Singles Tactics in Tennis

By Mark Rothwell

Introduction
There are so many varying factors which have an influence on singles tactics that a player must continually concentrate, analyze, and try to keep two steps ahead of his or her opponent. Continually thinking about the game is the only way to ensure the player's tactics are correct in all stages of the match. There are six factors that may affect the player's decision on tactics:
Your own style of play, remembering your strengths and weaknesses.
Your opponents style of play, taking into account strengths and weaknesses.
Court and climatic conditions.
Your physical condition.
Your opponent's physical condition.
Differing mental capacities of players.
Because of these variables it is difficult to make hard and fast rules when designing singles tactics. The following ideas are intended as guidelines and should be analyzed and used to appropriate match situations or differing playing abilities.

General Tactics
Ball control
1. Tennis matches are lost not won! More points are won on errors than by hitting winners.
2. A player must learn when to attack or when to defend. Defensive tennis is a very important part of a player's game and must not be overlooked. A top player must have a balance between defense and offense. The slugger rarely wins, and the pusher rarely wins. The player who wins most has good ball control and plays at about 75 to 80 per cent effort, waiting for a short ball or an opening. Playing at 75 to 80 per cent gives you a margin of error.
3. Play one point at a time, concentrate intently and you will be tough to beat.
4. Players should learn to recognize important points and concentrate intently in an attempt to win each point as it occurs. The following are important points to win:
The first point of every game has a psychological advantage of "getting a head start" on your opponent.
As soon as a player reaches 40, the next point is vital, as it means a whole game.
When serving and you are down 0-30 or 15-30, the next point is vital as it could mean a service break.
After a closely fought first set, concentrate hard for the next few games of the second set, because often one player folds in the second set. Don't let it be you.
If you win the first set easily, force yourself to keep playing hard tough tennis and avoid going into a slump.
5. The object in tennis is to manoeuver your opponent so that you have an opening or a weakness to attack. Hitting deep shots is an important method of forcing your opponent on to his back foot, enabling you to capitalize on his forced weak return. Deep shots keep your opponent near the baseline, which gives him/her little chance of rushing the net.
6. Never change a winning game, but always change a losing game. There are exceptions to this rule however. If, for example, you lose a set by one service break due to your opponent hitting a net cord and a couple of good winners, it is not worth changing your game from your natural style of play. However, if you have lost the set 6-1 you should then re-evaluate your game approach to avoid losing the second set just as easily.
7. Develop a game so that you feel comfortable, both at the net and at the baseline. This flexibility is important to cater for different opponents, court surfaces and conditions. It is important to practice all tennis strokes and all match situations, including the Tie-Breaker.
8. Always aim your shots, don't be content to just get the ball into play. Hit the ball towards the open court or to your opponents weaknesses. Move your opponent around making it as tough as possible for him/her.
9. Avoid aiming for the lines when a shot half a meter inside the court will win the point. This is especially true when your opponent is off the court and all that is needed is to play the ball over the net to win the point.
10. Never give up when behind, or relax when ahead. Fortunes can change rapidly when one player becomes careless or over-confident while his/her opponent keeps trying. Expect to win and never give up.
11. A hard hitter enjoys playing against pace. Hit a variety of slow paced shots, this will force your opponent to generate his/her own speed.
12. Never under-estimate the opposition. Always play as if they have a chance to beat you, it is excellent practice for a tougher match.
13. If your timing is off, or you are not playing well, increase your level of concentration and watch the ball closer.
14. To help your concentration try the "Bounce Hit Technique". Say under your breath, "Bounce" as the ball hits the ground in front of you, and "Hit" as your racquet strikes the ball.
15. Beware of the player who sets out to irritate you and destroy your concentration. Ignore these players as much as possible and concentrate on the tennis ahead. Often a smart comment such as "Remind me to tell you something about your forehand when we finish the match" can change the course of the entire match.
16. Do not spend time in a match trying to correct a stroke, concentrate on match tactics and winning. Correct your strokes between tournaments.
17. There are two basic ways of playing a tennis match:
Concentrate on your strengths, for example, volleys, by taking control of the net at every opportunity.
Concentrate on your opponent's weakness, for example, hitting most of your shots at their backhand.
18. Drop shots are risky to play on a regular basis due to the fine touch that is required, therefore avoid hitting them on important points. Examples of when to hit drop shots are:
When playing on grass or clay, because the ball bounces low, almost never on hard court because of the height of the bounce.
When your opponent is deep behind the baseline and their return is short.
When the ball is close to the net and it is easier to angle the ball short across the net than hit deep.
19. In top tennis, drop shots are best played from the net, not from the baseline. Simply because the ball travels a shorter distance, therefore giving your opponent less time to run the distance to the ball.
20. If your opponent has discovered a weakness in your game and is attacking it continually, change your style of play. For example, if they are attacking your backhand groundstroke, attack the net on every opportunity or bring your opponent to the net. In this way the number of backhand groundstrokes you are forced to hit will be kept to a minimum.
21. If you are being beaten easily, do the following:
Avoid showing frustration or anger in your game. Realizing that you are losing control of yourself will give your opponent a big psychological lift. Act poker faced even if you are angry or frustrated inside.
Slow the pace of the match down, walk slowly around the court to pick up the balls, taking deep controlled breaths as you are doing this.
As you slow the game down, analyze what is happening. Are you making errors by hitting too hard? Are you rushing your shots and trying to hit too many difficult shots? Remember, keep cool and THINK about the situation.
22. Watch your opponent's eyes. Players often look where they are going to hit the ball. For example, a server often looks to the court area where s/he intends to hit the service.
23. Always keep on your toes while the ball is in play and keep alert. By keeping on the balls of your feet you will be able to move quickly in any direction. The only exception is while actually stroking the ball.
24. Never stand flat footed after playing a shot, move directly into the position for the next shot. Always assume that your best drive will be scrambled back by your opponent.
25. A player must be able to recognize psychologically important points or situations. For example, the score is 4-2, 40-0, your serve, and your opponent hits a weak ball close to the net which you could hit anywhere in the court for a winner, but instead you play a sloppy drop shot into the net. 40-15. Two good returns follow from your opponent, a volley error and a double fault on your part and the score is 4-3. Eventually you lose the set 7-6 after a hard fought tie breaker. The set was not lost at set point in the tie breaker, but when you played the sloppy drop shot into the net at 4-2, 40-0.
26. Remember when all else is equal, physical fitness will decide the match. Ensure your fitness level matches the standard of tennis you wish to play. A player training for the world circuit must engage in a tough physical fitness program. A Sunday afternoon social player will require nowhere near the same fitness level, but the fitter s/he is the more enjoyable the game will be.
27. Conserve energy whenever possible during a match. Examples of simple ways to conserve energy are:
Walk to collect balls between points, do not run.
Take time to towel off and compose yourself when changing ends.
Always stand in the shade when your opponent has a long chase to collect a ball, or is disputing a line call with the umpire.
28. During a tough match, if you become extremely tired, try to shorten the points by taking a few more risks, or slow the point down by hitting higher, slower shots giving yourself more time to recover between strokes.
29. Relax physically between points, games and sets, but not mentally. Walk slowly to change ends between games; loosen the grip on your racquet between points; allow your arms to hang loosely by your sides.
30. When playing a weaker player do not go all out. Relax and slow down a little but do not play over confident or give easy points away. Try to win by not losing a point, this will help tighten your game for the tougher matches ahead.

Tactics When Serving
1. Take up a stance about 90 cm (3 feet) from the center marker. This will enable you to serve a slice out wide into the fence, directly at the receiver, or straight down the center line.
A good serve is a combination of speed, placement and spin.
A well placed serve deep or wide keeps the receiver on the defensive.
2. Seventy percent of first serves must go into play. Relying on second serves has the following disadvantages:
Loss of valuable energy by hitting an additional serve due to continually missing first serves.
Extra pressure on the server, the second serve must be good or the point is lost.
The receiver moves closer to the net to return the second serve and usually attacks with the return, thus putting the server on the defensive.
3. It is vital to get the first serve in on important points, for example, when you are down break point.
4. Avoid hitting the first serve too hard. Hit at about eighty percent effort for seventy-five percent result, not one hundred percent effort for fifty percent result. If you are missing first serves try to figure out why rather than just hitting the ball harder.
5. Hard flat serves should be hit down the middle where the net is 15cm (six inches) lower than at the sidelines.
6. Second serves should be hit with spin. Aim the ball high over the net and use the spin to pull the ball down deep into the service court.
7. Vary your service to keep the receiver guessing. Remember you have three choices for direction: wide to the right, wide to the left and down the middle at the receiver. With the four types of serves, flat, side slice, top spin and reverse spin there are many possible variations.
8. The top spin serve is best hit to the sideline side of the second court (assuming that you are right-handed) since, after contacting the ground, the ball rebounds laterally off the court, forcing the receiver wide.
9. The side slice service is best hit wide to the first court since, after contacting the ground, the ball will rebound laterally off the court forcing the receiver wide.
10. Use your serve to set up points by using a well controlled and placed deep serve which drives your opponent off the court.
11. Most serves should be aimed to your opponent's weakness unless you are attempting to manoeuver him/her off the court with a slice or top spin serve. Keep the receiver guessing though, by occasionally hitting to their strength or directly at their body.
12. If a player is serving well, s/he could safely hit the serves a little harder. If a player is not serving well, the serve should be slowed down a little and hit with more spin.
13. When being severely beaten it is tactically sound to hit the serve a little harder in an attempt to 'hit' yourself back into the game.

Return of Service Tactics
1. A player must be concentrating intently when receiving serves, s/he must take up an alert ready position and be prepared to move quickly in any direction. The receiver should stand in the middle of the maximum serving angle.
2. The receiver must get the ball into play thereby giving him or herself a chance of winning the point. A failed return is similar to serving a double fault.
3. In singles the receiver should lob the service return sparingly, as there is a high probability of the lob being smashed away. However, if the server repeatedly comes too close the net, or as a surprise tactic, the receiver should use the lob every now and again.
4. It is worth taking serves on the rise and forcing the server to volley just a little before s/he likes, as s/he is expected to win the game anyhow, why not give it a try.
5. It is estimated that eighty percent of all serves are capable of being returned. Of these, ten percent will be hit for a clean winner by the receiver. Of the remainder, half can be attacked and half can be played defensively by the receiver. On short easy serves the receiver must hit a forceful return to put extra pressure on the server. Therefore if thirty-five percent of services can be attacked the receiver must make the most of them.
6. When receiving most first serves, the receiver is forced to use a shortened backswing due to the speed of the serve and the lack of time to make a full backswing. The receiver should be content to return a fast first serve safely down the middle of the court. Short easier second serves require a longer full backswing when being returned.
7. When the receiver has hit a good return it is advisable to move about 90 cm (3 feet) into the court, this will provide him/her a better court position to hit a passing shot.
8. If the server is missing first serves due to nerves, the receiver should move in a little closer and chip the second serve back quickly, placing extra pressure on the server.
9. When playing a good net rushing player, a sound tactic is to chip the return short and wide. This will force the server into playing a difficult low or half volley.
10. When hitting topspin returns, if the server is rushing the net, the return should dip quickly once it crosses the net, forcing an elevated volley. This will give the receiver an advantage in the rally.
11. If the server does not follow his/her service into the net, hit deep service returns to keep him/her on the baseline or, if s/he has a weak volley, hit short drop shots to force him/her to come to the net.
12. When returning a heavily sliced wide service, the receiver should always move diagonally forward to the ball, thus hitting the serve earlier and not being pushed to far out of court.