................................................312 V iew in g th e P ros — like a P r o ............................................................................312 T h e first tw o s e r v ic e g a m e s ..................................................................... 313 K e y g a m e s .....................................................................................................314 S ta tis tic s ........................................................................................................ 314
Part V: The Part o f Tens.........................................................317 Chapter 22: Ten Tennis T ip s........................................................................319 W atch in g th e B a ll...................................................................................................319 M o vin g Y ou r F e e t ...................................................................................................320 G ettin g th e R acqu et Back E a rly ......................................................................... 320 Tu rn in g Y ou r S h o u ld e rs ....................................................................................... 321 K eep in g Y ou r H ead Up W h en You S e r v e ..........................................................321 F o llo w in g T h r o u g h ............................................................................................... 321 Using Y ou r H ips w ith th e T w o-H an d ed B a c k h a n d .........................................322
Stam ping out Bad V o lle y s ....................................................................................322 P o in tin g at th e O v e r h e a d ....................................................................................323 L o o s e n in g up Your C o m p e titiv e G a m e ............................................................ 323
Chapter 23: The Ten Best Men Players of the Open E ra ......................325 B oris B e c k e r ...........................................................................................................326 B jorn B o r g ...............................................................................................................327 Jim m y C o n n o r s ..................................................................................................... 327 Stefan E d b e r g .........................................................................................................328 R od L a v e r ................................................................................................................329 Ivan L e n d l...............................................................................................................330 John M c E n r o e ....................................................................................................... 331 John N e w c o m b e ................................................................................................... 332 Ken R o s e w a ll..........................................................................................................333 P e te S a m p ra s..........................................................................................................334 T h e 11th Man: A rth u r A s h e ................................................................................ 335
Chapter 24: The Ten Best Women Players of the Open E ra
337
T ra c y A u s tin ...........................................................................................................337 M argaret Sm ith C o u r t ..........................................................................................338 Chris E v e r t ..............................................................................................................339 E von n e G o o la g o n g ................................................................................................ 340 Steffi G r a f ................................................................................................................ 341 M artin a H in g is ....................................................................................................... 341 B illie Jean K in g ...................................................................................................... 342 M artin a N a v r a t ilo v a ............................................................................................. 343 A ra n txa S a n c h e z -V ic a rio .....................................................................................344 M o n ica S e le s ...........................................................................................................345
Chapter 25: The Ten Greatest Matches of the Open E ra...................... 347 M argaret C ou rt d efea ts B illie Jean King, 1970................................................ 347 Ken R osew a ll d efea ts R od Laver, 1972 .............................................................348 B jorn B org d efe a ts John M cE n roe, 1980 ......................................................... 348 John M cE n roe d efea ts M ats W ilander, 1982 ............................................... 349 M artin a N a v ra tilo v a d efea ts Chris E vert, 1984 ..............................................350 M ats W ila n d er d efea ts Ivan Lendl, 1988.......................................................... 351 M o n ic a Seles d efea ts Steffi Graf, 1992 ..............................................................352 Stefan E d b erg d efea ts M ich a el Chang, 1992................................................... 353 Steffi G raf d efea ts A ran txa S an chez-V icario, 1995.......................................... 354 P e te Sam pras d efea ts B oris Becker, 1996 ....................................................... 355
Index ............................................................................................ 357
Foreword m saw m y b ro th e r p la yin g ten n is w h en h e w a sn ’ t as tall as th e net. I saw ^ him start to p la y w ith a tw o-h a n d ed backhand b eca u se he w a s n ’t stro n g en ou gh to hit it w ith o n e hand. (N o t b e ca u se he w a n ted to e x p ress his ow n in d ivid u a lity !) W h en P atrick d e c id e d to m ake ten n is his career, 1 saw h o w p e o p le w a tc h e d his e v e r y m o v e and q u e s tio n e d his c a re e r c h o ic e — just b eca u se o f his big, bad o ld e r brother. T h rou gh it all, P atrick s u p p o rte d me, esta b lis h e d his o w n identity, and had an e x c e lle n t p ro fessio n a l career. Even I u sed to think that P a trick m ust b e a d u m m y to t r y to fo llo w m y c a re e r path, but then 1 re a lize d (a lo n g w ith th e rest o f his fam ily and frie n d s ) that he w as (an d is) his ow n person , and he w as g o in g to pursue a c a re e r in ten n is w h e th e r I o r a n y b o d y e ls e liked it o r not. W h en P a trick to ld m e he w as g o in g to w rite a b o o k a b ou t tennis, I th ou gh t “W h at a du m m y!” (Just k id d in g!) He kn ow s th e gam e, p la y ed th e circu it, and has m ore s to rie s than a b arrelfu l o f m on keys. So ten n is fans, e n jo y y o u r rea d in g and then g e t y o u r arses out on that ten n is cou rt! — John M cE nroe, A u th o r’s Big B roth er
m v u i
Tennis For Dummies
Introduction M w as ab ou t 3 y e a rs o ld w h en I first p ick ed up a ten n is ra cq u et. A lm o s t 30 y ea rs later, I still h a v e n ’t let go. T h is in c re d ib le ga m e had an am azin g im p act on m e from th e first day: I fell fo r it h ook, line, and sinker. B efo re I co u ld rid e a tw o-w h eeler, 1 w as h ittin g ten n is balls again st a w all, p la yin g m a k e-b elieve m a tch es w ith R od L a v e r and Ken R osew a ll, w h o w e re tw o o f te n n is ’s g re a te s t stars at th e tim e. I ro d e m y tr ic y c le to g e t to th e tennis club. R ealizin g m y c h ild h o o d dream s, I e v e n tu a lly w o rk e d m y w a y up and p la yed in th e b ig leagu es o f tennis. Even a fte r all th e s e y e a rs in th e s p o rt, I still w ant to get ou t and hit s o m e balls e v e r y day. You m ay w o n d e r w h at k eep s m e in te re s te d in this s p o rt, s o in te re s te d that I’v e sp en t m y life w ith it. M o re than anything, th e thrill o f h ittin g th e p e rfe c t stroke, o f h avin g that d a y w h en it all just “ c lick s,” has kep t th e s p o rt in ter estin g and ch a llen gin g fo r m e e v e r y d a y I’v e p la y e d it. I h o p e that ten n is has th e sam e e ffe c t on you . N o m a tter w h e re you stand on th e ten n is la d d er in term s o f a b ility and skill, th ere a re a lw a ys n ew ch a l len ges and n ew m y s te rie s to s o lv e . T h a t’s w h y ten n is is in m y b lo o d . W ith th e h elp o f this b ook , I h o p e it w ill g e t in to you rs, too.
About This Book W h a te v e r y o u r le v e l o f play, y o u w ill find w h at y o u n eed and w an t to kn ow in this book. For th e beginner, I c o v e r th e b asics o f th e sp ort, s h o w in g yo u step -b y-step h o w to p la y th e fu n dam en tal sh ots. F or th e clu b p la y e r lo o k in g fo r a w a y to b eat that p la y e r w h o alw ays has y o u r num ber, I in clu d e so m e sec re ts to h elp yo u b e a m ore w in n in g player. If yo u are a b ig fan o f th e p ro gam e, I g iv e y o u th e skin n y o f th e p ro fessio n a l tennis tour. I tell y o u w h at to lo o k fo r if yo u a tten d a real liv e p ro e v e n t in y o u r c ity and h o w to m a xim ize th at tick et p rice. If y o u ’re stu ck w ith th e click er in y o u r hand, I te ll y o u w h a t to lo o k fo r w h e n y o u w a tch th e tube. It’s all here.
Tennis For Dummies
Why l/ou Need This Book In tennis, e v e r y th in g is in m otion , m o st o f th e tim e. T h e ball. Y ou r op p on en t. You. Y ou r s ta te o f c o n fid e n c e . Y ou r g ra sp on a m atch. T h e a lre a d y ch allen g ing jo b o f d e v e lo p in g a c o n s is te n t stro k e is m ad e m o re d ifficu lt b y th e fact that y o u h a v e to use that stro k e w h ile on th e run, out o f p o sition , slipping, sliding, changing d irection , and even falling o r diving. T h e o n ly thing you w o n ’t h a ve to d o is hit that strok e w ith a ch a ir tied to o n e le g (a lth o u gh th e late, le g e n d a ry ch am p ion and tennis hu stler B o b b y Riggs used to d o just that). W ith e v e r y th in g h a p p en in g s o q u ic k ly on th e cou rt, y o u n eed a b o o k like Tennis F o r D u m m ie s to put th e a ctio n in s lo w m otion . H ow e ls e can you g ra sp th e fu n dam en tals o f th e gam e? A fte r yo u read this b o o k and m aster th e b a sics o f y o u r strokes, fe e l fre e to tie a ch a ir to y o u r le g and h a ve at it.
Hou/ to Use This Book You d o n ’t h a ve to read this b o o k from c o v e r to cover, taking ca re n ot to miss a sin gle sy lla b le. O f co u rse, I w ill b e v e r y fla ttered if yo u do. But if you want to g e t in and ou t o f th e b o o k quickly, y o u p ick it up, turn to an y se c tio n that in terests you , and sta rt rea d in g (k in d o f like sk ip p in g th e m eal and goin g s tra igh t to d e s s e r t). T h e grea t th in g a b ou t this b o o k is that y o u can pick it up an ytim e. You can read it and find ou t w h at y o u w an t to k n ow ab ou t you r gam e, e v e n if y o u ’re 20 m iles from th e n earest ten n is cou rt. If y o u ’re a c o m p le te beginner, I d o a d v is e you , h o w ever, to s to p b y Part 1, w h ic h c o v e r s s o m e re a lly fu n dam en tal c o n c e p ts rega rd in g th e gam e. If y o u ’re lo o k in g fo r h elp w ith p a rticu la r shots, yo u sh ou ld p ro b a b ly start in P a rt II. N o m a tter w h e re yo u sta rt reading, k eep y o u r tennis ra cq u et h an d y as you read — th at way, y o u can play-test m y a d v ic e as you g o along.
Hou/ This Book Is Oryanized W h en I sat d o w n to w rite this b ook , th e p o w e rs that b e to ld m e that it w ou ld m ake things a lo t e a s ie r on you if I o rg a n ized to p ic s in to rela ted s ectio n s — to m ake it e a s ie r fo r you to find just th e in form a tion that y o u ’re lo o k in g for. T h is is w h at I c a m e up w ith.
Introduction
Part I: Tennis Anyone7 A ll th e basic stu ff yo u n eed to k n ow to g e t s ta rte d w ith this grea t ga m e is in this part. I talk a b ou t th e rules, th e cou rts, th e e q u ip m e n t y o u n eed, sco rin g, and tennis e tiq u ette. If y o u ’ re a real beginner, y o u sh ou ld p ro b a b ly start read in g in this part. T h a t way, y o u ’ll k n ow w h a t y o u r frien d s at th e c o u rt m ean w h en th e y talk a b ou t th in gs like netposts, sidelines, and ha rd courts.
Part II: Playiny the Game I g e t yo u out on th e c o u rt and sw in gin g at th e ball in this p art o f th e book. Y o u ’ll h a ve to h elp m e ou t w ith this, okay? I w alk y o u th rou gh th e essen tia l sh ots o f tennis, tellin g y o u step -b y-step h o w to hit th e ball to g e t th e m ost out o f y o u r shot. Even if y o u ’v e taken a fe w lesson s, I b e t I can still s h o w you a fe w things in this p art o f th e b o o k that can im p ro v e y o u r basic strokes. 1 tell yo u to trust y o u r instincts. I also s h o w y o u a little ten n is s tra te g y to h elp yo u p sych ou t y o u r o p p o n en t.
Part III: Takiny \lour Game to the Next LeVet In this p art o f th e book, I tell y o u a b ou t th e n ext le v e l o f ten n is — c o m p e ti t iv e tennis — and w h a t it can take to g e t y o u r ga m e to that le v e l, in clu d in g p ra ctice, con d itio n in g, and lesson s. I a lso in clu d e a c h a p te r on tennis injuries and h ow b est to p re v e n t them .
Part W: Tennis Aficionados Only Tennis fans can h ead to this p a rt o f th e b o o k fo r m y in sid e lo o k on th e pro gam e. I g e t yo u in th e gates at th e Grand Slam e v e n ts and take yo u b eh in d th e scen es at th e p ro m atch es. I a lso s h o w y o u h o w to w a tch ten n is on T V in such a w a y that yo u can a ctu a lly im p ro v e y o u r o w n gam e.
Part V: The Part of Tens M y list o f tennis tips in this p art w ill g e t y o u th rou gh th e rou gh s p o ts in y o u r gam e. A n d to g iv e y o u a g lim p se o f h o w tru ly aw e-in sp irin g this ga m e can be, I also to ss in th re e lists o f tennis greats — th e ten b est m en and w o m en p la yers and th e ten b est m a tch es I co u ld think of.
Tennis For Dummies
Knotting U/hich Wag to Turn 1 g re w up in a h o u se full o f left-h an ded p e o p le , and so I kn ow I’m go in g to get r ib b e d fo r this: 1 s h o w yo u e v e r y th in g in this b o o k from th e p e rs p e c tiv e o f a righ t-h an ded player. If y o u ’re a lefty, p le a s e just su b stitu te th e w o rd “ le ft” for “ rig h t” in th e a p p ro p ria te s p o ts in th e text.
Icons Used In This Book W atch ou t fo r th e things n ext to this ico n — if yo u d o n ’t, yo u cou ld end up h u rtin g y o u rs e lf o r rea lly flu b b in g up y o u r shot.
vtABE* T h is stu ff is s o im p o rta n t that I m a y rep ea t it a fe w tim es. 1 h o p e yo u w ake up at n igh t ch an tin g this stuff.
SAYS T h is ico n m arks th e s to rie s and insights I’v e p ick ed up d u rin g m y yea rs in tennis.
If y o u p a y a tten tio n to th e tips n ext to this icon , y o u r o p p o n e n ts w ill ask you w h o m y o u take lesson s from .
You can g e t m o re out o f w a tch in g th e s p o rt (b o t h in th e stands and on T V ) if you read w h a t’s n ext to this icon.
T h e term s next to this icon s e r v e as y o u r g lo s s a ry to th e sp e c ia l langu age in tennis.
Parti
Tennis Anyone? The 5th Wave
By Rich Tennant
.
In this p a rt. . .
S s ta rt y o u out n ice and e a s y in this part o f th e book, g iv in g yo u a firm fou n d ation fo r e x p lo rin g th e rest o f th e gam e. You can read ab ou t th e basic go a ls o f th e gam e, th e stru ctu re o f th e cou rt, all th e eq u ip m en t you n eed to m ake it happen , plus all th e rules and m anners y o u n eed to k n o w to p la y th e ga m e like a pro.
Chapter 1
What Is Tennis? In This Chapter W h y tennis is th e grea test ga m e o f all tim e (okay, I’m b ia s e d ) T h e basic gist o f th e gam e
o you w an t to p la y tennis — w ell, y o u ’v e m a d e a great c h o ic e . A n d I d o n ’t sa y that just b eca u se I m a d e th e sam e c h o ic e , w h en I w as ab ou t th ree yea rs old . Ten n is can ca tch and h o ld y o u fo r life. So b e w arn ed ! If you tea r up y o u r U nited C ou ch P o ta to e s m em b e rs h ip card to p la y tennis, yo u m ay n e v e r rejoin.
S
In this chapter, I tou ch b rie fly on all th e a s p ects o f ten n is that m ake it such a w o n d erfu l ga m e (in c a se yo u n eed a little m ore c o n v in c in g ). I a lso tell you th e fundam ental p rin cip les b eh in d th e gam e.
Tennis: The Sport for a Lifetime A fe w yea rs ago, th e U n ited S tates Ten n is A s s o c ia tio n (o r U STA) ran an ad cam p aign p ro m o tin g tennis as “ T h e S p ort fo r a L ife tim e .” T h is slogan w a s n ’t just a c a tc h y p h rase th ou gh t up b y s o m e a d v e rtis in g gen iu s — ten n is rea lly is a ga m e that you can e n jo y long-term , b oth as a p la y e r and a sp ectator. I sat d o w n and m ad e up a qu ick list to s h o w y o u w h y I b e lie v e that tennis can b e th e s p o rt o f a lifetim e, fo r a lm o st e v e ry o n e : You can p la y tennis at an y age, even com petitively, w ithout k illin g yourself. If tim e and w o rk h a v e n ’t killed th e w ee k e n d w a rrio r livin g ben eath y o u r p lacid exterior, y o u can c o m p e te in o rg a n ized tennis tou rn am en ts and lea gu e m atch es at virtu a lly any age, at a lm o st any skill level.
Part I: Tennis Anyone? You d o n ’t n e e d 17 oth er p e o p le w ith th eir o w n mitts to p lay a gam e. Unlike a s p o rt such as baseb all, y o u n eed o n ly tw o p e o p le , a ball, and tw o ra cq u ets to p la y tennis. O f cou rse, if yo u d o h a ve 17 o th e r p e o p le w h o w an t to p la y tennis w ith you , th en fin e — you can get a great tou rn a m en t goin g. But y o u m ay n eed a fe w m ore balls! v " You d o n ’t n e e d a w h o le b a n k fu ll o f m on ey to p lay tennis. A lth ou gh ten n is can b e ex p e n s iv e , it d o e s n ’t h a v e to b e so. If yo u w ant, yo u can sp en d all d a y at th e p u b lic c o u rts w ith o u t sp en d in g a nickel on any th in g o th e r than s o m e sun b lo ck and an o c c a s io n a l s o ft drink.
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B ecau se ten n is can b e a ch e a p ga m e to g e t into, p e o p le from all kinds of b ack grou n d s can g e t in terested in (a n d g e t re a lly g o o d a t) th e gam e. Ten n is isn ’t just a ga m e fo r p e o p le w h o can a fford to p a y $100 a p o p for lesson s. In fact, s o m e o f the g rea test p la y e rs in h is to ry had p re tty h u m b le b egin n in gs: A n d re A g a s s i’s fa th er w o rk e d as a d o o rm a n at a Las V egas h otel; Jim m y C o n n o rs ’s fa th er w as a b rid g e o p e ra to r on the M ississip p i R iv e r near St. Louis; Steffi G ra f’s fa th er w as a used car salesm an; T o n y T r a b e r t’s fa th er to o k ou t loan s s o that his son cou ld take trip s to c o m p e te in n ation al ju n io r tou rn am en ts; and th e great P a n ch o G o n za lez g re w up p o o r in th e Latin b a rrio o f Los A n geles, d ro p p e d ou t o f s c h o o l to fu rth er his ten n is gam e, and b eca m e o n e o f th e g a m e ’s all-tim e ch am p ion s. M y o w n dad is a la w y e r w h o w o rk e d fo r a b ig firm in N e w York w h en I w as g ro w in g up. W e o w n e d a h o m e in a n ice part o f Q ueens, but I w o u ld n ’t call it a m ansion b y an y stretch . W e had a garage, but w e d id n ’t h a v e a B en tley to put in to it, o r a chauffeur. M y m o th er d r o v e us arou nd in a plain old beater. H er nam e is Kay, and w e d id n ’t call h er “ m um m sy,” just m om . M om d r o v e us to th e D ou glaston Club, w h e re w e lea rn ed to p la y tennis. W e w en t to th e r itz y clu b in Q ueens (th e W est S ide Ten n is C lu b ) o n ly to w a tch ten n is m atch es, back w h en th e y p la yed th e U.S. O p en th ere.
i*0 Tennis b rin g s p e o p le together. N o, I’m not g e ttin g all sen tim en tal on yo u — in tennis, p e o p le o f d ifferen t ages and g en d ers can m atch up w ell as p artn ers. In tennis, y o u can find y o u rs e lf in a sp irite d m ixed-dou bles ga m e a lo n g w ith y o u r sp ou se, y o u r gran d son , and y o u r daughter-in-law, fo r exa m p le. T h e o n ly th in g you m ay h a ve to w o r r y ab ou t is in itiatin g a fa m ily feud. v " Tennis is a great w a y to k eep fit. Ten n is has a high fitn ess rating, and yo u can dial in th e d e g re e o f w o rk o u t yo u want.
Chapter 1: W hat Is Tennis?
Getting the Point: Singles, doubles, and Winning at Both You can p lay tennis in o n e o f tw o form ats: singles o r doubles. Singles in vo lves tw o p la yers, o n e on ea ch s id e o f th e net, p la y in g again st ea ch other. D ou bles is just w h at its nam e im p lies — y o u ’v e g o t fou r p e o p le on th e c o u rt w ith tw o p e o p le p la yin g as a team again st a n o th er tw o -p e rs o n team . Singles is a s lig h tly m ore c o m p e titiv e and d em a n d in g ga m e than d ou b les, fo r tw o reasons: ^
You g e t th e in ten sity o f on e-on -on e c o m p e titio n . You h a ve m o re c o u rt to c o v e r all b y yo u rself.
R egard less o f w h e th e r you p la y sin gles o r d o u b les, y o u r g o a l is a lw a ys th e sam e: to w in p oin ts. A p o in t b egin s w ith a s e r v e (w h ic h yo u can read m o re ab ou t in C h ap ter 11), w h ich puts th e ball in to play. T h e p la y e r w h o keeps th e ball in p la y th e lo n g e s t w in s th e poin t. H ow d o yo u k eep th e ball in play? Read on, G rasshopper.
Clearing the net T h e b ig g e s t o b s ta c le th at yo u fa ce on th e ten n is c o u rt (a s id e fro m th e tem p ta tio n to reach fo r a s o d a a fte r ea ch p o in t) is th e net that d iv id e s th e co u rt in to tw o sid es — y o u r s id e and y o u r o p p o n e n t’s sid e. T h e first th in g yo u n eed to d o, no m a tter h o w g o o fy y o u m a y lo o k d o in g it, is to m ake sure that an y ball y o u hit m akes it back o v e r th e net. If th e ball d o e s n ’t c le a r th e net, th e p oin t is over. Y o u ’v e lo s t it. SMtt
M y fian cee, M elissa E rrico, d o e s n ’t k n o w m uch a b ou t tennis. O n ce du rin g a clo se, im p orta n t m atch, sh e ca lled out b e tw e e n p oin ts, “ C o m e on Pat! Just get th e ball o v e r th e n et!” I lo o k e d at h er like “ Gee, thanks, h o n e y !” But th ere it is — th e fu ndam ental truth a b ou t tennis. O fficially, th e net m ust b e 36 in ch es tall at the c e n te r strap. (S e e C h a p ter 2 fo r all th e d eta ils on net and c o u rt m ea su rem en ts.) But e v e n th ou gh 36 in ch es m ay n ot se e m v e r y high, I assure yo u th at s o m e tim e s th e d a rn ed net look s as tall as th e G reat W all o f China.
Part I: Tennis Anyone?
Keeping the halt inside the ballpark Ten n is is b a sica lly a ga m e o f c o n tro lle d pow er. Ideally, you hit th e ball p re tty hard and p re tty far, but it m ust alw ays land in sid e th e lines (o r c o u rt bou n d a rie s ) to rem ain in play. If yo u hit a ball and it first b ou n ces outside o f the lines that d e fin e th e sin gles o r d o u b le s cou rt, y o u ’v e lost th e point. (S ee C h a p ter 2 fo r m o re in fo rm a tio n a b ou t th e sin gles and d o u b les c o u rts .)
One bounce only, please Ten n is w o u ld b e a s n o o z e r if all y o u had to d o w as c le a r th e net and keep th e ball in sid e th e lines. T h e real d e g r e e o f d iffic u lty co m e s from this little kink: T h e ball can b o u n c e o n ly o n c e on y o u r s id e b e fo re y o u hit it. Of c o u rse, if y o u ’re stan d in g at th e righ t p la c e at th e righ t tim e, yo u d o n ’t have to let th e ball b o u n ce o n c e b e fo re y o u hit it. But m o re than o n e bou n ce, and y o u ’v e lo s t th e point. C ausing th e ball to b o u n c e tw ic e on y o u r o p p o n e n t’s sid e w in s yo u th e point ou trigh t, w h ich is c a lle d a winner. W in n ers are b y far th e m ost sa tisfyin g w a y to w in a p oin t. C h erish them fo r all th e y ’re w o rth !
Scoring more points T h e w in n e r o f a ten n is m atch is a lm o st alw ays th e p la y e r w h o w in s m ore p oin ts. You w in p o in ts b y h ittin g w in n ers, o r b eca u se y o u r o p p o n e n t m ade e rro rs (th a t is, hit th e ball in to th e n et o r b e y o n d th e lin es). You lo se poin ts b eca u se o f y o u r o p p o n e n t’s w in n ers and y o u r errors. In s o m e ca ses, th e w in n er o f a m atch m ay h a ve w o n just o n e single, s o lita ry p o in t m o re than his o p p o n e n t. For exa m p le, w h en P e te Sam pras and Goran Iv a n is e v ic m et in th e sem ifin als o f W im b le d o n in 1995, Sam pras w on w ith a gran d to ta l o f 146 p oin ts to Iv a n is e v ic ’s 145 poin ts. A t o th e r tim es, th e v ic to r m a y h a ve w o n d o ze n s m o re p o in ts than th e loser. T h a t’s th e d iffe re n c e b e tw e e n a b lo w o u t and a nail-biter.
Chapter 2
Meet Me on the Grass, Clay, or Hard Courts In This Chapter m
W alking around th e d im en sion s o f th e co u rt U n d erstan din g fast and s lo w co u rts
& B arreling around on hard cou rts P layin g on syn th etic su rfaces ■ Sliding and grin d in g on c la y P layin g on grass cou rts
W ir e o p le m ake tennis c o u rts ou t o f all kinds o f m aterials — o n ly th e V dim en sion s o f th e p la yin g su rfa ce sta y th e sam e from c o u rt to cou rt. In this chapter, I s h o w y o u arou n d th e cou rt, and I tell yo u all a b ou t th e va riou s ty p e s o f c o u rts yo u m ay encou n ter. I also exp lain h o w th e d ifferen t c o u rt su rfaces can im p act y o u r gam e.
The Universal Tennis Court T h e tennis cou rt, w h ich y o u can s e e in F igu re 2-1, m ak es a re c ta n g le m easu rin g 78 fe e t lo n g and 27 feet w id e fo r sin gles, 36 feet w id e fo r d ou b les. T h e doubles alleys (o n e ith e r s id e o f th e sin gles c o u r t) a cco u n t fo r th e ex tra w id th o f th e d o u b les cou rt. (S e e C h ap ter 5 fo r m o re in fo rm a tio n ab ou t p la yin g d o u b le s .)
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Part I: Tennis Anyone?
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D o u tie s CO jrt 27 Fe et 1
S ing les COL rt -
36 Fe et
Figure 2-1: The stockin-trade of singles and doubles players.
Getting caught in the net T h e c o u rt is d iv id e d in to tw o eq u a l h alves b y th e net, w h ich is an ch ored to th e netposts just o u ts id e th e b o u n d a ry lines that m ake up the cou rt. T h e net is usu ally m a d e o f a soft, m esh m aterial, and it c u s to m a rily has an adjust m e n t strap in th e center. (S o m e p u b lic c o u rts h a ve steel nets; just tr y not to run in to th em !) You use the ad ju stm en t strap to a c h ie v e regu lation net height. T h e net must be 36 in ch es high at th e c e n te r stra p and 42 in ch es high at e ith e r sid e o f the cou rt. U n fortu n ately, nets w ith c e n te r strap s at s o m e pu b lic co u rts are ab ou t as rare as b ask etb all rim s w ith nets! N ot to w orry. You d o n ’t h a ve to cu t d o w n y o u r fa v o rite stick b all bat to su b stitu te fo r the c e n te r strap. You d o n ’t re a lly n eed a c e n te r strap. Just take a c lo th ta p e m easu re and ch eck th e c e n te r h eigh t o f th e net. If it’s b e lo w 36 inches, raise th e net b y using the cran k on o n e o f th e n etp o sts. If it’s a b o v e 36 in ch es, g iv e th e net so m e slack. D o n ’t w o r r y a b ou t th e h eigh t at th e sid es. W h en the net is 36 in ch es high at th e center, y o u ’ll b e fine.
No playing in the alley Occasionally, you may see (or even play on) a d e d ic a te d s in g le s court, a c o u rt w ith o u t doubles alleys. Although most singles games
are played on a court also designed for doubles, you can't play doubles on a dedicated singles court, w hich is w hy so fe w of them are around.
Chapter 2: Meet Me on the Grass, Clay, or Hard Courts
Laying down the tines T h e baselines d efin e th e fa rth est end o f th e c o u rt on b o th sid es o f th e net. T h e b aselin es are th e sam e rega rd less o f w h e th e r y o u ’re p la yin g sin gles o r d ou b les. (S e e Figure 2-2.) R ight sm ack d a b in th e m id d le o f th e baselin e, yo u s e e a c e n te r line, w h ich (a s yo u m ay s u s p e c t) d iv id e s th e c o u rt in to tw o equ al parts. T h e c e n te r line b e c o m e s im p o rta n t w h en yo u s e rv e , w h ich yo u can read m o re a b ou t in C h ap ter 11. T h e lines at th e lo n g e r sid es o f th e re c ta n g le are ca lled th e sidelines. T h e sid elin es are th e o n ly b o u n d a ry lines that d iffe r fo r sin gles and d ou b les. T h e sin gles sid elin es run p arallel to and in sid e o f th e sid e lin e s c re a te d b y th e doubles alleys. Inside th e c o u rt yo u find th e se rv ice lines, w h ich are p e rp e n d ic u la r to th e sid elin es and p arallel w ith th e b a selin es and th e net. T h e s e r v ic e lines are 21 fe e t from th e net, and ea ch s e r v ic e line is d iv id e d in half b y th e c e n te r line. T h e s e r v ic e lines, th e c e n te r lines, and the net c re a te fou r d istin ct b oxes, w h ich are ca lled th e s e rv ice boxes. You find tw o s e r v ic e b o x e s on e ith e r s id e o f th e net, ea ch s e r v ic e b o x m easu rin g 21 fe e t lo n g and 13'/2 fe e t w id e.
C e n te r lines
D o u b les a lleys S ingles s id e ines
D o u b les sid e lin e s
Figure 2-2: Getting up close and personal with the court lines.
- S e rv ic e lines — B a s e lin e —
Part I: Tennis Anyone?
u SAVS
Don't hem me in Despite all the boundaries, boxes, and lines on a tennis court, you w o n’t find anything restric tive about them after the ball is in play. Then, the am ount of territory you need to cover in a typical gam e often seem s as big and un charted as the N orthw est Territories.
Using d iffe re n t s id e lin es fo r singles and d o u b les m ay seem c o n fu s in g , but d on't w orry — nobody, not even a beginner, has any trouble focusing on the correct sidelines for the game they're playing. It's a snap, I promise you.
On each s id e o f th e net, th e c e n te r line d iv id e s th e s e r v ic e b o x es in to an ad side and a deuce side, w h ich y o u can s e e in Figure 2-3. You r s e r v e alw ays n eed s to c le a r th e net and land in sid e th e a p p ro p ria te s e r v ic e b o x w h en you k eep sco re ; see Chapter 11 fo r the details on serving.
A d s id e
Figure 2-3: The center line splits the service boxes into two sides — the ad side and the deuce side.
- D e u c e s id e ■
Court Surfaces — What difference Does It Make) Tennis c o u rt su rfaces c o m e in fou r main flavors: u0 H ard cou rts w0 S yn th etic/ in d oor
Chapter 2: Meet Me on the Grass, Clay, or Hard Courts | v0 Clay i v * Grass Each su rfa ce o ffe rs its o w n u n iqu e qu alities. S u rfaces e v e n h a ve d ifferen t c o lo rs , sm ells, and feels. M o st im p ortan tly, ea ch su rfa ce trea ts th e ball differen tly, d e p e n d in g on h o w so ft o r hard th e su rfa ce is and th e m aterial from w h ich it’s m ade. A tennis ball b o u n ces h igh er o ff a hard su rfa ce than a s o ft on e. If yo u d o n ’t b e lie v e m e, take a ten n is ball ou t to th e sid ew alk . D rop th e ball from w aist h eigh t on th e p a vem en t, n o tic in g h o w high th e ball b ou n ces. T h en d o th e sam e on th e grass righ t n ext to th e sidew alk. You m a y w an t to w a it until it gets dark to tr y this little e x p erim en t; o th e r w is e y o u r n e ig h b o rs m ay think that y o u ’v e taken on s o m e ra th er stra n ge h o b b ies. But another, even m ore im portant elem en t in th e cou rt equation im p a cts th e v e lo c it y o f th e ball. A s o ft su rfa ce “ g ra b s ” a ball m o m e n ta rily b e fo r e it b ou n ces, and th e fric tio n s lo w s it d ow n . On a hard su rface, th e ball lo ses less v e lo c it y b eca u se it skids o ff th e surface. T h e d ifferen t co u rt su rfa ces im p act b oth h o w high and h o w fast the ball bou n ces. C lay is a s o ft su rface, and th e ball s lo w s d o w n and b o u n ces p re tty high on it. C em en t is a hard su rface. A ball d ro p p ed on to a cem en t c o u rt from a b o v e m ay b o u n ce high, but w h en it m eets th e su rfa ce w ith s o m e v e lo c ity , at an angle, it skids o ff and k eep s g o in g b e fo r e it can b o u n ce v e r y high. A ball w ill a lw a ys b o u n ce lo w on grass, but it w o n ’t s lo w d o w n v e r y m uch e v e n th ou gh grass is a soft surface. T h a t’s becau se grass is v e r y slick and slip p ery. It’s sui gen eris, w h ich m eans “ in a lea gu e o f its o w n .” But that sh o u ld n ’t c o n c e rn you to o m uch, b eca u se ten n is is ra re ly p la y e d on grass an ym ore. L o w bounce, high bounce, hard o r soft surface — w h a t’s th e big deal? Im agine that y o u ’ re on th e stra n gest ten n is co u rt e v e r built — h alf o f th e c o u rt is cem en t, and th e o th e r s id e is clay. An a u tom a tic b all-th row in g m a ch in e fires balls to b oth sid es o f th e cou rt. T h e m a ch in e th ro w s all balls w ith th e sam e sp e e d and force, and yo u stand at th e b aselin e. Y ou r task is to sta rt at th e c e n te r line and run ou t to catch th e ball a fte r it b o u n ces on th e a p p ro p ria te s id e o f th e cou rt. W h en a ball hits th e c la y side, it b o u n ces righ t up and slo w s d o w n a little, and y o u d o n ’t h a v e to m o v e to o fast to g e t to and catch th e ball. W h en th e ball hits th e ce m e n t sid e, it skids a w a y w ith a lo w e r b ou n ce, and y o u re a lly h a ve to b o o g ie to g e t to th e ball and ca tch it.
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Part I: Tennis Anyone?.
Testing the speed of the court W h en e ve r you play at a court new to you, hit a fe w balls around at the very start just to get a feel for the surface speed, or ask the other players about the court's surface properties. The speed of the court will a ffect the timing you use in your strokes, and the amount of
instant energy you'll need to get to the ball in tim e to make a good return. W hen you're used to a court of a certain speed and leave it to play on one th at is significantly slow er or faster, it may take you up to 20 min utes to adjust your timing and m ovement to the new surface.
S im p ly stated, y o u h a ve to w o rk h ard er and fa ster to g e t to th e ball on hard su rfaces. T h is con fu sin g tru ism lead s to s o m e e ven m ore con fu sin g tennis term in o lo g y , w h ich I w ill a ttem p t to d e cip h er: i0* Hard su rfa ce = fast co u rt (b e c a u s e y o u re a lly h a v e to m o v e it in o rd e r to g e t to th e ball w h en y o u p la y on a hard c o u rt) = hard cou rts, grass co u rts, and m ost sy n th e tic cou rts. v0 Soft su rfa ce = slow co u rt ( b eca u se you d o n ’t h a ve to m o v e as fast, but you m ay h a ve to p la y h ard er and longer. You end up running a lot b eca u se it’s ea s ie r fo r b oth p la y e rs to get to th e ball in tim e and return it to k eep a p oin t g o in g on a s o ft s u rfa c e ) = c la y co u rts and som e s y n th e tic cou rts. \S1AU r Real tennis fanatics re fe r to h o w s lo w o r fast a c o u rt is as th e c o u rt’s speed. If 1 e v e r h ear yo u talk like that, I’ ll kn ow that y o u ’v e rea lly cau ght th e tennis bug. I’ll understand.
Yeahr but why would you ever do that? If you play tennis on ice, the fastest surface of all, you w ouldn't even get a racquet on the ball. The points would just go by, bang, bang.
bang. Just rem em ber th at the next time you get ready to play tennis in Iceland,
Chapter 2: Meet Me on the Grass, Clay, or Hard Courts So yo u can s e e that a c o u r t’s su rfa ce can h a v e a b ig im p a ct on y o u r gam e. If yo u h a ve th e o p p o rtu n ity to p lay on different types o f surfaces, yo u m ay find that y o u r sh ots are b e tte r on s o m e co u rts than o th ers. For exa m p le, if yo u like to w h a le at th e ball, h ittin g it as hard as you can w ithin the lines, y o u m ay find that th e s p e e d o f a fast hard c o u rt m akes y o u r sh o ts that m uch h arder to get to and return. O r if yo u p refer to hit the ball a little m ore gently, p lacin g each sh ot on you r o p p o n e n t’s co u rt w ith co n s is te n c y and a su rgeon ’s p re c i sion, yo u m ay find that a s o ft c o u rt en a b les y o u to w e a r an o p p o n e n t d o w n b eca u se o f all th e e n e rg y h e m ust u se to run d o w n o n e sh o t a fte r another. In A m erica, 99 p e rcen t o f b eg in n ers sta rt b y p la yin g on hard cou rts, w h ich I tell yo u m o re a b ou t la ter in this chapter. H ow ever, I a lso tell y o u a b ou t th e o th e r th ree main su rfaces just in c a se y o u fall in to o n e o r m ore o f th e fo llo w in g ca te g o rie s : v * You n e v e r p la y on an yth in g but hard cou rt, but y o u w a tch p e o p le p la y on c la y and grass on T V o r at tou rn am en ts, and y o u w an t to k n ow w h at it ’s like. v * You liv e in a p la c e w h e re hard c o u rts are n ot th e norm . You ev e n tu a lly b e c o m e a p ro fe s s io n a l player, and y o u are req u ired to p la y on all kinds o f su rfaces fo r a livin g. Hey, it co u ld happen.
Pros have a preference when it comes to court surfaces The four preem inent tournam ents in tennis, the Grand Slam even ts— the Australian Open, the French Open, W im bledon, and the U.S. Open — are each played on different types of surfaces (although the Australian Open and MC , , • i l, j U.S. Open are contested on s im ilar hard courts) As you see atthese tournaments, even top players can be aided or stymied by a court surface For exam ple, the great Pete Sam pras w on three of the four Grand Slam titles at least tw o times apiece, but he has never even reached the final of the French Open. The popular Ger man player Boris B ec ke r ne ve r w on the
French title either. In fact, although Becker w on over 50 pro tournam ents in his career, he didn't win a single one of them on clay. T. „• „ .. u Then thte/ e hw a ? B)° T ^ " e " aver c ° uld win on the hard courts of the U.S. Open. Con. . ^ ~ . varsely' 1 P °s ed my besl result m a Grand S'am e!'ent at t j e Australian Open m 1991 w h ere I reached the sem ifinals on the hard courts. Hard courts are the surface th at suit my game best, partly because they're the surface of choice in the U.S. Tennis players, like everyone else, favor w h at they're used to.
Part I: Tennis Anyone?______________________________________________
Hard Courts: /4s American as Apple Pie S MS
A m erica n s are a p ra ctica l p e o p le w h o like stan d ard ization . T h a t’s w h y w e in ven ted fast fo o d jo in ts that s e r v e an id en tica l bu rger in N e w York and S eattle and all p oin ts in b etw e e n . T h a t’s w h y w e in ven ted th e a s sem b ly line. W e a lso in v e n te d ten n is on hard c o u rts w ith sim ilar, p ra ctica l goals. Hard c o u rts are v e rs a tile and virtu a lly m ain ten an ce free. T h e y are the e a siest and c h e a p e s t o f all co u rts to build. Hard c o u rts last and last, through all ty p e s o f w eath er. Essentially, th e A m erica n hard c o u rt is n ot th e RollsR o y c e o f ten n is c o u rts — it ’s th e M o d e l T. T h e m a jo rity o f hard c o u rts are fa ster than s o ft c la y c o u rts but s lo w enough to g iv e y o u p le n ty o f tim e to sw in g b e fo re th e ball gets b y you . (S e e the p re c e d in g s e c tio n o f this c h a p te r fo r m o re in form a tion on co u rt s p e e d .) B u ilders can a lso fine-tune hard cou rts, m aking th em p la y re la tiv e ly faster o r slow er. T h e y m o d ify th e co u rt s p e e d b y m ixin g g re a te r o r le s s e r am ounts o f a gran u lar su b stan ce, like sand, in to th e cem en t b e fo re it is pou red. T h e m o re gra in y th e cem en t, th e s lo w e r th e hard c o u rt w ill play. C ou rt d es ig n e rs a lso m ix ru b b er co m p o u n d s in to th e c em en t o r use ru b b er co m p o u n d s to c o a t th e su rfa ces o f hard cou rts. R u b b er can b e used to make a c o u rt slow er, but it a lso p ro v id e s va lu a b le cu sh ion in g, w h ich red u ces w ear and te a r on th e jo in ts and b on es. R ega rd less o f h o w m uch a hard c o u rt has b een m o d ifie d w ith sand or ru b b er o r not, it p ro v id e s a g o o d su rfa ce fo r d e v e lo p in g y o u r gam e, fo r the fo llo w in g reason s: ; ir0 A true bou n ce: B ecau se th e su rfa ce o f hard c o u rts is sm ooth , yo u can e x p e c t a relia b le b o u n c e all th e tim e, unless th e c o u rt is c o v e r e d with litte r o r cracks. T h e lines on a hard c o u rt are p ain ted on, s o yo u get a ) tru e b o u n ce e v e n w h en yo u hit them . (O n clay, su rfa ce irregu larities '} can all p ro d u c e freq u en t irregu la rities in th e b o u n c e .)
i00 A n accep table s p e e d limit: M o st hard co u rts built th e s e days are slo w # }i i :
en ou gh to let y o u w o rk on y o u r con sisten cy, but th e y ’re fast en ou gh to rew a rd y o u w ith a w in n er w h en y o u hit a g o o d sh ot n ear th e line. T h e s lo w e r th e cou rt, th e m o re ch a n ce y o u r o p p o n e n t has o f running d ow n y o u r shots.
. i00 R ead y w h e n e v e r y ou are: You can play on a hard cou rt alm ost any tim e, e v e n a fte r a to rren tia l rain storm (p r o v id e d that a co u rt s q u e e g e e — or \ sn o w s h o v e l — is a v a ila b le ). I kid y o u not. P e o p le o ften s h o v e l sn ow from hard c o u rts in o rd e r to play. As long as you leave th e net up, a hard c o u rt is a lw a ys re a d y to go.
Chapter 2: Meet Me on the Grass, Clay, or Hard Courts T h e d isa d va n ta ges o f hard c o u rts are m inor, e s p e c ia lly fo r b egin n ers: *«" M ost hard c o u rts can b e tou gh on y o u r jo in ts and m u scles if yo u p lay hard and frequ ently. k* Hard c o u rts re fle c t h eat and glare, m aking th em less a p p ea lin g to p la y on d u rin g bright, h ot days. K eep th e fo llo w in g tip s in m ind to m ake p la yin g ten n is on hard c o u rts m ore c o m fo rta b le and ben efical:
v0 W e a r tennis shoes w ith an a p p ro p ria te am ount o f cushioning: M any s h o e m an u factu rers o ffe r s h o es d e s ig n e d fo r use on hard co u rts, ju st as th ey o n c e m ad e ligh t s h o es w ith n u b b ly b o tto m s fo r p la y on slick grass.
v * W e a r qu ality socks: Socks that o ffe r e x tra cu sh ion in g at th e h eels and around th e to e s are e s p e c ia lly g o o d .
t00 Use the right balls. T h e hard, a b ra s iv e su rfa ce o f hard c o u rts calls fo r th e use o f ex tra d u ty balls w ith den se, d u ra b le felt c o v e rin g . You can read m o re ab ou t such balls in C h ap ter 3. ^
A void su d d en starts, stops, a n d ch an ges o f direction until y o u ’re w e ll w a rm e d up. Hard su rfa ces are less fo rg iv in g than s o ft on es, so take a little m ore tim e to w o rk up y o u r full head o f p la yin g steam . You can read m o re a b ou t w a rm in g up in C h ap ter 7.
v0 P ay attention to the height o f the bou n ce. T h e s lo w e r th e hard cou rt, th e h igh er th e ball b ou n ces. A d ju st y o u r sw in g to th e h eigh t at w h ich you end up p layin g m ost balls.
Accident-prone courts A fe w years ago, Todd Snyder (Pete Sampras's personal trainer and formerly one of the official trainers for the pros of the A m erican Tennis Professional Tour) conducted a study on the rate of common foot and ankle injuries among pros playing on different surfaces. He found that synthetic surfaces (including outdoor as phalt and the indoor Supreme Court surface) accounted for 55 percent of player injuries.
Grass courts logged in at 12 percent and clay courts at 8 percent of player injuries. The e v id e n c e is in a rg u a b le : T e n n is on natural, organic surfaces is a less-punishing exercise for top players. H ow ever, m ost re c reational players, especially beginners, don't have to w orry about those statistics. They d o n 't p lay w ith th e s am e in te n s ity and frequency as the pros.
Part I: Tennis Anyone?__________
Synthetic Surfaces O n e result o f the tennis b o o m o f th e 1970s and 80s w as an e x p lo s io n o f new, synthetic surfaces d e sig n ed fo r tennis cou rts. B etter livin g th rou gh ch em is try, right? T h e s e n ew su rfa ces w e re d e v e lo p e d p a rtly to a c c o m m o d a te th e b u rgeon in g p ro ga m e that w as in va d in g arenas (lik e M ad ison Square G ard en ), w h ich w e re usu ally re s e r v e d fo r b ask etb all o r h ockey. T h e y w e re also d esign ed for use in th e g ro w in g in d u stry o f in d o o r tennis. M ost o f th e s e sy n th e tic c o u rts c o m e in s e c tio n s that can b e ro lled out and s et up fo r a ten n is m atch in a m atter o f hours. T h e s e su rfaces ten d to be m ad e e ith e r o f ru b b er-b ased co m p o u n d s o r d u ra b le sy n th etic fib ers like the n ylon s and p o ly e s te rs that y o u find in industrial c a rp e tin g o r in dooro u td o o r ca rp etin g. O ne o f th e earliest o f these synthetic carpets was Suprem e Court, a carpet m ade m o s tly o f rubber. T w o o f th e m o re in n o v a tiv e sy n th e tic su rfaces are plastic grids and synthetic grass. T h e grid s are m ad e in in terlo ck in g (ra th e r than roll u p ) s e c tio n s that snap togeth er, kind o f like th e w a ffle-p a ttern flo o rin g used in th e kitch en s o f restaurants. S yn th etic grass uses fake grass fib ers m ad e of p la stic w ith a to p d ressin g o f sand to adju st th e s p e e d o f th e court. T h e s p e e d s o f sy n th e tic su rfaces v a r y greatly, alth ou gh fast su rfa ce sp eed s are m o re co m m o n than s lo w on es. T h e s p e e d o f th e su rfa ce a lso d ep en d s on th e m aterial u n d ern eath it. A c a rp e t ro lle d d o w n o v e r c o n c re te p lays faster than o n e ro lle d d o w n on w o o d . P la y in g on s y n th e tic c a rp e t in d o o rs, alth ou gh it can b e costly, g iv e s yo u as c lo s e to p e r fe c t c o n d itio n s as yo u can get, fo r th e fo llo w in g reasons:
l v0 You d o n ’t h ave to contend w ith the elem ents. Factors like sun and w in d p la y no p art in d oors.
* v 0 You get g o o d lighting a n d a non-distracting back gro u n d . In d o o r c o u rts usu ally h a v e s p e c ia lly d e s ig n e d ligh tin g system s and s o lid ly c o lo r e d b ack grou n d cu rtains, crea tin g p la yin g co n d itio n s. T h e n ettin g that m an y in d o o r c o u rts use b e tw e e n c o u rts elim in ates tim e w asted ch a sin g d o w n balls o r retu rn in g th em to p la yers on o th e r cou rts.
v0 You get a tru e b o u n ce. In d o o r c o u rts are usu ally v e r y w ell kept, m ean in g that y o u w o n ’t find crack s o r bu m ps in th e co u rt that cou ld foul up y o u r shot. T o g e t th e m o st out o f playing on synthetic surfaces, make sure that yo u w arm up b e fo r e y o u play. T h is g iv e s y o u a ch a n ce to find ou t h o w fast th e cou rt su rfa ce is, s o that y o u d o n ’t g e t an u npleasant s u rp rise w h en yo u start play.
______________________
Chapter 2: M eet M e on the Grass, Clay, or Hard Courts
Molding j/our Flag on Clay Courts T h e m a jo rity o f c la y c o u rts are fou n d in Europe, w h e re red c la y is far and a w a y th e m ost p o p u la r c o u rt su rface. If y o u ’v e e v e r w a tc h e d th e French O p en at R oland G arros, y o u ’v e seen a p rim e ex a m p le o f red c la y cou rts. (C h a p te r 20 tells y o u all ab ou t th e French O p en .)
Dressing up the clay court C lay co u rts g e n e ra lly h a ve a s o lid ly p ack ed c la y b a se u n d er a la y e r o f sto n e o r g ra v e l to h elp fa cilita te d rain age. On to p o f th e g ra v e l is a th ird layer, c a lled th e dressing. (O f co u rse, th e E u ropeans are great c o o k s, s o it’s o n ly natural that th e y w o u ld h a ve “ d re s s in g ” e v e n on th eir red c la y tennis c o u rts .) T h is d ressin g is granular, m ad e from p u lv e riz e d sa n d sto n e o r a sim ilar, sh a le-typ e ston e. T h e d ressin g is pack ed d ow n , but it rem ains granular and ea sily d is lo d g e d . C lay co u rts n eed a lo t o f TLC. T h e y n eed to b e ro lle d to e v e n ly d istrib u te and pack d o w n th e dressin g. O th erw ise, it m ay b lo w a w a y in th e w ind. R ollin g also h elp s elim in a te th e irregu la rities in th e su rfa ce that co u ld lead to erra tic bou n ces. T h e d ressin g has to b e to p p e d o ff n o w and then, but an o v e ra p p lic a tio n m akes th e co u rt m o re su itab le fo r b ea ch v o lle y b a ll than tennis. During dry, sunny w eath er, c la y c o u rts a lso n eed to b e w a te re d , as o ften as tw o o r th ree tim es a day, to k eep th em in id eal sh ape. W ith ou t su fficien t water, c la y c o u rts g e t baked b y th e sun. T h e d ressin g b lo w s a w a y e a s ily in th e b re e ze , and th e natural irregu la rities th at d e v e lo p w ith use c rea te an ab u n d an ce o f m a d d en in g bad bou n ces. C lay is a s lo w co u rt su rface, alth ou gh fa cto rs like d ry n e s s and a lack o f d ressin g can m ake c la y p lay sig n ifica n tly faster. But e ven u n d er th o s e conditions, clay is a slo w er cou rt surface than even the slow est o f hard courts.
Clay requires ritual cleansing W hen you play on a clay court, it's customary to roll, sw eep , and even w a te r the court before your game. It may sound like a chore, but it's a pretty nice ritual, getting the court ready to play. And a court s w e p t fre e of
irregularities or m arks (b alls hit w ith any force leave a distinct smudge on a clay court) can make you feel like you're the first person ever to set foot on it.
Part I: Tennis Anyone?
The ups and dovOns of clay play T h e v a s t m a jo rity o f p u b lic co u rts in th e U.S. are hard cou rts, w h ich are grea t fo r d e v e lo p in g y o u r gam e. But if y o u ’re lu cky en ou gh to h a ve access to c la y cou rts, I g iv e them a sligh t e d g e o v e r e v e n hard co u rts fo r layin g the fo u n d a tion s o f y o u r gam e, fo r th e s e reasons: ; u0 C lay courts a re u ser-friendly. T h e in h eren t so ftn ess o f c la y cou rts I h elp s p ro te c t y o u from stresses, strains, and injuries. ;■ v * C lay courts h elp you k eep the b a ll in play. B ecau se c la y is a s lo w su rface, yo u can g e t to m o re balls and h a ve m ore o p p o rtu n itie s to hit " th em back than yo u can on fa ster c o u rt su rfaces. In a ty p ic a l one-hour p ra c tic e session , yo u hit m o re balls b eca u se y o u k eep m ore balls in p la y on a c la y cou rt. H ittin g m o re balls h elp s keep th e gam e interesting. *
It a lso en a b les yo u to im p ro v e faster.
I v0 C lay courts m ake y ou consistent. C lay is th e b est su rface fo r m astering : th e c o n s is te n c y o f y o u r groundstrokes — th e foreh an d s and backhands I that are th e b read-an d-bu tter o f th e ga m e (w h ic h you can read m ore j a b ou t in C h ap ters 8 and 9). T h e m ost co n sisten t p la yers o f all, including s B jorn Borg, Chris E vert (w h o g re w up in sou th Florida, a m ecca o f cla y I c o u rts ), M artin a Hingis, and Ivan Lendl, g re w up on c la y cou rts. 4
".
' ,j | I :
v0 C lay courts can h e lp you get fit. A g o o d w o rk o u t on clay, w h ere y o u ’re a b le to ch a se d o w n lots o f balls and k eep th em in p la y longer, is the b est w a y to im p ro v e y o u r o v e ra ll fitn ess th rou gh tennis. You d o n ’t w a s te as m uch tim e c o lle c tin g balls, and y o u d o n ’t h a ve as much “ d o w n ” tim e, b eca u se ea ch p o in t is longer. C lay-cou rt tennis can add m u scle and to n e y o u r legs, stren gth en y o u r lo w e r back, and im p ro ve y o u r a e ro b ic capacity. A t th e end o f a brisk 60- to 90-minute w o rk o u t on clay, yo u en d up fe e lin g like a jo u e r battu, o r a “ b eaten player.” (S ee C h ap ter 16 fo r m o re in fo rm a tio n on g ettin g fit fo r ten n is.)
| i0* C lay courts a re co o l (tem perature w ise ) an d com fortable. C lay | a b s o rb s ra th er than re fle c ts heat on h ot days, and it d o e s n ’ t gen era te | i SAYS
an y su rfa ce glare. C lay cou rts, e s p e c ia lly if th e y are p e rio d ic a lly w a te re d , a lw a ys fe e l c o m fo rta b le on th e s o le s o f y o u r feet.
So why, m y ow n on clay, on clay; them .
y o u m a y w on d er, am I s o fired up ab ou t c la y c o u rts w h en I p o sted b est tennis on hard c o u rts? It ’s e a s y — I le a rn e d th e ga m e m o stly as d id m y b ro th ers, John and Mark. W e built ou r tennis fou ndations th o s e fou n d ation s p ro v e d stro n g en ou gh to b ea r an y loa d w e put on
Chapter 2: Meet Me on the Grass, Clay, or Hard Courts P la yin g on a c la y c o u rt d o e s h a ve a d o w n s id e o r tw o , h o w e v e r:
v * The re d dust from the d ressin g is messy. If y o u ’re p ersp irin g, this dust |
cakes on y o u r legs and turns y o u r sock s (n o t to m en tion th e tennis
V
b a lls ) a p a le pink. Red, d u sty sock s m ay n ot sou n d like m uch o f a dow n sid e, but it sure is if y o u ’re th e p erso n w h o gets to w ash th e socks.
y v * C lay courts re q u ire a fa ir am ount o f m aintenance. T h e b aselin es, | sid elin es, and so on m ust be p ain ted on w ith a g o o p y form o f ch alk (o r § tacked in to th e p orou s su rfa ce o f th e c o u rt). A n d like a b lo sso m , a g o o d ^ cla y cou rt n eeds p len ty o f m oistu re — on a hot, sunny d ay at th e French J O pen (w h ic h featu res s o m e o f th e b est c la y c o u rts in the w o r ld ), the courts are w atered (as w ell as s w e p t) even during the m atches. For th ese reasons, m any public tennis facilities tend to sh y a w ay from clay courts. If yo u h a ve th e lu xu ry o f p la yin g on c la y frequ en tly, g e t th e m o st ou t o f the e x p e rie n c e b y fo llo w in g th e s e gu idelin es: ?
Use re g u la r duty balls. Balls m an u factu red fo r hard-cou rt p lay fluff up to o m uch on clay, retain in g m o istu re and fin e c o u rt grit. T h a t m akes th em h eavier, slow er, and p ro n e to tra v e l m o re s lo w ly th rou gh th e air. (Y o u can read m o re a b ou t balls in C h ap ter 3.)
i v * Concentrate. B ecau se th e ty p ica l p oin t lasts lo n g e r on clay, w h e th e r o r not y o u ’re k eep in g sco re, yo u n eed b e tte r m ental en d u ran ce, too. o ' Hit clean strokes. C lay tem p ts y o u to ju st push o r tap th e ball back instead o f h ittin g clean strokes. It’s h ard er to hit a w in n e r on clay, so this ten n sy-w een sy v o ic e in yo u asks, “ w h y b o th e r? ” Ign ore that v o ic e | and o b s e r v e th e p re p a ra tio n and s tro k in g fu n d a m e n ta ls d e ta ile d in I P art II o f this book.
Slip slidin' away The dressing you find on clay courts gives clay-court tennis its unique characteristics. Because the dressing is granular, it remains loose — so loose that many players slide into shots on clay courts. Sliding saves time and energy when getting to the ball, plus it looks really cool.
You alw ays slide into the shot w ith the oppo site foot leading the w ay. If you're a righty, you slide into your forehand w ith your left foot in front, and into your backhand with your right foot leading the way.
Part I: Tennis Anyone?
Har-Tru: Clay born in the USA In A m erica, red clay courts can be found, although never in great abundance, in many places in the N ortheast and some parts of the South, most notably Texas. The m ajority of these courts are in tennis clubs or resorts. A m ericans w ith fe e t of clay tend to prefer the distinctive gray-green Har-Tru court, w hich is a clay c o u rt m ade from slightly d iffe re n t
organic m aterials than you find on red clay courts. Har-Tru courts are popular, although never as abundant or accessible as hard courts, all along the eastern seaboard. Har-Tru courts are slightly faster than red clay courts, but the difference, especially to begin ners, is negligible.
Grass: The Fastest Court in the West A g o o d grass cou rt, like th e o n es at W im b led o n , has a lo t m ore in com m on w ith th e to p o f a b illiard ta b le than w ith y o u r n e ig h b o r’s sparkling, lo v in g ly w e e d e d law n (y o u know, th e o n e y o u r d o g m ost likes to v is it). Grass cou rts e ven lo o k like b illiard -tab le felt b eca u se th e grass is pack ed in to the soil so tightly. A lth o u gh grass c o u rts are s o fte r than hard cou rts, th e y ’ re firm er u n d e rfo o t than an o rd in a ry lawn. As an e v e r y d a y p la y in g su rface, grass is secon d -rate. A tennis ball often b o u n ces in w eird , u n p red icta b le w a ys on m ost grass co u rts b eca u se o f dead sp o ts o r in co n sisten cies that qu ickly d e v e lo p unless the grass is m eticu lou sly m aintained. A fte r a fe w m atch es, e v e n th e great grass co u rts at W im b led on sta rt to d e te r io r a te and p ro d u c e bad b ou n ces. S om etim es, th e ball d o e s n ’t b o u n ce at all (d e p e n d in g on h o w s p o n g y th e co u rt is o r h o w w et the w e a th e r is), and that isn ’t a g o o d th in g in a ga m e like tennis. T h e tim e and e x p e n s e in v o lv e d in m aintaining grass cou rts all but banish this su rfa ce from m ain stream play. (C an you rem em b er th e last tim e you d r o v e b y a m u n icipal park and saw p e o p le p la yin g on gra ss?) In fact, you find grass c o u rts a lm o s t e x c lu s iv e ly at p r iv a te clu b s (t h e fam ou s A ll England Law n Ten n is and C ro q u et Club at W im b le d o n is o n e such c lu b ) o r h om es. C on sequ en tly, ch a n ces are p re tty slim that y o u ’ll e v e r get the ch a n ce to m o w s o m e grass w ith y o u r sh ots. T h e o n ly e x c e p tio n is the B ritish Isles, w h e re grass-cou rt p la y is q u ite c o m m o n . T h e British resp ect and m aintain th eir trad ition s, and th e y still h a ve a p le th o ra o f sm all clubs w ith grass c o u rts that th ey can m aintain on m o d est bu dgets.
Chapter 2: Meet Me on the Grass, Clay, or Hard Courts
America's Wimbledon Chances are, you'll never play tennis on an old-fashioned grass court unless you join (or are invited as a guest to) one of the private clubs that still cling to the tradition of using grass courts. But if you're curious about w h at it's like to play on turf, either for the fun of the experience or just to say th at you've done it, I've got the place for you — the N ew port Casino, located in the quaint seaside tow n of New port, Rhode Island. The N ew port Casino w as built in the late 19th cen tu ry by the w e a lth y publisher Jam e s Gordon B ennett. Building th e Casino w a s B ennett's angry re ac tio n to having been chucked out of the town's most fashionable club a tth e tim e — The Reading Room. In 1881, the grass courts of the Casino becam e the site
of the first U.S. Championships, the event that eventually becam e the U.S. Open. A small tour nam ent is still played every year a tth e Casino, ensuring th at the N ew port Casino is the oldest of the w o rld’s active tournam ent grounds. The N ew port Casino is also the home of the In ternational Tennis Hall of Fam e, m aking N e w p o r t th e te n n is e q u iv a le n t o f Cooperstown, N e w York (home of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and M useum ). The Hall of Fame brings to life the long, fascinating tradition of tennis. For more information on the Tennis Hall of Fame, check out the following W eb site: w w w . t e n n i s f a m e . o r g ; or you can call 401-849-3990 or (in the United States) 1-800-457-1144.
If yo u e v e r get an in vita tion to p la y on a grass cou rt, take it! G rass-court tennis is rea lly a pleasan t e x p e rie n c e that d iffers s h a rp ly from p la y in g on hard o r c la y cou rts. Grass co u rts feel s p o n g y u n d e rfo o t b eca u se o f th e d e n s ity o f th e grass. T h e c o u rt sm ells great. T h e c o lo r and c o o ln e s s o f th e grass is sooth in g. T h e n o v e lty o f th e cou rts, and th eir p la y in g p ro p e rtie s , w ill rea lly h elp round out y o u r ed u ca tio n as a ten n is player. But d o n ’t e x p e c t to o m uch o f y o u r ga m e unless yo u p la y o ften on grass. T h e su rfa ce has s o m e ch a ra c te ris tic s that take a lo n g tim e to g e t used to:
v * The su rface is too fast. Ten n is balls skid m o re on grass than on any o th e r c o m m o n ly used su rface. U nless a grass c o u rt is re a lly hard and sun-baked, th e ball ten d s to sq u irt a w a y from y o u like a w a te rm e lo n seed.
v * You have to stay lo w a ll the time. B ecau se th e ball b o u n ces lo w and fast on grass, y o u alw ays seem to b e p la y in g from a cro u ch on a grass cou rt. You can e a s ily pull and injure m u scles as yo u stretch and lunge fo r balls in sp irite d gam es on grass. If y o u d o n ’ t w a rm up p ro p erly, y o u r gluteus m axim us rea lly burns. (S e e C h ap ter 7 fo r m o re in fo rm a tio n on w a rm in g up.) You h ave to create y o u r o w n pace. Even th ou gh balls sq u irt through on grass, the su rfa ce has a d ea d en in g e ffe c t on th e ball. As a result, you h a ve to put a lot m o re o o o m p h in to y o u r stro k e to g e t th e ball back o v e r th e net.
Part I: Tennis Anyone? If y o u g e t th e ch a n ce to p la y on grass, p a y sp e c ia l a tten tion to tw o key a s p e c ts o f ten n is fu ndam entals. (Y o u can read m o re a b ou t th e s e fundam en tals in C h ap ter 7.) | K e e p y o u r knees fle x e d s o th at y o u can g e t d o w n to th e high num ber o f S lo w balls q u ic k ly and efficien tly. I I v0 G et y o u r ra c q u e t back as s o o n as p o ssib le. Grass co u rts are so fast that | unless y o u g e t y o u r ra c q u e t in to th e b ack sw in g p o sitio n im m ediately, I y o u ’ll feel ru sh ed o r hit th e ball to o la te to m ake a g o o d shot.
Chapter 3
The Well-Equipped Tennis Player In This Chapter Buying and ca rin g fo r y o u r ra cq u et and strings P ick in g out y o u r tennis sh o es C h oosin g tennis balls G etting d ressed fo r tennis Pokin g into th e grab b a g o f a c c e s s o rie s
I n th e su m m er o f 1977, just a fe w m on th s a fte r his 18th birthday, m y b ro th e r John did a rea lly u n ex p ected and h is to ric thing. He g o t to th e sem ifin als at th e m ost im p o rta n t tou rn am en t in th e w o rld — W im b led o n . H e g o t th ere p layin g w ith th e w o o d e n W ilson P ro Staff ra c q u e t that he lik ed b est (w h ic h w as n ot a su p er-fan cy racqu et, e v e n th en ), w e a rin g s h o es and c lo th in g that he go t in sm all d o s e s from b ein g on th e “ fr e e ” list, a lo n g w ith o th e r p ro m isin g juniors, from va rio u s m anufacturers. Th en , b eca u se o f his a ston ish in g suc cess, e v e r y eq u ip m en t and ap p a rel m an u factu rer in th e free w o rld w as all o v e r him, h o p in g to sign him to e n d o rs e m e n t d eals. Suddenly, ou r e n tire fa m ily w as aw ash in all th e gea r w e co u ld use o r wear, g iven to us a b s o lu te ly free b y just ab ou t e v e r y c o m p a n y that m a d e th e stuff. SAYS
You kn ow w hat? All that e q u ip m e n t h a rd ly m attered . Ten n is is a sim p le ga m e that d o e s n ’t req u ire a w h o le lo t o f gear, a c c e s s o rie s , o r s p e c ia l clo th in g. T o this day, I’m m o re c o m fo rta b le p la yin g in a h e a v y c o tto n T-sh irt w ith m a yb e just th e little N ike “ S w o o s h ” lo g o on th e b reast than in a fa n cy ten n is sh irt that retails fo r $75 o r m ore. T h e o n ly tw o re a lly v ita l p ie c e s o f g e a r fo r p la yin g ten n is are a g o o d p air o f sh o es (t o p ro te c t y o u r fe e t ) and a p r o p e r ly strung, c o m fo r ta b le ra cq u et. Using lively, g o o d -q u a lity tennis balls a lso h elps. A n y o th e r e q u ip m e n t yo u s e le c t is a m atter o f taste, c o m fo rt, and y o u r IQ. B y IQ, I d o n ’t m ean y o u r in te llig e n ce quotient. I m ean y o u r im pression q u o tie n t — th e m easu re o f h o w m uch you w an t to im p ress th e p e o p le w ith w h o m y o u ’re playing.
Part I: Tennis Anyone?
your Racquet: your Most Important Tool Yes, y o u can dust o ff that ra c q u e t th at y o u p la y ed w ith fiv e y ea rs a g o and g iv e it a g lo rio u s return to th e c o u rt — if it fe e ls g o o d in y o u r hand and it g ets y o u r sh o ts w h e re (a n d h o w ) y o u w an t th em to go. If y o u ’re in th e m arket fo r a n ew racqu et, h o w ever, I w an t to tell you ab ou t th e build o f a ra c q u e t so that y o u k n ow w h a t’s up w h en yo u set out to s e le c t y o u r n ew to o l. W h en d ea lin g w ith s p o rtin g g o o d s s a le s p e o p le , k n ow in g h o w to talk the talk a b ou t ra cq u ets rea lly helps.
Sizing up the frame W e lc o m e to Tennis R acqu et A n a to m y 101, w h e re yo u can find out all the d ifferen t p arts that m ake up a standard ra cq u et fram e, sh ow n in Figure 3-1.
Chapter 3: The Well-Equipped Tennis Player
Handed-down glory W hen I w as a kid starting out in tennis, I w as the Little King of the H and-M e-D ow ns, thanks to having tw o older brothers in tennis, John and M ark. M y first racquet w as one of John's old wooden ones. In fact, I developed my ba sic tw o -h an d e d backhand grip because I couldn't hold John's heavy wood racquet with just one hand. Eventually, my tw o-h anded backhand turned out to be my best shot!
M y first tennis shirt w as an inheritance from M ark. I didn't think of any of those things as secondhand junk, but as g e a rth a t w as already . . . w ell, nicely broken in. It w as nice of my brothers to do th at for me, don't you think? Oh w ell — at least I got to have my very own, personal, new shoes.
The head and the sufeet spot T h e en tire area in sid e th e h ea d (w h e r e th e strin gs a r e ) is c a lle d th e strung surface. (S e e th e s e c tio n “ Strings: T h e S ecret In g re d ie n t” in this c h a p te r fo r m ore in form a tion a b ou t th e s trin g s .) T h e stru n g su rfa ce a lw a ys con ta in s a sw eet s p o t — th e area in w h ich th e strin gs c re a te th e m o st p o w e r fo r th e least am ount o f e ffo rt. (C h a p te r 7 tells yo u m o re a b o u t th e im p o rta n c e o f th e s w e e t s p o t w h en h ittin g y o u r s h o ts .) T h e s w e e t s p o t is th e ten n is p la y e r ’s fa v o r ite area o f th e ra cq u et. H ow ever, th e s w e e t s p o t is also th e fa v o r ite p art o f the ra c q u e t fo r a d v e rtis e rs . B ew are o f an y ra cq u et m an u factu rer that m akes ou tlan d ish claim s ab ou t th e s ize o f its s w e e t s p o t — like th e claim that th e sh a p e o f th e fra m e turns th e en tire stru n g su rfa ce in to a s w e e t sp ot. T h e head o f a ra cq u et can v a r y in sh a p e and size. T y p ica lly, a ra c q u e t’s head falls in to o n e o f the fo llo w in g c a te g o rie s : i t-" O ver-sized : B egin n ers rea lly like th e o v e r-s iz e d and e v e n ju m b o fram es, ( w h ich o ffe r b e tw e e n 100 and a w h o p p in g 140 squ are in ch es o f stru ng su rface. Such fram es g iv e y o u a la rger s w e e t s p o t s im p ly b e c a u s e th e h ittin g su rfa ce is bigger, and th e y a llo w y o u to hit th e ball fa rth er from ? i
th e h eart o f th e s w e e t s p o t and still m ake a g o o d sh ots. In oth er w ords, you d o n ’t h ave to be as p recise in w h ere you m eet the ball.
• 'j. j ?
T h e d o w n s id e o f o v e r-s ize d and ju m b o ra cq u ets is that th e y c re a te air resista n ce and cut d o w n on th e ra cq u et s p e e d y o u can g en era te, w h ich g iv e s yo u less pow er. T h e y are a lso h a rd er to c o n tro l th rou gh a ty p ica l sw in g b eca u se th e y ’re m o re bulky, if n ot h eavier, than sm a ller fram es.
Part I: Tennis Anyone? v 0 M id-sized: T h e s e ra cq u et h ead s ra n ge from 85 to 100 squ are inches. M o st p ro p la yers use fram es on th e lo w s id e o f m id-sized — b e tw e e n 85 and 95 s q u a re inches. M o st recrea tio n a l p la yers g ra v ita te to th e high s id e o f m id -sized — b e tw e e n 95 and 100 squ are inches. M id-size ra cq u ets o ffe r a great c o m p ro m is e b e tw e e n a la rger stru ng su rface and s w e e t s p o t and a m a n eu vera b le fram e that lets you g e n e ra te g o o d ra c q u e t s p e e d w h en y o u sw ing. v " Stan dard-sized heads: R anging fro m 80 to 85 squ are inches, standards ize h ead s are n o w o b s o le te . T h e y g iv e you a sm a ller strung su rface and s w e e t sp o t, m aking it m o re d ifficu lt to p ro d u c e crisp, clean shots. If y o u w an t to sta rt y o u r g lo rio u s c a re e r in ten n is w ith that old, standard s iz e d fra m e sta sh ed in y o u r c lo s e t, feel free. But th e o n ly up sid e o f d o in g so, b e s id e s sa vin g a little cash, is th e w o n d e r and jo y y o u ’ll feel w h en y o u g ra d u a te to a ra c q u e t w ith a la rger head, w h ich yo u are sure to do. U sing a ra c q u e t w ith a stan d ard -sized h ead is like m o w in g you r lawn w ith a m echanical push m o w er rather than a gasoline-pow ered one.
The beam T h e b eam is th e area on e ith e r s id e o f th e head (r e fe r to Figure 3-1). T h e b eam d o e s n ot in crea se th e len gth o r w id th o f a ra cq u et, but it in creases th e ra c q u e t’s d e p th (o r th ick n ess). If y o u lo o k at a c o u p le ra cq u ets from th e sid e (w h e r e y o u can s e e th e g ro m m e ts ), yo u n o tic e that so m e ra cq u ets h ave w id e r beam s than oth ers. W id e b eam s can add p o w e r to y o u r sh ots. H ow ever, m any p la yers find that a w id e b eam en h a n ces th e tra m p o lin e e ffe c t o f th e strin gs to such a d e g re e that th e y h a v e tro u b le c o n tro llin g th e d ire c tio n o f th eir sh ots. You m ay hit w ith m o re pow er, but th e lack o f c o n tro l can lead y o u to start c h o p p in g and p ok in g at th e ball rath er than taking a sm ooth , lo n g sw ing. Stick w ith a m o d e ra te beam , stra igh t o r s lig h tly ta p ered , until you h ave en ou gh e x p e rie n c e to e x p e rim e n t w ith m ore e x tre m e beam con figu ration s. B y that tim e, y o u ’ll b e a b le to d e te rm in e h o w w id e r beam s affect you r stro k es and p la yin g style.
The throat and shaft T h e o p e n th roa t d esign (r e fe r to Figure 3-1) has b e c o m e th e standard in racqu ets, v irtu a lly elim in a tin g th e tra d itio n a l lo llip o p co n stru ctio n , w h ich is s im p ly a c lo s e d th roat design . U se a ra cq u et w ith an o p en th roat b eca u se it s ta b ilizes th e ra cq u et head b e tte r than th e straight shaft design . T h e o p en th roa t c o m p en sa tes fo r offc e n te r hits, e ffe c tiv e ly en largin g th e s w e e t spot. T h e p oin t at w h ich th e tw o c u rv e d sid es o f th roat c o m e c lo s e s t to g e th e r and then e x ten d stra igh t d o w n to th e ra cq u et h an dle is th e shaft. Basically, the th roa t b e c o m e s th e shaft.
Chapter 3: The Well-Equipped Tennis Player Shaft design s d o n ’t v a r y sign ifican tly, but th e re la tiv e stiffn ess o f th e shaft a ffects th e p la yin g p ro p e rtie s o f th e ra cq u et. If th e sh aft is stiff, y o u ’ll get m ore c o n tro l w h en yo u hit hard sh ots. A fle x ib le sh aft g iv e s y o u a little ex tra pow er, but it m ay m ake it h ard er fo r you to c o n tro l and p la ce y o u r sh ots.
The grip A t th e end o f th e shaft, y o u find th e grip . (R e fe r to Figure 3-1.) R a cq u et grip s range in d ia m e te r b e tw e e n 4 and 45/s in ch es around. N o o b je c tiv e crite ria exist fo r c h o o s in g a grip size. S om e b ig g a lo o ts w ith hands th e size o f c a tc h e rs ’ m itts like s le n d e r grip s, w h ile s o m e d a in ty little p la yers like big, fat han dles — o v e r 5 in ch es in d ia m e te r — to g ra b on to. Grip s iz e is p u rely a m a tter o f c o m fo rt. If yo u d o n ’t h a ve a p re feren ce, ten n is has an o ld ru le o f th u m b — and I m ean that literally. W h en yo u g rip th e ra c q u e t c o m fo r ta b ly (b u t n ot tig h tly ), yo u sh ou ld b e a b le to tou ch th e tip o f y o u r thu m b to th e to p (o r o u te rm o s t) knuckle o f y o u r m id d le finger. A v o id c h o o s in g a g rip th a t’s to o sm all. T h e natural te n d e n c y o f so m e b egin n ers is to s e le c t a sm all g rip b e ca u se th e ra c q u e t seem s e a s ie r to handle. But a rea lly sm all grip w ill tw ist in y o u r hand w h en y o u hit th e ball o ff center. T h a t unnatural tw is tin g c o u ld e v e n tu a lly hurt y o u r w rist. If y o u ’re torn b e tw e e n tw o sim ilar g rip d ia m eters, g o w ith th e sm a ller one, fo r th is re a s o n : You can a lw a y s b u ild up th e g rip la te r w ith g rip ta p e. (S e e “ A c c e s s o rie s fo r th e W ell-E qu iped P la y e r ” in this c h a p te r fo r m ore in fo rm a tio n ).
The butt cap T h e tail end o f th e racqu et, th e butt ca p (r e fe r to Figure 3-1), d o e s n ot im p act y o u r play. T h e butt cap is m o st useful b e fo r e y o u e v e n sta rt to play. M ost ra cq u et m an u factu rers put th e ir lo g o on th e bu tt cap. M a n y p la y e rs use this lo g o to d e te rm in e w h o g e ts to s e r v e firs t in a m atch . (C h a p te r 5 tells y o u m o re a b ou t this ten n is ritu al.)
The overall length L o n g e r ra cq u ets g iv e yo u m o re reach to th e ball, and th e y g iv e yo u a little m ore pow er, e s p e c ia lly on th e s e rv e . (S e e C h ap ter 11 fo r m o re in form a tion on th e s e r v e .) But th e a d d e d len gth a lso m akes a ra c q u e t a little m ore d ifficu lt to co n tro l. W h en y o u use a lo n g e r racqu et, y o u ’re that m uch fa rth er a w a y from the ball. T h e re fo re , yo u n eed b e tte r tim in g and eye-h an d c o o r d i nation to m eet th e ball w ith th e s w e e t spot. Tennis is a ga m e o f c o n tro lle d p ow er. As a beginner, y o u sh ou ld esta b lish y o u r gam e w ith a stan dard-len gth ra c q u e t (27 in c h e s ) and th en tra d e up to lo n g e r ra cq u ets a fte r y o u m a ster y o u r con trol.
Part I: Tennis Anyone?
Michael Chang: Trendsetter in racquet length M ich ael Chang pioneered the use of extralongs (racquets exceeding 27 inches in length) on the pro tour. He used a Prince M ichael Chang Signature prototype th a t m easured 28 inches. The extra length w as kind of a
secret, but w hen everybody found out about it, the rush w a s on. N ew , longer racquets im m ediately hit the m arket, maxing out at 29 inches — so far.
The Weight R a cq u ets h a v e lo s t a lo t o f w e ig h t in recen t y e a rs b eca u se o f the space-age m aterials from w h ich th e y ’re m ad e ( T h e “ R a cq u et m a teria ls” se c tio n in this c h a p te r tells you m o re a b ou t ra cq u et m a teria ls.) M o st ra cq u ets n ow w eigh b e tw e e n 9 and 12 ou n ces, unstrung. (S e e “Strings: T h e S ecret In gred ien t” in th is c h a p te r fo r m o re in fo rm a tio n on th e strin gs fo r y o u r ra c q u e t.) You sh ou ld b e a b le to feel th e w e ig h t o f a ra cq u et; it’s a va lu a b le aid to you r eye-h an d co o rd in a tio n . U se a ra cq u et that has s o m e h eft w ith o u t feelin g h e a v y in y o u r hand. Usually, this m eans a fra m e w eig h in g 10 o r 11 ounces. T h a t’s ligh t en ou gh to sw in g e a s ily and secu rely, but h e a v y en ou gh to p r o v id e yo u w ith g o o d pow er.
Racquet materials A w h o le s m o rg a s b o rd o f ra c q u e t m aterials aw aits yo u at th e s p o rtin g go o d s sto re. You m ay n eed a little h elp s o rtin g th rou gh th e offerin gs, so h e re ’s a list o f th e m o st co m m o n ra c q u e t m aterials you c o m e across: v " G raph ite: T h e v a s t m a jo rity o f ra cq u ets m anufactured to d a y use g ra p h ite in o n e form o r a n o th e r as th e b a se in gred ien t. G rap h ite is the te c h n o lo g ic a l g e n e ra tio n ’s e q u iv a le n t o f th e tru sty lam in ated w o o d e n ra c q u e t that w as so p o p u la r until ab ou t th e 1970s. T o d a y ’s “ g ra p h ite ” ra cq u ets are m ad e o f g ra p h ite to a b ou t th e sam e e x ten t that a y u m m y ch ick en salad sa n d w ich is m a d e from chicken. Sure it’s th e m ain in gred ien t, but o ften it’s th e o th e r stu ff in th ere that m akes it su p er g o o d . G rap h ite is re m a rk a b ly stro n g fo r its re la tiv e ligh t w eigh t. It p ro vid es te rrific pow er, as w e ll as g o o d c o n tro l and feel fo r th e ball. But gra p h ite is b est in a c o m p o s ite m ixtu re w ith an y o f th e v a rio u s th erm op la sticand fib erg la ss-ty p e resins u sed today. SAYS I re c o m m e n d g ra p h ite -c o m p o s ite ra cq u ets fo r b egin n ers as w ell as a d v a n c e d p la yers b eca u se stiffe r ra cq u ets tran sm it sh ock and v ib ra tion to th e arm and sh ou ld ers.
Chapter 3: The Well-Equipped Tennis Player B o ro n a n d K evlar: T h e s e tw o fib ers re s e m b le gra p h ite, but b o ro n and K e v la r are e v e n lig h te r and s tiffe r than g ra p h ite K evla r is also used to m ake b u lle tp ro o f v e s ts — n o w that's stiff. T h e s e m a teria ls are stron g, en a b lin g yo u to hit w ith a lot o f pow er. But unless th e y ’re m ix ed w ith o th e r m aterials, th e ir stiffn ess can tran sm it a lo t o f sh o c k and v ib ra tio n to y o u r arm and shoulder, e s p e c ia lly if you d o n ’t hit th e ball on th e s w e e t sp o t. B egin n ers sh ou ld sta y a w a y from th ese m aterials. T h e y m ake sen se o n ly fo r stro n g p la y e rs w ith a lo t o f e x p e r ie n c e in tennis. A lum inum : You find this o ld s ta n d b y still used, p a rtic u la rly in less e x p e n s iv e racqu ets. Alum inum o ffe rs d e c e n t p o w e r and a su rp risin g am ount o f feel. F e e l is th e sen sa tion y o u g e t fo r h o w y o u ’re strik in g th e ball and w h e re it’s goin g. S om e ra c q u e t m aterials are m o re s e n s itiv e than o th e rs to things like im p a ct and v ib ra tio n , so th e y tran sm it in form a tion ab ou t th em m o re readily. You can g e t a lot o f c o n tro l from a h u m ble alum inum ra cq u et. R ecen tly, a clu tch o f n ew ra cq u ets m ad e from a v e r y stron g, e x tre m e ly ligh t m aterial ca lled titaniu m h a ve hit th e m arket. T itan iu m is sim ila r to alum inum . E ither alum inum o r titaniu m is an a c c e p ta b le c h o ic e fo r b egin n ers. v " O ld ie s but w o o d ie s: M an y p e o p le still h a ve w o o d o r fib ergla ss ra cq u ets lyin g around c o lle c tin g c o b w e b s in th e attic o r cellar. O r y o u m a y find o n e fo r a fe w d o lla rs at that jo b -lo t p la c e b eh in d th e lo c a l junkyard. You can use th ese ra cq u ets, but d o in g so w o n ’t h elp y o u r ga m e any. A ll th o s e ra cq u ets featu re th e o b s o le te , stan d ard -sized heads. W h y m ake th e ga m e h a rd er than it has to b e b y using ancient, o u td a te d to o ls? A lso, yo u w ill n eed to g e t th e ra cq u et restrung, w h ich m eans that yo u d o n ’t end up sa vin g an y m oney. O ld strin gs are s o b rittle that th e y ’re su re to break so o n a fte r you sta rt p la yin g w ith them . A n d if th e y d o n ’t, old , d ead strin gs m ay m ake y o u sw in g so hard just to g e t the ball o v e r th e net that y o u co u ld hurt y o u r arm in th e effo rt.
Comparing some popular racquets C h oosin g a tennis ra c q u e t isn ’t ro c k e t scien ce. S o m etim es I think that it’s just m arketin g s c ien ce, d riv e n b y ra c q u e t m anufacturers. You can h a ve a great o ld tim e p la y in g w ith an y old ra cq u et that y o u bu y p re stru ng from a s p o rtin g g o o d s s to re o r a retail s u p ersto re. In fact, I d o n ’t k n ow that an y rep u ta b le m an u factu rer m akes a “ b a d ” ra cq u et th e s e days. You can bu y v e r y g o o d ra cq u ets m ad e from su perior, h igh -tech m aterials fo r as little as $50.
34
Part I: Tennis Anyone?. SAYS
I should have asked for royalties In the spring of 1983, I w as playing with the Dunlop 200G graphite racquet; my brother John w a s still using his w o o d e n Dunlop M cEnroe Maxply. A t the tim e, John w as al ready a very successful player, and like any one else in his shoes, he w as reluctant to change a winning game. W e w e re practicing together at the Cove Tennis Center near our home on Long Island, just days before John w as supposed to go off to play in a big tourna ment in Dallas (the W orld Championship Ten nis Finals). W hile w e w e re hitting under the ever-w atchful eye of our coach, Tony Palofox, John asked to try my racquet.
Two days later, he got on the plane to Dallas, taking my racquets instead of his. And four days after that, he beat his lifelong rival Ivan Lendl in the final of the W orld Championship Tennis event. John continued to use the graph ite racquet, and he won W im bledon with it. The very next year, John had his best year ever — and one of the best years ever re corded in the pro game. In 1984, John won 13 of the 15 singles tournam ents he played, com piling an 82-3 singles match record. All with my racquet — and his game.
T a b le 3-1 tells yo u a little a b ou t s o m e o f th e ra cq u ets you m ay c o m e across d u rin g y o u r search fo r a n ew racqu et. M y co m m en ts are just gen eral gu id e lines — ultim ately, y o u sh ou ld b a se y o u r bu yin g d e c is io n on w h at ty p e of ra cq u et feels th e m o st c o m fo rta b le fo r th e sh ots you like to make. (S ee “ T estin g y o u r ra c q u e t b e fo re you buy,” la ter in this chapter, fo r s o m e tips on g e ttin g th e m ost c o m fo rta b le ra c q u e t.)
Table 3-1
Popular Racquets Length (in.)
Weight Material (oz.)
Approximate Price
137
29
9
Graphite composite
$219
Head Ti.S6
115
27
8
Graphite composite
$150
W eed Lady Zone Plus
135
28.25
10
Graphite composite
$250
W im bledon Conqueror
108
26
11.5
Graphite composite
$175
Prince Thunderlite Midplus
95
27
10.3
Graphite composite
$160
Target Player
M odel
Beginner
Gamma Big Bubba Pro
Interm ediate
Head Size (sq. in.)
Chapter 3: The Well-Equipped Tennis Player Target Player
Model
Advanced
Head Size (sq. in.)
Length (in.)
Weight M aterial (oz)
Approximate Price
Pro Kennex Tournament Classic
110
28
10.8
Graphite
$129
W ilson 3.6 Stretch Hammer
110
29
10
Graphite composite
$270
Slazenger Phantom Tour
95
27
11.5
Graphite composite
$159
Volkl CX8
98
28
11.3
Graphite composite
$180
Testing your racquet before you buy ( What your racquet should do for you) A void buying a racquet that you h aven ’t tried first. I d o n ’t care if the m agazine ad fo r th e ra cq u et w as re a lly c o o l. I d o n ’t c a re if that cu te s n o w b o a rd e r w h o lives d o w n th e stre e t p lays w ith it. I d o n ’t c a re if M o n ic a Seles h e rs e lf to ld you to use it. Play-test a ra cq u et w h e n e v e r y o u can. It’s a co m m o n p ra ctice, and m ost g o o d ten n is sh o p s h a ve d e m o ra cq u ets set a sid e fo r this pu rp ose. K eep th e fo llo w in g tips in m ind as y o u play-test a racqu et:
u0 Test the n e w racquet on a fam iliar surface. You w an t to b e on fam iliar | | i
grou nd w h en yo u t r y s o m e th in g unfam iliar. Ideally, that m eans th e co u rt you p la y on m o st often .
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G ettin g lo o s e n e d up w ith y o u r o w n ra cq u et can h elp y o u form a fresh, a ccu ra te im p ression o f th e d iffe re n c e s b e tw e e n th e racqu ets.
j u0 If y ou h ave a racqu et a lread y , w a rm u p w ith y o u r o w n racquet.
I v0 G iv e each n e w racqu et at least 15 m inutes o f y o u r time. Y ou r v e r y | $ I *'
first im p ression s a b ou t th e ra c q u e t are th e m ost va lu a b le and accu rate, but g iv e a ra cq u et a little tim e to g ro w on you . A sk y o u rs e lf th e fo llo w ing qu estio n s a fte r th e ra cq u et e n jo y s its 15 m inutes o f fam e, and base y o u r d e c is io n to bu y (o r n o t) on th e an sw ers:
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• Did th e ra cq u et feel as c o m fo r ta b le to use as y o u r fo rm e r fram e?
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• C ould yo u hit y o u r th ree b est sh o ts as w ell and c o n s is te n tly as yo u did w ith y o u r c u s to m a ry racqu et?
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• C ould yo u s e r v e c o n fid e n tly and e ffe c tiv e ly w ith th e n ew racqu et?
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• Did yo u n o tic e any ch a n ge in th e w a y y o u r w rist, shoulder, and
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th e m u scles in y o u r ra c q u e t arm feel?
Part I: Tennis Anyone? F ifteen m inutes m ay n ot b e en ou gh tim e to tell you w h e th e r the rela tive stiffn ess, o r s o m e o th e r p layin g p r o p e r ty o f th e racqu et, m ay even tu a lly ca u se y o u to e x p e rie n c e s o ren ess o r d is c o m fo rt. You n eed to play lo n g e r w ith a ra c q u e t to esta b lish the ca u se o f any tennis injuries. It’s a ch a n ce yo u h a ve to take. If yo u d o d e v e lo p a so re w rist, tendinitis, o r e v e n ten n is elb ow , ch an gin g ra cq u ets m ay b e th e cau se — e s p e c ia lly w h en yo u ch a n ge to a s tiffe r racqu et. (Y o u can read m o re abou t co m m o n tennis inju ries in C h a p ter 17.) v " Note the strings. R a cq u ets can m ake y o u r sh ots d o d ifferen t things d e p e n d in g on the ty p e and c o n d itio n o f th e strings in th e racqu et. (S ee “ Strings: T h e S ecret In g re d ie n t” in this c h a p te r fo r m ore in form ation on th e strin gs in y o u r ra c q u e t.)
How many racquets do you need) S om e q u estio n s g e t o ld rea lly fast fo r p ro ten n is p layers. T h e classic line w e in v a ria b ly h ea r in a irp o rts w h en o th e r tra v e le rs s e e us c a rry in g racqu et bags stu ffed th ick w ith fram es: “ D o yo u rea lly n eed that m any ra cq u ets?” For a p ro player, y e s — you n eed that m any racqu ets. A p ro n eed s at least six ra cq u ets in o rd e r to m ake su re that h e a lw a ys has en ou gh fresh ly strung, p la y a b le fram es on hand d u rin g a m atch. B reaking strin gs on tw o (o r even th re e ) ra cq u ets in a sin gle m atch is com m o n , and yo u d o n ’t get to call “ tim e o u t” to h a ve th e ra c q u e t restrung. H avin g tw o ra c q u e ts is great, just in c a se yo u break a strin g du ring play. But re c re a tio n a l p la y e rs re a lly n e v e r n eed m ore than tw o racqu ets. A lot of p la yers g e t a lo n g o k a y w ith just one.
Strings: The Secret Ingredient S trings a re n ’t sexy. Strings a ren ’t flashy. Strings d o n ’t g iv e yo u instant p restig e. But trust m e — strin gs are th e se c re t in gred ien t to su ccess at tennis. Y ou r ra c q u e t is o n ly as g o o d as th e strin gs in it.
No yut, no ytory Gut is a v e r y liv e ly but d e lic a te strin g that g iv e s y o u great feel fo r th e ball and a d d s a little p o w e r to y o u r gam e.
Chapter 3: The Well-Equipped Tennis Player SAYS
Lessons in simplicity I rem em ber an incident th at happened back when I w as first playing junior clay-court tour naments in Europe. I w as 17 years old, and I had an armful of graphite racquets with me. In one event, I m et this Russian kid nam ed Alexander Volkov (who w e n t on to have a fine pro career). Due to the tough economic condi tions in the form er Soviet Union, A lexander had only tw o racquets — and they w e re obso lete w ooden ones. I ended up playing against A lexander. He som ehow got a lead on me, and then he broke
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a string. He th re w his racquet to his coach, w ho took out a pair of pliers and an old-fash ioned awl. The coach did a quick patch right there in the stands, by hand, replacing the broken string. I w as thinking, "N o w I'll turn this match around." He th rew the racquet back to Alexander, w ho then proceeded to finish giving me a whuppin'. It w as a humbling but valuable experience. A fter that, I never, ever forgot th at winning tennis m atches isn't about gear, but about talent, heart, nerves, and guts.
A strin g jo b w ith gut sh ou ld c o s t yo u ab ou t $50 to $60, w h ich m akes it a seriou s in vestm en t — e s p e c ia lly w h en y o u c o n s id e r that gut, w h ich is m ade from in tertw in ed natural fib ers, has a te n d e n c y to u n ravel and break s o o n e r than m ost n ylon strings. Gut also g o e s d ea d — and stays d ead — o n c e it gets w et. S ave y o u rs e lf s o m e h ea d a ch es and w alking-arou nd m o n e y — le a v e gut to th e p ros and serio u s recrea tio n a l p la y e rs w h o are w illin g to p a y a prem ium fo r th e p riv ile g e o f using gut th e w a y s o m e ca r nuts are h a p p y to p o n y up th e ex tra m o n e y fo r a new, fu lly-load ed car.
Synthetic strings S yn th etic strin gs are fa b ric a te d in a v a r ie ty o f w a ys from a v a r ie ty o f m a teri als (in clu d in g nylon, Kevlar, and Z y e x — a sy n th e tic strin g so resilien t and s e n s itiv e that it’s a ctu a lly used on v io lin s ). T h e s e are grea t strin gs fo r begin n ers b eca u se th e y o ffe r g o o d du rability, th e y a ren ’ t a ffe c te d b y m o is ture, and th e y c o s t m uch less than gut strings. S yn th etic strin gs ran ge in p ric e from ab ou t $3 to o v e r $30 a set. A d d the c o st o f stringing, and y o u ’re lo o k in g at a b ou t $20 fo r th e a v e ra g e strin g job .
Part I: Tennis Anyone?
Setting the aauge: Thick for Wear, thin for performance .xSjAt/r
T h e th ick n ess o f a strin g is c a lle d its gauge. Strings c o m e in fiv e basic gau ges, in clu d in g 15, 15L, 16, 16L, and 17. T h e h igh er th e gau ge number, the th in n er th e string. If y o u ’re a beginner, d o n ’t e v e n b o th e r rea d in g th e rest o f this sectio n . Yes, I’m a llo w in g y o u to skip s o m e o f m y w o rd s o f w isd o m . You p ro b a b ly w o n ’t n o tic e th e d iffe re n c e in gauge. W h en yo u h a ve y o u r ra cq u et strung, g o w ith a 15-gauge strin g in a p ric e ran ge w ith w h ich y o u ’ re c o m fo rta b le . If you e v e n tu a lly g e t tw o racqu ets, yo u can strin g o n e o f th em w ith a thin gauge n ylon to in crea se th e ra c q u e t’s p la y in g p ro p e rtie s , and yo u can keep the o th e r stru n g w ith th e h e a v ie r strin g as a back-up. If y o u h a ve th e u n d en ia b le urge to e x p e rim e n t w ith y o u r strin g gauge, keep th e fo llo w in g p oin ts in m ind w h en c o n s id e rin g th e p ro p e r gau ge fo r y o u r strings: | ? |
T h e th in n er the string, the better the p erfo rm an ce. A th in n er 16- o r 17-gauge strin g is m o re liv e ly and ela stic than a th ick er 15 o r 15L. You can a lso im p art m o re spin w ith thin strings, e s p e c ia lly th e on es w ith m o re g ra in y su rfaces.
? v * T h e th in n er the strin gs, the fa ste r th ey w e a r out. A lth o u g h thin I strin gs are stro n g en ou gh to h an d le th e p o w e r o f an y player, th e y ' usu ally break s o o n e r than th ic k s trin g s b e c a u s e t h e r e ’s less m aterial to w e a r out. K eep that in m ind if y o u p la y a lo t on clay, b eca u se the < g ritty d ressin g on c la y co u rts gets on th e ball and in to th e strings, re a lly s p e e d in g up wear.
String tension: A tense subject rt&TAUr A ra c q u e t’s string tension, usu ally e x p re s s e d in pounds, refers to th e pres su re u n der w h ich th e strin gs are secu red to th e fram e. T h e strin g ten sion a ffects th e p la y in g ch a ra c te ris tic s o f th e racqu et. A ll ra cq u ets c o m e w ith re c o m m e n d e d strin gin g ten sion s, m o s tly b e tw e e n 50 and 70 p ou n ds. T h e g en era l ru le is that y o u strin g light, at fe w e r pou n ds o f p ressu re, fo r feel and co n tro l, and tight fo r m axim um pow er. B eginners sh ou ld sta rt in th e m id d le o f th e re c o m m e n d e d ten sion range, w h ich usually m eans a b ou t 60 pounds. T h e fo llo w in g g en era l rules ab ou t strin g ten sion m ay h elp yo u d e c id e w h ich ten sion is b est fo r you:
Chapter 3: The Well-Equipped Tennis Player v * A lo o s e ly stru n g ra c q u e t m a y feel like it has a la rg er s w e e t sp o t, but w h en y o u sw in g hard en ou gh , it a lso p ro d u c e s a “ tra m p o lin e e ffe c t,” w h ich can ca u se y o u r sh o ts to fly u n pred ictab ly. 1 v0 A tig h tly stru ng ra c q u e t cu ts d o w n on y o u r feel fo r th e ball. T h a t is, it * d o esn ’t transm it as much inform ation to yo u w h en you m ake con tact with * th e ball. But a tig h tly stru ng ra c q u e t can g iv e yo u e x c e lle n t c o n tro l — if j yo u h a ve a sm o o th stroke. I v * A lo o s e ly stru n g ra c q u e t en a b les y o u to hit d e lic a te fin esse sh o ts w ith i; m ore co n fid e n c e . T h o s e sh ots call fo r a light, fe a th e ry tou ch . T ig h t strin gs are u n der a lot o f ten sion , s o it’s h ard er to caress th e ball w ith them . A tigh tly strung racquet helps you hit from the baseline m ore consistently. v0 If you hit th e ball hard, a tig h tly stru n g ra c q u e t can tire y o u r arm m o re quickly. H onestly, y o u w o n ’t n eed to b e to o c o n c e rn e d w ith th e s e issues until yo u b e c o m e an e x p e rie n c e d player. But y o u m a y as w e ll g e t a ta ste fo r th em now, b eca u se th e y m ay b e c o m e m ore im p o rta n t as y o u r ga m e gro w s.
When you need to restrinq W hen yo u w an t a ra cq u et strung, y o u h a ve to take it to a ten n is s h o p o r th e lo ca l tennis nut w h o m akes a little m o n e y on th e s id e b y strin gin g racqu ets. You can put any kind o f strin gs yo u like in any racqu et. B ecau se strin gs are u n der ten sion , th e y b egin to lo s e e la s tic ity and ten sion th e m om en t yo u install them in a ra cq u et. D e a d strings (s trin g s that h a ve lost th eir te n s io n ) ch a n ge th e w a y y o u r ra c q u e t p erfo rm s, th e y cut d o w n y o u r a b ility to g e n e ra te p o w e r and p ace, and th e y m ake y o u w o rk m uch hard er than y o u m a y n eed to on y o u r strokes. U sing a ra c q u e t w ith d ead strin gs can e ven h elp m ake y o u r arm sore. 50 h o w o ften sh ou ld yo u restrin g in o rd e r to a v o id d ea d strin gs? U se th e fo llo w in g gu id elin es to h elp y o u d e c id e . You sh ou ld restrin g y o u r ra cq u et: v0 A s m any tim es in a y e a r as you p lay in a w eek . If y o u p la y th re e tim es a w eek , restrin g y o u r ra cq u et th re e tim es a year. A fte r e v e ry 40 h ou rs o f play. If yo u p la y th ree tim es a w e e k fo r ab ou t th ree hou rs e v e r y session , that w ork s ou t to b e a b ou t e v e r y fiv e w eek s. 51 u0 A fte r you lose 25 percen t o r m o re o f tension. T h e p e rs o n w h o strin gs | y o u r ra cq u et can m easu re this ten sion . | v0 W h e n your strings sound d ead. Tap the racqu et face against you r hand — I if yo u h ea r a “ th u d ” in stead o f a “ p in g,” it’s d e fin ite ly tim e to restring.
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Part I: Tennis Anyone?. SAYS
String budgets of the rich and famous Pete Sampras restrings each of his eight o rten racquets before every single match he plays, at about $45 a pop. So at a tournam ent like W im bledon, w here you play seven m atches to win, Pete drops about $3,000 just on stringing. Over the course of a year, Pete spends about $50,000 on strings. The top players usually have deals with m anufacturers who provide them
with free or deeply discounted strings in ex change for lending a public endorsem ent via an advertisem ent, often in the form of the com pany logo stenciled on the strung surface of the racquet. But even Pete has to pay out of pocket for the actual on-site stringing, unless the tournam ent director is really brown-nosing him. B etter call Robin Leach.
Lacing Up i/our Tennis Shoes T h e little o ld la d y w h o liv e d in a s h o e n e v e r had it so g o o d . T h e s e days, she can liv e in th e plush c o m fo rt o f a high-tech running s h o e c o n d o , o r in a palatial, w a te r p r o o f hiking b o o t. C om p an ies n o w m ake s p e c ia lty sh o es fo r e v e r y fo rm o f recrea tio n , in clu d in g tennis. A n d w ith in th e tennis category, s o m e s h o e c o m p a n ies m arket d iffe re n t ty p e s o f s h o es d e sig n ed to be w orn on d iffe re n t su rfaces. By th e way, th e s h o es yo u s e e y o u r fa v o rite p ro p la y er w e a rin g on th e grass c o u rts o f W im b le d o n a re n ’t e v e n so ld to th e pu blic. T h e y ’re ex tra light, and th e s o le s h a ve a p a ttern o f tin y ru b b er d iscs to p ro v id e traction . Grass c o u rts are soft, s o w e a r and te a r on s h o es isn ’t a h u ge p rob lem . Your typical W im b le d o n grass-cou rt sh o es m igh t last all o f 20 m inutes in a sp irited m atch on hard cou rts. Y o u should look for the follow in g features w hen picking out you r tennis shoes: C ushioning: B ecau se tennis is a stop-an d-start sp ort, o ften p layed on hard su rfaces, g o o d cu sh ion in g is a m ust in a ten n is sh oe. W h en you run in y o u r sh oes, y o u r feet sh ou ld g e t a s o ft landing w h en th ey hit the grou n d — rath er than a thud. ^
S upport: S h oes d e s ig n e d fo r hard-cou rt p la y o ffe r th e m ost su pport, b eca u se th e y n eed to h old y o u r fo o t firm ly in th e s h o e w h en you make su dden ch an ges o f d ire c tio n on u n fo rgivin g hard cou rts. A ru g g e d outsole: T h e b ottom o f you r sh oe should h a ve a distin ct tread p attern . (A h e rrin g b o n e p a ttern is th e tra d itio n .) T h e o u ts o le sh ou ld be sm o o th , n ot rid ged , like th e so le s o f s o m e running and cross-train in g sh o es. T h e o u ts o le sh ou ld b e hard en ou gh to resist a b rasion on hard cou rts. Sh oes that h a ve an abrasion-resistant ou tsole last lo n g er on hard cou rts, w h ich can w e a r a w a y thinner, m o re pliant ru b b er in no tim e.
Chapter 3: The Well-Equipped Tennis Player M an y p riv a te clubs, and m o st pu b lic o r p riv a te cla y-co u rt facilities, req u ire that yo u w e a r a s h o e w ith a s m o o th s o le — a h e rrin g b o n e or d o t p attern is okay, as lo n g as th e p a ttern is rec e s s e d . Sh oes w ith rid g e d o r lug s o le s featu rin g bum ps that stand ou t from th e s o le can tea r up c la y and grass cou rts. v " A toe cap: M an y p la yers d ra g th eir to es e ith e r w h en th e y s e r v e th e ball o r as th e y hit th eir strok es. On hard cou rts, y o u can w e a r through th e to e on m any s h o es in a c o u p le hours, e v e n th ou gh th e s h o e is still brand-new. T h e to e cap, w h ich is like an e x tra th ick and hard p ie c e o f ru b b er at the to e o f th e sh oe, adds s o m e d u ra b ility to y o u r sh oes.
i> A stable h eel cup: T h e h eel cup helps keep you r heel in p lace as you run. j*
A good-quality, re m o v a b le insole: A n in so le h elp s k eep y o u r fe e t c o o l on hard surfaces. A rem ovab le insole allow s you to substitute the insole w ith orthotics, w h ich m o re and m o re a c tiv e p e o p le are w e a rin g to a v o id fo o t p ro b lem s. (Y o u can read m o re a b ou t o rth o tic s in C h ap ter 17.)
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T h e m ost o v e r lo o k e d and p o te n tia lly im p o rta n t item s o f c lo th in g are y o u r socks. You just c a n ’ t b eat h igh -qu ality sock s o f h e a v y c o tto n th at h a ve ad d ed cu sh ion in g at th e to e and h eel. I w o r e tw o p air o f sock s w h e n e v e r I p la y ed tennis — until I had o rth o tic s m ad e and cou ld no lo n g e r fit th e ex tra sock s in to m y sh oes.
Tennis Balls: Fuzzy, \lellout, and Short-Lilted O n ce upon a tim e, you b ou gh t balls in a m etal can (th r e e p er c a n ) that yo u o p e n e d w ith a key, like a tin o f sardines. You w e re lu cky if yo u d id n ’t inad v e r te n tly s lic e y o u r fin ger o p en on th e sh arp m etal e d g e s and en d up in the em e rg e n c y ro o m o f th e lo c a l h o sp ita l in stead o f on th e ten n is cou rt. Today, tennis balls c o m e in p op -top , re c y c la b le p la stic cans. (B u t th e re are still th ree balls to a can .)
Everyone loves opening a new can of balls Tennis balls are packed under 11 to 14 pounds of pressure, w hich is w hy the can makes that loud “Psshhhhh"\Nhen you open it. Opening a new can of balls, you notice a distinct smell, much as you do w hen you open a can of fresh
coffee. In fact, th at pleasant "new ball" smell is one of my favorite things about tennis. I think dogs love the smell, too, w hich is w hy they're also crazy about tennis balls.
Part I: Tennis Anyone?_____________________________
The anatomy of a tennis bait T h e g en eric, regu la tion ten n is ball is m ad e from natural rubber, pressu rized air, and a w o ol/ n ylon c o v e r in g c a lle d th e nap. T h e o n ly e x c e p tio n to th ese “ in g re d ie n ts ” is the a b s e n c e o f p ressu rized air in th e pressureless b a ll that w as o n c e u sed c o m m o n ly in Europe. (P r e s s u r e le s s balls still h a ve a sm all p la c e in th e ga m e today, w h ich I discu ss in th e “ P ressu reless balls: Your h igh -altitu de a lte rn a tiv e ” s id e b a r la ter in this s e c tio n .) In a d d itio n to th e nam e and lo g o o f th e m anufacturer, ea ch ball is also im p rin ted w ith a n u m b er b e tw e e n 1 and 8. A t a m u lticou rt facility, balls from o n e c o u rt in v a ria b ly end up ro llin g o n to o th e r cou rts. T h e nu m bers on the balls g iv e y o u a w a y to tell w h ich balls b e lo n g to w h om . For exam p le, if y o u ’re using W ilso n 3s and yo u p ick up a W ilson 4, yo u k n ow that it b elon gs to a n o th e r cou rt. (S e e C h ap ter 6 fo r th e p ro p e r e tiq u e tte on re trie v in g balls from a n o th er c o u rt.)
The nap T h e nap, a m ixtu re o f lo o m e d w o o l and nylon , ad d s air resista n ce — if tennis balls d id n ’t h a ve that fu zzy nap, th e y w o u ld fly th rou gh th e air like BBs, and th e ga m e w o u ld b e c o m e im p o s s ib ly fast. A nd w h en th e ball bou n ces, the fric tio n b e tw e e n th e nap and th e c o u rt su rfa ce a ffects th e sp e e d and height o f th e bou n ce. T h e th ick n ess o f a b a ll’s nap m akes it m o re su itab le fo r s o m e su rfaces than o th ers. You g e t th e tw o fo llo w in g c h o ic e s w h en it co m e s to th e b a ll’s nap:
v * R e g u la r duty: R egu lar d u ty balls are b e tte r on c la y and in d o o r c a rp e t — th e nap (w h ic h is m o re tig h tly w o v e n on regu lar d u ty b a lls) d o e s n ’t flu ff up as m uch as it d o e s on ex tra d u ty balls. ’ v * Extra duty: Extra d u ty balls are b e tte r on hard cou rts, w h e re regular d u ty balls g o b ald m o re quickly. SAVS If y o u h a ve to m ake d o w ith ju st o n e ty p e o f ball fo r all p u rp oses, I reco m m end th e e x tra duty. T h e y ’ re m ore a d a p ta b le to c la y than regu lar du ty balls are to hard cou rts.
Balls show their true colors Until 1972, all tennis balls w e re w hite. Then research showed th at a high-optic yellow is a
more visible color, particularly on television, Since then, the yellow ball has come to rule.
Chapter 3: The Well-Equipped Tennis Player Air pressure T h e m o re air p ressu re a ball con tain s, th e m o re liv e ly th e ball is — o r th e m ore it w ill “ fly.” It’s just like w h en you b lo w up a b a llo o n and th en s u d d e n ly let it go, a llo w in g th e air to esca p e. T h e m o re air that yo u b rea th ed in to th e b alloon , th e m o re w ild ly and q u ic k ly it zo o m s around b e fo r e fallin g to th e ground. R elax — yo u d o n ’t h a v e to b lo w air in to y o u r ten n is balls. T h e y c o m e w ith th e air a lrea d y inside. Instead, y o u a p p ly fo rc e w ith y o u r racqu et. W h en a ball has a lo t o f air p ressu re, it takes less fo rc e to m ake it fly fa rth er and faster. Such liv e ly balls are m o re d ifficu lt to con trol. T h e real-life d iffe re n c e s in th e in te rio r air p ressu re o f n ew ten n is balls are m inim al from m an u factu rer to m an u factu rer b e c a u s e m ost balls co n fo rm to th e ITF (In te rn a tio n a l Tennis F e d e ra tio n ) b o u n ce req u irem en ts. But tennis balls lo s e th eir air p ressu re — in e ffe c t “ g o fla t” — in a re la tiv e ly s h o rt p e rio d o f tim e. P la yin g w ith d ea d balls, o r balls that h a ve lost a lo t o f p ressu re, is p oin tless. You w o n ’t im p ro v e y o u r gam e, and y o u co u ld e v e n hurt y o u r arm . Take it from a gu y w h o ’s had tw o s h o u ld e r su rgeries — it’s no fun. D ead balls m ake a h o llo w sou n d w h en y o u hit them , and y o u can feel th em g o “ s p la t” again st y o u r strings. Balls that h a v e lost m o st o f th e ir air p ressu re just d ie w h en th e y bou n ce, failin g to g e t up to e v e n th e le v e l o f y o u r knees. U se n ew balls as o fte n as y o u can — e v e r y tim e yo u play, if yo u can a fford th e $3 in vestm en t. T r y n ot to p la y w ith th e sam e balls fo r m o re than th ree h ours if y o u ’re relu ctan t to b u y n ew on es ea ch tim e y o u play. If y o u r balls g e t w et, o r yo u hit th em o v e r th e fe n ce and in to the mud, yo u can w ip e th em clean o r e ven th ro w th em in th e c lo th e s d r y e r and th en use th em again, as lon g as th e y d o n ’t sit arou nd fo r s o lo n g that th e y lo s e th e ir pressu re. T h r o w d ead balls a w a y o r s a v e th e m fo r g a m e s o f fe tc h w ith y o u r dog. M an’s Best Friend d o e s n ’t g iv e a h o o t a b ou t h o w m uch p ressu re a ball con tain s, as lo n g as it fe e ls like a fu rry crea tu re in his m outh!
Which bad should you play? W h en c h o o s in g o n e brand-nam e b all o v e r an o th er, m o s t p la y e r s c a n ’t tell o r d o n ’t c a re a b ou t th e d iffe re n c e b e tw e e n balls o f d iffe re n t brands. A d v a n c e d p la yers claim th e y can tell, but th eir p re fe re n c e s ten d to be illo g ic a l o r id io s y n c ra tic . (P e r s o n a lly , I p re fe r th e Pen n ball, just b eca u se it feels “ s o lid ” and suits m y g a m e .) D on ’t w o r r y to o m uch a b ou t th e brand nam es, th ou gh — e x p e rim e n t fo r yo u rself.
Part I: Tennis Anyone?. SfWS
Pressureless balls: Your high-altitude alternative A fe w years ago, I w e n t to Las Vegas in D e cem ber to practice with Andre Agassi. W e w e re preparing for the first Grand Slam event of the year, the Australian Open. W hen w e got on the court at Andre's house, I w as amazed to find th at w e w e re playing with pressureless balls. (Pressureless balls are a rare and ar chaic breed of tennis ball with no air inside them . Don’t ask me w hy or how. They just don't.) But the thing is, at higher altitudes like you find in Vegas, pressurized balls fly wildly. Andre figured th at practicing with pressureless balls w a s the closest w e could come to simulating the conditions w e'd soon find ourselves in
w hen w e began using standard pressurized balls at sea level (Down Under at the Austra lian Open). He w as right, although pressure less balls feel funny on the racquet, like little rocks — I felt like Fred Flintstone playing ten nis w ith B arney Rubble. If you plan to play at high altitude (Denver is another popular tennis town with thin air), try pressureless tennis balls — either the lowpressure balls offered by Penn or the ball of fered by W ilson, a normally pressurized ball w ith a softer core. (The core isn't the center of the ball — a tennis ball doesn't have one. It's the rubber under the nap that makes up the solid body of the ball.)
T h e th ree m a jo r ball m an u factu rers — W ilson , Penn, and D unlop — all m ake a prem iu m ball (th e W ilson U.S. O p en ball, th e ProPen n , and th e D unlop P r ix ) and a seco n d -lin e ball. Each c o m p a n y calls its seco n d -lin e ball the ch a m p io n s h ip ball. T h e p rem iu m balls c o s t up to $2 m ore than th e ch am p i o n sh ip balls, but re m e m b e r that all o f th em m eet the m inim um requ ired stan dards fo r ten n is balls. T o m o st p la yers, th e d iffe re n c e b e tw e e n the balls o ffe re d b y d iffe re n t co m p a n ie s is n e g lig ib le at best, as is th e d iffe re n c e b e tw e e n th e prem iu m label and th e ch a m p io n sh ip ball. U se the ch a m p ion sh ip ball and s a v e a lo t o f m o n e y until th e d a y co m es, if it com es, w h en you n o tic e a d iffe re n c e and d e v e lo p a p re fe re n c e fo r a prem iu m ball. Instead o f c o n c e n tra tin g on brand nam es, tr y to use th e balls d esign ed for th e c o u rt y o u ’re p la yin g on — regu lar d u ty fo r c la y and sy n th etic surfaces, ex tra d u ty fo r hard cou rts.
Getting Dressed for (Tennis) Success I’m g o in g to cu t to th e ch ase. P re d o m in a n tly w h ite o r ligh t-co lo red cloth in g m akes th e m o s t s e n s e fo r ten n is, and y e t th is g u id e lin e is fre q u e n tly m isu n d ersto o d as s n o b b y ( I s u p p o s e b eca u se m an y h igh -p riced clubs
Chapter 3: The Well-Equipped Tennis Player req u ire that yo u w e a r w h ite ). T h is s u g g ested d ress c o d e has n oth in g to d o w ith s n o b b ery , and e v e r y th in g to d o w ith a p ra c tic a l and d e m o c ra tic spirit, fo r th ese reasons: W h ite re fle c ts heat, so it’s m ore co m fo rta b le to w ea r on hot, sunny days.
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W h en w h ite is th e stan dard “ u n ifo rm ” fo r tennis, yo u d o n ’t h a ve to b o th e r w ith fashion issues, and yo u can th ro w s n o b b e r y and status issues ou t th e w in d ow . M an y p e o p le use this sam e argu m en t fo r e n d o rs in g th e id ea o f s c h o o l uniform s. You c a n ’t tell rich kids from p o o r kids w h en e v e r y b o d y has to w e a r th e sam e u n iform (a n d m ore im portan tly, th e kids c a n ’t lord it o v e r ea ch o th e r e ith e r w a y ). Tennis c lo th in g has n e v e r b een m ore e x p e n s iv e than it is now, w h en th e lo g o on y o u r ch est and th e v in ta g e o f th e “ lin e ” y o u ’ re w e a rin g cou n ts fo r so m uch w ith so m any p e o p le . If yo u like w e a rin g d e s ig n e r lab els and lo o k in g sharp, b y all m eans, g o ahead. But y o u w o n ’t run th e risk o f b ein g ca lled a “ fash ion v ic tim ” if y o u c h o o s e sim p le, lig h t-co lo red c lo th in g to w e a r w h en y o u ’re p la y in g tennis.
B eyon d the all-w h ite gu id elin e, y o u ’re p re tty m uch on y o u r o w n to find out w h a t’s c o m fo rta b le fo r you. T h e fo llo w in g tip s m a y h elp yo u w h en y o u ’ re d ressin g fo r th e cou rt: u0 S om e fa cilities req u ire that y o u w e a r a c o lla re d shirt. ( I can liv e w ith this rule, e v e n th ou gh I m uch p re fe r to w e a r a ligh t c o tto n T-shirt, e s p e c ia lly w h en I p ra ctice. T h e r e ’s n oth in g like c o tto n fo r a b s o rb in g sw ea t and a llo w in g y o u to feel c o m fo r ta b le .) v0 I’m m ost c o m fo rta b le in lo ose-fittin g, lig h tw e ig h t s h o rts w ith an elastic iz e d w a istb a n d and a d ra w s trin g (in s te a d o f z ip p e rs and b u tto n s).
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I’v e learn ed to a lw a ys h a v e s o m e kind o f sw e a ts h irt o r ligh t ja ck et on hand to k eep m y s h o u ld er and arm w arm b e fo r e I p la y — and d u rin g the c o o ld o w n p e rio d a fte r I’v e p la yed . i* W earin g b asic sw ea ts is alw ays a g o o d idea. H ow ever, th o s e n ylon tea r a w a y w arm -up pants (w ith snaps on th e s id e ) su re cut d o w n on y o u r h oppin g-arou n d tim e w h en y o u ’re g e ttin g in and ou t o f y o u r pants.
Accessories for the Well-Equipped Player I’m n ot g o in g to urge yo u to sen d a w a y fo r o n e o f th o s e g o o fy a c c e s s o r y kits fo r turning y o u r used tennis-ball cans in to bird fe e d e rs , o r c o n v in c e yo u that you rea lly n eed a c ro c h e te d ra cq u et c o v e r that says, “ Ten n is is m y ra ck et.” And d o n ’t run ou t and bu y a m ic ro w a v e o v e n e x p re s s ly fo r y o u r ten n is balls, b eca u se o f th e ru m or that nuking th em re sto res lost air p ressu re and m akes them p lay like new. It w o n ’t. T h e y w o n ’t.
Part I: Tennis Anyone? Like m o st sp o rts , ten n is is aw ash w ith a c c e s s o rie s , gad gets, in stru ction al aids, gizm o s, d o o d a d s , and d o o h ic k e y things. S om e tennis a c c e s s o rie s are a ctu a lly useful and e v e n vital, in clu d in g th e fo llo w in g:
v * Hats: D ealin g w ith th e sun is a con sta n t issue in tennis, both fo r ea se o f
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p la y and skin p ro te c tio n . T h e m o st p ra ctica l and p o p u la r hat th ese d ays is th e u b iqu itou s b a seb a ll cap. W h ite is the b est c o lo r b eca u se it refle c ts heat. But the u n d ersid e o f th e brim sh ou ld b e a neutral o r dark c o lo r like g reen to m in im ize re fle c te d glare.
I y
If y o u w an t to b e c o o l and d o n ’t n eed th e v is o r e ffe c t to p ro te c t you r e y e s from th e sun, w e a r y o u r ca p b ack w ard s like th e ra p p ers and sp o rts-b a r habitu es. For a less tra d itio n a l o p tio n , th e le g e n d a ry A u stra lian ch a m p io n R od L a v e r u sed to put w e t c a b b a g e le a v e s in his tennis hat to d ea l w ith th e s c o rc h in g A u stralian sun. S o m etim es k eep in g th e sun ou t o f y o u r e y e s isn ’t th e issue, but keepin g y o u r hair and p e rs p ira tio n ou t o f the w a y is. In that case, a sw eatb an d o r ban danna tied arou nd y o u r fo re h e a d w ork s just fine. A n d if yo u tie a b an danna o r h a n d k erch ief arou nd y o u r neck, p e rio d ic a lly soakin g it in c o ld w ater, y o u ’ll g e t a w e lc o m e b o o s t and sen se o f re lie f on th e h ottest o f days.
v0 Sunscreen: T h e d a n gers o f skin c a n c e r from frequ en t, p ro lo n g e d e x p o s u re to a s tro n g sun are w e ll d o cu m en ted . A lw a y s use sunscreen on a b righ t day, e v e n if it isn ’t v e r y hot. Y ou r c o m p le x io n and th e tim e you sp en d o u td o o rs sh ou ld d e te rm in e th e SPF, o r Sun P ro te c tio n Factor, that yo u c h o o se. u0 Sunglasses: T h e new, lig h tw e ig h t su n glasses d esign ed fo r a c tiv e sp orts en a b le m o re p e o p le to w e a r su n glasses w h ile p la yin g tennis. A lth ou gh s p o rt su n glasses u n d o u b te d ly p ro v id e re lie f from g la re and harsh sunlight, th e m an u factu rers still h a v e n ’t s o lv e d th e p ro b lem s cau sed by p e rs p ira tio n and fo ggin g. But re m em b er — if y o u get used to w ea rin g su nglasses, yo u n eed to readju st w h en yo u a ren ’t w ea rin g them . u0 Sw eat b an d s: W ristb an d s (a n d if y o u h a ve lo n g hair — h ea d b a n d s) are rea lly h elpfu l. N o th in g is m o re d istra ctin g than ou t-of-con trol p ersp ira tion that m akes y o u r ra cq u et h an dle s lip p e r y and stings y o u r e y e s (n o t to m en tion y o u r w e t h air flyin g in y o u r fa c e ). v0 A tow el: It’s am azin g h o w m an y p e o p le ign o re this basic a c c e s s o r y that co m e s in so handy. Just d ra p e it o v e r th e n etp ost, o r jam it in to th e ; chain-link fen ce, and y o u ’ll b e a b le to reach fo r it q u ick ly to g e t instant re lie f from p e rs p ira tio n w h e n e v e r y o u n eed it.
Chapter 3: The Well-Equipped Tennis Player t * G rip w rap s: T w o kinds o f g rip w ra p s fo r y o u r ra c q u e t a re availab le: rep la cem en t grip s and o v e rw ra p s . R e p la ce m e n t grips are in e x p e n s iv e ($3 to $6); th e y ’re o ften m uch m o re c o m fo r ta b le than th e grip s that c o m e on in e x p e n s iv e racqu et. R ep la cin g an old , w o rn g rip can also m ake a h igh -qu ality ra c q u e t feel like new. On th e o th e r hand, y o u can w in d overw raps o n to th e ra cq u et grip . O v e rw ra p s s e r v e m o s tly to a b so rb p ersp ira tio n , but y o u can a lso use th em to bu ild up a g rip th a t’s to o sm all. O v e rw ra p s run a b ou t $1, and yo u sh ou ld ch a n ge them regularly.
* * R acquet bags: T h e s e bags are d e s ig n e d p rim a rily to c a r r y b e tw e e n tw o and six ra cq u ets. T h e y a lso h a v e v a rio u s p o ck ets (in c lu d in g a lin ed o n e fo r w e t ten n is g e a r on s o m e m o d e ls ) that can h old y o u r w a te r b o ttle, w a llet, ca r keys, and so on. String dam pen ers: D o yo u e v e r n o tic e th e funny little foam ball that so m e p la y e rs stick b e tw e e n a cro ss strin g and m ain strin g (d o w n near th e th roa t o f th e ra c q u e t)? T h a t string d a m p e n e r is a v ib ra tio n ab sorb er, in ten d ed to soak up s o m e o f th e v ib ra tio n that m igh t o th e r w is e get passed th rou gh th e ra cq u et up to y o u r arm . It w o rk s — y o u can feel th e d iffe re n c e in a ra cq u et th e m inute you put it on. A strin g d a m p en er m akes yo u fe e l like y o u ’re h ittin g th e ball m o re solidly. A n d re A ga ssi uses a plain o ld ru b b er band, tied in to th e strin gs, as a strin g dam pener. B all caddies: T h e Spanish p ro A ra n xta S an ch ez-V icario lo o k s like th e E n ergizer Bunny w ith that little w ire ball h o ld e r a tta ch ed to th e b ack o f h er ten n is skirt. But m an y p la y e rs w h o use tw o hands on th e ra cq u et p re fe r using a caddy w h en th e y d o n ’t h a ve a p o c k e t in w h ich to keep th e e x tra ball. In a caddy, th e ball is h eld in p la c e b y frictio n . It takes a little p ressu re to s q u e e z e it in to th e caddy, but o n c e th ere, it stays put.
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Part I: Tennis Anyone?
Chapter 4
Scoring in Tennis: Love Means Nothing In This Chapter K eep in g sc o re R eadin g line s c o re s
he s c o rin g system in ten n is b affles m an y p e o p le . I’v e lo s t cou n t o f th e p e o p le w h o ask m e things like “ Hey, h o w c o m e you g e t 15 p o in ts fo r w in n in g just o n e p oin t (th e first p o in t)? ” A n d th e use o f th e w o rd L o v e as a syn on ym fo r z e ro has left co u n tless p e o p le sc ra tc h in g th eir h ea d s and has sp a w n ed s o m e aw ful puns and s illy T-shirts.
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Actually, th e tennis s c o rin g s y stem is n ot v e r y d ifficu lt — it’s just th e te rm in o lo g y o f s c o rin g that co n fu ses s o m e p e o p le . K n o w in g TennisSpeak is sim ilar to b ein g p ro fic ie n t in p ig Latin o r b e lo n g in g to o n e o f th o s e fratern al orga n iza tion s that also has its o w n language, handshake, and funny hats. In this chapter, you d is c o v e r e v e r y th in g yo u n eed to k n ow a b ou t s c o rin g and th e sp ecia l te rm in o lo g y o f ten n is sco rin g.
The Anatomy of a Match You can h a ve a lot o f fun just b attin g a ten n is ball around, e ith e r fo r th e sh e e r fun o f th e e x e rc is e o r as a w a y to p ra c tic e th e gam e. But if yo u a ctu a lly w ant to p la y and c o m p e te , y o u m ust b e c o m e fam iliar w ith th e s c o rin g system and term in o lo gy.
Part I: Tennis Anyone? A ten n is m atch (w h ic h is th e Big Kahuna, th e w h o le c o m p e titio n b etw een tw o p la yers, o r fou r p la y e rs if y o u ’re p la yin g d o u b le s ) is c o m p o s e d o f the fo llo w in g th re e s c o rin g units:
u * Points: You w in a p oin t b y b e in g th e p la y e r w h o keeps th e ball in play th e lon gest. v " G am es: You m ust w in at lea st fou r poin ts to w in a gam e. If both p layers w in th re e p oin ts a p ie c e , th en y o u p la y until o n e o f you w in s tw o points in a ro w sta rtin g from th e d e u c e cou rt. A d e u c e ga m e alw ays en ds after a p oin t in th e a d va n ta g e cou rt.
v * Sets: T h e first p la y e r to w in at least six gam es w ith a lead o f tw o gam es o v e r th e o p p o n e n t w in s th e set. A m atch can b e p la y ed b est out o f th re e sets o r b est ou t o f five. If yo u w an t to k eep sc o re , d o n ’t think that y o u n eed to p la y a c o m p le te m atch. You can just p la y poin ts, gam es, o r a sin gle set. In fact, seriou s p la y e rs d o n ’t a lw a ys like to p la y full, standard m atches, w h ich rep resen t a m o re c o m p e titiv e le v e l o f p la y that isn ’t alw ays a p p ro p ria te fo r p ra c tic e or ju st a fun w ork ou t.
Winning Points m s
You w in a ga m e b y w in n in g m o re p oin ts than y o u r o p p o n en t. E very point starts w ith o n e p la y e r s e rv in g th e ball to put it in to play, and th e o th e r p la y e r rec e iv in g . If th e s e r v e clea rs th e net and lands in th e s e r v ic e area and th e r e c e iv e r d o e s n ’t e v e n tou ch th e s e r v e w ith h er racqu et, th e s e r v e r has hit an a ce and w in s th e p o in t au tom atically. (S e e C h ap ter 11 fo r m ore on s e rv in g and a c e s .) If th e s e r v e lands in th e s e r v ic e area and th e r e c e iv e r returns th e s e rv e , the p o in t con tin u es, w ith th e p la y e rs h ittin g th e ball o v e r th e net, until o n e o f th e fo llo w in g happen s: The b a ll fails to c le a r the net. If y o u r sh ot d o e s n ot m ake it o v e r the net, yo u lo s e th e point. ^
T h e b a ll clears the net but lan d s outside o f the b o u n d a ry lines. If your sh ot lands ou tside the sidelines o r the baseline, you lose the point. (S ee C h a p ter 2 fo r m o re in fo rm a tio n on th e lines that d efin e th e c o u rt.)
t*" T h e b a ll clears the net a n d lan d s inside the b o u n d a ry lines, but the o th er p la y e r c a n ’t retu rn it successfully b e fo re the b a ll bou n ces a secon d time. If y o u r sh o t lands in th e legal p layin g s p a c e but you r o p p o n e n t c a n ’t m ake it to th e ball b e fo re it b ou n ces tw ice, you win th e point.
Chapter 4: Scoring in Tennis: Love Means Nothing
Scoring Games T h e first p la yer to w in four points, w ith a m argin o f tw o points, w ins th e gam e. I know, it sou n ds e a s y — but it’s g e ttin g that tw o -p o in t m argin that o ften c o m p lic a te s m atters.
Scoring points Instead o f k eep in g s c o re lo g ic a lly (say, b y cou n tin g “ zero , one, tw o , th ree, four,” and s o o n ), tennis uses th e fo llo w in g te rm in o lo g y to k eep tra ck o f h o w m any poin ts the p la yers w in in a gam e:
u * Love: A t the start o f a gam e, y o u b oth h a ve L o v e — o r zero . N o jokes, please. v " 15: A fte r yo u w in o n e poin t, y o u r s c o r e is 15. For exa m p le, if y o u s e r v e and w in th e first poin t, th e s c o re o f th e ga m e is 15-Love (w h ic h is the sam e as 1-0). It’s cu s to m a ry and a d a rn ed g o o d id ea to an n ou n ce th e s c o re a fter e v e r y poin t, like an u m pire d o es, just to a v o id an y p o ten tia l c o n tro versy. But unlike the pros, you m ay n ot h a ve an u m pire sittin g in a high ch air to d o that fo r you . In that case, it’s up to th e s e r v e r to call out th e s c o re a fte r e v e r y poin t. T h e s e r v e r ’s s c o r e is a lw a ys g iv e n first. So if y o u s e r v e and w in th e first poin t, y o u call ou t “ 15-Love.” But if yo u s e r v e and then lo s e th e poin t, yo u sa y “ L ove-1 5 .” D o n ’t call th e s c o re out th e m om en t th e p oin t ends. W alk back to th e b aselin e, g e t re a d y to s e rv e , and then call ou t th e s c o re righ t b e fo r e y o u g e t d o w n to th e s erio u s bu sin ess o f s e rv in g th e n ext point. W h en y o u call ou t th e sc o re, yo u sa y it like this: “ L o v e fifte e n ,” o r “ Fifteen L o v e ,” n ot “ L o v e to fifte e n .” W h y? I h a v e no idea. T h a t’s ju st th e w a y it is. k"
30: A fte r y o u w in a s e c o n d poin t, y o u r s c o r e is 30. For exa m p le, if yo u s e r v e and w in b o th th e first and s e c o n d poin ts, th e s c o r e o f th e ga m e is 30-Love. If, at so m e p oin t in th e gam e, b oth p la y e rs h a ve w o n th e sam e nu m ber o f poin ts, you g e t to a b b re v ia te th e s c o r e b y using th e c o lle c tiv e w o rd “ all.” For exam p le, if you w in th e first poin t, but y o u r o p p o n e n t w in s th e s eco n d point, th e s c o re is 15 all. P la y e rs p re fe r this te rm in o lo g y b eca u se then th e y d o n ’t h a ve to say lo n g s c o re s like “ F ifteen fifte e n ” w h en th e y ’re sh o rt o f breath! If y o u b o th h a v e tw o p oin ts, th e s c o re is 30 all. You g e t th e picture.
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40: A fte r you w in a th ird poin t, y o u r s c o re is 40. For exa m p le, if yo u s e r v e and w in th e first, s e co n d , and third poin ts, th e s c o r e o f th e gam e is 40-Love.
Part I: Tennis Anyone? G am e: A fte r yo u w in th e fou rth p oin t (w ith a m argin o f tw o p o in ts), you w in th e gam e. For exa m p le, if y o u w in th e first, seco n d , third, and fou rth p o in ts (a n d y o u r o p p o n e n t w in s no p o in ts ), the s c o re o f the g a m e is G am e-Love. (S e e “T h a t d a rn ed d e u c e ” in this c h a p te r to find ou t w h a t to d o if b oth y o u and y o u r o p p o n e n t g e t to 40 and n eith er of y o u can reach that m argin o f tw o p o in ts .) But y o u d o n ’t h a ve to call that out. If y o u ’v e kep t tra ck o f th e sco re, yo u b oth kn ow that th e gam e is o v e r a fte r th e last poin t. Instead, call out th e set sco re, like “ 4-1, ch u m p !” W h o o p s , le a v e ou t that last w o rd . It’s bad sportsm an sh ip . W h e n e v e r a p la y e r n eed s to w in o n ly o n e m o re poin t to take th e gam e, that n ext p oin t is a lso ca lled a g a m e poin t. If th e p la y e r is o n e point from w in n in g th e set o r m atch, that p oin t is know n as set p o in t o r m atch poin t, re s p e c tiv e ly . But th a t’s just standard tennis lingo; yo u d o n ’t call it ou t as p art o f th e s c o re unless yo u w an t to te a s e o r p sych out you r o p p o n en t. A fte r o n e p la y e r rea ch es gam e, th e s e r v e then s w itc h e s to th e o th e r player. (S e e C h a p ter 11 fo r m o re in fo rm a tio n on s e rv in g .)
That darned deuce .\S TA U c S om etim es, p la yers are so e v e n ly m a tch ed that n eith er p la y e r can reach ga m e w ith a tw o -p o in t m argin. W h en b o th p la y e r s ’ s c o re s are 40-40, th e s c o re is ca lled deuce. S w itch in g th e s c o rin g o v e r to d e u c e (in s te a d o f con tin u in g w ith num bers like 15, 30, and 40) m akes sen se — h on est it d o es. R em em ber, n eith er p layer has b een a b le to w in th e ga m e w ith th e m inim um nu m ber o f p oin ts (fo u r ) by a m argin o f tw o . From this p o in t on, th e o n ly w a y that e ith e r p la y e r can win is b y taking tw o p o in ts in a ro w sta rtin g from th e d e u c e cou rt. T h e players can take turns w in n in g p o in ts until th e c o w s c o m e hom e, but n o b o d y w ins th e ga m e w ith o u t a c h ie v in g that m argin o f tw o. S w itch in g to d eu ce b a sica lly d e c la re s that “A ll b ets are off; fo rg e t e v e r y th in g else; from n ow on, w inning tw o p oin ts in a ro w is all that c o u n ts.” T h e first p la y e r to w in a p oin t a fte r th e d e u c e w ins th e advantage point. T h e p la y e r w h o w in s th e a d va n ta g e p oin t n o w n eed s to w in o n ly o n e m ore point to a c h ie v e his m argin o f tw o and thus w in th e ga m e (a n d th e re fo re has the advantage o v e r th e o th e r p la y e r). T h e co m m o n w a y to an n ou n ce th e a d va n ta g e is to s a y “ ad-in” o r “ ad-out.” If th e s e r v e r (w h o also d o e s th e jo b o f an n ou n cin g th e s c o r e ) w ins th e ad van ta g e poin t, it ’s ad-in. If th e r e c e iv e r w in s th e poin t, though, it’s ad-out. Just sa yin g “ m y a d ” o r “y o u r a d ” (d e p e n d in g on w h o w on th e p o in t) is also a co m m o n p ra ctice.
Chapter 4: Scoring in Tennis: Love Means Nothing
Taking deuces to dizzying lengths It may occur to you th at a single game can go on forever, as long as nobody wins tw o points in a row. A tennis game could go on fo re v e r— although one player eventually triumphs, ei ther because the other player gets tired or bored. No official record exists for the highest num ber of deuces in a game, but history has been peppered by some very fam ous deuce games. For e x a m p le , a t a c ru c ia l s ta g e in th e W im bledon w om en's singles final in 1995, A ran xta S a n c h e z -V ic a rio and S te ffi G raf
played a 20-m inute gam e in w hich they traded 13 deuces. That is, neither player could win tw o points in a row (after the first deuce) in 13 different attempts. On the men's pro tour, the record for the high est num ber of deuces in a gam e w as set in a 1996 match in Casablanca betw een M arcelo Filippini and A lberto B erasategui. Filippini served (and eventually lost) a game th at lasted 20 minutes and contained 28 deuces. You can w in an entire set w ith fe w e r than 28 points!
You m ay also n o tic e that in p ro m atch es that h a ve an o ffic ia l um pire, the c u s to m a ry te rm in o lo g y is “A d va n ta g e, M cE n ro e” o r “ A d va n ta g e, S am p ras.” A t h o ity -to ity W im b led o n , th e y e v e n say, “ A d va n ta g e, Mr. M cE n ro e.” It alw ays m ade m e lo o k around, w o n d e rin g w h o th e um p w as talking to. If th e p la y e r w ith th e a d va n ta g e w ins th e v e r y n ext p oin t, it’s ga m e — finito. T h a t p la y e r w in s th e gam e. But if th e p la y e r w ith th e a d va n ta g e loses th e point, it’s righ t back to d eu ce. A ll bets are o ff again. N e ith e r p la y e r can w in th e ga m e on th e next p o in t w h en the s c o r e is d e u c e (a s a p la y e r can if sh e has th e a d v a n ta g e ). W h en th e s c o r e is ad-out, m ean in g that y o u r o p p o n e n t has th e a d van tage, you can w in th e ga m e o n ly b y w in n in g th re e p oin ts in a row. You n eed on e poin t to g e t back to d eu ce, a n o th er to g e t you th e a d va n ta ge, and then the gam e point. In o th e r w o rd s, y o u rea lly h a ve y o u r w o rk cut ou t fo r you.
Scoring Sets T h e p u rp o s e o f accu m u latin g gam es is to w in sets. T o w in a set, you must w in six gam es b y a m argin o f tw o. ( T h e p u rp o s e o f w in n in g sets is to w in th e m atch, w h ich y o u can read m o re a b ou t in “S co rin g M a tc h e s ” in this ch a p ter.) For exam p le, you w in th e set if th e set s c o r e rea ch es any o f th e fo llo w in g : 6-0, 6-4, 9-7
Part I: Tennis Anyone? In all th re e cases, yo u h a ve w o n th e set w ith a m inim um o f six gam es and a m argin o f tw o. In o rd e r to g e t a m argin o f tw o gam es in a set, y o u n e e d to w in at lea st on e o f th e gam es that y o u r o p p o n e n t s e rv e s in th e set. W h en you w in you r s e r v ic e gam e, you hold serve. W hen you win a gam e served b y you r opponent, you break serve — th a t’s h o w y o u g e t a m argin o f tw o. (R e a d “ T h e h ea rt break in g tie b re a k e r” in this c h a p te r to find ou t w h at h ap p en s w h en n eith er p la y e r can g e t that tw o -p o in t m argin .) U se th e s e tips fo r ca llin g ou t th e set s c o re c o n s is te n tly e v e r y tim e yo u need to (th a t is, e v e r y tim e yo u s e r v e ): v0 Call ou t th e s et s c o re righ t b e fo r e yo u b egin to s e r v e any gam e, as in, “ Okay, it’s 4-1.” You sa y that “ Four to o n e .” v0 M ake su re that yo u call out th e s c o re lo u d ly en ou gh fo r y o u r o p p o n en t to hear, and insist that sh e d o e s th e sam e. T h is h abit can h elp p reven t a s c o rin g c o n tro versy . v " A t th e end o f a set, yo u can call th e set sco re, as in “ 6-4,” o r just c ro w or w h im per, “ Okay, th a t’s s e t.”
The heartbreaking tiebreaker You figh t hard fo r m ost sets. S om etim es n eith er yo u n or y o u r o p p o n e n t can w in six gam es w ith a m argin o f tw o gam es. W h en y o u get to that poin t (s ix ga m es a ll), y o u p la y a sp e c ia l kind o f gam e, ca lled a tiebreaker, to keep the s et from g o in g on fo rever. T h in k o f tieb rea k ers as c h o o s in g to p la y suddend ea th a fte r b o th p la y e rs w in six gam es, in stead o f tru d gin g through en dless o v e r tim e p erio d s. In th e tiebreaker, y o u p la y a series o f p oin ts; th e first p la y e r to w in seven p o in ts b y a m argin o f tw o w in s th e tiebreaker. For exam p le, you h a ve w on th e tie b re a k e r if y o u r p o in t s c o re reach es any o f th e fo llo w in g:
Tennis players love bagels M ost of us who play tennis have a fondness for our esoteric tennis terminology. In fact, w e not only grow to love it, w e keep adding to it. In 1972, the popular pro Eddie Dibbs made his contribution w hen he described winning a set
by the score of 6-0 as a"bagel job." Since then, "to bagel" has becom e apopular verb in tennis.
Chapter 4: Scoring in Tennis: Love Means Nothing You call out th e s c o re in tieb rea k ers ju st as in a regu lar gam e. T h e p la y e r s e rv in g ea ch p oin t calls ou t th e s c o re ju st b e fo re th e s e rv e , as in “ 4-2” , o r if y o u prefer, “ 5-1, m in e” to in d ica te that y o u ’re ah ead, o r “ 1-4, y o u r s ” to rem ind you r m ortal en em y across the net that the chum p is actually winning. W h en the tim e c o m es, fo llo w th e s e s tep s to p la y th e tieb rea k er: 1. T h e p la y e r d u e to s e rv e the 13th gam e se rv e s the first point, into his o p p o n en t’s deu ce court. 2. A fte r the first serv e, the se rv e go es o v e r to the o th er play er, w h o se rv e s the next tw o points, se rv in g first into the a d cou rt a n d then into the deu ce court. 3. A fte r the third point, the p la y e rs alte rn a te , s e r v in g tw o points each — a lw a y s b e g in n in g w ith the ad court. 4. A fte r the first six points a re p lay ed , n o m atter w h a t the sco re is, the p la y e rs chan ge en d s (a n d continue to d o so after e v e ry oth er sixpoint sp an ) until on e p la y e r w in s at least seven points w ith a m argin o f tw o points. T h e p la y e r w h o s e r v e d th e last ga m e o f the set b e fo r e th e tie b rea k er s e rv e s th e first ga m e o f th e n ew set fo llo w in g th e tiebreaker. If you lo s e just o n e o f y o u r s e r v ic e p oin ts in a tiebreaker, th e o th e r p la y e r n eed s o n ly to m ake su re that h e w ins all th e p oin ts h e s e r v e s and th a t’s it — y o u ’re toast. So rem em ber, if y o u lo s e a s e r v ic e p o in t in a tieb reak er, it’s e s p e c ia lly im p o rta n t to t r y to strik e back and w in a p oin t that y o u r o p p o nent s e rv e s b e fo re y o u r luck — and tim e — run out! O f co u rse, b egin n ers aren ’t e x p e c te d to w in th e p o in ts o r gam es that th e y s e r v e n e a rly as c o n s is ten tly as th e p ros do. You and y o u r o p p o n e n t m a y h a v e a field d a y w in n in g poin ts and gam es against ea ch o th e r ’s s e rv e s , but as yo u im p ro v e , th e task o f h o ld in g s e r v ic e gam es and tie b re a k e r p oin ts b e c o m e s im p ortan t. L o sin g a sin gle s e r v ic e p oin t in a tieb rea k er is s o im p o rta n t that it’s usually ca lled a m ini-break, taken from th e term s e rv ice break that d e s c rib e s an y o f th o s e key s e r v ic e gam es lost b y th e p erso n servin g.
The last of the deuce sets O f cou rse, w h en th e set s c o re rea ch es six gam es all, y o u can d e c id e that you a ren ’t g o in g to p la y a tie b rea k er and that y o u ’ re g o in g to co n tin u e to p lay gam es until o n e p la y e r has a m argin o f tw o . T h is set is c a lle d a deuce set b eca u se it w ork s just like a sin g le ga m e — y o u n eed a m argin o f tw o gam es to w in th e set. But n ow a d a ys, a lm ost e v e r y o n e p lays sets that end in tieb reak ers.
Part I: Tennis Anyone?
The tiebreaker to end all tiebreakers The most fam ous tiebreaker of all probably w as the one th at my brother John and his rival Bjorn Borg played in the 1980 Wimbledon finals. Borg w as gunning for an unprecedented — otherw orldly? — five s traig h t W im bledon titles. A t one point in the match, Borg led by tw o sets to one. W ith a service break at 5-4, all Borg had to do w as w in his service game to take the championship. In the ensuing game, Borg led 40-15, giving him tw o match points — tw o championship points. But John won those tw o points and broke Borg's serve. Then, after
e a c h m an h eld s e rv e , th e y p la y e d th e tiebreaker. That 'breaker lasted 22 minutes. In the game, Borg had five m atch/cham pionship points. John had seven set points. John finally won on the 34th point of the tiebreaker — Borg missed a tough shot, and John won the set. It w as all for naught for John, though. Borg won the fifth set, and the title.
O n ly tw o o ffic ia l o c c a s io n s req u ire d e u c e sets ra th er than a tieb reak er at six gam es all:
v * G ra n d Slam events: In th ree o f th e fou r Grand Slam even ts, tiebreakers are p la y ed at the end o f e v e r y set that reach es 6-all until — and if — the m atch es g o th e full d ista n ce in sets. W h en a m en ’s m atch g o e s to five sets and a w o m e n ’s m atch g o e s to th ree sets, th e final set is alw ays d e c id e d at d eu ce. So th e final s et s c o re is n e v e r 7-6; it’s 6-4, o r 12-10. T h e o n ly e x c e p tio n is the U.S. O pen, w h ich uses th e tieb rea k er at the end o f e v e r y set that rea ch es 6-all, in clu d in g th e d e c is iv e fifth set fo r m en and th ird set fo r w o m en . (S e e C h ap ter 20 fo r m o re in form ation a b ou t Grand Slam e v e n ts .) D avis Cup: T ie b re a k e rs w e r e n ’t used at all in D avis Cup p la y until 1989, w h en th e ITF (In te rn a tio n a l Ten n is F e d e ra tio n ) d e c id e d to d o th e sam e th in g in its p reem in en t team c o m p e titio n as in Grand Slam even ts — u se tieb rea k ers in all but th e final set. (C h a p te r 19 tells yo u e v e ry th in g yo u e v e r w an ted to kn ow a b ou t th e D avis C up.)
Scoring Matches D ep en d in g on th e kind o f m atch yo u play, y o u m ay n eed to w in a d ifferen t n u m ber o f sets in o r d e r to b ag th e en tire m atch.
Chapter 4: Scoring in Tennis: Love Means Nothing
The best-of-three sets T h e best-of-three sets is b y far th e m o st co m m o n m atch form at, at e v e r y le v e l o f th e gam e. T h e nam e is s lig h tly d e c e iv in g , b eca u se yo u d o n ’t h a v e to p la y th ree sets — th e first p la y e r to w in tw o sets is th e winner. So, a b est-of-th ree sets m atch can en d in o n e o f tw o w ays: O n e p la y e r w in s the first a n d secon d sets. For exa m p le, if y o u w in the first tw o sets 6-0, 6-4, y o u ’v e g o t th e m atch. Each p la y e r w in s on e set, necessitating a third set to b re a k the tie. For exam p le, if yo u w in th e first s et 6-0 and y o u r o p p o n e n t w in s th e seco n d set 6-4, yo u g e t to p la y a third, d e c is iv e set. W h o o p e e .
The best-of-fiVe set In th e best-of-five form at, th e first p la y e r to take th re e sets w in s th e m atch. A m atch like this can b e o v e r a fte r as fe w as th ree stra igh t sets o r as m an y as fiv e sets, w h ich can m ake fo r s o m e lon g, lo n g m atch es. ( T h e p ro re c o rd fo r th e lo n g est b est-of-five m atch is 6 hou rs and 32 m inutes, set b y m y b ro th e r John and th e S w edish p la y e r M ats W ila n d e r in a 1982 D avis Cup c o m p e titio n in St. L ou is.) T h e b est-of-five fo rm a t is used e x c lu s iv e ly in th e m ost im p o rta n t m en ’s p ro even ts, th e Grand Slam tou rn am en ts, th e D avis Cup c o m p e titio n , and in th e final m atch o f so m e b ig tou rn am en ts, like th e A T P T ou r W o rld C h am p ion ships. S ince 1984, th e p ro fe s s io n a ls on the W o m e n ’s Ten n is A s s o c ia tio n tou r (th e W T A T o u r) h a ve p la y e d th e final m atch o f th eir sea son -en d in g ch a m p i on sh ip as a best-of-five. (C h a p te r 20 tells y o u all a b ou t th e s e e x c itin g ev e n ts in ten n is.) A ll o th e r m atch es use th e b est-of-th ree form at.
Alternative Scoring Systems L ots o f p e o p le p la y tennis, fo r all kinds o f reason s, w ith v a ry in g d e g re e s o f co m p e titiv e n e s s . In s o m e p la y (su ch as c h a rity e v e n ts o r p ra c tic e ), you just d o n ’t w an t to h a ve lo n g m atch es. N a m e a need, and th e re ’s a s c o rin g system to m eet it. A lte rn a tiv e s c o rin g sy stem s h a ve a grea t a d va n ta g e fo r b egin n ers, to o . If yo u aren ’t in great sh a p e o r d o n ’t h a ve th e tim e to p la y a best-of-th ree m atch, yo u can h a ve a q u ick er m atch w ith o n e o f th e a lte rn a tiv e s c o rin g system s and still get th e s p ic e o f c o m p e titio n in to y o u r tennis. In this sectio n , I tell you ab ou t th e tw o a lte rn a tiv e s c o rin g s y stem s that y o u ’re m ost lik ely to run into.
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Part I: Tennis Anyone?.
My two cents on alternative scoring Personally, although alternative scoring has a place in tennis, I still like old-fashioned tennis scoring best of all. Traditional scoring preserves the significance of the hard-w on ser-
vice break, w hich is a tth e heart of the scoring methodology. I really believe th at traditional scoring is the most fair measure of the better player.
No-ad scoring *S T A Ur
M an y c o lle g e s and high s c h o o ls cu rren tly use strea m lin ed no-ad scoring, w ith n u m erical sco rin g. You cou n t 0, 1,2, 3, and 4, a llo ttin g o n e poin t p er poin t. If th e s c o re in any ga m e reach es th ree p oin ts all, o r su d d en death, the w in n er o f th e n ext p o in t w in s th e ga m e — p erio d . T h e retu rn er gets to c h o o s e w h ich s id e th e o p p o n e n t s e rv e s to in that 3-all, su dden death situ ation. No-ad s c o rin g o ffe rs no d e u c e o r a d va n ta ge points. A t 6-all in th e set, yo u p la y a stan dard tie b rea k er to d e c id e th e set. (S e e “T h e h ea rtb rea k in g tie b re a k e r” in this c h a p te r fo r m o re in fo rm a tio n .) S om e p la yers b e lie v e that no-ad s c o rin g m akes them c o n c e n tra te better, b eca u se th o s e 3-all p oin ts are a w fu lly im portan t. O ne thing is fo r sure: No-ad ten n is m atch es are a lo t fa ster than d e u c e tennis, w h ich rea lly suits team c o m p e titio n s and o th e r form a ts in w h ich tim e is o f th e essen ce.
The pro set ,\SJAt*
If yo u w an t to p la y a quick, c o m p e titiv e m ini-m atch, the p ro set is you r ticket. T h e p ro set c o n sists o f o n ly a sin g le deuce set. But in that sin gle set, y o u m ust w in eigh t o r ten ga m es b y a m argin o f tw o (in stea d o f six gam es, as in a c o n v e n tio n a l s e t). If th e s c o re rea ch es 8-all o r 10-all, yo u p lay a c o n v e n tion al tie b re a k e r to d e te rm in e th e o u tco m e.
Reading Line Scores W h en yo u w a tch ten n is m atch es on TV, th e u m pire tracks th e s c o re by gam e on a s c o re b o a rd . T h a t’s th e th in g that th e ca m era usually flash es to b efo re g o in g to a co m m ercia l.
Chapter 4: Scoring in Tennis: Love Means Nothing T h e s c o re b o a rd breaks d o w n a m atch b y sets and gam es. Each colu m n o f nu m bers rep resen ts a set, te llin g yo u h o w m an y gam es ea ch p la y e r w o n in that set. If th e s c o re b o a rd sh o w s o n ly tw o colu m n s, th e m atch w as o v e r in tw o sets, o r straight sets. For exam p le, on a g o o d day, m y frien d P e te r B o d o c o u ld b eat m e stra igh t sets w ith a s c o re like th e fo llo w in g (b u t o n ly if h e d id n ’t sta y up to o late th e night b e fo r e w ritin g b o o k s ):
P la y e r
S e tl
S et 2
B odo M cE n roe
7 5
6 4
S et 3
O r I m igh t put up a b e tte r figh t and w in th e m atch in th ree sets, like this:
P lay er___________ S e t 1_____________ S e t 2 _____________ S et_3 ______________________ B odo M cE n roe
6 3
6
4 7
6
W e sp lit th e first tw o sets, w in n in g o n e each. You m ay n o tic e that th e s e c o n d set e n d ed 7-6. T h is s c o re in d ica tes that th e set w as d e c id e d b y a tiebreaker. If I w e re p la yin g in a Grand Slam e ven t, w h ich use th e b est-of-five form at, again st a fictitio u s p la y e r nam ed B o zo , th e s c o re b o a rd w o u ld lo o k a little m ore like this:
P lay er
S e tl
M cE n roe
7 (1 1 )
B o zo
6
Set 2
S e t3
6 4
4 6
7
S et 4
S et 5
5
6 0
See that nu m ber 11 in p a ren th eses a fte r m y s c o re in th e first set? T h at nu m ber tells yo u th e s c o re in th e tieb reak er, w h ich w as 13-11. Lin e s c o re s o ften s h o w o n ly th e lo w e r s c o r e o f th e tiebreaker, b e ca u se y o u can alw ays figu re out th e p re c is e s c o re b y s im p ly a d d in g tw o p oin ts to th e n u m b er that ap p ea rs in p aren th eses. T h e tie b re a k e r s c o r e a p p ea rs this w a y b eca u se if th e w in n er to o k th e m atch w ith th e m inim um n u m b er o f p oin ts, 7, yo u w o u ld n ’t kn ow w h e th e r he w o n th e tie b re a k e r e a s ily (a s in 7-0) o r b y a c lo s e s c o re (a s in 7-5). I w o n the n ext set a little m o re easily, 6 -4 .1 w e n t on to lo s e th e n ext tw o sets, w h ich m akes th in gs m ore in terestin g — w e p la y ed a fifth set and final set. I b re e z e d th rou gh th e final set 6-0, just to s h o w B o z o w h o ’s boss.
Part I: Tennis Anyone?
Chapter 5
Knowing All the Rules and Regulations In This Chapter P layin g b y th e rules S ervin g rules R e c e iv in g rules D oubles rules C om m on rules issues
m M y ou ld yo u b e lie v e m e if I to ld yo u that th e rules and regu la tion s o f ▼ ▼ tennis a ctu a lly m ake th e ga m e m o re fun? W ell, it’s true. K n o w in g w h at to do, and h o w and w h en to d o it, h elp s you fe e l like y o u ’re re a lly gettin g in to th e gam e. It g iv e s yo u a sen se o f th e h istory, tra d itio n and s ty le o f tennis.
Serving ’Em Up In singles, p la y b egin s w h en e ith e r yo u o r y o u r o p p o n e n t s e rv e s . (S e e “ D is c o v e rin g D ou bles R u les,” la te r in th is c h a p ter, fo r in fo rm a tio n on s e rv in g in d o u b le s .) A t th e end o f ea ch gam e, th e s e r v e g o e s o v e r to the o th e r p la y e r fo r th e n ext gam e. T h e s e r v e a lte rn a te s b e tw e e n p la y e rs in this fash ion until th e end o f th e m atch; a tie b re a k e r re p resen ts th e o n ly e x c e p tio n to this s e rv in g rule. ( “T h e h ea rtb rea k in g tie b re a k e r” in C h a p ter 4 tells yo u all ab ou t s e rv in g and p la y in g tie b re a k e rs .)
Part I: Tennis Anyone?
j\StAUr
Deciding utho series first Y ou d e te rm in e w h o s e rv e s first b y using a c o n v e n tio n ca lled th e spin, w h ich y o u can d o in o n e o f tw o w ays: { v * S p in n in g the racquet: R a cq u ets usu ally h a ve th e lo g o o f th e m anufac tu rer p rin ted on th e b o tto m o f th e butt cap. (S e e C h ap ter 3 to find out m o re a b ou t th e p arts o f a ra c q u e t.) You can v ie w th e lo g o right-side up o r u p sid e d ow n . (F o r exa m p le, W ilson ra cq u ets h a ve a “W ” on th e butt cap, w h ich y o u can read as a “W ” o r as an “ M ,” d e p e n d in g on w h ich w a y y o u lo o k at th e le tte r.) Spin th e ra cq u et b y to u ch in g th e head o f the ra c q u e t to th e grou n d, g ra b b in g th e grip, and g ivin g th e ra cq u et a turn. A s th e ra c q u e t spins, th e o th e r p la y e r calls ou t “ U p!” o r “ D ow n !" If she c o r r e c tly calls ou t th e w a y th e lo g o falls, sh e gets to c h o o s e w h eth er to s e r v e first o r not. < v * Tossing a coin: O ne p la y e r to s s e s th e coin , and th e o th e r p la y e r calls ou t “ H ead s!” o r “ Tails!” T h e p la y e r w h o w in s th e toss gets to c h o o s e w h e th e r to s e r v e first o r not. N o tw o-ou t-of-three, please. If y o u w in th e toss, k n ow in g a little ab ou t y o u r o p p o n e n t can h elp you d e c id e w h at to d o next. If y o u h a v e n ’t p la y e d against y o u r o p p o n e n t b e fo re (s o that y o u k n ow w h at his stren gth s and w ea k n esses a re), m ake sure that y o u w a rm up w ith him b e fo r e th e spin. (C h a p te r 17 giv e s yo u th e full s c o o p on w a rm in g u p .) If y o u w in th e toss, y o u can d o o n e o f th e fo llo w in g things:
v * S e rv e first: A lw a y s c h o o s e to s e r v e first — unless you feel p re tty c erta in that y o u r o p p o n e n t can b eat y o u r s e rv e . In that case, g ivin g y o u r o p p o n e n t th e first s e r v e sp a res yo u from sta rtin g th e m atch out b y lo s in g a ga m e th at y o u s e rv e .
v * R eceive the se rv e : If y o u kn ow that y o u r o p p o n e n t d o e s n ’t p o ssess a stro n g s e rv e , b reak in g h er s e r v e first th in g in th e m atch can crea te a little p ressu re on her. A lso, r e c e iv in g first a llo w s y o u to w arm up and g e t in th e flo w o f th e ga m e b e fo r e y o u s e rv e . Lastly, if y o u ’ re playin g s o m e o n e w ith a te rrific s e rv e , yo u m ay h a ve y o u r b est ch a n ce to break in th e first gam e, b e fo r e y o u r o p p o n e n t is fu lly w a rm ed up.
u * Take o n e o r the oth er e n d o f the court: If you h a ve a b righ t sun o v e rh e a d o r a s te a d y w in d, y o u m ay w an t to c h o o s e th e end o f th e co u rt w h e re you feel m o st c o m fo rta b le in th e o p e n in g gam e. If such co n d itio n s are a p ro b lem , y o u can a lso c h o o s e to take th e to u g h e r side. Y o u ’ll b e ch an gin g en d s a fter th e first gam e, so y o u r o p p o n e n t w ill h ave to p la y tw o gam es u n der tou gh c o n d itio n s at th e v e r y start o f the m atch, w h ile y o u o n ly p la y one. But d o n ’t g e t all h ep p ed up, b ecau se y o u ’ll h a ve p le n ty o f ch a n ces to s c re w up on th e to u g h e r sid e as you ch a n ge en d s a fte r e v e r y od d -n u m b ered gam e.
Chapter 5: Knowing All the Rules and Regulations nn/>
Finding yourself on the wrong side of the court The right-side service box is called the deuce court because all deuce points are served into that side — it's m athem atically w ritten into stone. If you happen to find yourself at deuce and serving into the ad court, go back to Start,
do not pass Go, and do not collect $200. If you catch yourself serving into the wrong box and aren't sure why, you let the score stand as is and move over so th at you can serve into the correct court.
v * D o n ’t d o anything: T u rn in g th e c h o ic e o v e r to y o u r o p p o n e n t m ay seem w im py, but it’s w ith in th e rules to d o just that. It can b e a g o o d id ea if you w an t to g e t y o u r o p p o n e n t o ff b alan ce and w o n d e rin g , righ t o ff th e bat. It’s a lso a g o o d id ea if y o u ’re o ff b alan ce and w o n d erin g . If y o u ’re rea lly co n fu sed ab ou t w h at to do, this d e c is io n su re takes th e burden o f re s p o n s ib ility o ff y o u r sh ou ld ers. A fte r yo u m ake y o u r c h o ic e , y o u r o p p o n e n t can th en c h o o s e o n e o f th e o th e r o p tion s. For exam p le, if yo u e le c t to re c e iv e , y o u r p a rtn er can c h o o s e from w h ich end h e w an ts to s e r v e first; if you c h o o s e to take a c erta in end, y o u r p a rtn er can c h o o s e to e ith e r s e r v e o r re ceive.
Manning your battle stations A fte r you and y o u r o p p o n e n t take th e a p p ro p ria te en ds o f th e cou rt, p lay begins. T h e first p oin t o f ea ch ga m e b egin s on th e d e u c e sid e o f the co u rt fo r b oth players. T h e n ext p o in t b egin s on th e ad cou rt. (S e e C h ap ter 2 fo r m ore in form a tion on the la you t o f th e c o u rt.)
Avoiding foot faults Tennis has v e r y s trict ru les a b ou t w h e re y o u can stand w h en yo u s e rv e . O th erw ise, yo u cou ld stand righ t in fron t o f th e net, s e rv in g stra igh t d o w n into y o u r o p p o n e n t’s cou rt. T h a t w o u ld n ’t b e v e r y ch a llen g in g o r fun, w o u ld it? T h e fo llo w in g rules g o v e rn w h e re and h o w yo u s e r v e on b o th th e d e u c e and ad sides: In sin gles, yo u can lin e up to s e r v e a n y w h ere b e tw e e n th e c e n te r line on th e b a selin e (o n th e c o r r e c t side, o f c o u r s e ) and th e sin gles s id elin e o f th e cou rt. For a s e r v e in d o u b les, yo u can stand a n y w h e re from the
Part I: Tennis Anyone? ; (
c e n te r lin e to th e d o u b le s sid elin e. ( “ D is c o v e rin g D ou bles R u les” in this c h a p te r tells y o u m ore a b ou t d o u b les ru les.)
| (
M o s t p la y e rs in sin gles ten d to s e r v e from v e r y c lo s e to th e ce n te r mark, b e ca u se this p o s itio n en a b les th em to c o v e r th e en tire cou rt b e tte r a fte r th e return.
? ^
You can stand as far b eh in d th e b a selin e as y o u w an t w h en you serve.
v " You c a n ’t take a w alk in g o r running start, like a ja velin throw er.
I
Y ou r fo o t ca n ’t tou ch th e c e n te r lin e w h en you line up, o r du ring you r s e r v ic e m otion . In fact, y o u c a n ’t e v e n sw in g y o u r le g in th e air o v e r th e line. You c a n ’t to u ch th e b a selin e w ith an y part o f y o u r fo o t o r step inside th e c o u rt until a fte r yo u hit th e s e rv e .
Breaking an y o f th e p re c e d in g rules resu lts in the d re a d e d fo o t fault, m eaning that y o u r s e r v e a u to m a tica lly b e c o m e s invalid. If y o u fo o t fault on y o u r first s e rv e , y o u can use y o u r s e c o n d s e r v e to g iv e it a n o th er try. If yo u fo o t fault on y o u r s e c o n d s e rv e , yo u lo s e th e w h o le point. In p ro fe s s io n a l tou rn am en ts, th e lin e ju d ges and u m pire w a tch fo r fo o t faults and call th em as so o n as th e y happen . (S e e C h ap ter 19 fo r m o re in form ation on p ro fe s s io n a l p lay.) In m ost m atches that you play, yo u and y o u r op p o n en t m ust “ p o lic e ” ea ch o th e r ’s feet. T h is can b e tricky, b eca u se th e last thing y o u w an t to d o w h en r e c e iv in g s e r v e is c o n c e n tra te on y o u r o p p o n e n t’s feet ra th er than h er shot. But s o m e recrea tio n a l p la yers are ch ron ic and careless fo o t fau lters, w h ich n ot o n ly g iv e s th em a sligh t p o ten tia l e d g e but also irrita tes o p p o n e n ts and th ro w s o ff th e c o n c e n tra tio n that p la yers should be d ire c tin g to w a rd th e m atch. If y o u su sp ect that y o u r o p p o n e n t fo o t faults con sisten tly, s to p p la y and ask h er a b ou t it nicely. You cou ld sa y som eth in g like “ M y u n d ersta n d in g is that y o u r fo o t c a n ’t g o o v e r th e c e n te r line w hen yo u s e rv e . Is that th e ru le yo u fo llo w ? ” If yo u co n tin u e to o b s e r v e th e sam e b eh avior, ask a frien d o r b y s ta n d e r to p ro v id e an o b je c tiv e v ie w p o in t b y w a tc h in g y o u r o p p o n e n t s e rv e .
Nailing an ace ,\STAUc In th e b est-ca se scen a rio , y o u s te p up to th e lin e and p o p in an ace. A c e s are s e r v e s that are so fast, w e ll p la ced , o r both , that y o u r o p p o n e n t c a n ’t even to u ch th e s e r v e w ith his ra cq u et. End o f point. You can s e r v e an a c e on e ith e r th e first o r s e c o n d s e rv e . But m ost secon d s e r v e a ces are th e resu lt o f u n in ten tion a lly grea t s e rv e s . It’s to o e a s y to w a s te a c ritica l s e c o n d -s e rv e b y m issin g a s h a rp s h o o te r’s a c e and th e re b y lo s in g th e point.
_________________ Chapter 5: Knowing All the Rules and Regulations
Avoiding faults and double faults Tennis g iv e s yo u tw o ch a n ces to m ake g o o d on y o u r s e rv e ; y o u a lw a ys h a ve tw o s e rv e s at th e sta rt o f a point. S om etim es, yo u s te p up to th e line, y o u r s e r v e cle a rs th e net, and th en it lands in sid e th e c o rre c t s e r v ic e box. You h a v e su c c e s s fu lly put th e ball in play. C on gratu lation s! (O f cou rse, y o u can put th e ball in to p la y on e ith e r y o u r first o r s e c o n d s e r v e .) But if y o u m ess up on th e first s e r v e — and y o u w ill, a fair am ou n t o f the tim e — it’s ca lled a fault, w h ich m eans that y o u r s e r v e d o e s n ot cou n t. You h a ve to tr y again w ith y o u r s e c o n d s e rv e . A n y o f th e fo llo w in g ev e n ts con stitu tes a fault: | | f |
You violate the position ru le s a n d com m it a foot fault. N o m atter w h e re th e ball g o es, if y o u c o m m it a fo o t fault, th e s e r v e d o e s n ’t cou n t (o n e ith e r first o r s e c o n d s e r v e ). See th e “ A v o id in g fo o t fau lts” s e c tio n fo r m ore in form ation .
I is * You w h iff on y o u r serv e, m issing the b a ll entirely. If yo u sw in g, it’s a | fault. If yo u halt y o u r sw in g becau se, say, yo u w e r e n ’t h a p p y w ith y o u r S; toss, yo u g e t a do-over, m ean in g that y o u can s e r v e again w ith o u t using | I
up y o u r first s e rv e .
u * Y o u r se rv e fails to c le a r the net. S erv e s can g o funny p la ces if you
|
d o n ’t hit th em p ro p erly, in clu d in g in to th e d e a r o ld net.
I 1/ | | |
Y ou r s e rv e clears the net but la n d s outside the b o u n d a r y lin es o f the co rrect serv ice b o x in y o u r o p p o n en t’s court. T h e s e s e r v e s usually land b e y o n d th e s e r v ic e line, o r o u ts id e e ith e r o f th e sid elin es. T h e y can b e v e r y c lo s e , but c lo s e m eans no cig a r in tennis.
| I |
Y ou r s e rv e tic k s (o r hits) the net a n d la n d s outside the b o u n d a ry o f the co rrect se rv ic e b o x . W h e th e r th e ball d ro p s in o r n ot is ju st a m a tter o f fate. (S e e th e fo llo w in g “ C alling lets d u rin g th e s e r v e ” se c tio n
) I
to find ou t h o w to cou n t a s e r v e that ticks th e net and lands inside th e s e r v ic e b o x .)
W h en y o u r e c e iv e s e rv e , yo u m ust y e ll “ O ut!” if y o u r o p p o n e n t’s s e r v e hits th e net and lands o u ts id e but c lo s e to th e lin e in th e s e r v ic e box. O th erw ise, th e ball is c o n s id e re d in play. On v e r y o b v io u s faults, y o u d o n ’t h a ve to m ake a b ig d eal ou t o f ca llin g it, e s p e c ia lly if y o u ’re p la y in g w ith a regu lar partner. But g e ttin g in th e h abit o f m aking th e call is a g o o d policy. If yo u m ess up y o u r s e c o n d s e r v e as w ell, y o u h a v e c o m m itte d a d ou b le fault. W h en yo u d o u b le fault, y o u a u to m a tic a lly lo s e th e p o in t b e fo re it e ven gets started .
Part I: Tennis Anyone? SAYS
U nfortu nately, m o st p la y e rs s e r v e up th eir sh are o f d o u b le faults — e s p e c ia lly b egin n in g p layers. D ou b le faults a ren ’t th e end o f th e w o rld , but th ey a re a m a jo r bum m er. ( I ’v e hit tw o o r th ree let s e c o n d s e rv e s in cru cial situ ation s — and trust m e, it ’s hairy. But it’s b e tte r than h ittin g a d ou b le fa u lt.) W h en you hit a d o u b le fault, ju st pu t it b e h in d y o u m e n ta lly and m o v e on.
Catting lets during the $en/e A s e r v e that ticks (o r h its ) th e net, d ro p s over, and lands in sid e th e bou n d a r y o f th e c o r r e c t s e r v ic e b o x is c a lle d a let. (S e e th e “A v o id in g faults and d o u b le fa u lts” s e c tio n to find ou t h o w to cou n t a s e r v e that lands ou tsid e th e s e r v ic e b o x .) You g e t a d o -o v e r w h en y o u s e r v e a let, rega rd less o f w h e th e r th e let occu rs on y o u r first o r s e c o n d s e rv e . T h e o re tic a lly , yo u can hit 100 first s e rv e s — if ea ch s e r v e is a let and y o u r n ext s e r v e is still o ffic ia lly a first s e rv e . H ow ever, if y o u r s e c o n d s e r v e is a let, it d o e s n ’t w ip e out y o u r p reviou s, firsts e r v e fault. You still h a ve o n ly y o u r s e c o n d s e r v e to hit again. Y ou r o p p o n e n t is re s p o n s ib le fo r y e llin g “ L et!” if y o u r s e r v e hits th e net and lands in th e s e r v ic e box. H ow ever, you , th e server, sh ou ld call a let w hen an y o f th e fo llo w in g things h ap p en s d u rin g y o u r s e rv e :
i* In d o u b le s, w h e n you se rv e a let se rv e that touches the net an d hits y o u r opponent, y ou p lay the s e rv e over. H ow ever, if you hit a clean s e r v e (o n e that d o e s n ot to u ch th e n e t) that hits o n e o f y o u r o p p o nents, it’s y o u r poin t. It d o e s n ’t m a tter w h e th e r th e ball w as h ead in g in o r out. (S e e “ D is c o v e rin g D ou b les R u les” in this c h a p ter fo r m ore in fo rm a tio n on d o u b le s .)
v * If you se rv e a n d the re c e iv e r isn ’t ready. T h e retu rn er m ust b e rea d y to a c c e p t y o u r s e rv e , and h e has th e righ t to sa y h e w a sn ’t. You can c o n s id e r y o u r o p p o n e n t re a d y to r e c e iv e y o u r s e r v e if h e stands in the re a d y p o s itio n and look s righ t at you . If yo u h a ve an y d ou b ts about w h e th e r h e ’s re a d y o r not, just ask.
Receiving the Sente T h e retu rn er can stand a n y w h e re sh e d a rn ed w e ll p leases, m eaning any w h e re on — o r o ff — h er en tire half o f th e cou rt. She can e v e n g o sit d ow n on a park ben ch , alth ou gh sh e m ay find it p re tty hard to return a s e r v e w h ile sittin g d ow n . Y ou can w a lk up in to th e s e r v ic e b o x and field th e s e r v e from c lo s e to th e net. T h is can b e a v e r y e ffe c tiv e ta ctic again st an o p p o n e n t w ith
Chapter 5: Knowing All the Rules and Regulations a rea lly w eak s e rv e , but it’s c o n s id e re d v e r y u n sp ortin g. (B e t t e r p la yers d o n ’t e ven b o th e r to try this, b e ca u se e v e n a so-so s e r v e is v e r y hard to return b e fo re th e ball b ou n ces, from c lo s e to th e net. B esid es, if y o u stand in side th e s e r v ic e b o x to return, y o u h a ve no w a y o f te llin g w h e th e r th e ball w ou ld land in o r out, and yo u w ill b e in no p o s itio n to s e e it b o u n ce and m ake th e call e ven if yo u d o let it g o by. T ru st m e, fo rg e t this p lo y .) M o st p la yers r e c e iv e near th e b aselin e, at a b ou t th e m id d le p o rtio n o f th e s e r v ic e c o u rt in qu estion . P la y e rs adjust th eir p o s itio n s b ased n ot on any rules but on c o m m o n sen se and an u n d erstan d in g o f th e ir o w n ga m e and th eir o p p o n e n t’s gam e. Turn to C h ap ter 13 to read m o re a b o u t th e va riou s stra teg ies in v o lv e d w ith receivin g .
Trading Ends of the Court T h e p la yers ch a n ge en d s o f th e co u rt to en su re th at b o th p la y e rs h a ve to deal w ith th e w e a th e r c o n d itio n s on e ith e r end o f th e cou rt, such as th e sun o r w ind, o r a rea lly loud, an n oyin g p erso n in th e c ro w d . I’v e h eard a fe w o f them in m y day. Each tim e th e nu m ber o f gam es p la y e d in a set adds up to an o d d number, th e p la yers ch a n ge en ds o f th e cou rt. F or exa m p le, a fte r th e first gam e, th e cu m u lative nu m ber o f gam es p la y e d is on e, so th e p la y e rs ch a n ge ends. A fte r th e next gam e, th e nu m ber o f ga m es to ta ls up to tw o , so th e p la yers stay put. T h en a fte r th e next ga m e (n o w a to ta l o f th ree g a m e s ), th e p la yers again d o th e old s w itc h e ro o . If a set en ds in an e v e n n u m b er o f gam es (say, 6-4), y o u d o n ’t ch a n ge en ds until a fter th e first ga m e o f th e n ext set.
Catting the Lines If th e ball lands on an y o f th e c o u rt b o u n d a ry lines, th e sh o t is g o o d , just as if th e ball lan ded in sid e th e cou rt. (C h a p te r 2 ou tlin es all th e lines that d efin e th e c o u rt.) O n ly th o s e balls that land c o m p le te ly o u ts id e th e lin es can be ca lled out. In p ro fessio n a l play, a w h o le h o st o f lin esp erso n s h elp ou t w ith ca llin g th e lines. In m atch es that d o n ’t h a ve th e b en efit o f lin esp erso n s, th e p erso n r e c e iv in g th e ball calls th e ball in o r out. O f co u rse, this ru le le a v e s p le n ty o f ro o m fo r ju d gm en t and p le n ty o f o p p o rtu n ity fo r abuse, and plain o ld error. W h en y o u r o p p o n e n t re p e a te d ly m akes erro rs w h en c a llin g the line, yo u can qu estio n h er calls; s e e C h ap ter 6 fo r tip s on h o w to d o so.
Part I: Tennis Anyone?
The Golden Rule of Tennis The USTA Code (the authority on rules issues w hen no official umpire is calling a m atch) states a sort of "Golden Rule of Tennis D eci sion-M aking." The Golden Rule says th at if you are uncertain w h eth er a ball on your side of the court w as good or out, you should give your opponent the benefit of the doubt and call the shot good. In doubles, the Code calls for the partner who observes the shot, rather than the one trying to field it, to make the call on his side of the net. However, in many cases the player m ak ing the shot has a better view, so his or her call is also valid. Som etim es, a player may over rule the call of his partner, no m atter which
w a y the ball w as called. This is okay on a close call w h ere the player overturning the call has a better view. Generally, if you w eren't sure about w h ere a ball landed in doubles, don't make any call at all. Simply turn to your partner to see w h ether she had a clear view of the ball. If the tw o of you just stare at each other, dumbfounded, surrenderthe point. If the tw o players on a team don't agree about w h ere a ball landed, they should surrender the point. Obviously, things aren't as cut-anddried in the business of making line calls in doubles as they are in singles. But if you ob serve the sporting spirit of the game, you'll avoid conflicts.
Other Wags to Lose the Point: Hits, Double Hits, and Other Bloopers B esid es d o u b le faulting, lettin g a ball b o u n ce tw ic e b e fo re you hit it, or h ittin g th e ball o u tsid e o f th e b ou n d aries, y o u can lo se a p oin t due to a n u m ber o f other, and thankfully less com m on , factors.
Getting struck bg the ball You lo s e th e p oin t if th e ball hits yo u o r an yth in g a tta ch ed to you — like y o u r ra cq u et, that h e a v y g o ld chain flyin g around on y o u r neck, o r even y o u r hair. If th e ball hits you, yo u sh ou ld ’fess up and g iv e y o u r o p p o n e n t th e point (S e e C h ap ter 6 fo r m ore on ten n is e tiq u e tte .) If yo u think that y o u r op p o n en t w as hit b y y o u r sh o t and he d o e s n ot c o m e fo rw a rd w ith that inform ation, ask him p o lite ly ab ou t it — s o m eth in g a lo n g th e lines o f “ I th ou gh t th e ball hit y o u r hand. A re yo u sure o f y o u r ca ll?”
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Carrying the halt or hitting it twice You also lo s e th e p oin t if yo u d e lib e r a te ly ca rry the ball, w h ich m eans you a llo w th e ball to lin g er on y o u r strin gs in an e ffo rt to take p o w e r o ff that th e ball o r gu id e it to a s p e c ific spot. T h e b u zzer also sou n ds if y o u d e lib e r a te ly hit th e ball w ith y o u r ra cq u et m ore than o n c e (n o tic e th e use o f th e w o rd d elib era tely ). If, in th e c o u rs e o f a n orm al sw ing, th e ball h appen s to hit y o u r ra c q u e t tw ice, it’s okay. P la y on! S om etim es it’s hard to tell a b ou t th e s e d o u b le hits. If th e ball glan ces o ff th e h an dle o f y o u r ra cq u et and flies stra igh t up, a fte r w h ich yo u take another, su ccessfu l sw in g at it, th a t’s c le a rly a d e lib e ra te d o u b le hit. But if the ball strikes th e fram e o f y o u r ra c q u e t and im m e d ia te ly c a ro o m s in to th e strin gs and b ou n ces back o v e r th e net, th a t’s an u n in ten tion al d o u b le hit.
Touching the net or gour opponent’s side of the court You also lo s e th e p oin t if y o u r ra cq u et (w h e th e r it’s in y o u r hand o r flyin g out o f it), an yth in g you wear, o r an yth in g y o u c a rry to u ch es th e net, n etp osts, o r y o u r o p p o n e n t’s c o u rt w h ile th e ball is in play.
Off the tight pole Y ou r sh ot m ay hit a p erm an en t c o u rt fixtu re o r s o m e o th e r o b je c t (lik e a passin g p ig e o n ). If that fixtu re o r o b je c t stands o u ts id e the lines that bou n d y o u r o p p o n e n t’s cou rt, y o u lo s e th e p oin t — e v e n if th e ball ca reen s back in to y o u r o p p o n e n t’s cou rt. T h e o n ly e x c e p tio n to this ru le is if th e ball hits th e n e tp o s ts o r an y p a rt o f th e net. A ball that b o u n ces o ff th e net (o r n e tp o s ts ) and lands in y o u r o p p o n e n t’s c o u rt is a g o o d shot, and th e ball rem ains in play.
Going around the net rather than oVer it A lth ou gh th e ball is su p p o s e d to g o o v e r th e net, s o m e tim e s a sh o t pulls yo u w a y o ff th e c o u rt on e ith e r sid e, and yo u still h a ve a ch a n ce to return th e ball. T h e ball can pass o u tsid e th e n etp o st, lo w e r than th e net, and if it lands in sid e y o u r o p p o n e n t’s cou rt, it ’s g o o d . T h e ball is still in play.
Part I; Tennis Anyone?
Shouldergate A very bizarre rules controversy erupted in the doubles final of the U.S. Open in 1985, in a match betw een tw o Am ericans, Ken Flach and Robert Seguso, and the French team of Yanick Noah and Henri LeConte. The best-of-five match w as a doozy, with each team winning a tiebreaker set to start things off. The third set also w e n t to a tiebreaker. Noah and LeConte got to 6-4 in the tiebreaker, giving them tw o set points. (Even if the other team won the next point, the one after that is still a set point.) During the ensuing point, LeConte drilled a shot th at clipped the net, whizzed right by Flach's head, and fle w be yond the baseline. Noah and LeConte felt sure th at the ball touched Flach's shoulder, w hich w o u ld have given th em th e set. Seguso seemed to think so, too, judging from the w ay he started to w alk off the court, as if the set w e re over. The umpire, Zeno Phau, did not see the ball hit Flach. He rightly refused to overturn the point. Noah asked Flach to give up the point. Seguso asked Flach w h at had happened, and Flach
said, "If anything, it brushed my hair." If that w as the case, Flach should have surrendered the point underthe Golden Rule with which he grew up. It states that if you have any doubt w hatsoever about the call, you give your op ponent the benefit of doubt. (In tennis, players often override the umpire to make calls against them selves as a m atter of conscience.) But Flach insisted that he may have just felt the ball buzz past his long locks. He said he w asn't willing to make the call against himself, because he w as a pro, and pros leave calls to the officials. In any event, he did not give up the point. The French team fell apart when Flach refused to surrender the point, and the A m erican team won the first of their many Grand Slam doubles titles, 6 -7 ,7 -6 ,7 -6 ,6 -0 . Something like that is bound to happen to you if you play a lot of tennis. It may really hurt to observe the Golden Rule, especially when you're not convinced that your opponent is doing the same. But it's the best idea in the long run. W h at would you have done in Flach's shoes?
Reaching over or touching the net You m ust w ait until th e ball cro s s e s th e net b e fo re you return it — if you reach o v e r to return th e ball b e fo re it cro s s e s th e net, you lo se th e point. H ow ever, if y o u hit th e ball from y o u r s id e o f th e c o u rt and, on y o u r follow throu gh, th e ra cq u et cro s s e s o v e r th e net and in to y o u r o p p o n e n t’s court, th e ball rem ains in p la y — as lon g as y o u d o n ’ t a ctu a lly tou ch th e net. Also, if a ball w ith c ra z y spin hits th e c o u rt on y o u r sid e and then b ou n ces back o v e r th e net, y o u can reach o v e r th e net to hit it. (C h a p te r 7 tells you m ore a b ou t sp in .) But y o u c a n ’t to u ch th e net w ith an y p art o f y o u r b o d y o r an yth in g attached to it until th e ball has b o u n ced tw ice, under any circu m stan ces.
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Throwing the racquet at the bait W h en y o u ’re re a lly bu stin g it to g e t to th e b all and y o u k n o w that you aren ’ t g o in g to m ake it, you m ay th row you r racqu et at th e ball in d e sp era tio n . Or, b u tterfin gers, yo u m ay let th e ra cq u et sim p ly fall out o f y o u r hands in th e c o u rs e o f a n orm al sh ot. C h an ces are slim that y o u r ra c q u e t w ill a ctu a lly hit the ball and cau se it to g o o v e r th e net in a legal play. H o w ever, if th e im p ro b a b le co m e s to pass, you m ust relin qu ish th e poin t. A s th e y sa y in m y h o m eto w n , N e w York City, “ F e rrrg g g g g g e d a b ou t it.” T h ro w in g y o u r ra cq u et at th e ball is s tric tly illegal, w h e th e r on p u rp o s e o r b y acciden t.
Catching the ball S trictly speaking, ca tch in g th e ball w ith y o u r hand o r e v e n th e fa c e o f y o u r ra cq u et b e fo re it b ou n ces, no m a tter w h e re the ball a p p ea rs to b e h e a d e d or w h e re y o u ’re standing, cau ses yo u to lo s e th e poin t. A stic k le r fo r d eta il has th e righ t to call you on y o u r catch. Even in th e friendliest o f m atches, a vo id catching the ball b e fo re it b o u n ces — u n less it’s g o in g w ay, w a y ou t. C a tc h in g th e b a ll fr e q u e n tly lea d s to disagreem en ts, e v e n a m o n g friends. W h en yo u p la y a casual gam e, h o w ever, a ball so m e tim e s lo o k s so o b v io u s ly “ o u t” that yo u ca tch th e ball on th e fly to a v o id that jo g g in g a fte r it. You assum e that y o u r p a rtn er a lso kn ow s th e ball is g o in g w a y out. T h is p ra c tic e is p re tty c o m m o n a m o n g frien d s in casual gam es.
Stopping Plag With a Let In a d d itio n to ca llin g a let d u rin g th e s e rv e , you can call a let (s to p p la y ) in s o m e o th e r in stan ces. E ith er p la y e r has th e righ t to call a let; as so o n as a p la y er calls a let, th e p o in t starts over. T h e let call is like th e Pau se b u tton on y o u r s tereo ; in th e c a se o f tennis, h ittin g th e Pau se b u tton m eans that yo u h a ve to rew in d to th e start o f th e poin t. You sh ou ld call a let w h en an y o f th e fo llo w in g th in gs happen: j v * A b a ll ro lls onto y o u r court: T h is situ ation o c c u rs fre q u e n tly at tennis ) sites w ith m u ltip le cou rts. V eteran p la yers can s o m e tim e s en d u re this i an n o ya n ce and p lay on (u n less th e ball rolls righ t u n der th e ir fe e t). E ither p la y e r can call a let in such cases, even if o n e is w illin g to p la y on.
Part I: Tennis Anyone? v0 Y o u r shot hits a stray b a ll: If y o u d o n ’t h a ve ballkids to fetch stray ten n is balls (a n d w h o d o e s e x c e p t th e p ros?), yo u m ay find y o u rs e lf p la yin g a p o in t w ith a ball lyin g in sid e th e b ou n d aries o f th e court. Usually, th e stra y ball w as a first s e r v e fault. (S e rv e rs o ften d o n ’t like to p ick up lo o s e balls b e tw e e n s e r v e s .) If a ball in p la y hits a ball lyin g in sid e th e b ou n d a ries o f th e cou rt, the ball is still in play. If y o u r o p p o n e n t s u ccessfu lly returns it, p lay on. If y o u ca n ’t tell w h ich ball b o u n ced up and b eca m e live, yo u p lay a let. A distraction occurs sufficient to b re a k the concentration o f either play er: For exam p le, w h ile th e ball is in play, Ed M cM ah on sh ow s up at th e fe n ce to tell yo u that y o u ’v e just w o n a zillio n d ollars. O r Joe Tennis P la y e r g ets a call on his c e ll p h on e, and th e ring is so loud that it d istra cts y o u r play. Such a let is ca lled an in terru p tion let.
Discovering Doubles Rules T h e rules fo r p la y in g d o u b les d iffe r from sin gles rules in a fe w im p ortan t w ays. First, th e d o u b les c o u rt is larger, s o th e b ou n d a ries o f legal p la y d iffer from th o s e o f a sin gles cou rt. (S e e C h ap ter 2 fo r all th e d eta ils on th e playing area fo r d o u b le s .) B eyo n d th e c o u rt size, d o u b les o ffe rs a fe w other, m ore c o m p lic a te d ru le d ifferen ces.
One shot at a time O n ly o n e p la y e r on a d o u b le s team can hit a g iven ball on each o f its trips o v e r th e net. Hey, this is tennis d ou b les, n ot b each v o lle y b a ll! For exam ple, you and y o u r p a rtn er m a y en d up d iv in g fo r th e sam e ball up at the net ( a c la ssic ex a m p le o f m isco m m u n ica tio n !); if b o th o f y o u r ra cq u ets hit th e ball, you a u to m a tic a lly lo s e th e poin t. But y o u d o n ’t lo s e th e poin t if you r ra cq u ets c o llid e and o n ly o n e o f th em hits th e ball.
Covering the court You d o n ’t h a ve to take turns h ittin g th e ball. T h e p la yers can m o v e around all o v e r th e c o u rt a fte r th e s e r v e — in fact, if o n e p la y e r d e c id e s to g o to the c lu b h o u se fo r a so d a a fte r th e s e rv e , sh e can. If o n e p la y e r c h o o s e s to c o v e r th e en tire c o u rt and take e v e r y sh ot, th a t’s o k a y (e x c e p t w h en it co m e s to s e rv in g and returning serves, as d escrib ed in the follow in g section s). But when th e e a g e r b e a v e r d oes all the work, th e oth er player usu ally gets annoyed.
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Serving times four T h e p la yers on each team take turns s e rv in g (ju s t as in s in g le s ), o b s e r v in g a fou r-p la yer ro ta tio n d e te rm in e d at the sta rt o f each set. For exa m p le, sa y that P la y e r A and P la y e r B are on a team again st P la y e r C and P la y e r D. P la yers A and C d e c id e to s e r v e first fo r th eir re s p e c tiv e team s. T h e s e r v e then ro ta tes in th e fo llo w in g ord er: A, C, B, D, A, C, and s o on. E ither m e m b e r o f y o u r team can s e r v e first — it’s y o u r c h o ic e . T h e sam e g o e s fo r th e o th e r team . H ow ever, yo u sh ou ld let the b e tte r s e r v e r b e tw e e n y o u s e r v e first. A t th e b egin n in g o f ea ch n ew set, e ith e r p la y e r can s e r v e th e first ga m e fo r his team — e v e n if it breaks th e ro ta tio n esta b lis h e d in th e p re v io u s set. For exam p le, e v e n if I s e r v e th e last ga m e o f th e first set fo r m y team , I can also s e r v e th e first ga m e o f th e n ew set w h en it’s ou r turn to s e r v e again.
Choosing a serving position T h e s e r v e r in d o u b le s n eed s to o b s e r v e th e sam e p o s itio n in g rules as in sin gles p erta in in g to th e c e n te r line and th e co u rt in to w h ich he is servin g. H ow ever, th e s e r v e r gets a little m o re ro o m a lo n g th e b a s e lin e in d ou b les; he can s e r v e from b eh in d th e d o u b les alley, as w e ll — as lo n g as he stays b eh in d th e b aselin e. H ow ever, y o u sh o u ld n ’t s e r v e from w a y o v e r in th e alley, e ven if it is s h a d y o v e r there. In gen eral, s e rv e rs stand w id e r o f th e c e n te r m ark than th e y d o in sin gles b eca u se th e y h a ve a p a rtn er th e re to c o v e r half th e cou rt. (S e e C h ap ter 13 fo r m o re on d o u b le s stra tegy.)
Receiving the serve T h e m em b ers o f th e r e c e iv in g d o u b les team m ust c h o o s e to r e c e iv e in e ith e r th e d e u ce o r th e ad cou rt. A fte r c h o o s in g a sid e, ea ch p la y e r retu rns s e rv e s from o n ly that s id e o f th e c o u rt fo r th e d u ration o f th e set. T h e retu rn ers can ch an ge th e c o u rt in w h ich ea ch p la y e r r e c e iv e s at th e sta rt o f ea ch n ew set, but o n ly then. T h e re c e iv in g team can take up any p o s itio n s on th e cou rt, as lo n g as th e p erso n d esig n a ted to return th e s e r v e a ctu a lly m akes th e return. In o th e r w o rd s, yo u can stand ch eek -to-jow l w ith y o u r p a rtn er w h ile o n e o f y o u is retu rn in g (if th a t’s y o u r id ea o f s tra te g y ).
Part I: Tennis Anyone? T h e r e c e iv e r usu ally stan ds a lo n g th e b aselin e. T h e p la y e r n ot returning the s e r v e so m e tim e s sets up righ t a lo n g th e s e r v ic e line in an a ttem p t to rattle th e server. D oin g s o is legal, but o n e th in g y o u c a n ’t d o is unduly d istract th e s e r v e r b y ju m p in g arou n d o r w a v in g y o u r arm s as sh e p rep ares to s erve.
Playing tiebreakers in doubles In th e d o u b le s tiebreaker, th e sam e rules p erta in as in sin gles (w h ic h i exp lain in C h ap ter 4), e x c e p t that all fou r p la yers p a rticip a te in th e twop o in t ro ta tio n esta b lis h e d a fte r th e first, sin gle p oin t is p la yed . T h e y must o b s e r v e th e sam e s e rv in g o r d e r as in th e p re v io u s p o rtio n o f th e set. For exa m p le, in a tie b rea k er b e tw e e n the team o f P la y e r A and P la y er B again st P la y e r C and P la y e r D, th e s e rv in g ro ta tio n w o u ld p rogress as show n in T a b le 5-1. (P la y e r s A and C h a ve s e r v e d first fo r th eir re s p e c tiv e team s.)
Table 5-1
Serve Rotation in a Doubles Tiebreaker
Serve N um ber
P lay er
1
A
2
C
3
C
4
B
5
B
6
D
7
D
8
A
9
A
10
C
11
C
W h o o p s ! T h a t’s it. P la y e r C ju st hit an a c e to end th e tiebreaker, 7-4.
Chapter 6
Tennis Etiquette: Do You Really Want to Throw That Racquet? In This Chapter Picking up th e balls Calling th e sc o re Calling th e ball out Q u estion in g th e call Taking a break S u p portin g y o u r d o u b les p a rtn er Finishing th e ga m e w ith flair
ennis e tiq u e tte p ro v id e s g u id elin es o f co n d u c t that m ake p la yin g th e ga m e easier, frien dlier, and m o re fun. N o m a tter at w h at le v e l you p lay th e gam e, fo llo w in g p ro p e r tennis e tiq u e tte rem in d s y o u to think o f tennis as a gam e, rath er than as a d ire c t c o n fro n ta tio n b e tw e e n in d ivid u a ls w h o h a ve a lot o f naked p rid e and e g o on th e line.
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Respecting Bad Etiquette K n ow in g and fo llo w in g p ro p e r e tiq u e tte w h en yo u re tr ie v e balls is a s e r v ic e you d o fo r y o u rs e lf and y o u r o p p o n e n t. By fo llo w in g a rou tin e w ith th e balls, you a v o id in terru p tin g the rh yth m o f th e ga m e w ith u n n ecessa ry delays. B egin n ers sp en d m o re tim e pick in g up balls b eca u se th e y m ake m o re erro rs, p lay s h o rte r poin ts, and h a v e n ’t d is c o v e r e d h o w to p ick up balls efficien tly. Just fo llo w th ese gen eral gu id elin es fo r re trie v in g balls, and y o u ’ll find y o u rs e lf sp en d in g th e m inim um am ou n t o f tim e ch asin g th em d ow n :
v * R etrieve the b a lls that e n d u p on y o u r o w n sid e o f the net. If yo u hit th e ball in to th e net, it o n ly seem s fair that yo u h a ve to r e trie v e th e ball.
Part I: Tennis Anyone? v 0 If you hit the b a ll to M ars, go get it yourself. If yo u hit th e ball o v e r y o u r o p p o n e n t’s head, th e fe n c e b eh in d her, a cross th e brook, through th e pine fo rest and into G ranny L ittle ’s flo w e rp o t, o ffer to g o get the ball you rself, e ven th ou gh it’s tech n ica lly on y o u r o p p o n e n t’s sid e o f the net. M ake su re that the s e r v e r h as tw o b a lls w h e n she n eed s them. If the s e r v e r a lre a d y has tw o balls, yo u can just hang o n to th e third ball. If the s e r v e r is a lso re trie v in g a ball and not p a yin g atten tion , you can just to ss it d o w n to his b a selin e o r back fen ce, w h e re h e can s e e it and pick it up w h en he n eed s it. T h e s e r v e r a lw a ys n eed s to h a ve at least tw o balls in his p ossessio n b e fo r e s ta rtin g a p oin t; he m ay n eed tw o balls in th e e v e n t o f a firsts e r v e let. (S e e C h ap ter 11 fo r th e d eta ils on s e rv in g .) But d o n ’t in ter rupt p la y to p ick up th e ball a fte r a first s e r v e fault, unless: • T h e b a ll distracts the players. T h is situ ation is a ju d gm en t call. D o n ’t b e sh y a b ou t asking y o u r o p p o n e n t to p ick up a ball if it’s in a d istra ctin g o r p o te n tia lly d a n gerou s p lace. A d istra ctin g ball just plays on y o u r m ind w h ile y o u ’re try in g to p la y th e next point. • T h e b a ll po ses the d a n g e r o f injury. T h e fa rth er from th e net that a d ea d ball is lyin g in o r n ear th e cou rt, th e m ore ch a n ce yo u h ave o f in a d v e rte n tly s te p p in g on th e ball du rin g th e ensu ing poin t and tu rn in g an ankle. M ake this w o rld a sa fe r p la c e fo r tennis p layers b y c le a rin g a w a y u n w an ted balls. • T h e s e r v e r n e e d s o r requ ests the b a ll. T h e s e r v e r has the p re ro g a tiv e to ask y o u fo r th e ex tra ball. D o n ’t gro u se ab ou t it. W h en th e s e r v e r hits a fault, yo u can let the ball g o by, return it w ea k ly up to the net w h e re it w ill b e out o f th e way, ca tch it and h old o n to it, o r roll it up to th e n et o r to th e back fen ce, w h e re th e ball is out o f th e way. If, fo r s o m e reason , y o u c a n ’t q u ic k ly re tr ie v e a d ead ball a fte r a first-serve fault, o r if in d o in g so y o u cau se an in terru p tio n (fo r exam p le, yo u try to tap th e ball to th e back fen ce, but it rolls o n to an o th er co u rt b y m istake, and yo u h a v e to re tr ie v e it), sta rt th e en tire poin t over. Tell th e server, “Take t w o ” — m ean in g “ take tw o s e r v e s .” If th e s e r v e r hits a s e c o n d -s e rv e let and g e ttin g him a n o th er ball to hit takes an unusually lo n g tim e (o r co n stitu tes an in te rru p tio n ), o ffe r th e s e r v e r tw o n ew s e rv e s . In casual ga m es o r m atch es, th e s e r v e r m ay e ven turn d ow n this gen ero u s o ffe r b eca u se h e d id n ’ t feel to o put out. N o w th a t’s th e kind of o p p o n e n t y o u w an t to b efrien d . D o n ’t d illy -d a lly w h en re trie v in g balls, like yo u h ate d o in g it. You can ea sily lo s e tra ck o f th e balls, so w h en yo u p ick up a ball, alw ays m ake sure that the s e r v e r has tw o balls b e fo r e y o u tuck a w a y th e third one. Just ask, “ G ot tw o ? ” A fte r y o u s e r v e a fe w gam es y o u rself, yo u a p p re c ia te that it’s a real d rag for th e s e r v e r to h a v e to keep saying, “ Ball, p le a s e ” tim e and again. Eventually, this situ ation can d e g e n e ra te into, “ G im m e th e ##$% % A&$ ball, yo u jerk !”
Chapter 6: Tennis Etiquette: Do You Really Want to Throw That Racquet?
Keeping Track of the Score T h e s e r v e r keeps track o f th e sco re. G enerally, th e s e r v e r sh ou ld call out th e s c o re a fter e v e r y p o in t ends, just to a v o id m isu n d erstan d in g. Call th e s c o re lo u d ly en ou gh fo r y o u r o p p o n e n t to h ear it, but yo u d o n ’t n eed to b e llo w like th e w h o le jo in t n eed s to k n ow y o u r sco re. N o th in g is m o re an n oyin g than h avin g to ask y o u r o p p o n e n t re p e a te d ly fo r th e sco re. If y o u r o p p o n e n t isn ’t ca llin g th e s c o re lo u d ly enough, tell her p o litely to pum p up th e vo lu m e. Inevitably, at sam e p oin t you w ill g e t in to a situ ation w h e re y o u d o n ’ t a g ree on th e sco re. T h e s e r v e r calls out, “ 40-30” and you m ay b e te m p te d to say, “What?????? It’s 30-all, h o m b re !” D o n ’t lo s e y o u r c o o l like that. Just say, “ Excuse m e, but I b e lie v e it’s 30-all.” M o st o f th e tim e, th e e rro r is ju st a slip o f th e tongu e. But if y o u r o p p o n e n t insists, c h eck w h ich s id e sh e is stan d in g on to s e rv e . B ecau se th e s e r v e r has to a ltern a te sid es a fte r e v e r y p oin t, yo u can usually figu re out w h o ’s righ t a b ou t th e sco re. If y o u r o p p o n e n t’s p o s itio n and th e p o in t cou n t are in syn c but y o u ’re still c o n v in c e d that y o u ’re right, w alk up to th e net and tell y o u r o p p o n e n t in a frie n d ly and calm m anner, “ Gee, I re a lly think w e ’v e g o t th e w ro n g s c o re h ere.” Th en , w ith th e h elp o f y o u r o p p o n e n t, m en ta lly re p la y th e p oin ts from th e last p oin t p la yed , if yo u can. It’s su rp risin g h o w o ften y o u can re m e m b e r th e s e q u e n c e o f h o w th e last fou r o r fiv e p oin ts en d ed . W alk y o u r o p p o n e n t th rou gh th e p ro cess. If you a g ree on th e last tw o p oin ts but h a ve d iffe re n t v e rs io n s o f h o w th e p oin t b e fo re them en d ed , m ake y o u r ca ses but d o n ’t b e la b o r th e issue. A t that point, yo u can su ggest p la y in g o v e r from th e last p oin t y o u b o th a g re e on, startin g o v e r from d eu ce (if th e c o n tro v e rs y o c cu rred at a h igh er score, like 40-30, o r ad-in), o r sta rtin g th e ga m e over. You can a lso b ack o ff and a c c e p t th e score, if it turns out that y o u ’re no lo n ger d ead certain that y o u ’re right about th e score.
Bringing the right equipment to the court Each player should bring a new can of tennis balls to start the match. You both feel kind of stupid if you show up to play a match and neither of you has acceptable balls. W hich can of balls you play with doesn't m atter — let
the outcome of the m atch dictate w ho keeps the used balls and who gets the new ones. The w inn er gets to go home with the new, unopened can of balls, and the loser keeps the ones th at w e re used in the match.
Part I: Tennis Anyone?____________________________________
Making Those Delicate Line Calls D eterm in in g w h e th e r a ball lands in bou n ds o r ou t o f bou n ds is — b y far — th e area o f g rea test p o ten tia l c o n tr o v e r s y b e tw e e n o p p o s in g p la yers (e s p e c ia lly w h en no o ffic ia ls are on hand to call lin es). M istakes w ill occur, trust m e on that. Y o u ’ll m ake s o m e erro rs, and y o u r o p p o n e n t w ill m ake som e erro rs w h en ca llin g a ball in o r out. O ften, y o u m ay feel ab solu tely, p o s itiv e ly , co m p letely , and to ta lly sure that y o u r call is right, o r that y o u r o p p o n e n t’s call is w ron g. Even w h en y o u ’re that c o n v in c e d , k eep tw o th in gs in m ind b eca u se th e o u ts id e ch a n ce exists that y o u ’re w ron g. First, y o u r e y e s can p la y tricks on yo u in c o m p e titiv e situ ations, e s p e c ia lly w h en yo u g e t all w ra p p e d up in them . Second, each p la y e r is th e u ltim ate a u th o rity on h er sid e o f th e net. If yo u feel that you w e re w ro n g e d , b ite th e b u llet and w in th e next poin t. T h e b u llet d o e s n ’t taste to o bad w h en you d o that.
Taking the pain out of your calls T o a v o id u n n ecessa ry c o n tr o v e r s y o v e r a call, keep th e fo llo w in g tips in m ind:
i* M ak e y o u r call instantly. N o th in g is w o r s e than p la yin g an o p p o n en t w h o h em s and haw s b e fo r e m aking an “ o u t” call. W h en e ith e r o f you hem s and haw s, it a lm o st alw ays im p lies u n certa in ty ab ou t w h e th e r the ball w as in o r not. If yo u d o n ’t m ake th e call instantly, yo u must p lay on, e v e n if this w a r ty little g reen d w a rf k eep s w h isp erin g in y o u r ear, “ It w as out, it w as o u t.” If y o u ’ re u n certain a b ou t a call, you sh o u ld n ’t be ca llin g th e ball out. G ive y o u r o p p o n e n t th e b e n efit o f th e dou bt. v " M ak e y o u r call decisively. P re fa c in g y o u r out call w ith phrases like “ I think,” “ I gu ess,” o r “ I’m p re tty s u re ” isn ’ t fair to y o u r op p o n en t. You h a ve n ot o n ly a righ t but an o b lig a tio n to b e firm w ith y o u r out call.
v0 M ake y o u r call loudly. R em em ber, y o u ’re m aking th e call fo r the b en efit o f y o u r o p p o n e n t, w h o h ap p en s to b e all th e w a y on th e o th e r s id e o f th e net. o ' K eep the call sim ple. Just call, “ O ut!” w h en th e ball lands b eyo n d the b ou n d a ries. If yo u prefer, yo u can y ell, “ N o !” But d o n ’t e v e r call a ball “ in ” d u rin g a poin t, b eca u se it d istra cts y o u r op p o n en t. You d o n ’t h ave to g iv e y o u r o p p o n e n t a v iv id a ccou n t o f just h o w c lo s e th e ball w as to th e line, h o w re lie v e d y o u are that th e ball lan d ed out, and w h y y o u ’re s o h a p p y that yo u d id n ’t call a let just b e fo re th e shot.
Chapter 6: Tennis Etiquette: Do You Really Want to Throw That Racquet? O n ce yo u start p la yin g regularly, y o u ’ll g e t hip to s o m e o f th e sign language that o ften su b stitu tes fo r v e rb a l co m m u n ica tio n b e tw e e n e x p e rie n c e d players. H ere are th e m ost c o m m o n exam p les: W h en a ball lands out, p la y e rs o ften just raise th eir free arm and poin t an in d ex fin ger in th e air to in d ica te that th e ball w as lon g, o r p o in t to th e left o r righ t to in d ica te that it w as ou t a lo n g th e sid elin e. W h en retu rn in g s e rv e , yo u can h old tw o fin gers up, like th e p e a c e sign, to in d ica te that th e s e r v e r sh ou ld take tw o s e r v e s b eca u se o f an in terru p tion o r d istra ction . o ' W h en you a ren ’ t re a d y to r e c e iv e th e s e rv e , just h old up y o u r fre e arm in th e c o m m o n halt gestu re.
When you question your opponent's calls If yo u think that y o u r o p p o n e n t m a d e a bad call, d o n ’t rush to ju dgm en t. Q u ick ly ask y o u rs e lf if y o u ’re su re that th e call w as w ron g, and if you had a g o o d en ou gh an gle on th e ball to b e sure. If y o u feel th at yo u w e re ch ea ted , c o n s c io u s ly o r o th e rw is e , file th e p o ten tia l bad call a w a y u n d er th e h ead in g Accident. Be prepared to a ccep t on e acciden t p er set. Think o f it as a strike one. If you g e t an o th er bad call s o o n a fte r th e first, p o lite ly but firm ly s a y to y o u r o p p o n en t, “A re yo u sure o f th e ca ll?” O r ask, “A re yo u c erta in th e ball w as ou t?” T h a t’s strik e tw o. Q u estion in g a call p o lite ly sen d s th e m e ssa g e that you w o n ’t b e abu sed. Be a w a re o f y o u r o p p o n e n t’s rea ctio n but d o n ’t read to o m uch in to it. C h eaters can b e e ith e r blase o r o v e r ly d e fe n s iv e . H on est p la y e rs are ra re ly e ith e r — th ey tend to be reason ab le and ea g e r to straigh ten out any m isunderstanding. If yo u g e t y e t an o th er bad call, c o n s id e r it strik e th ree. Feel fre e to be em p h a tic but reason ab le, sa yin g s o m e th in g like “ I c le a rly sa w that ball in. W ould you re c o n s id e r y o u r c a ll?” o r “ A re yo u su re a b ou t that, b e c a u s e 1 d e fin ite ly saw th e ball in?” If sh e acts o ffe n d e d that y o u ’re q u e s tio n in g h er call, m en tio n that y o u ’v e had silen t but firm d o u b ts a b ou t at least tw o e a rlie r calls, as w ell. If y o u r o p p o n e n t b e c o m e s b elligeren t, resist g e ttin g in to an argum ent. You alw ays h a ve th e o p tio n o f w alk in g a w a y from th e m ess. But y o u can also p la y on, m aking th e b est o f a bad situation. Bad calls at key tim es can rea lly kill you . A t o th e r tim es, a fe w bad calls d o n ’t d o n ea rly as m uch d am age as co m in g m en ta lly u nglued b e ca u se o f them . But d o n ’t sta rt m aking flagran t bad calls o f y o u r o w n fo r reven g e. T h a t can g e t rea lly ugly.
Part I: Tennis Anyone? a»B£n
If y o u cou n t th ree q u e s tio n a b le ca lls d u rin g a tou rnam ent, w h e re s o m e o n e is in ch arge, yo u can e x c u s e y o u rs e lf and g o to th e tou rn am en t d ire c to r or o rg a n ize r to m ake a form al com p la in t. O ften, th e p erso n in ch arge can send s o m e o n e ou t to act as an ap p ea ls ju d g e in y o u r m atch. Rem em ber, this p e rs o n isn ’t th e re to call lines, but to act as an ap p ea ls ju dge, o r cop , if you g e t in to y e t a n o th er c o n tro v e rs y . U n fortu n ately, in recrea tio n a l p lay you d o n ’t h a ve that kind o f re c o u rs e m o st o f th e tim e. If y o u ’re to o furious to p la y on and y o u ’re n ot h a vin g fun, tell y o u r o p p o n en t, “ T h is just isn ’t fun for m e an ym ore. I h a ve to s to p n ow .” N o m atter h o w g o o d y o u r in ten tion s, n e v e r m ake a call and then ask y o u r o p p o n e n t, “ H ow d id yo u s e e it?” It isn ’t a fair p o s itio n to put h er in, b ecau se it ’s like saying, “ I rea lly w an t to take this poin t, but I’m n ot sure it b elon gs to m e. W ill y o u h elp m e take it from y o u ? ” You c a n ’t m ake calls b y com m ittee, and yo u sh o u ld n ’ t put y o u r o p p o n e n t in an unfair p o sition . W h en you r o p p o n e n t rea lly lo o k s p ain ed a fte r a call o r sh o w s so m e sign o f m istrusting you , it’s o k a y to sa y s o m eth in g frie n d ly like “ T h e ball w as clo se, but I’ m p o s itiv e it w as ou t.”
When your opponent questions you If y o u ’re an h o n est player, y o u can to le ra te b ein g q u estio n ed ab ou t y o u r line calls. If y o u a re sure o f y o u r call, y o u sh ou ld h a ve n o tro u b le sayin g so. D on ’t b e o v e r ly anxiou s a b ou t y o u r call o r plant an y d ou b t in you r o p p o n e n t’s m ind b y lau nching in to a p o lo g e tic o r lon g-w in d ed explanations, e ven if you feel em b arrassed o r a n g ry at b ein g qu estion ed . Tell you r opp on en t firm ly and p o lite ly that you are su re o f y o u r call. Just say, “ I’m sorry, but I n e v e r had a m om en t o f dou b t. T h e ball w as c le a rly o u t.” Or, “ If I w a sn ’t sure ab ou t th e call, I w o u ld n ’t h a ve m ade it righ t away. I’m sure th e ball w as ou t.” If y o u ’re p la y in g in a tou rn am en t, o ffe r to b rin g an o ffic ia l ou t to th e cou rt to m o n ito r th e m atch w h en it’s c le a r that y o u r o p p o n e n t m istrusts you. D on’t o ffe r to h a ve y o u r m o th e r m o n ito r th e p la y — g e t an im partial person. D on ’t g e t all ben t out o f sh a p e and take th e d isp u te person ally. A c c e p t d is a g re e m e n t as p art o f th e stress o f c o m p e titio n and focu s on the q u a lity of y o u r play.
The smoking gun On a clay court, the ball often leaves a mark w hen it hits the court surface. If you w a n t to dispute your opponent's call, ask him to show you the mark, and feel free to have a look at it
yourself. Under tennis etiquette, this practice is perfectly acceptable w h enever you're con vinced th at a call w as wrong.
Chapter 6: Tennis Etiquette: Do You Really Want to Throw That Racquet? You know w hat? S om etim es, you m ay m ake a bad call w ith o u t rea lizin g it until a fter y o u ’v e e n d ed the poin t. (A little v o ic e in sid e y o u r head m ay tell you s o .) In such cases, b e d e c e n t a b ou t y o u r m istake. T ell y o u r o p p o n en t, “ I’m sorry. I m ay h a ve m ad e a bad call. L e t’s p la y tw o .” In effe c t, it’s a let. If y o u ’re sure that you b le w a call on a ball that y o u c o u ld n ’t h a v e retu rn ed anyw ay, g iv e y o u r o p p o n e n t th e poin t. O n e grea t th in g ab ou t g iv in g y o u r o p p o n e n t a rea so n a b le b e n efit o f th e d o u b t is that it frees up y o u r m ind to focu s on th e task at hand — p la yin g g o o d tennis. F reely g iven c o u rte s y is th e e s s e n c e o f etiq u e tte , and v e r y o fte n th e fa v o r w ill b e returned. W h en y o u ’re p la yin g a m atch again st s o m e o n e w h o m yo u d o n ’ t k n ow w ell, n e v e r catch th e ball w ith y o u r hand o r ra cq u et b e fo r e it b ou n ces. T e c h n i cally, y o u r o p p o n e n t can claim th e point. You can discu ss th e issu e b e fo re yo u p la y if so m e reason like a lo w fe n c e b eh in d th e c o u rt m akes ca tch in g th e ball a real tim e-savin g issue. But as a rule, a v o id that habit.
Line-catting in the pro game If you e v e r h a ve th e lu xu ry to p la y w ith an o ffic ia l o r lin esm en on th e cou rt, o r if y o u ’re cu riou s a b ou t h o w th e y d iv v y up th e jo b o f ca llin g lines w h en you w a tch p ro tennis on te le v is io n , h e re ’s th e skinny. T h e ch a ir um pire, the o n e sittin g in th e high chair, is th e h ea d h o n c h o in th e m atch. M ostly, his jo b is to keep s c o re and p re s id e o v e r th e c erem o n ies. H e e n fo rc e s th e rules, like th e o n e req u irin g p ro p la yers to sta rt n ew p o in ts no m o re than 20 sec o n d s a fte r th e co n clu sio n o f th e p re v io u s on es. ( H e d o e s that w ith th e h elp o f a s to p w a tc h .) In th e e v e n t o f a d isa g reem en t b e tw e e n th e p la yers, lin esp erson s, o r both , th e u m pire a rb itra tes and d e c id e s th e issue. T h e o n ly tim e that th e ch a ir m akes calls in a m atch w ith a full c o m p le m e n t o f lines o fficia ls is if and w h en sh e feels that a lin e s p e rs o n m a d e a c le a r error. T h is is ca lled th e righ t o f o verru le. M ost um pires, g o o d on es at an y rate, d o n ’t o v e rru le lin esp erso n s unless th e y feel that th e e rro r w as a c le a r m istake. A line o ffic ia l is a ssign ed to ea ch o f th e s e se v e n s tra te g ic location s: i u * The tw o baselin es: A lin esperson sits at each baseline, w e ll o ff th e c o u rt : but e ven w ith and facin g th e b aselin e. T h e sign o f a g o o d lin e s p e rs o n is th e w a y he hu nches over, in ten t on his lin e a s s ig n m e n t, th e m om en t th e ball is put in play. A g o o d lin e o ffic ia l d o e s n ’t w a tch th e poin t; sh e :. w a tch es th e line. It’s a bad sign w h en a lin e s p e rs o n in a s tra w b o a te r is £ sacked out in a c o u rts id e chair, head flung back, sn o rin g away.
i is * T h e tw o sidelines: A lin e s p e rs o n w a tc h e s ea ch sid elin e, sta n d in g o r | f;
sittin g at th e v e r y back o f th e cou rt. T h e lin e s p e rs o n on th e re tu rn e r’s s id e also w a tch es th e s id e lin e w h en th e p la y e r at th e far end is servin g, b eca u se th e s id e lin e is a lso o n e o f th e s e r v ic e b o x b ou n d aries. On b ig
Part I: Tennis Anyone? j
o cc a s io n s , like Grand Slam tou rn am en ts, lin esp erso n s m ay b e resp on s ib le fo r ju st th e sid elin es on th e ir r e s p e c tiv e sid es o f th e net, addin g tw o m o re o ffic ia ls to th e mix. But often , a sin gle o ffic ia l w atch es th e s id e lin e on b oth sid e s o f th e net, p e e rin g th rou gh th e m esh o f the net to s e e th e o th e r side.
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T h e se rv ic e line: T h e s e r v ic e lin e s p e rs o n m o v e s from a p ositio n even w ith th e s e r v ic e lin e on e ith e r s id e o f th e cou rt, ch an gin g to th e re tu rn e r’s s id e o f th e c o u rt a fte r ea ch s e r v ic e gam e. T h e C y c lo p s e le c tro n ic lin e-callin g m ach in e, w h ich im m e d ia te ly em its a
I
b e e p if th e ball lands b e y o n d th e s e r v ic e line but w ith in abou t 18 in ch es o f it, is re p la c in g th e s e r v ic e lin esp erso n at tou rn am en ts that can a fford th e eq u ip m en t. A fte r th e C y c lo p s b e e p e d m y b ro th e r John fo r a fault on o n e o c c a s io n , h e lo u d ly rem arked, “ I m ay b e paran oid, but that m a ch in e kn ow s w h o I am .”
v * T h e cen ter line: O n e o f th e s id e lin e o fficia ls, stan d in g at the v e r y back o f th e cou rt, d ir e c tly b eh in d th e n ear c e n te r mark, w atch es th e cen ter lin e as th e ball is s e rv e d . A fte r th e ball is put in play, this lin esp erson s c o o ts o v e r to w a tch h er assign ed sid elin e. : v * T h e let c ord : T h is is th e cream -pu ff jo b o f all th e cu sh y jo b s in tennis. T h e let c o rd ju d g e ju st sits h u n ch ed b e s id e th e net just o u ts id e the d o u b le s sid elin e, a fin ger lig h tly restin g on to p o f th e net, rea d y to call e v e n th e m o st u n d e te c ta b le let. But this s e e m in g ly light assign m en t has a d o w n sid e. T h e le t c o rd ju d g e is in a grea t p la c e to get b ean ed b y a w ild s e rv e , return, o r grou n d strok e. For that reason, s o m e let cord ju d ges w e a r b ic y c le h elm ets, s a fe ty glasses, o r both . Lately, ele c tro n ic sen so rs th at are m o n ito re d b y th e u m p ire in th e ch a ir h a ve taken o v e r th e jo b o f th e let c o rd ju dge. L in esp erso n s h a ve th e sam e o b lig a tio n to m ake calls in stan tly as players ca llin g th e ir o w n lines. W h en y o u s e e a p ro p la y e r co m p la in in g ab ou t a lin esp erso n , it’s o fte n b eca u se th e call is b ein g m ade late — a fter th e official h ears th e c ro w d rea ctio n o r gets a d irty lo o k from th e o th e r player! SAYS
I a lw a ys tr y to a v o id co m m u n ica tio n w ith th e lin e officia ls, figu rin g that I sh ou ld let th em d o th eir jo b w h ile I d o m ine. T h e y ’re human, to o , and you h a v e to e x p e c t an e rro r o r tw o d u rin g a m atch. But p la yers can get v e r y d is tra c te d w h en p la yin g on a co u rt w ith an o ffic ia l in w h o m th e y h a ve no c o n fid e n c e , o r o n e w h o has m ade a handful o f q u e s tio n a b le calls. An o ffic ia l’s c o m p e te n c e is th e last th in g y o u sh ou ld h a ve to b e thinking about in an im p o rta n t m atch w ith rankings and m o n e y on th e line. If th e situ ation b e c o m e s in to lera b le, p ro p la yers h a ve th e reco u rse o f goin g to th e ch air um pire, stating their case, and asking to h a ve the official replaced. O ften th e u m pire d o es just that in a qu iet w a y at th e next changeover, instead o f sin glin g ou t th e in c o m p e te n t lin e s p e rs o n fo r rid icu le in fron t o f th e en tire stadium . But b e lie v e m e, at tim es, 1 w is h e d that th e um p w ou ld put a du nce ca p on th e lin e o ffic ia l’s head and m ake h er g o stand in th e c o rn e r o f the co u rt fo r pu nishm ent!
Chapter 6: Tennis Etiquette: Do You Really Want to Throw That Racquet?
Taking TtOo Sertfes W h en a d is tra c tio n o c c u rs w h ile a p oin t is in play, yo u sh ou ld s to p im m ed i a te ly and say, “ L e t’s start o v e r and p la y tw o s e r v e s .” If y o u ig n o re th e d istra ctio n and p la y on, d o n ’t ask y o u r o p p o n e n t to p la y tw o a fte r y o u lo s e th e poin t, e ven if the d istra ctio n th rew y o u off. Im m e d ia te ly ask to p la y tw o, o r d o n ’t ask at all. E ither p la y e r can s to p th e a ction to take tw o , no m a tter w h o is servin g. For exam p le, if y o u ’re in th e m id d le o f a p oin t and y o u n o tic e that a c ra fty chipm u nk has ju st m ad e o ff w ith th e e g g salad sa n d w ich (n o t n e c e s s a rily th e id eal pre-m atch m e a l) that y o u r o p p o n e n t left sittin g on th e ben ch , you can s to p and say, “ H old it. L e t’s p la y tw o . A chipm u nk just s to le y o u r san d w ich .” W h eth er o r not y o u r o p p o n en t g o es running o ff a fter th e chipm unk, p lay tw o s e rv e s as soon as y o u ’re b oth ready. If y o u r o p p o n e n t gets u p p ity w h en yo u ask to p la y tw o , p o lite ly exp la in w h y you d id it. She has no reason to q u estio n y o u r claim to d istra ctio n . B oth yo u and y o u r o p p o n e n t h a ve th e p re ro g a tiv e to s to p p la y and take tw o.
Practicing and Abusing Sportsmanship G ood sp o rtsm a n sh ip in clu des q u a lities like s h o w in g g ra c e u n d er fire, to le ra tin g erro rs in oth ers, and taking d e fe a t graciou sly. But th e m ost im p o rta n t co m p o n e n t in sp o rtsm a n sh ip m ay b e y o u r w illin g n ess to put th e m eans (p la y in g ) a b o v e th e en ds (w in n in g ). In to d a y ’s era o f p ro fessio n a lism , b oth p la y in g and w inning are en ds unto th em selves. But s p o rts e v o lv e d out o f a d ifferen t m entality, the n o tio n that s p o rts w e re m ost va lu a b le as w a ys to g ra sp th e im p o rta n t lesson s o f life — team w ork, c o p in g w ith fru stration , a c c e p tin g v ic t o r y m od estly. O n e v e r y im p orta n t a s p e c t o f sp o rtsm a n sh ip is s e e in g th e p erso n w h o m y o u ’re p layin g against as y o u r o p p o n en t, n ot as y o u r enem y. T h e stan dard o f sp o rtsm a n sh ip on th e p ro to u r th e s e d ays is p re tty high. For exam p le, p la y e rs o ften m ake gestu res o f a p o lo g y w ith a little w a v e o f th eir hand o r ra cq u et w h en th e y m ake a lu cky shot. S eriou s a lterca tio n s b e tw e e n p la yers are rare. T h is lack o f o p e n c o n flic t d u rin g a p ro m atch tells yo u so m eth in g v e r y im p o rta n t a b ou t s p o rtsm a n sh ip — if th e b est p la y e rs in th e w o rld (p e o p le w h o s e rep u ta tion s and liv e lih o o d s d e p e n d on th eir tennis resu lts) are g o o d sp o rts, th e v e r y c o n c e p t m ust b e valu able. T h e p ra ctica l b o tto m line is that c u ltiva tin g a sen se o f g o o d s p o rtsm a n sh ip a llo w s yo u to c o n c e n tra te on playin g, in stead o f pou tin g, w h in in g, o r thinking up d e v io u s w a ys to “ g e t e v e n ” w ith y o u r o p p o n e n t. S p ortsm an sh ip m akes y o u a b e tte r player.
Part I: Tennis Anyone?
Extreme sportsmanship Don Budge, the first man ever to com plete a Grand Slam, tells an interesting story about sportsmanship and one of its greatest propo nents: the late German player Baron Gottfried von Cramm. (See Chapter 20 for more inform a tion on the Grand Slam.) In 1937, Budge w as a talented, eager youth of 22, determ ined to alw ays behave and act like a champion and a gentleman. A t W im bledon th at year, Budge m et Bitsy Grant in the sem ifi nal. The w inn er would play von Cramm in the finals. The match betw een Budge and Grant w as very close. A t a crucial point. Grant got a conspicuously bad call. Budge, loathe to win through an injustice, made a flagrant error dur ing the next point to give the point back to Grant. Budge w e n t on to win the match.
In the players' tea room later, von Cramm ap proached Budge. He chided Budge for show ing poor sportsmanship in the match against Grant. Budge, astonished, asked w h at von Cramm meant. "That im portant point you gave back to Grant with the obvious error — do you realize w h at you did with that?" von Cramm asked. "You em barrassed that poor linesman in front of 10,000 people, bringing even more attention to the mistake he made before." Von Cramm insisted th at in the final, he and Budge would play every ball the w ay it was called, regardless of how that call might affect the result. That, von Cramm said, w as the sure w ay to vouchsafe the dignity of the game and all the people involved in it.
Those lucky tetcords and other opportunities to apotoyize I’m n ot a p o lite n e s s freak, and I’m n ot in th e h abit o f a p o lo g iz in g at the d rop o f a hat. But I still k eep up th e old tra d itio n o f a p o lo g iz in g w h en I w in a point b eca u se th e ball hits th e net o r th e le tco rd (th e steel c a b le on w h ich th e net h a n gs) and g o e s b y m y o p p o n e n t fo r a winner. I also a p o lo g iz e w h en I hit m y o p p o n e n t w ith a ball. SAVS
T h e s e a p o lo g ie s are o ften just little signals b e tw e e n p layers, so su btle that s p e c ta to rs m ay n ot e v e n n o tic e them . It’s fascin atin g that m ost p la yers co n tin u e to d o this, e v e n th ou gh no rules dem an d it. I think it p ro v e s that m o st p e o p le h a v e an innate sen se o f fairness. Be a n ice gu y o r lady. W hen y o u hit an o p p o n e n t w ith th e ball, say, “ I’m sorry. I d id n ’t m ean that. A re you o k a y ? ” You d o n ’t h a ve to m arch up to th e net, o ffe r to shake hands, o r w eed y o u r o p p o n e n t’s gard en out o f a ton em en t. A little gestu re is all it takes.
Chapter 6: Tennis Etiquette: Do You Really Want to Throw That Racquet?
Not embarrassing your opponent (or yourself) P la y hard. P la y to win. T r y to gra b e v e r y poin t, if y o u can. But d o n ’t g lo a t or lord it o v e r y o u r o p p o n e n t w h en y o u ’ re in com m an d , and d o n ’t g o b erserk e v e r y tim e yo u m ake a d e c e n t sh ot. You m ay b e g o o d , but y o u ’re p ro b a b ly n ot P e te Sam pras o r Steffi G raf — and th e y d o n ’t rub it in w h en th e y m ake a great shot. W h en yo u hit a w in n er to end an e x c itin g p oin t at a cru cial tim e in a m atch, yo u m ay react w ith sp o n ta n eo u s em o tio n . Even th e p ros a re apt to clen ch th eir fists o r c r y out, “ YES!!!!!” A little o f that g o e s a lo n g way. D o n ’t b e a jerk, actin g like yo u just w o n th e lo ttery, e v e r y tim e yo u w in a p u n y poin t. A n d d o n ’t en ga ge y o u r o p p o n e n t in c o n v e rs a tio n w ith s o lic ito u s c o m m en ts like “ Gee, I th ou gh t you w e re g o in g to m ake that o n e fo r su re.” W h en y o u r o p p o n e n t m akes a d ifficu lt shot, say, “ N ic e s h o t.” P e rio d . Y o u ’re th e re to p lay th e m atch, n ot to p ra c tic e y o u r c o m m e n ta ry s o that y o u can take m y jo b away. Unless y o u ’re p la yin g w ith an o p p o n e n t w h o ’s a lso a g o o d frien d, k eep th e c h itte r c h a tter to a m inim um . D o n ’t com m en t on an o p p o n e n t’s e rro rs, e ven if you w an t to c o n s o le him. T h a t’s p atron izin g. Just say, “ W ell d o n e ” o r “ T o o g o o d ” if y o u r o p p o n e n t m akes a te rrific shot. If y o u r o p p o n e n t p la y e d rea lly b a d ly and yo u w an t to ex p ress y o u r sym path y, w a it until th e m atch is o v e r and then m ake it s h o rt and sw eet. Say s o m e th in g like “ I co u ld s e e y o u w e re havin g a rough day. T ou gh luck.” M o st lo s in g p la y e rs d o n ’t e x p e c t to g e t a d o ze n y e llo w roses; th e y ’re h a p p y to g o back to th e d ra w in g b o a rd w ith th e th ree used y e llo w ten n is balls. D on ’t b e c o n d e s c e n d in g to y o u r o p p o n e n t b y g iv in g a w a y p oin ts o r sh o w in g pity. Just re s p e c t y o u r o p p o n e n t as an in dividu al. H er d e g r e e o f talen t o r stru ggles w ith th e ga m e h a v e n oth in g to d o w ith th e am ou nt o f re s p e c t sh e d e s e rv e s .
Venting anger S om e p la yers are n atu rally h ot-h ead ed and e x p re s s iv e on th e cou rt. O th ers are not. Mr. S oreh ead , this is fo r you. E xpressin g an ger on th e co u rt is a lw a ys a d istra ctio n to y o u r p a rtn er or o p p o n en t. You also m ay b e ro b b in g h er o f s o m e o f th e p lea su re o f playing. And m aking a b ig s c e n e m a y b e an im p o s itio n to p la y e rs on o th e r co u rts near you as w ell.
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Part I: Tennis Anyone? SAYS
It s all in the family I asked my brother John, w ho is legendary for his flouting of tennis etiquette, to w rite this chapter, but he politely declined, reasoning th at people consider me the "quiet" or "po lite" M cEnroe. In some w ays, John and I are as different as night and day. Like most other players, I tend to play w orse w hen I get really angry, which gives me great incentive to control my temper. John w as blessed — and cursed — w ith the ability to raise the level of his game w hen he got angry or got embroiled in some contro versy th at made him feel cheated. His anger,
no m atter how petty or absurd the cause, was alw ays an em otion th a t autom atically lifted his game. That's a truly extraordinary ability, given the w ay th at most people's games fall apart w hen they succum b to tem per. And tem per isn't e xactly an em otion that's likely to make you Mr. Popularity. It also put John in the unusual position of having no practical incentive to calm down and rein in his temper. I've often w ondered how tw o kids from the same gene pool could end up having such radically different personalities.
If y o u “ g o p o s ta l,” th e first th in g y o u sh ou ld d o is figu re out w h y all th e fuss. Often, yo u a ren ’t re a lly a n g ry ab ou t th e ten n is ga m e at all. Your ten sion is ro o te d in s o m e th in g else, like w h at a c o w o rk e r said as yo u w e re lea vin g the o ffic e . S om etim es, it ’s a rea ctio n to th e b asic p ressu re o f a m atch situation. A t o th e r tim es, th e e x p e c ta tio n s y o u ’re pu ttin g on y o u rs e lf m ay be the cause. S om etim es, like w h en y o u ’re p la yin g w ith m uch b e tte r o r m uch w o rs e p la yers, th o s e e x p e c ta tio n s are w a y out o f lin e w ith reality. If y o u r a n g er is g e ttin g th e b e tte r o f you , tr y to focu s all that n eg a tive en ergy in a p o s itiv e way. Use it to tigh ten up y o u r co n cen tra tio n . C on sciou sly d e c id e to take it out on th e ball. P ou r it in to the e ffo r t to get to e v e r y shot that y o u r o p p o n e n t hits. N e v e r take out y o u r an ger on y o u r o p p o n e n t, e ven if it’s a regu lar playin g partner. It co u ld c o s t you a frien d. If y o u ’re p la yin g w ith s o m e o n e you d o n ’t k n ow w ell, g e ttin g a n g ry cou ld c o s t yo u a b lo o d y nose. Tennis is n ot sup p o s e d to b e a c o n ta c t sp ort. P ros h a ve a grea t in c e n tiv e to k eep th eir te m p e rs u n der con trol. T h e y can b e d isq u a lified o r e v e n fin ed fo r v io la tin g th e A T P T ou r C o d e o f Conduct. (S e e C h ap ter 19 fo r m o re in fo rm a tio n on th e ATP.) As a pro, y o u can sta rt this d isq u a lifica tio n p ro c e s s and a u to m a tica lly incur fin es fo r in fra ction s that in clu d e cursing, stallin g b e tw e e n points, sm ashing y o u r ra cq u et on the grou n d ( i t ’s o ffic ia lly ca lled “ ra cq u et a b u se”), and b era tin g o fficia ls, y o u r o p p o n e n t, o r e v e n s p ecta to rs.
Chapter 6: Tennis Etiquette: Do You Really Want to Throw That Racquet? If you act up o r o th e r w is e v io la te th e to u r ’s C o d e o f C ondu ct, yo u g e t a w arning. T h e u m p ire an n ou n ces it, ju st like h e calls th e sc o re . If y o u co m m it an o th er in fra ction o f an y kind du rin g th e m atch, y o u a u to m a tic a lly lo s e th e gam e b ein g p la yed . A n d if yo u v io la te th e C o d e again, y o u ’re ou tta th e re — d isq u a lified — w ith th e o th e r p la y e r a u to m a tic a lly w in n in g th e m atch and a d va n cin g in th e tou rn am en t.
Avoiding gamesmanship G am esm anship is th e p o la r o p p o s ite o f sp o rtsm a n sh ip . G am esm an sh ip is th e w illin gn ess to e x p lo it (a n d e v e n b rea k ) th e ru les in w a ys that c a n ’t b e d e te c te d — just to g a rn er a win. A gam esm an isn ’t n e c e s s a rily a c h e a te r in th e s tric t sen se that h e c o n s c io u s ly m akes bad calls. G am esm an sh ip is m o re su b tle than that. G am es m anship is ab ou t m ind gam es. W atch ou t fo r th e fo llo w in g ty p ic a l tricks o f gam esm an sh ip:
is * Stalling: T h is is a co m m o n p lo y to u pset you . N o b o d y likes to h a v e to w ait w h ile an o p p o n e n t reties a p e r fe c tly w ell-tied sh o e la c e . Stalling is a w a y fo r th e gam esm an to feel and p ro je c t th e sen se that he is in c o n tro l o f w h at is h a p p en in g on th e cou rt. R e c o g n iz e sta llin g fo r w h at it is: a ch ild ish w a y to a ssert c o n tro l and m ak e an o p p o n e n t fe e l im p o ten t. U se the fre e tim e to catch y o u r breath o r c o n te m p la te y o u r strategy. V erbal p rovocation: W h en y o u r o p p o n e n t says, “ Gee, I heard y o u ’re h avin g a lot o f tro u b le w ith y o u r fo re h a n d ” as y o u are a b ou t to p la y a m atch again st her, th at’s gam esm an sh ip . T h e b est re s p o n s e is th e c le v e r one, like “ Naw, I to o k th re e lesson s w ith th e b est p ro in tow n , and it’s b e tte r than e v e r !” T h e n ext b est re s p o n s e is to ig n o re th e com m en t in stead o f ste w in g o v e r it. S om e u nscrupulous p la y e r m ay tr y to th ro w y o u o ff w ith co m p lim en ts, back h an d ed o r o th e rw is e , like “ I d o n ’ t c a re w h at th e y say. Y o u ’v e g o t a h eck u va v o lle y .” W h a t can I say? You k n ow b e tte r than to g e t b en t out o f sh a p e a b ou t crack s like that. S om etim es, th e b est re p ly is a c o o l one, like, “ Gee, I’m fla ttered that y o u h a ve such a d e e p in terest in m y ga m e .”
v * Noise: A p la y e r w h o takes an e x tra loud, d e e p b reath e v e r y tim e you are a b ou t to hit a s e r v e can b e p re tty d istra ctin g. Usually, an a c tio n like that is in ten d ed to w o rk on y o u r m ind and break y o u r co n cen tra tio n . But a lo t o f p la y e rs on th e p ro tou r ex h a le and grunt w h en th e y hit th eir sh ots, and recrea tio n a l w an n ab es im ita te them . In th e ex trem e, gru n tin g can b e d istractin g. On th e o th e r hand, it’s p re d ic ta b le and re p e titiv e , so it sh o u ld n ’t b o th e r you . It’s su rp rises that th ro w yo u off.
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Part I: Tennis Anyone? SAYS
Cursing You may think that cursing is cool, and you may not mind w hen others curse in your pres ence. So curse away, pilgrim — but only if you're playing on a private court. Cursing up a storm on a public court or at a club w h ere others are playing is a different story. If you do so, players on adjacent or nearby courts inevitably object to your outbursts.
Cursing isn't just a w ay to vent your anger; it's also an attention-getting device. You have no right to demand the attention of someone you don't know, who may be playing with a spouse or a child. Keep your lam entations, vulgar or otherw ise, to yourself.
In stead o f g e ttin g u pset b y gam esm an sh ip , re c o g n iz e it fo r w hat it is. T h e gam esm an is tellin g yo u that, d o w n d e e p , sh e d o e s n ’ t feel that h er gam e is g o o d en ou gh to w in th e m atch, fair and squ are. G am esm anship is an oth er re s o u rc e to d ra w on w h en fo reh a n d s and s e rv e s w o n ’t g e t th e jo b done.
Being True to l/our Doubles Partner In d ou b les, th e p la y e r c lo s e s t to th e ball m akes th e call du ring a point. W hen th e ball is s e rv e d , th e re tu rn e r’s p a rtn er m akes th e call. W h en o n e o r the o th e r p la y e r isn ’t c le a rly c lo s e r to th e ball, th e im p o rta n t th in g is consensus. If th e p a rtn ers d is a g re e ab ou t a call, th e y sh ou ld c o n c e d e th e p oin t to their o p p o n e n ts . W h en y o u r d o u b les p a rtn er m akes a call, a c c e p t his o r her ju d gm en t and back up y o u r p a rtn er if th e o th e r team ch a llen ges the call. H ow ever, if y o u r p a rtn er d o e s m ake a bad call, you can r e v e rs e it. Do this tactfully, tu rning to y o u r p a rtn er first, sa yin g s o m eth in g like, “ I’m sure that ball w as g o o d . W e h a ve to g iv e th em th e p o in t.” T h en tell y o u r o p p o n en ts th e new s. Just say, “ Sorry, I had a b e tte r v a n ta g e poin t. It’s y o u r p o in t.” C hanging th e call can b e d e m o ra lizin g to y o u r partner. D on ’t d o it unless y o u ’re d ead certain . T r y n ot to g e t en g a g e d in in d ep en d en t d iscu ssion s w ith y o u r o p p o n en ts in issues that in v o lv e y o u r partner. If s o m e p oten tia l fo r c o n flic t exists b etw een yo u and y o u r partner, retreat to discu ss th e issue togeth er, w ith o u t the o th e r team o verh ea rin g.
Chapter 6: Tennis Etiquette: Do You Really Want to Throw That Racquet? It rea lly pays to c o m p lim e n t y o u r p a rtn e r fo r g o o d ra cq u et w ork, as o ften as it occu rs. W h en y o u r p a rtn er m akes a g o o d shot, sa y so, w ith o u t s lo b b e rin g all o v e r her. “ G reat s h o t” o r “ S u p er” w ill d o. W h en y o u r p a rtn er m akes a bad o r stu pid error, d o n ’t pull a lo n g fa c e o r in an y o th e r w a y s h o w team d issen sion. D oin g so o n ly pu m ps a little air in to y o u r o p p o n e n ts . It can a lso m ake y o u r p a rtn er mad, and ju stifia b ly so. But if y o u r p a rtn er is m aking e rro rs fo r s o m e d is c e rn ib le te ch n ica l reason, w ait until an a p p ro p ria te tim e, like a c h a n g eo ver, and m ake y o u r p o in t as p art o f y o u r o v e ra ll s tra te g ic d iscu ssion . You can sa y s o m e th in g like “ B y th e way, 1 think y o u ’re g e ttin g a c e d b eca u se y o u ’re lining up w a y o v e r to w a rd the s id elin e to return s e rv e . M a y b e w e can s o lv e that if yo u m o v e a little fa rth er to w a rd th e m id d le .” D ou b les team s live, die, and h a ve a m o re o r less p leasan t e x p e rie n c e o f th e ga m e if th e y o b s e r v e that g riz z le d o ld bank r o b b e r ’s rem in d er to his fe llo w th ieves: “ G entlem en, if w e d o n ’t all hang to geth er, w e ’ll hang se p a ra te ly .”
Ending the Match utith Stgle A fte r yo u p la y th e last ball, shake hands w ith y o u r o p p o n e n t. T h e w in n er ty p ic a lly says s o m eth in g in n ocu ou s like “Thanks, w e ll p la y e d .” It also d o e s n ’t hurt to c o m p lim en t y o u r o p p o n e n t on s o m e p a rt o f his o r h er gam e. In dou b les, as so o n as th e last p o in t ends, th e p a rtn ers on e ith e r s id e o f th e net shake hands, all fou r p la y e rs g o to th e net, and th e o p p o n e n ts shake hands w ith ea ch other. On th e w a y up th ere, y o u can sa y a fe w kind, truthful w o rd s to y o u r partner, like, “W ow, y o u re a lly c a rrie d us today. I o w e yo u o n e !” O r “ I p la yed w e ll today, and I a p p re c ia te y o u r s u p p o rt.” If y o u lost, just b e su p p o rtiv e , as in, “ W ell w e lost, but I e n jo y e d p la y in g w ith y o u .” If y o u ’re a regu lar d o u b les team , y o u ’ll h a ve p le n ty o f tim e later, w h en th e stin g o f d e fea t has w o rn off, to discu ss w h at h a p p en ed . In a tou rnam ent, th e lo s e r o ften w ish es th e w in n er g o o d luck fo r th e rest o f tou rnam ent. I also like th e id ea o f the p la y e rs w alk in g o ff th e c o u rt just like th e y w a lk ed on — togeth er. T h is lon g-stan d in g habit has d is a p p e a re d on the p ro tour, p a rtly b eca u se w in n ers o ften d o liv e T V in te rv ie w s righ t th e re on th e cou rt. But th e p la yers at W im b le d o n still m ust w alk o ff th e c o u rt to geth er, w h ich is nice.
Part I: Tennis Anyone?
Part II
Playing the Game The 5th Wave
By Rich Tennant
Nice lob. Let me know when it begins to descend."
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In this p a rt ...
m i's tim e to get o ff th e co u ch and o n to th e cou rt! P ick up ^ y o u r ra cq u et and p eru se th e s e p ages to find out abou t th e stro k es that m ake up th e gam e. I also g iv e you so m e hints on s tra te g y to h elp yo u put y o u r strok es to g e th e r in w in n in g co m b in a tion s.
Chapter 7
Mastering Your Tennis Fundamentals In This Chapter Id en tifyin g th e strokes H old in g th e racqu et Prep a rin g to hit y o u r strok es M aking y o u r b acksw in g Sw inging th e racqu et M aking co n ta ct Putting spin on th e ball W arm ing up and c o o lin g d o w n y o u r m uscles
\ o m e pros and c o a c h e s tell e v e r y o n e to hit strok es a certa in w a y — th eir way. I b e g to differ. I’m c o n v in c e d that to b e a g o o d ten n is player, you n eed to b e a c o m fo rta b le p la y e r — a p la y e r w h o d o e s w h a t c o m e s naturally, as lon g as it d o e s n ’t in te rfe re w ith th e b a sics o f h ittin g a g o o d strok e. T h e c lo s e r you c o m e to ta p p in g in to th e strok es m o st su ita b le to you , th e m o re e a s ily and c o m p le te ly y o u ’ll m aster th e gam e. T h a t’s w h e re th e ex p re s s io n “ d ifferen t strok es fo r d ifferen t fo lk s ” ca m e from , right? W atch in g th e p ros on te le v is io n m ay h a v e sh o w n y o u th at yo u can hit a tennis ball lots o f d iffe re n t w ays. But h o w d o y o u figu re ou t w h ich w a y fits you best? In this ch apter, 1 s h o w y o u th e fu n dam en tals o f ten n is that y o u can use to d e v e lo p y o u r o w n s ty le o f h ittin g the ball. I a lso tell y o u a fe w things a b ou t th e ga m e that yo u sh ou ld n e v e r a lter — like w a rm in g up.
Part II: Playing the Game_____________________________________________
Getting to Knout \lour Basic Strokes F ive d iffe re n t kinds o f stro k es bu ild th e fou n d a tion o f y o u r gam e. A n y sh ot yo u hit, o th e r than a d es p e ra te , d ivin g, an yth in g-goes sw ip e, is o n e o f th ese strokes.
The qroundstrokes T h e fo llo w in g tw o sh o ts are y o u r groundstrokes — s o ca lled b eca u se you use th e s e strok es w h en y o u hit a ball that has b ou n ced o ff th e ground:
u * The fo reh an d : T h e b read-an d-bu tter sh ot fo r m ost p layers. It’s the m o st natural o f y o u r strok es b eca u se it’s a p re tty s tra ig h tfo rw a rd sw ing at th e ball, from th e s id e o f th e b o d y w h e re y o u are m o st a ccu stom ed to p e rfo rm in g tasks. T o en vision a forehand, im agine that s o m eo n e th row s a ball to you r right side, e x p e c tin g yo u to hit it back w ith y o u r hand. If y o u ’re a righthander, y o u r natural rea ctio n is to hit it back w ith th e palm o f y o u r righ t hand, from th e right-hand s id e o f y o u r body. In fact, if I th row the ball at you r body, y o u r a u tom a tic im p u lse w o u ld b e to step to y o u r left and then hit th e ball. T h e m a jo rity o f p la y e rs find that th e foreh an d co m e s m ore naturally to them , and m ost p la y e rs hit th e foreh a n d w h en th e y h a ve a c h o ic e in the m atter. U nless y o u r o p p o n e n t is v e r y crafty, o r y o u ’re o n e o f th o s e rare p la y e rs w h o p re fe rs to hit backhands, th e m a jo rity o f th e sh ots that yo u hit in an y g iv e n m atch w ill b e foreh an ds. Turn to C h ap ter 8 to s e e h o w to hit su ccessfu l foreh an ds.
v * T h e back h an d : You hit th e backhand on th e s id e o f y o u r b o d y w h ere yo u d o n ’t p e rfo rm th e m a jo rity o f y o u r tasks. If y o u ’re a righthander, you hit th e backhand on y o u r left side; if y o u ’re a lefthander, you hit it on th e righ t s id e o f y o u r body. If y o u w e r e n ’t h o ld in g a ra cq u et and s o m e b o d y to s s e d a ball to you r backh an d side, y o u w o u ld n atu rally hit th e ball w ith th e back o f you r hand. In o r d e r to d o that, yo u b rin g y o u r hand around y o u r body. T h e backh an d stro k e a lm o st a lw a ys feels less natural than th e fo re hand, but that fe e lin g is m o s tly du e to plain unfam iliarity. See C h apter 9 to g e t m o re a cq u a in ted w ith backhands.
The tab T h e lo b is a high, a rch in g s h o t that yo u hit w ith e ith e r o f y o u r grou n d strok es, and so m e tim e s e v e n w ith y o u r volley.
Chapter 7: Mastering Your Tennis Fundamentals You use th e lo b m o st o fte n to g o o v e r th e h ead o f y o u r o p p o n e n t w h en sh e co m e s up to th e net, o r w h en y o u ’re s o far ou t o f p o s itio n th at yo u w an t to bu y y o u rs e lf s o m e tim e to g e t back o n to th e cou rt. T h e hang tim e o f a lo b g iv e s y o u th o s e p reciou s, fe w e x tra s e c o n d s to d o that. T h e lo b is a v a ria tio n o f e ith e r grou n d strok e. I m ean it lite ra lly w h en 1 say y o u ’ll g e t th e full “ s c o o p ” on th e lo b in C h a p ter 12, b e c a u s e th a t’s ju st w h at yo u d o to hit a g o o d lob.
The serVe You use th e serve to b egin e v e r y p oin t. T ech n ically, y o u can hit th e s e r v e any w a y y o u c h o o s e (y o u can e v e n d o a b etw een -th e-legs s c o o p if you w is h ), but y o u g e t th e m o st c o n s is te n t results b y to s s in g th e ball up o v e r y o u r head and then taking a full s w in g at it. Turn to C h ap ter 11 to read m ore a b ou t th e s e rv e .
The overhead T h e o v e rh e a d resem b les th e s e rv e , but you use th e o v e rh e a d d u rin g th e flo w o f a p oin t to hit a ball from up in th e air o v e r y o u r h ead (o n e ith e r y o u r foreh an d o r backhand s id e ). M ost o f th e tim e, yo u use th e o v e rh e a d as an a n sw er to a lob . It’s s o m e answer, to o . T h in k o f it as a sh o t sim ilar to an a w e s o m e sp ik e m a d e b y a v o lle y b a ll player. P la yers also re fe r to th e o v e rh e a d as a smash fo r o b v io u s reasons! Turn to C h ap ter 12 fo r d e ta ile d in form a tion on th e o v e rh e a d .
The Volley T h e v o lle y look s like a s h o rt punch w ith y o u r ra cq u et, c o m p a ra b le to a jab in boxin g, hit w ith little o r no backsw in g. C h ap ter 10 g iv e s y o u th e full s c o o p on h ittin g v o lle y s . You use th e v o lle y w h en you p la y up near th e net, on e ith e r y o u r foreh an d o r backhand side. It’s a sta p le o f p layers w h o like to attack and fo rc e th e action. S trictly speaking, e v e r y sh ot you hit b e fo re th e ball b ou n ces is a volley, e x c e p t fo r y o u r s e r v e and overh ea d . But yo u ra rely hit th e ball on th e fly unless y o u ’re up c lo s e to th e net o r yo u ca n ’t g e t in to p ositio n to p la y the bounce. M o st o f th e tim e, yo u use th e v o lle y to en d p oin ts, b e c a u s e y o u h a ve a great ch a n ce to hit a w in n er w h en y o u ’re up at th e net — th e an gles are e a s ie r to make, and c le a rin g th e net isn ’t as ch allen gin g.
Part II: Playing the Game
Coming to Grips itiith Grips B e fo re yo u can g e t an y s o rt o f a sh o t o ff in tennis, yo u n eed to h a ve you r ra c q u e t in y o u r hand, re a d y fo r play. H ow yo u h old y o u r racqu et, re ferred to as y o u r grip, sig n ifica n tly im p acts an y stro k e y o u make. You h a v e a v a r ie ty o f c h o ic e s w h en it c o m e s to y o u r grip. You d o n ’t h a ve to p ick ju st o n e grip . M o st p la y e rs u se d iffe re n t grip s on th eir va rio u s strokes b e c a u s e s o m e grip s are ju st b e tte r fo r s o m e strokes. A t first, ch an gin g grip s fo r d iffe re n t sh o ts m ay seem con fu sin g and aw kward, but w ith p ra ctice, ch an gin g grip s b e c o m e s s e c o n d nature. In fact, alm ost all th e p ros ch a n ge th e ir grip s — and th e y p la y a fa ster gam e than a n yo n e else. SAVS I re c o m m e n d that y o u first u n derstan d th e d iffe re n c e s b e tw e e n th e grips, and then, as y o u r e x p e r ie n c e and c o n fid e n c e g row s, in c o rp o ra te in to you r s tro k es th e grip s that feel m ost c o m fo rta b le . Yes, th e g rip in tro d u ces a con fu sin g b it o f ten n is term in o lo gy. You grip you r r a c q u e t on th e ra c q u e t’s grip , w h ich is th e p a rt o f th e ra cq u et righ t a b o v e th e butt cap. (R e f e r to C h a p ter 3 to e x p lo re th e v a rio u s p arts that m ake up th e a v e ra g e ten n is ra c q u e t.) So th e grip can b e a re fe re n c e e ith e r to th e p h y sica l p art o f th e ra c q u e t that yo u h old , o r to th e s p e c ific w a y that you h old th e ra c q u e t to hit d iffe re n t shots.
Choosing from the grips T h e h andle, o r grip, o f th e ra cq u et is an o c ta g o n . It featu res eigh t flat su rfa ces w ith b e v e ls , o r rid ges, b e tw e e n them . (S e e C h ap ter 3 fo r m ore in fo rm a tio n on th e a n a to m y o f a ra c q u e t.) W h en y o u g rip th e ra c q u e t fo r a strok e, y o u r hand ju st d o e s n ’t fit into a p re d e te rm in e d p la c e on th e handle. Rather, y o u can p ick from an y o f the fo llo w in g th re e grips: Eastern: T h e eastern is th e m ost p op u lar grip fo r th e forehand and, with a sligh t adju stm en t, a llo w s y o u to hit a p re tty g o o d backhand, to o . I recom m en d that you start o ff w ith the eastern grip. Usually, beginners find this grip th e m ost c o m fo rta b le o f th e three. Starting out w ith the eastern grip a llow s you to co n cen tra te on th e o th e r a sp ects o f you r strokes.
v * Continental: T h e g rip is v e r y v e rs a tile , but b eg in n ers a lm ost alw ays find this g rip u n co m fo rta b le. A d v a n c e d p la yers usually use th e c o n ti nental g rip fo r s e rv in g and v o lle y in g . W estern : T h e w e s te rn is an e x c e lle n t foreh an d grip, but it is v e r y a w k w ard fo r h ittin g backhands, s e rv e s , and v o lle y s . M ost b egin n ers find this g rip a b s o lu te ly un-doable.
Chapter 7: Mastering Your Tennis Fundamentals
The ever-changing role of the grip The grips represent three different placements of the hand on the racquet handle. Moving your hand slightly on the handle of the racquet, in either direction, alw ays takes you aw ay from one grip and closer to another of the three. I'm talking about fractions of an inch here; they may not feel very different but they make a big difference in how you hit the ball. Players manage to find a zillion niches in be tw een the standard grips, seeking optimum
comfort. That's the key — com fort w ith your strokes. Realize th at your favorite grips may change with tim e. The most com fortable grip w hen you're a beginner may lose its appeal as your game flourishes. It may not be the best one for the player growing inside you during all those lessons and hours of practice. A lw ays be com fortable, but keep an open mind about grips as your game improves.
W h en you first start p la yin g the gam e, e x p e rim e n t m o s tly w ith th e eastern and con tin en tal grips. T h e w e s te rn m ay feel th e m o st c o m fo rta b le on th e foreh an d side, but h ittin g a d e c e n t backhand w ith this grip is n ext to im p ossib le. As you g e t c o m fo rta b le h ittin g sh ots w ith an ea stern grip , you m ay find y o u rs e lf g ra vita tin g to w a rd th e w e s te rn grip fo r y o u r foreh an d . T h a t’s fine, but d o n ’t ro b P e te r (y o u r b a ck h a n d ) to p a y Paul (y o u r fo r e h and). If yo u use a w e s te rn foreh a n d grip , yo u h a ve to ch a n ge th e g rip to hit backhands.
Finding the Versatile eastern grip T h e eastern g rip o ffe rs yo u th e lea st e x tre m e o f th e grips. You can hit a p assa b le backhand, s e rv e s , and v o lle y s w ith th e ea stern grip, but it’s o u tstan d in g fo r th e foreh an d. T h e eastern is n ot o n ly th e m o st b asic o f grip s but a lso th e re fe re n c e p oin t fo r th e o th e r grips, m uch like th e “ N ” on a c o m p a ss is th e re fe re n c e p o in t fo r all th e o th e r d irectio n s, and th e “ 12” on a c lo c k fa c e is th e re fe re n c e p oin t fo r th e tim e o f day. T o find th e eastern grip, fo llo w th ese steps: 1. H o ld the racquet lightly in fron t o f you, in y o u r left h a n d (o r right h and, fo r y ou lefties). 2. T u rn the shaft o f the racqu et so that the face o f the racqu et is p e rp e n d ic u la r to the gro u n d , as s h o w n in Figure 7-1. If yo u im agin e that th e fa ce o f th e ra cq u et has a c lo c k on it, th e to p o f th e ra cq u et p oin ts to 12 o ’clock.
Part II: Playing the Game
12
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Figure 7-1: For the eastern grip, the clock points to 12 o'clock.
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