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When I think of Follow the Yellow Brick Road and those characters I have to laugh. They were a little bit unorthodox but they got the job done. I also think of Elton John and his timeless album, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, with Love Lies Bleeding In My hands (great piano in that song). Dorothy and her crew got that Witch, the slippers, and the whole nine yards. They played their hand perfectly. And the Emerald City wasn't worth it. Bernie Taupin, Elton John's songwriter also didn't want any part of the Emerald City or what it represented. There's another road that I call the Red Brick Road. If you're the least bit interested in tennis then read on. That's the journey which leads to the ATP major, the French Open. And it's a journey for tennis playing professionals who choose this theatre. And to experience any part of journey as a tennis fan and player is amazing. The Red Brick Road starts in April at the Monte Carlo, Monaco 1000, followed by Barcelona, Spain 500, the Munich, Germany 500, the Madrid, Spain 500, the Rome, Italy 1000, the Geneva, Switzerland 250, and finishing with a major, The French Open in Paris (which ends in early June). It's two months of incredible tennis stamina, conditioning, mental toughness, ability and performance all incapsulated on crushed red brick. The surface is widely played in Europe, South America and with limited availability in the United States. The surface demands patience as the court is slower which creates long artful rallies. So far, I've attended Monte Carlo, Rome, and now, Barcelona. I attended Barcelona with my son, Matt. We loved the city, the culture, and the tournament. What's not to like? First, I have to say a few things. The citizens of Barcelona are friendly, kind and helpful. The architecture, history and location on the Mediterranean provides a beautiful sunny spring much like a good spring day in late May early June in New England. The light has that quality found in Provence. Guidi the architect designer of Barcelona, created a magical vision of art (it reminded me of the magic kingdom but that's another story) and urban designing. He tore down the medieval walls and created a livable modern city in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The tournament began its open era history in 1970. The Real Club was founded by English and local families in 1899 which is what you'll see on logo clothing at the tournament. Note: That's the same year the Woods Hole Golf Club was started.on Cape Cod. Hmmm. Also the tournament is the oldest tennis club in Spain was originally played on grass. Also the club uses 90 percent recycled water to maintain its gardens and clay courts. Okay, let's get into some tennis. First, one player from the United States we were following was Ethan Quinn. He battled through the qualifying rounds before losing to Cam Norrie of Great Britain in the round of sixteen. Ethan played a great tournament and is a rising star. When playing Norrie he was favored by the home crowd. I didn't get the sense that Norrie was loved by fans. He was meh. That being said we had a chance to see Norrie defeat Stan Wawrinka (a personal favorite of mine and the crowd). Stan lost in three sets to Norrie in the round of 32. He's in that period of light in his career where the sun has set and you keep playing in the darkness because you love the game this much. I can relate. Perhaps most of can. The crowd gave Stan a standing ovation and Cam was gracious and humble. I'll share with you a video from the match we viewed through the flower boxes. Stan has the greatest one handed backhand of all time. I can attest it's the best I've ever seen. Sadly, Carlos Alcaraz had to withdraw in the second round after winning it due to his wrist injury. Injuries are another opponent that all tennis players face. He has not played another event since that day. Arthur Fils of France, who won the tournament in the final over Andre Rublev of Russia in staight sets. Rublev signed autographs all around center court after his matches and is a kind soul. His Russian flag isn't presented at any ATP signage. He's a man without a country. Arthur is loved by the fans of Barcelona and is an absolute beast on the court with a powerful serve and explosive forehand that can inside wrap a low ball screaming down the line similar to a woman's underhanded fast ball pitch over 90 mph. Very hard to cover that shot. Anything high and marginally short can be launched like a cannon and finished right there. Arthur hasn't played a tournament since Barcelona. He suffers from hip and lower back injuries. Can you relate? Rafael Jodar lost to him in the finals. Jodar is the new tennis phenom from Spain who is 6'3" and 154 pounds. Hmmm, something to aspire to. He plays a game similar to Sinner and can finish points and come from behind when down. I have a video of Lorenzo Musetti that I'll share of him running around the backcourt like a gazelle being chased by a cheetah. Lorenzo like Wawrinka is a one handed backhand endangered species. One player from the United States we followed was Ethan Quinn lost to Cam Norrie in the round of sixteen in three sets. Norrie lost to Jodar in the quarter-finals in straight sets. Ethan won two rounds in the qualifying and then a first round victory over Reilly Opelka of the United States which is not easy to do. Reilly has one of the best serves in the world. The red clay neutralizes that a bit.
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Each Spring around the third Monday of March Spring Tennis begins for high school players in the state of Massachusetts. There's still snow packed at the end of our driveways and hope that it won't rain tomorrow, or snow, or have winds over 25 mph, or all the above. And for many players it may be the first time they've picked up a racquet and for others it a hope of winning a state title or maybe it's just being with your friends. This entry on my blog is for high school players and players of any age who want to learn the game of tennis which is a lifetime sport.
I'm going to make this blog entry be your personal virtual tennis camp. I'll include videos from top YouTube online coaches. You won't have to figure it all out on your own. It's for new players, players with some instruction, players who have quite a bit of experience, adults and juniors. All you need to do is try, and have self discipline. Your first lesson is about one hour long. My prompt for writing this entry is the Falmouth Academy Girls Tennis Team which is a developing team I’m coaching. So the beginning is where we take the first steps to becoming a champion. What defines a champion is your desire to improve and love of the game. I've always felt this to be the case. It really has nothing to do with winning of losing (well, of course it does a little, ha!). As long as you don't place your value as a person based on your wins and losses, you'll be okay. Here's your first day of virtual training. It's day one! If something doesn't quite make sense, watch it again. Sometime the lightbulb in tennis goes on later and that's okay. Keep moving forward. You'll get it, even if it's down the road. Day 1 WATCH ALL THESE VIDEOS (dedicate one hour or more to it) how to keep score in singles 2:36 minutes https://youtu.be/Vd1t5fGrFjc?si=Bf6fS3rXVODPl6BF how to play singles 5:28 minutes https://youtu.be/_ZEV0dmBTzM?si=n0j_ly42mfO76k5D how to position yourself in singles 13:39 minutes https://youtu.be/gT6g4QjDLBg?si=wuesq9IP-mnBkowg how to hit a basic forehand and backhand and serve in one lesson! 18:49 minutes https://youtu.be/YqgcykDGB2A?si=e5ftpdiqGCYYKQhY how to hit a basic forehand and backhand volley and overhead (a shot hit while the ball is in the air before it had bounced) and an overhead (a ball that is very high in the air) 13:56 minutes https://youtu.be/_5ZRb-DyTzI?si=pzPLzD3KAOVo8y35 How to score and position a doubles game One player on a doubles team serves for the whole game, switching service sides just like singles except standing wider out toward the ally (half way between the center of the court and the doubles line). The net player for the server stands about six feet from the net and in the middle of their side of the court. This is standard one up one back positioning. The receivers for the receiving team keep their sides of returning (with option to change sides at the end of a set). The receiver stands back while their partner stands on the service line shaded towards the middle. They take turns receiving each point. And change their starting positions, in standard one up one back formation. A point always starts with the server serving to the deuce court, just like singles, and then serving the next point to the ad court. Once each person has served a game keep that same rotation going for the whole set. The rotation starting order can be changed at the beginning of a new set as well as the receiver side return choice. how to position yourself for doubles 8:51 minutes https://youtu.be/_0vfwyykTpc?si=bGuhBnBPuCV-jb5h So this is day one! Wow, but it only took 60 minutes to look at. Here's the catch, it takes a lifetime to perfect, and there in lies the beauty of the game. You never finished learning, improving and getting better. I'll be back with more right here to add to your game. See you on the court. Practice some everyday, even if it's virtually. Today is Tuesday, start practicing along with the swings mentioned in these videos. Thirty minutes of shadow swings will really help you if you do them with diligence and thought. I'll get back here soon with more. You can improve your game right in your living-room. You don't need a tennis court. Tennis can be expensive and there isn't always a court available, especially if you live on a mountain top in the Alps. This is your virtual tennis course that I've put together covering 12 areas of your game that will help your game improve. I've included virtual practice sessions using visualization techniques and physical movement for a confined area. Tennis is such a great sport for so many reasons and you don't have to wait to improve. Take a few minutes each day to work on your game visually with a racquet in hand, and shadow the movements. Shadow means practice the actual footwork and technical movements you are trying to integrate into your game. By following world class instruction from coaches I have to believe we are going to improve. The best diamonds I've ever found were not in a jewelry store, they were found with on and off court experiences. These short you tube video clips will get you rehearsing proper fundamentals visually, mentally, and physically. There is a workout component as well. We'll be conditioning with purpose and a mindset. Little gems of coaching make a huge difference. Refer to this section often as coursework for a quick fix or a prompt leading to improve or reinforce specific areas of your game each time you wish to immerse in tennis. Imagine if we did this everyday. How much would we improve over time? How could we not? Investment over time is what pays the best dividends and gain. I've created this course for us. I say us because it's something I want too — improvement. And to me that's the only thing that truly motivates.
Day one: Hitting better volleys in doubles. Here’s 3 simple ideas that will help you improve from Cole Shoults. For me personally these tips especially resonate. Often times the most clear minimalistic videos give the most output for evolution in my game and for others. Cole paid 250.00 for this lesson from ATP pros so we don't have to. 1. Stay down low and keep your hands low. It’s easier to adjust to a higher ball. This way low passes are positioned with low core. Higher balls, you just go up for as they are delivered. 2. Move in the direction of the volley to cover the pass. This closes the angle of passing shot and allows you to take the ball when higher above the net. This way you'll be able to finish points in an offensive net position. 3. Split step earlier than a baseline shot is returned at you. You have less time to react. I recommend splitting when you or your partner’s shot hits the court. This way you’ll have much more time to react to the return! Visualization 5 minutes: practice staying down with a wider base, hands down, racquet head above the wrist, split stepping when a ball hits the court, and then firing the volley movement with quick recovery. 5 minute visualization. Add a step out to the movement to make it two steps, with a quick recovery. Let's use Cole's three step video as a prompt to guide our practice. Click here. youtube.com/shorts/xOtIPdR1deQ?si=_Up91UQyfoSu3aSQ Watch Bob and Mike Bryan doing the Romanian Davis Cup (RDC) drill. Unreal! When I go out on the court to practice I start with volleys. Even a light tap back and forth over the net without a bounce to get used to the timing of a volley to volley exchange. Then as a step two you can volley cross court to each other and back up a little till you reach the service line area. Then you can start the RDC drill. It’s my personal favorite volley drill because it teaches quick reactions, movement, service line volleys, 1/2 volleys, and targeting. Visualization 5 minutes: practice moving laterally, you are located a the service line area of the court, you are moving laterally and still using load steps to execute forward movement to the incoming volley. It's side stepping over and then moving into the shot. You also practice side stepping two feet in one direction and quickly side step back to the original position as volleys don't come in predictable patterns. You have to change directions. Click here to be guided through the RDC visualization with the Bryan's. youtu.be/DIxI-y8pI0w?si=FOpy5a1l6ANkKeUD Day Two: The serve with Taylor Fritz. It's not expected that you're going to hit your serve just like Taylor, though I do try. He covers 3 basic concepts that really help. Taylor did this for us! How cool is that? 1. Have a grounded base with your feet! 2. Start with your weight back, then toss, at 1 o'clock then go up after the ball. 3. Your weight should always be going forward. Click here to follow his personal advice. He's the number one US player in the world. youtu.be/T_5osrG-fGI?si=Wsh4xN81CeUOI65R Visualization 5 minutes: Practice standing still and weight back slightly, then toss the ball with your serve preparation, keep your tossing arm up, and look over your shoulder as you do this, let the toss arc up in the air and then bounce a little in front of you (about one foot) at one o'clock. Now practice the full service motion, without a ball, weight back, toss, knee bend, going up and visualize striking the ball at full extension with your legs extended upward at the peak of your reaching motion, and finish with your weight and body into the court. Note; you don't have to jump unless it's comfortable to do so. The point is the release timing at contact should be at your highest extension point, what ever that is for you personally. Leaving the ground isn't required. Save that for your flight to the Foro Italico in Roma. Day Three: Forehand synchronicity Tom Allsop does a great job of trying to explain timing which is like trying to describe a sunset. Still, he explains the feeling of it which is in my opinion one of the best descriptions I've seen in a video. There's no pause during preparation. Everything is synchronized. Both arms work together. Keep the flow of preparation going. I've found that this helps timing immensely and helps me stay loose throughout the shot translating to more feel for the ball, spin, and power. Click here to learn more about timing, flow, a feeling of the forehand. youtu.be/Le0dgmeL-LE?si=9jiR5MevxNUEpsfK Visualization for 5 minutes: practice taking the racquet back using your preparation style for your forehand keeping your hands somewhat close to each other, and then when you release the shot, get the non-hitting arm to stretch out, distance from the ball and initiate the firing sequence for the stroke. The key here is early preparation in a fluid manner with a release timed to the whole package of fluidity. It's not easy to put this in words but if you look at the video it makes sense. Forehand footwork and body rotation is an art form. Practicing footwork patterns with rotation helps get you positioned for shot making. The right to left shift of weight happens in multiple ways. These are the moves of the forehand. Also the body finds balance after the shot which is telling as to if the weight transfer was done correctly. 1. The is the low ball neutral stance, stepping in. 2, There is the semi-open stance. 3. There is the open stance. 4. There's a really high ball fade away stance. This one wasn't shown but it's another variation. Click here to see the footwork patterns and use them to guide your practice visualization. youtu.be/ftyfZXr3Zcw?si=ZUilPdRWRcUrx3du Visualization 5 minutes: Practice one or more footwork patterns without hitting a ball. Ultimately practice putting the four different patterns together into sequences where you feel comfortable moving from one to another. We usually want to be hitting more forehands than backhands in tennis matches. Then take that muscle memory to the practice court. Day 4: The one handed backhand I chose Stan Wawrinka as a video prompt: Just watch his left hand when he's hitting a backhand drive. And try to copy that! Watch his left hand at the racquet throat set the racquet up with a bent left arm (and a bent right arm), then he drops the racquet with that left hand still on the racquet to hip level, then a subtle left hip (secret move), firing the racquet out of the slot to the ball, with the left hand staying close to the release point of the racquet, holds there fraction of a second, and then a natural release of the shoulders and hip later in the sequence, with the left hand and arm now in line with the releasing shoulders and hips going into recovery. He doesn't appear to have a noticeable counter balance with the left hand (arm jetting back). He simply appears to know to hold the shoulders enough through contact without doing that. This creates a very natural smooth look to the shot with no effort from the left side at all. It's been said that this is the greatest one hander of all time. It is capable of holding down cross court exchanges with the best shots in the world, adding pace, slicing for defense, and then changing the line of the ball on balls that appeared to be difficult changes of the line. Click here to watch Stan Wawrinka's one handed drive backhand. youtube.com/shorts/2ZpVLep6qcM?si=FBUhlRI-bRB7iFrs Visualization 5 minutes: Practice swinging the whole swing as Stan hits it to the best of your ability with no racquet in hand. Then practice only using your left hand, then your right hand, then add the knees, and weight shift, then practice the whole movement with the racquet in your hand. For a workout, you start in a ready position then, turn move to the ball, step, and hit using the components as seen in the video by sight. Make sure you have the proper grip which is a full eastern backhand with the knuckle on top of the racquet. There's a lot going on here but try to break it down into little bites and add them in as you find them. A one handed backhand is an art form that takes time to master. Note: The one handed backhand of the old days is not the one on the pro tour today. In the 60’s early 70’s it hadn’t switched over to the eastern grip and semi western grips of today with widespread adoption. I’m including this video of Ken Rosewall and Tony Roche to show how effective that driving slice backhand can be. Rosewall could flatten out his slice as a drive with little backspin rotation on the ball, meaning he could use it for offense and pass with it. Federer as well hits his backhand with a flatter slice drive when he wants, in addition to all his other backhand shot variations. Watch these classic points with Rosewall. They were exciting. One reason I showed this video is that everyone is going to hit the ball just like the number one player in the world. Remember that. It's about making the fundamentals work for you. The key is to find your game and develop it using fundamentals as they work for you. Click here to see how one form of the classic one handed backhand was hit. You may wish to explore how this shot feels for your game. And you may find it easier to reproduce. youtu.be/lJubuKDN7Fk?si=ouEL-jZdmn0drEzs Visualization 5 minutes: Practice the same structure of learning the flow of the shot as you did with Stan's drive and apply to this shot here with Rosewall. The grip is continental which is easier to reproduce for some players than the full eastern drive backhand. For instance you may find it easier to switch from a backhand slice to a forehand shot much easier in real time during match or practice play. That's okay. Fair enough. Practice learning the new drive of Stan and include your continental slice type backhand as well. Even Stan doesn't always hit a drive backhand, even though it's the best of all time. Brad Gilbert even said in Winning Ugly about backhands-- "Don't ask a lame dog to fly." That one really cracks me up. Just control it and keep to in play. The two handed backhand tip. Watch the flow of Emma Raducanu's drive. She loads the racquet above her wrist, but not in a severe manner, she has enough space between her hands and body to generate flow (that effortless timing where the racquet head starts very slow and then begins the faster acceleration from the top of the backswing with fully rotated shoulders. Her left hand dips below her right wrist as she approaches the ball with her hands closer to her hip before swinging out to the ball, with the left hand and arm extending outward before finishing on the outside of her right shoulder with the racquet released on her backside. Ideally she tries to rotate her left side naturally with her left leg releasing forward and her left shoulder releasing more forward as well. Click here to watch Emma. youtube.com/shorts/D9_TruFDwGg?si=eLCaLEViBe24Zmmz Visualization 5 minutes: Try swinging the entire stroke slowly using similar flow both hands, no racquet. Then try putting them together with two hands on the racquet with the grips you see her using, a continental with the right hand and a semi-western left hand. Then try the shoulder preparation and footwork used in the video. Now you will have a great feel of what you're trying to accomplish on the practice court. Practice it from a ready position, preparation, execution, and recovery. It's all connected. I remember how Tim Gallwey, form the Inner Game of Tennis talked about using visualization to communicate learning biomechanics. I do find from coaching experience that students will sometimes surprise me on how much they can reproduce from a visual cue while others will have a a blank stare. And for this reason, more than one style of coaching has to be available for students. In these videos we can slow them down, break them down at our speed and with verbal communication increase clarity and understanding. For guys watch Carlos Alcaraz. His timing is a slow take back, yet he's ready for firing the ball hits his side of the court. Hir racquet is above the wrist, and as he hits through the shot his left hand (arm) extends totally out forward from the body as all great two handers do. He also has good lag in the racquet drop phase of his swing. You can see that this is not a wrist shot. There is relaxed integrity during the whole swing. Click here to see the compact efficient form of Carlos. youtube.com/shorts/GyravwkUdG0?si=d6rQeMG2RIRBSwY9 Visualization 5 minutes: Practice swinging the full motion with the flow of the swing with just your hands, no racquet, then try with just the left hand, then with the right, then with both together, all with no hands. Then, add the racquet using just the left hand, and then the right hand. After this put both hands together and add the footwork (from split-step to recovery). The left hand of a two handed player is usually the more dominant. Day 5. Low verses high balls. Simon (a video legend) from topspin training has this short video that shows how to get close to low balls early and drive with tighter topspin using forearm and hand acceleration. The higher ball shows the player, elevating the racquet more, creating more space with a horizontal swing-path, using more hip, shoulder and body rotation that creates an aggressive hard flat shot. I like the music in this easy to watch video. It's a forehand demonstration but the basic idea of it applies to the backhand as well. Click here to watch Simon and his student. youtube.com/shorts/-I8ItDHw9Uo?si=TpP5QwTDjLMPBOir Holger Rune (A Beast) is absolutely clobbering the ball. It's another example from Florian Meier of Online Tennis Instruction. Notice the distance Holger is from the ball he at contact. Patrick Mouratoglou works with him. Patrick is big on having the racquet in the full back loaded position by the time the ball is bouncing on your side of the court. Holger takes this very seriously and he's never late for an important date. One thing I often tell students is that nobody ever lost a tennis match because they were ready too early. We still have to put this context with what Tom Allsop is saying about flow. It's not one or the other. It's combined! Smooth early take back in harmony with the entire rhythm or the sequence. The components of the kinetic chain don't stop. They flow. Holger smashing a high forehand. No mercy. Click here. youtube.com/shorts/5Hqvf7FsLbo?si=qbQWkK7ra6viEXPO Simon’s 6 ways to handle a high ball. Well done! Check out the little dog at the beginning of the video. He's getting out of there. He knows what's going on. Lol. 1. Let the ball drop, using semi-open to open stance. Even if you are a one handed backhanding the semi-open stance. This gives better leverage. Hit heavy topspin and keep the return deep. 2. Take the ball as it's coming up on the rise. Shorten the swing and take time away from your opponent. Take the ball at your best strike zone, waist or chest. Use a neutral stance for this linear shot. 3. Slice the ball to bring it down and change the spin on that shot. This gives you time to recover quickly without losing court position. Raise the racquet head higher than normal on these high heavy kicking balls. 4. Take the ball early as a half volley. Super short swings, timed right after the bounce to counter all your opponent's power back at them. Use the neutral stance for this shot. 5. Take the ball out of the air as a swing volley. This is the most difficult but is a great shot for those mid-court hanging balls that are begging to be ripped. Keep your swing compact and balance yourself well during the execution of the shot. 6. Hit the ball at the apex. Hits hanging there for a moment. Hey! The little dog is back. Lol. Because the ball is so high you can really flatten the shot out with less risk because the ball is higher than the height of the net. With a one hander backhand it takes a strong shoulder but can be done. Also try to run around your backhand to hit a forehand using the cross behind step to create space for the shot. Honestly this is a lot of work, encapsulated in a small high energy clip. Watch parts of it and bring new ideas into your game at your pace. Watch Simon to see how to break it down. Click here. youtu.be/_wllQO6jFu4?si=QtTNw0QUyp36QQCb Visualization 5 minutes: Practice moving in for a short ball and driving or slicing a return over the net on the rise, then recover and practice hitting a deeper baseline ball before it drops after the bounce (hitting on the rise). Then practice backing up for a very high kicking ball that you take on the way down, and apply topspin hitting up on the ball (this also can be done with fade away footwork ver high balls. Also practice moving in and taking a swing volley at the ball out of the air, giving your opponent less time to react while at the same time putting yourself in an offensive position in the court. You may be able to rush the net if you take the swing volley in the middle of the court. Also practice using the step behind footwork to ferret out a forehand (run around your backhand) at the peak of the bounce. Day 6. Overheads Three simple steps with the online legend, Simon! 1. Get side on. Right leg goes back, and prepare left shoulder (if righty) with racquet. Get body back quickly behind the ball and move forward if possible. 2. Establish a compact trophy position, keeping the racquet a little on the right side of the body (for a righty), string facing court. This keeps a very compact motion which is more reliable. Find the ball with your non-dominant hand as the ball is coming down, and look for the ball over the shoulder so you have a full shoulder preparation. 3. Use the sidestep or cross over method of footwork depending how far the ball is going land in the back court. Cross over steps cover court much quicker to get behind the ball and then move forward into the shot. Click here to navigate one of the toughest shots to play in the game of tennis with Simon. This video is complete. youtu.be/z6OU4nl92cw?si=EiJvCS0ax36toRRv Visualization 5 minutes: Practice the drop leg turn and go with two side steps for a closer ball, finding the ball with the non-dominant hand, looking over the shoulder (not under), then move forward and practice the swing. Then practice going back for a deeper ball with three cross over steps and then move forward to find the ball with the non-dominant hand. And finally drop step and head back three cross over steps, a scissor kick as a fourth move, while finding the ball with the non-dominant hand, and then practice the swing. When executing all these shots visualize where you are hitting the ball and using spin for the more difficult behind the service line overheads. Day 7. Return of Serve Andre Agassi! Need I say more?! Andre was noted for taking the ball early and compact off returns and redirecting them, many times as an offensive shot. Watch his feet simply take a wide base before the contact of the ball. This insures the reaction occurs at the right time in sequence with the serve. He is balanced extremely well in position to return. When there is sufficient time he moves forward into the shot taking the ball early with a strong countering return that can force an error, or end the point directly. If the ball is more out of reach, there is less moving forward because the angle is too tough to move in on extremely wide balls. In this case, remain calm, and counter the shot with balance. Notice that court position is closer to the baseline. Taking the ball early in the court sends the ball quicker back to the opponent taking away time. And that poses problems for the server. There are return styles that you can do standing further back but in my opinion, especially in doubles. it's better to take the ball early and take away time. Click here to watch Andre execute this shot. youtu.be/vXNIWAuByTQ?si=tF0RjxwivnjUKx7i Visualization 5 minutes: get in a wide low base, visualize your opponent hitting a serve, even say to yourself what type of serve they are hitting if you see the cues and where it's going, you're watching the toss, and the racquet path, then just before contact you hop up slightly, and react to the serve you called on (if you know) with a touch of the feet and go, with a compact countering motion. Be sure to include extra wide serves, and body serves in your footwork, not just the ideal return. It seems logical that if you're practicing the timing of the split, watching the ball toss, recognizing cues and calculating serve locations, then you're doing a good job in controlling your side of the court. This is the second most important shot in the game. Day 8. Drop Shot Jessica Pegula is one of the best! Thanks Jessica. She's saying that disguise is the priority. You don't want to tip off your opponent and if they are leaning forward in the court, their chances of getting is are much better. Hit this shot when your opponent is back behind the line in a scramble and you're inside the baseline, and you catch them off guard. That's when to do it. Click here to listen to Jessica explain the nuances of the strategy involved. youtu.be/akIY_63kCv4?si=bFm0BW4HmzlbkR2G Patrick Mouratoglou (the online teaching guru) shows how he teaches the drop shot. I'd like to add that touch around the net is another variation of this shot. He gives us the details of: 1. Moving up fast to the shot. 2. Disguise the preparation as if you're going to hit a power drive. 3. Change the grip to neutral (continental). 4. Move forward with a slicing action with feet continuing through the shot after the hit. This shot takes feels for the ball and practice. Click here to see Patrick explain the four details. youtube.com/shorts/jsSWCJsHX5o?si=laerfWeZ2e_1IRu7 Visualization for 5 minutes: Practice hitting a series of ground strokes, imagine your opponent back in the court a bit, then move in on a shorter inside the baseline return, load normally as if hitting a groundstroke, then at the last moment, change your grip to a continental, and execute the drop shot. Image that you want the ball to bounce three times before the service line, or that you want the ball to spin out off court into the alley. Do this for both forehand and back hand drop shots. Then practice this for very short balls where you're running to retrieve and then counter drop creating a situation where your opponent now has to retrieve a difficult touch shot closer to the net. Now be ready to volley the counter shot. Day 9. Drop Volley Ian Westermann of Essential Tennis, a great online legendary tennis coach, shows us a mini-course on how to hit a drop volley. Basically he's saying that if you want to hit a volley deeper you should firm up your hand if you want to drop a volley you loosen it. And the racquet angle plays an important role in guiding the trajectory of the ball. He offers some great insights. Click here to listen to Ian's presentation of the drop volley and feel for the volley. youtu.be/tGdW9cqLecQ?si=mzxWxEtuydAaYXGY You don't have to do much, just great feel for the ball. Roger Federer in combat shows amazing touch and feel for the drop volley at the net position while scrambling. Click here to see Roger. youtube.com/shorts/rVAJiyVQpiA?si=NYV6IE5yB5BD2tmL Visualization 5 minutes: Imagine yourself hitting a deeper firm volley from a waist high ball just inside the service and then suddenly when the ball is very low and closer to the net, you move in, and drop it short and low, with no pace at all. Then, imagine yourself on top of the net dropping a low volley just over the net, like an eye dropper. John McEnroe hit this shot so well. It ended the point right there and then. Imagine loosening your grip and letting the racquet head kick back absorbing the ball. Remember to only hit drop shots when the ball is at net or lower levels. Higher volleys should be angled off. Day 10. Approach Forehand Vincent Simone a great online coach gives us a short take on the key components of a drive approach. What I like about the video is that he explains how to stay lower while moving forward. Personally I try to remember to sink into the court as I'm approaching the ball with a neutral stance. We don't stop on this type of approach, it's hit with a controlled down shift of the body, with a slow forward progress during the swing. 1. Stay low, keep your head down 2. Seven to eight small adjusting steps 3. Move through the ball from front foot to front foot. 4. Finish around and across to control the ball with spin and pace. Click here to watch Vincent's presentation. youtube.com/shorts/oGRnIlhMnaY?si=y8Xd0L7AJqTBP604 Visualization 5 minutes: Split step and mover forward with the upper body in a somewhat sideways position. This insures that your approach to the ball is correct. As you hit the ball, with a shorter adjusted swing (needed because of time and court position), you are pushing weight forward to the point where you hop a little more forward in the followthrough to allow your weight to naturally go toward the net position. Your next shot will be a volley or a smash. Practice the full intention of driving the shot to a target, following the ball, and setting up for the next shot. This makes for a complete practice of the approach shot. Day 11. Approach Backhand Jeff Sazenstein was ranked #100 in the world on the ATP. He's an online teaching legend. His classic elbow your enemy on the serve is famous. I like how he teaches the two handed backhand drive approach with an abbreviated followthrough, emphasizing the forward extension of the swing. And the lift and land technique is classic. Again, sinking into the shot is important to control, and approaching the ball more side on. 1. Get side on while approaching the ball. 2. Hit lift and land, front foot to front foot. 3. Keep the racquet out to the target sustaining the finish. Click here to see Jeff explain how shortening the finish helps with control. youtu.be/iy8BkFwodvI?si=7PVWJBjAtktc27wR Brady another online tennis legend coach talks about the one handed backhand drive and slice approach. He states that when he gets a ball at waist height he drives and moves through it with flow to get into a net position. The steps he is using are Carioca, which places the back leg far behind the front leg while slowly down to hit the shot. This style of footwork has been around forever and requires significant practice to execute. It helps keep the body from opening up. He also says that when the ball is below the net, slice it to get in and take net position. Again he uses the Carioca step to execute this play. Click here to watch Brady in this video on how to approach the one handed backhand. youtu.be/r3U9A0gy3bI?si=IMhjV7lNbHjY9LNphttps://youtu.be/r3U9A0gy3bI?si=IMhjV7lNbHjY9LNp Visualization for 5 minutes: Practice imagining a waist high or higher ball inside the court, then use either a lift and land technique, or Carioca technique to move through the shot with flow and take a volley position. Also practice slicing a low fading approach shot and taking a net position. The goal is to approach the net and get into an offensive net position. That the goal of an approach shot. If I can get my opponent to bend low and hit up then my approach shot has done its job. Day 12. Lobs There are too basic lobs, the offensive and the defensive lobs. The best defensive lob I've ever seen is from Jimmy Connors. He never gave up on a point ever! And it won him matches! I saw this match live on TV. I'll never forget it. The will to win is quite something. This lesson is all you ever need. He keeps his preparation simple and lifts the ball up with smooth controlled racquet guidance. If there's enough time there's more lifting of the arms from the shoulder(s). If there isn't, a wrist flick can do the trick. This is 1991. A 39 year old wild card named Jimmy Connors stuns the crowd and makes it to the semi-finals of the US Open. Just click here to watch how defense can win. youtu.be/Xvuhx1DYWZU?si=1VWoDGYfOZ3td2Xd Offensive lobs are used when you have time and the oponnent has net position. Typically it's topspin but it doesn't have to be. It can be a bunt lob or chip lob. The key is that it gives the opponent little time to hit and leaves them stranded at the net position. Here is a video compilation of Federer's lobbing ability. I love the play when Fed hit a soft angled slice short backhand bringing Tsonga in on clay followed by an offensive topspin lob winner to finish the point. The Classic drop shot and lob play. Watch Roger use the lob as a weapon. Click here. youtu.be/PXrfUCA9_Uo?si=aghaMfXUSa4HY1-r Visualization 5 minutes: Practice moving from side to side hitting defensive lobs using smooth lifting upwards motion. Also practice wrist flicks when forced into extreme out of balance situations. Then practice hitting a drop shot with an offensive lob as your next shot. This gives you a good sense for how lobs are used in point play. Summary: Use these videos as reminders of how to execute your shot and then visualize (with your racquet practicing or playing on court executing that shot). Finally when done with this course you can mix and match the segments into points rehearsing a variety of shot combinations. This type of visualization practice does at least ten positive things for your game. 1. You're going to get a workout. 2. You're practicing technique (fundamentals). 3. You're working on strategy (where are you hitting the ball and why). 4. You're working on your game focus during point play. 5. You'll start playing and practicing with a purpose. 6. You don't need a court. 7. You're learning from the best online coaches and players in the world. 8. You don't need a lot of time to improve your game. 5 Minutes goes a long way. 9. Your footwork and balance will improve. 10. You can become your own coach. This is a bold quest. How possibly can I show you and myself the secret of the game to singles? How can I best put myself in a position to win the match? Do I just keep the ball in play and wait for my opponent to make an error? Is this a game of mental toughness where if I just play my best I'll win? If I take lessons will this help me win? Should I only play players better than me and then play my level? Is there a formula for winning. The list of questions goes on and on. There's two books I recommend reading--"The Inner Game of Tennis" and "Winning Ugly". The reason I chose those is that the Inner Game focuses on your mind which has to be in the right place. The biggest opponent you'll ever find is yourself. You have control over yourself and that's a great place to start. But there's more! What about your opponent? They have a leading role in your on court production too. Winning Ugly will give you insight to handing the outer game of tennis. It's managing the inner and outer games well that give the best chance of winning and more importantly playing my best. In this post I'll review percentage plays to run based upon game styles, court geometry. and body rotation.
The basic geometry of the court says that it's percentage to hit the ball cross court where the net is lower, more court available, and the body rotates inward when hitting a ball cross court, supporting the direction. Going down the line (long line or side line) is going against the grain of that rotation, has less court available (much less) and has a higher net. That means going down the line. can be done when the shot "feels" right, which is when your body is in great position to turn that "outside" the body shot up the line, If I select the wrong ball to turn up the line, I give my opponent a cross court opportunity that opens the door for them to stretch me wide as heck to cover a cross court ball. Now they are in scoring position on the next shot. That doesn't mean I shouldn't go up the line, It just means be selective. The more you play you can feel when those opportunities arise. Waiting for short balls inside the baseline is a good guide to follow. It also depends how good your down the line is on the wing your hitting (forehand or backhand). I'd call this basic geometry, singles 101. Singles 102 is when, you get an inside ball (one that doesn't pass the outside of your body, and the ball is a normal groundstroke (not an extremely deep high ball), you can turn the ball easier up the line because the hip rotation is more natural. You can also elect to hit the ball inside out, like many players do to position their power forehand or backhand in a position in which the opponent has to react to one of two possibilities, your inside out out shot or your inside, inside, wrap up the line. Hitting inside groundstrokes offer great advantages when in an exchange with an opponent and it makes them work harder while you're managing risk much better. Beating the Pusher Try to make them run side to side and approach the net and make them run to pass you. Typically they won't give you an amazing passing shot. Be ready to cover with an overhead or knock them off with your volley. Another play is to attack with a rip to their strength and come to the net to finish or slice low to their weaker side and approach the net. Another play is to slice them. short and then drive them back. This opens up court for you. When slicing you can use a mid court low no pace shot and follow to net, They don't have much to hurt you with. When they come to the net go up the line and or cross court with dipping spin. Even a rip at their weaker volley can give you points.. Counter Puncher They move well and they're consistent and move well. Hit behind them to make them change direction. Try to positioning your self for inside shots. Try to position yourself for inside forehands against their backhand. You have to have a good backhand cross court to execute this play, and if can hit topspin high up into their backhand wing, sets up your inside out forehand heavy to their backhand and then and fire your forehand cross court pushing stretching them wide outside the court. If you can do that, congrats! /You now have open court with your forehand directing the next ball inside down the line. Great work! They are on the hook. Another play you can use is shorter slice cross court from your backhand, followed by heavy topspin to their backhand setting up the same play I just listed. Be patient and rally a deep ball up the middle and when they change the direction of the ball you go cross court making them run, setting up another hit behind on your next shot. When approaching the net try hitting behind them to a corner or chipping short to their backhand and approach the net. When they approach the net, use dippers, balls topped just over their heads, or high lobs hit deep to the baseline, and blasts at their weaker volley side when they are at net. Aggressive Baseliner Number 1, don't get into a fast ball war unless your fastball is better. That doesn't mean don't hit hard. It means be selective and manage risk well. How? Start off by hitting the backhand wing most often. That’s the slower side, but still tough. Start with their slower pace side! You have to assess that. Also when serving, keep the ball well placed to the weaker wing mostly. If you can get into their backhand wing and move them in that corner with the plays previously mentioned on how to construct the inside out forehand point, then you have a good chance of controlling the point. This is better strategy than trying to outhit them. When returning serve shoot for a deep return to their bigger swing wing forcing them to get ready quick and not giving up a lot of open court for them to rail drives hard to open spots, which is what they love to do and should. When rallying, another play is to hit deep up the middle, and heavy, If they hit a corner go into cross court play and set up the inside forehand play. Only change directions of a ball on your inside groundstrokes. This gives you good leverage and better percentages. Trying to go up the lone on their hard shots is likely to result in making errors. Keep the strategy simple with the aggressive baseliner. Another play that works with them is to pull them in with a chip and then go up the line on the pass or dip it cross court. If you have a good line on the ball you can also rip it into the body hard. This makes them play a tough defense if they come to the net. Serve and Volleyer Is there such a thing? Sure maybe once in a while an opponent will charge on the serve or decide their best chance of them to win is to go to the net. First they want to move in and hit put aways. If you move them side to side this won't be easy. Approaching off wide balls is no picnic. And then set up your inside out forehand plays. Also use the directionals for outside and inside balls that were previously discussed. When approaching the net off a short ball, hit it cross court opening up the court and then hit the next ball cross court. This keeps them moving side to side which keeps them off the net. From the backhand wing you can also rip it cross court and come to the net, again giving you the whole cross court on the next ball. If they hit a short mid court slice, give them the same back and approach so you have a one v one volley dynamic going on which keeps the point neutral. You aim to take the upper hand by hitting a terrific low ball at their feet. Junk Baller / Change Up Artist They just like doing crazy chips, lobs, fast balls. They can be very tricky to play and you'll get no timing with them. But you canst them up to miss! Try serving mid court slice to open up court wide the push them back to the opposite side really deep. Execute this from the deuce court. Then you're in the inside out forehand position and in control of the point. Returning serve try the same tactic from the deuce court. Hitting down the line when you're in position well is good because it makes them run. Use slice or drive. And then set up an inside forehand play when you have the chance. This keeps them running a bit more and if they're constantly mixing they can get into trouble and are likely to give you a ball to take the control of the point with. For approaching the net, go to their backhand wing with a good blast and look to volley into the open court. If they give you a low mid court short ball, return the favor with another to their backhand and approach looking to finish in the open court. The All Courter Serve in the deuce to the backhand, then try to set up your inside forehand plays. Return to the bigger swing deep then look to set up inside forehand play. When rallying, look to set up directionals and get into inside forehand position. Also hitting deep to deep as discussed with the aggressive basliner, until they open the door with a corner placement then rally till you get the inside forehand opportunity. Attacking the backhand on approaches is good with the next shot going to the open court with volley or overhead (possibly a few shots to finish there). If they chip mid court and approach, return the same to their backhand and also approach, one v. one at the net. The Lefty Serve to their backhand mostly to open up deuce court, then hit behind them again. That's a great test of their skill with that play. When serving ad court serve backhand then nail backhand again on the next shot, and set up you inside forehand play. When returning, just focus on getting the ball deep into the backhand. If deep to either side you're doing well. Returning serve is a nightmare. Let their slice break into your backhand when they serve body, and their kick into your forehand. If you don't do this the ball will go right into your body. And this takes getting use to because there aren't many out there and you don't react that way normally. When rallying with them, on deuce side go corner then wide side then go to open court or back to their backhand again. This keeps your forehand into their backhand wing deep. If in a ad court exchange stay cross with your backhand against their forehand and look to get an inside forehand to wrap up the line to force them to hit a running backhand, You now look to set up your forehand plays to finish the point. I have to give Will Hamilton from Fuzzy Yellow Balls on gaining insight to some of this strategy and to Paul Wardlaw who wrote Directional Theory. There’s a lot of material here. I’ll offer edits to this post and future blog posts on how to practice these plays, either by yourself, or with a hitting partner. Perfect practice makes perfect. Doubles compass drills are great training routines geared to improve shot making during doubles matches. I first tried these many years ago with my doubles partner, Chris Johnson from the Worcester area. I first met Chris as a candidate for the PTR at a testing course I ran at Falmouth. Chris was former number one at Umass and we instantly became friends. Being both alumni gave us a common ground. We decided to play USTA New England doubles tournaments. We had some great wins. My singles wasn’t great but in doubles I specialized. I’ve always viewed singles as training for doubles and vice versa. I’ll share the drills now: 1. Cross Court rally using doubles alleys, using inside and outside groundstrokes. Stay in the diagonal positions. Switch sides of court and repeat (ad and deuce courts). This is great practice for keeping the ball away from the net player. Every once in a while you can announce that you’re going to change the ball down the line and then you can continue the drill in the shifted down the line position. It’s easier to hit a down the line with your inside groundstroke rather than your outside one. Still, practicing the outside groundstroke down the line is good because it happens when you face an active poacher at the net 2. Down the Line rally using doubles alleys, using inside and outside groundstrokes. Switch sides of court and repeat. Simply keep all your groundstrokes on the side of the court straight ahead using the ally’s. Notice this can be a challenge with a higher net and less court. You can also announce change and stroke cross to change directions of the rally to the diagonal cross court rally. This helps you manage direction against the poacher. 3. Repeat with one up one back, both in the diagonal and down the line positions. Be sure to include overheads as well as volleys. When taking volleys practice just inside the service line and also close to the net. This creates eight possible court positions to go around the compass with offensive (6 feet from net) and defensive (mid court transition) volley zones. This covers every position you’ll face plus direction change if you call it. 4. After completing compass add in the serve and return of serve and play points out cross court. This whole compass drill workout takes one hour if you keep it moving. It’s an amazing workout. To this day it’s my favorite training tool for doubles. Keeping score is optional but when practicing form and skill consistency this isn’t ideal. Getting reps in is paramount to improvement and sharpness. At the end portion of the session playing out points when adding the serve and return simulates actual doubles competition and is perfect for developing mental toughness in game play. The other compass drills also can be done adding a score component to focus on a particular formation adding the mental toughness component restricted to one compass point you’re working on. See the diagrams to show you the court positions for training one on one doubles drills and games. There are more and I’ll add them in. Here are some great ones to get your power hour started with your training partner. These drills are the same ones I do at our doubles clinics. Enjoy!     I decided to head to Spain in early September for a couple of reasons, one, I’ve never been, and two, I wanted to train on red clay tennis courts and see the tennis culture. At least a sample would offer more perspective on tennis and other racquet sports (more about that in my next post). The idea came from a friend of mine, Paul who suggested I contact Jeff who lives in Spain and see if I could visit him. I had met Jeff 12 years ago at his bachelor party in Casanovia, New York. We had sailed on a large lake there (Gods country). I also met his future wife, Maria, who is from Spain. Little did I know that years later I’d spend three days at their home in Casas de Benítez in Cuenca. Paul assured me that calling Jeff would be okay, though Paul didn’t exactly know where Jeff lived. This is a leap of faith, I thought, so I did it and reached out. Jeff remembered me as the guy who gave Paul a tennis racquet. Yep, that sounded about right. We talked about Spain and I asked if I could rent space from him while visiting and he wouldn’t let me pay him. He would accept tennis lessons which was perfect as I’m coming back from knee issues and some easy hitting would be perfect. My flight first landed in Zurich (great treats on Swiss Air by the way). And from there I flew into Madrid. It took about day and one half to complete my Expedia flight plan (they are the cheapest for sure because the app buys in Hotel, Car, and Flight packages rather than a la carte.). It’s cheaper to fly to Spain, get a hotel, car and breakfast than go to Maine. It’s crazy to think that but it’s true. I flew into Madrid in the morning, secured a rental car, 10.00 per day, and my Capital One Card took care of auto free auto insurance, and headed for Cuenca. I made this sound easy but it was tricky. Navigating a foreign airport with limited Spanish capability is a challenge. I took it slow and steady and if I made a mistake, corrected patiently like a missed passing shot. Once I finally got my rental car after finding the right bus to take to the rental lot, getting checked in (there appeared to be no order in the room of thirty people waiting ahead of me to get their rentals) …well that’s long a story…ha. I hopped intoKia hybrid and headed south. The first thing I experienced in Spain is roundabouts with several lanes, often unmarked, and lights in the middle when exits came up. It’s Spain. Take it slow. I did. I then drove south to Cuenca (a province of Spain) to Casa’s de Benítez. It’s about two hours south of Madrid. Along the way I passed mountains, dried fields, olive farms, cows, grape vineyards, little towns cloistered into mountain sides, country churches, an old wind mill, vast areas of desert proportion, and wind and solar farms. There was no rain on the plain of Spain. There was a drought this summer. After a couple of wrong turns in the middle of no where I found what was called Main Street. It was late at night. My hosts were there to greet me. And my three day journey started in this little desert town. I drank enough water to choke a horse when I arrived and ate fresh bread which was perfect. In the morning there was market where you could buy food and clothes. Nothing was packaged. It was bagged when ordered. The produce seller stood over bins of nuts and fruits while smoking a cigarette and focused on his deliveries. Markets closed at 2 pm for siesta. Early that morning at 9 I had coffee and a fresh bread with what I call Procuitto. In Spain, that’s ham. Also there were fresh grapes in the backyard so I could graze whenever I wanted. At siesta, Maria and Jeff made grilled chicken or lamb, fresh tapas, cheeses, breads, and fruit. It all came in courses. I think there were four. After that, we chatted, rested, went for a swim in the pool and went to play tennis. There’s no work or commerce for most citizens during this time. At 5 pm the work day starts again and finishes around 9 pm and then there is a light dinner or appetizer ending by 10:30 pm. The days lasted well into the nights. I lived long full days and never felt tired despite my long journey. A good sleep the first day fixed that. Jeff took me to a tennis court and we played. There was a Great Wall there where en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frontenis is played. Frontenis is a tennis type game played with a front wall and one side wall. It was a tremendous workout. This game is played widely throughout Spain. Our practice was hot but dry and I consumed lots of water and ate grapes. After several bike rides and Frontenis hitting sessions with Jeff against the great wall I decided it was time to leave Cuenca and head to the red clay of Valencia, not knowing at all what would be in store. I drove East to Valencia, another 2 hour journey. There I stayed at a boutique hotel in the heart of the city that served great food and I ventured out to the Spanish Tennis Association run courts in the city. There I met up with Sergio Sergio Dronov, the head coach and founder of the at Valencia Tennis Academy where he boasts an illustrious career in tennis coaching. He has personally shaped the careers of top players like Ernests Gulbis TOP 10 ATP, Igor Andreev TOP 20 ATP, and Alisa Kleybanova TOP 10 WTA!!!!. I ended up training with him for two days at the Academy red clay tennis courts. He is known for his biomechanics expertise and he helped me greatly with my own game. We spoke about our coaching experiences and his perspective on the kinetic chain which gave me new perspectives on communicating the technical aspects to students. Hitting balls on red clay is spiritual. The crushed red brick provides a cloud-like feel unsurpassed by any surface save grass. The 90 minute training sessions included forehand, backhand and serve development. Sergio being a former satellite player a decade plus younger coached as he struck live balls. We’d stop occasionally to chat about Valencia, his family and the routines of his coaching schedule. I found this as a colleague fascinating. We plan to stay in touch and perhaps work on a business venture together. From Valencia ( the museums, beaches and tennis centers) I drove south to Castell de Xàtiva. and It’s a castle built by by Celtiberians. the It’s quite a history lesson but from what I can gather, these “Celts” (I have to laugh because I think of the Boston Celtics) built for sure the minor part of the castle which is one of two castles at the site. These Iberian tribes fell eventually to the Roman Empire because Rome had to have everything. They were not minimalistic at all. Eventually the Iberian Celtic Tribes battled off the Germanic tribes and the Roman Empire. These battles occurred BC and AD on our calendar. Eventually all the tribes and provinces of what is now Spain came together. The castle possesses magical features of architecture, mountain engineering, vast vistas over huge tracts of Spain. As I looked over the edge of the very top of Castle Mejor, I felt as though a flying dragon would pass beneath my gaze and snort smoke loudly as it circled its winged path looking for something it wanted below in the dense forest and then fly into the open plains with several other dragons joining the sortie. They headed off to another castle perched on a mountain miles away in the distance. I then turn and looked behind me. No one was there at the highest point of the castle Mejor, and I turned my hat backwards as the wind picked up. I didn’t want to lose it over the wall. A gust of wind earlier had blown my sunglasses out of my hands as I was cleaning the dust off and they broke. The sun was now twice as bright and when my vision finally adjusted I saw clearly the light shooting through the castle cannon ports onto to the steps. At that moment it all changed for me and I knew why I was there. From there I headed south for two hours to a town called ARCHENA. This town had the BALNEARIO DE ARCHENA, a town a mineral hot spring nestled in between a mountain range. The bath was a great place to unwind from the tennis I’d played in Valencia. This was my last stop on the tour before driving back to Madrid to catch my flight back to Boston. One final note, I noticed a game called Padel being played at all of Valencia’s tennis clubs. It’s a great combination of tennis type shots with racquetball angles off the back wall. It plays similar to platform tennis but covers more ground. It’s played professionally in Europe. My next post is about Padel. That’s another story!!!    This past Wednesday I drove down to Newport from Falmouth to see two matches in the sweet 16 first round of of the main draw. Earlier this week I played a local doubles tournament on Sunday which was one of if not the hottest days of the summer so I knew what the sun was going to do. And it was a scorcher. I had consumed gallons of water and electrolytes over the last week and a lunch could consist of watermelon and bananas with a side of water with lemon. My center baseline seat was in the South Section in the sun front row. It was the best seat ever. I have a new favorite player on the tour. Reilly Olpelka! He is 6-11” , plays right handed, two handed backhand (can slice nasty one hands), serves bombs, was out for two years because of hip surgery’s (poor guy is only 19!!!!), wears Fila clothing, and had on a pink hat! For the most part he was smiling the whole time he was playing. Understand he has long hair and a long thick beard. Heck I’ll sponsor this guy! Congrats to him for making it to the semifinals today and winning a qualifying event to get into the tournament. This former number 17 in the world is going to give a lot of people trouble. His serve that pounded into the boards in front of me sounded like a sledgehammer pounding railroad spikes. Heres a couple of videos I took of him serving. He uses the Wilson Pro Staff racquet (the new brownish bronze color). That frame is lighter than the Federer pro staff (heaviest racquet I know of). The Mediterranean Red Clay Series as I see it begins in France with the Monte Carlos Masters 1000, followed by a Barcelona 500, Madrid Masters 1000, and the Italian Open 1000 Masters in Rome. There are 250 point events scattered throughout Europe that are also played on the famously slow high bouncing crushed red brick. The Cap Stone of the Mediterranean series is finish at the French Open, in Paris in late May, early June. Today I’m sharing observations I noticed while attending my first red clay court ATP event located in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France part of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azu. The two colors that come to mind are red and blue. The sky and ocean are blue crystal and the red clay is a good backdrop for the yellow Dunlop Fort tennis ball. My plane got in around 2 pm and I took an Uber to Beausoleil, which is located in the south of Provence. The steep hillside provided a view of Monte Carlo, a municipality of tiny Monaco. From the view of my penthouse Airbnb, I could see everything in front of me, the casino, the Princes Palace, one cruise ship, and the crystal blue ocean, with a sail boat heading toward, Lord knows where, perhaps Italy. I felt protected by my cliffs that surrounded my 500 square foot paradise location that lorded over a road side bocci club. The night I got in I took this photograph of what appeared to be the Emerald City of Oz. Also you can see the cliffs that fortified my position.  The draw at Monte Carlo  The penthouse view of Monte Carlo. That cruise ship stayed for three days.  The golden hour.  There were five basic doubles positions I noticed. That’s right, only five. Do they apply to you? Absolutely they do. In this post I’m covering the two main positions I noticed. First off: Congrats to the Champions Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen both from Belgium (both ranked 17 & 18 on the ATP in doubles) and Finalist’s Alex Zverev (number 5 in the world in doubles) from Germany and 40 year old Marcelo Melo, from Brazil, a former number one in the world in doubles, who is a career doubles specialist and journeyman with over 8,000,000 in career earnings. Sitting through that three set match was riveting, in the blazing dry sun of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France.🇫🇷 The Belgium Team using the one up one back positioning. The net position of the server’s partner is active and close to the net. Notice the quick movement to his left on the wide serve then the middle position when his partner hits more up the middle This time the server’s partner at the net makes a good cover simply by moving in the box correctly. Being close to the net allows him to angle the ball off into open court. This is the secret to holding serve as a doubles team. You don’t want to get broken. If you do and the other team holds, you’re lost 4-6. The server’s net partner combined with good communication with the server is the secret recipe to holding serve and ultimately winning matches. Fritz and Rune both playing back can win points. I noticed that Rune worked hard to team up with his partner when Fritz got pinned back. Next week I’ll be heading to Rome to video the Italian Open. Players will be coming in from Madrid and other areas to play in this 1000 point Masters event. Over the next few weeks I’ll be sharing some of the clips with you and you can see how world class doubles is being played. Also, I’ll cover some of the singles matches from Monte Carlo and Roma!
Caffe’ tastes better in Provence! Recently, I returned from the games of Rome. No, not gladiators of the Colosseum, rather, the tennis gladiators of the Foro Italico in Rome. The complex is located in the northern part of Rome, located just north of Vatican City. There are three main stadiums at the venue with 18 clay courts, nine of which that are used for the “Italian Open.” Recently, student texted me at 5 am to let me know Sasha Zverev, a Russian, from Germany had just won the final. I happy for Sasha, he’s come back from injury and doing well. To win consistently on the Mediterranean Red Clay Series as I call it (Estoril, Monte Carlo, Barcelona, Madrid, and Rome). Estoril is located on the Portuguese Riviera and Madrid is in the middle of Spain but they get a pass as “close enough” in my book to be included in the Mediterranean Series.  Final Score of this first round match 4-6, 6-3,6-4 Rafael Nadel defeated Zizou Bergs of Belgium These are the highlight videos I filmed. In my opinion Zizou went for some down the line shots on key points that he missed which tipped the match. Otherwise, he played very well. Rafa, was in good form with movement and hit helicopter and buggy whip forehands the whole match which kick quite high with pace. Also his backhand is very consistent and drives well. In addition Rafa plays the net extremely well covering touch shots, volleys and overheads. I hope we see him at the French. It could be his last event of his career. I feel blessed to have seen him play as did the 10,000 tennis fans who sat with me. He is truly loved in Italy. Bergs occasionally raised his arms to cheer for him when he made a great shot which the Italian dominated crowd were happy to oblige.  A Saint with a Coon Hound?
John McEnroe won 155 career ATP titles including 7 major singles! I saw him play Davis Cup at Newport on grass. John could take the net like no one I’ve ever seen. His simple swing take backs, counter punch attack style is amazing. As a lefty he stands about 8 feet to the right of center when serving to the deuce box in singles. He lines his serve up sideways, back to the fence, then hits out wide or down the T and then rushes in to hit an approach volley, if his serve is returned! His forehand volley he could take early in the air behind the receiver or volley cross court. If a rally ensues, he finishes with a drop volley, power volley, or overhead. He protected the net in singles like a hockey goalie. On his return of serve, he takes the ball early off the hop, similar to the saber of Federer. Then he’s at the net! His return placements were low and away from opponents making passing shots challenging. He and his doubles partner, Peter Fleming are one of the greatest doubles teams of all time. Check out this collaborative tennis video from two of the best online tennis coaches—Ian and Jeff. youtu.be/jVkMyQWBh9Y?si=TUKmlK_BcqnmOTE1 We will be using these warm-up and training styles over the next few weeks to add foot speed and quickness to your game!
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