How to WIN Tennis Matches
Everyone likes to win their tennis matches, yet when the game is in the balance or when the opportunity arises to win the match or set, that is when most players suffer from anxiety, self-doubt or panic.
At these times in a match you want to work on being relaxed, confident and focused. To achieve this you need to have your own winning game plan perfectly clear in your mind.
At these stages, were tension, emotion and the stakes are high, your best bet is to direct all of your heightened energy into executing your winning game plan.
As the saying goes “if you fail to plan, then you plan to fail”.
One aspect of coaching that is routinely overlooked throughout the world is ensuring that competitive players are well versed in knowing what the core formula to win a tennis match is.
This core formula is the basis of all successful game plans. Make sure you clearly define what your strengths are and exactly how you can execute your best passages of play to utilise these strengths.
Game plans can be very complex the more advanced and astute a player is. However, at the end of the day all great game plans will be based around the OnCourt Advantage basic winning formula.
When you are under pressure, remember: Keep It Simple Stupid.
ALWAYS use the OnCourt Advantage 4 steps for winning when you are playing competitively:
1. Use your strength or strengths as much as possible;
2. Use your strength or strengths to play to your opponent’s weakness or weaknesses as much as possible;
3. Do not let your opponent off the hook once you have them in trouble. Use the OnCourt Advantage you have created by completing steps 1 and 2 to press home your advantage immediately;
4. Carry out the above 3 steps at pivotal times and on the big points.
If you execute this process then you are playing with the percentages. Focus on executing and then all you can do is let the chips fall where they may. When you play with the percentages though, the result has a high probability of going your way.
Turn the tables in your favour by using these 4 steps. This will help you to be playing high percentage tennis. To be even more effective, look to place your opponent in a position where they have to play the low percentage options.
If your opponent still beats you, then at least you did the right things by forcing them to prove that they were too good on that particular day.
Try to follow this process next time you are on court playing a match so you have the OnCourt Advantage!
Today’s POST is dedicated to Evonne Goolalong. Goolagong was born on this day in 1951 and won 7 Grand Slam singles titles. 4 Australian Open titles (1974-1977), 2 Wimbledon Championships (1971 & 1980) and the French Open in 1971. Her best result at the US Open was being the runner-up 4 years in a row (1973-1976). Goolagong’s highest ranking of No.1 was first achieved on April 26, 1976.
Women’s Top 10 Rankings & Racquets
Jelena Jankovic (pictured above) was the runner-up in the 2008 US Open. This is a great picture that shows fantastic positioning for impact with her forehand by the former world No.1.
Jankovic was ranked No.1 at the end of the 2008 season. This created great controversy as the Serbian’s achievement of being the year-end No.1 made her the 1st player in WTA Tour history to do so without winning a Grand Slam singles title.
In this new category called “Player Focus: Women” we will take a closer look at the players on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour.
Today we are listing the players ranking, their nationality, the number of ranking points that make up their 12 month total and the details about the racquet’s they use.
As of Monday August 3, 2009 the top 10 ranked women are:
- Dinara Safina (Russian) 9,601 ranking points
- Serena Williams (American) 8,628
- Venus Williams (American) 6,935
- Elena Dementieva (Russian) 6,591
- Jelena Jankovic (Serbian) 5,930
- Svetlana Kuznetsova (Russian) 5,853
- Vera Zvonareva (Russian) 5,400
- Caroline Wozniacki (Danish) 4,750
- Victoria Azarenka (Belarussian) 4,538
- Nadia Petrova (Russian) 3,290
The following list contains some details of the racquet’s that the current world top 10 women are using. We will list the details in the following order next to each player’s name:
- the brand of racquet;
- the model of that brand;
- the racquet length in inches (“);
- the size of the racquet head in square inches (sq.in.);
- the string pattern, mains (M) followed by crosses (X); and
- the strung weight of the racquet in grams (g).
- Safina – Babolat, Aero Storm Tour, 27″, 98 sq.in., 16M 20X & 343g.
- Serena – Wilson, [K] Factor K Blade, 27.3″, 104 sq.in., 18M 19X & 303g.
- Venus – Wilson, [K] Factor K Blade, 27.3″, 104 sq.in., 18M 19X & 303g.
- Dementieva – Yonex, RDiS 100 Midplus, 27″, 98 sq.in., 16M 19X & 332g.
- Jankovic – Prince, O3 Speedport Pro White, 27″, 100 sq.in., 18M 19X & 332g.
- Kuznetsova – Head, MicroGEL Extreme, 27.25″, 100 sq.in., 16M 19X & 315g.
- Zvonareva – Prince O3 White, 27″, 100 sq.in., 16M 19X & 32og.
- Wozniacki - Babolat, AeroPro Drive Cortex, 27″, 100 sq.in., 16M 19X & 320g.
- Azarenka – Head, MicroGEL Extreme Pro, 27″, 100 sq.in., 16M 19X & 332g.
- Petrova – Babolat, Aero Storm Tour, 27″, 98 sq.in., 16M 20X & 343g.
Is there anything else that you would like to know about the players? What else would you like to know about the racquets?
Men’s Top 10 Rankings & Racquets
Fernando Verdasco (pictured above) is the current world No.10. This picture captures the excellent form that the left hander exhibits in preparation to hit his formidable serve.
Verdasco played a magnificent 5 hour and 14 minute 5 set match against the eventual champion and fellow countrymen Rafael Nadal in the semi finals of the 2009 Australian Open that was thrilling and great for online betting.
In this new category called “Player Focus: Men” we will take a closer look at the players on the ATP World Tour.
Today we are listing the players ranking, their nationality, the number of ranking points that make up their 12 month total and the details about the racquet’s they use.
As of Monday August 3, 2009 the top 10 ranked men are:
- Roger Federer (Swiss) 11,060 ranking points
- Rafael Nadal (Spanish) 9,285
- Andy Murray (British) 8,260
- Novak Djokovic (Serbian) 7,380
- Andy Roddick (American) 5,470
- Juan Martin del Potro (Argentinian) 5,005
- Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (French) 3,695
- Nikolay Davydenko (Russian) 3,525
- Gilles Simon (French) 3,330
- Fernando Verdasco (Spanish) 3,135
The following list contains some details of the racquet’s that the current world top 10 men are using. We will list the details in the following order next to each player’s name:
- the brand of racquet;
- the model of that brand;
- the racquet length in inches (“);
- the size of the racquet head in square inches (sq.in.);
- the string pattern, mains (M) followed by crosses (X); and
- the strung weight of the racquet in grams (g).
- Federer – Wilson, [K] Factor K Six-One Tour, 27″, 95 sq.in., 16M 19X & 354g.
- Nadal – Babolat, Aero Pro Drive Cortex, 27″, 100 sq.in., 16M 19X & 320g.
- Murray – Head, Youtek Radical Pro, 27″, 100 sq.in., 16M 19X & 329g.
- Djokovic – Head, Youtek Speed, 27″, 100 sq.in. 18M 20X & 335g.
- Roddick – Babolat, Pure Drive Roddick GT Plus, 27.5″, 100 sq.in., 16M 19X & 332g.
- Del Potro – Wilson, [K] Six-One 95, 27″, 95 sq.in., 18M 20X & 349g.
- Tsonga – Wilson, [K] Factor Kobra Tour, 27″, 100 sq.in., 16M 19X & 323g.
- Davydenko – Prince, Ozone Pro Tour, 27″, 100 sq.in., 18M 20X & 343g.
- Simon – Head, MicroGEL Prestige, 27″, 93 sq.in., 18M 20X & 346g.
- Verdasco – Tecnifibre, TFlight 320 VO2 Max, 27″, 95 sq.in., 16M 19X & 337g.
If there any details or terms that are used above that you would like further explanation of please let us know.
ATP Major Tennis Tournament #6
The Rogers Cup in Montreal, Canada is one of the major tournaments on the ATP World Tour calendar. It is a major tournament because it 1 of only 9 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 category events.
In a Grand Slam tournament there is a 128 player draw. The Rogers Cup has a 56 player draw. This means that the top 8 seeds have a BYE in the first round and play their 1st match in the 2nd round. the top 16 players are seeded as opposed to the 32 in a Grand Slam event.
The Rogers Cup is the 6th of these 9 events to be played in 2009. Each year this event is played in Canada and on hard courts, however it alternates between where it is held, either Toronto or Montreal. The odd numbered years are played in Montreal and the even numbered years are played in Toronto.
The Rogers Cup will be held from Saturday August 8 through to the final on Sunday August 16. This event was formerly known as the Canadian Open and was first held in 1881. After Wimbledon and the US Open it is the longest running tournament in tennis history.
Last year Rafael Nadal won in Toronto by defeating Nicolas Kiefer of Germany in the final 6-3 6-2. For Kiefer it was his first time he had won through to the final of a major tournament. Nadal earned 1000 points for the victory whilst Kiefer claimed 700 points as the runner-up in this event category.
At Toronto in 2008 the semi finalists were Gilles Simon and Andy Murray. The quarter finalists were Marin Cilic, James Blake, Novak Djokovic and Richard Gasquet.
In 2008 the Rogers Cup was held earlier than this year because the Olympics were added to the tournament calendar. Due to the fact that the rankings are based on a 12 month rolling system, all ATP players have lost the ranking points they earned at the Rogers Cup in 2008.
The hardest hit player is runner-up Nicolas Kiefer. Kiefer lost his 700 ranking points on Monday of this week, leaving him with 535 points. The 32 year old German dropped 94 spots from world No.34 down to No.128!
With this ranking plummet Kiefer will not be directly accepted into the main draw of the tournament. He will need to playing in the qualifying rounds to win his way through to play in the 1st round. Unless of course, the tournament awards him a wild card.
In case you were wondering Roger Federer has won the Rogers Cup ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament twice. Will he win a 3rd? I’m sure he probably thinks it is his cup after all, given it has his name on it.
Please comment if any of the above needs further explanation. The aim is to make it easy for everybody to understand the tournaments!
Learn Through Images: Photographic Memory
Remember the photos that go with our posts at OnCourt Advantage when you go out on court to play. Try to commit these images to your memory. We try to use photos that have great value in terms of learning how to play the game better wherever possible.
The photo’s we choose will be relevant to that particular post. Therefore, we may not always select an educational photo. If YOU have photos which capture great insights into learning how to play tennis better, please send them through to info@oncourtadvantage.com.
The first 5 photos that we posted that have great value for your game can be found by clicking these links:
- Wimbledon 2009 Ladies Singles Final – Serena Williams versus Venus Williams. The photo captures Serena performing a 2 handed backhand on the run.
- The World No.1 Women’s Ranking goes to? The photo shows Safina serving just after she has executed the ball toss.
- How to make the WTA rankings work. This photo is fanatastic and isolates Serena just before impact during her 2 handed backhand.
- US Open 2009 The Men. This photo shows Federer striking the ball with his one-handed slice backhand.
- US Open 2009 The Women – The Best of the Rest. This photo is taken of Dementieva’s vastly improved serve not long after striking the ball.
Which one do you think you can learn the most from? What did YOU learn? Who would you like to see next? Which stroke or moment in a stroke would you like to study an image of? We are interested in hearing your feedback…
Today’s POST is dedicated to Vitas Gerulaitis. Gerulaitis was born on this day in 1954 and won his Grand Slam singles title at the Australian Open in 1977. The American was runner-up at the US Open in 1979 to John McEnroe and again in 1980 at the French Open to Bjorn Borg. His highest career ranking of No.3 was achieved in 1978.
©OnCourtAdvantage.com 2009
How to Concentrate and Achieve FOCUS
Everybody knows that you will be far more successful in whatever you do, if you really put your mind to it. The problem for most tennis players is that they do not realise how absolutely critical focussing on the ball is.
The above pictures are perfect examples for you to learn from. WOW, look at Roger Federer’s mental focus, his mind is certainly on the task. One of the greatest player’s of all time is relaxed and watching the ball as it hits his racquet (pictured below) and as it heads off his racquet (pictured above).
One of the main causes of all errors is not visually tracking the ball well enough. The good news is that everybody can learn to improve their concentration by using this mental skills training process. No doubt, it requires an increased mental effort but it makes all of the difference in the world to your game.
This concentration skill training process has 2 components that must be executed.
Step 1: FOCUS
Try to really focus on the ball by:
- Looking for the seam of the ball;
- Looking for the label printed on the ball;
- Looking to see the spin of the ball; and
- Making the ball stand out from all of the back ground details.
Step 2: THE CYCLE
Try to use step 1 to visually track the ball throughout the entire cycle. In simple terms, 1 cycle is the whole time during which the players hit 1 shot each in a singles match.
The cycle when your opponent is serving to you is:
- Once the ball leaves the server’s hand;
- As it goes upwards, reaches it’s peak height and then drops back down to be struck;
- As soon as the ball heads off the server’s racquet and all of the way towards you;
- As it clears the net, begins to descend, the bounce and as it comes up to you;
- All the way into your racquet; and
- From your racquet all of the way back to the server’s racquet.
As soon as the ball strikes your opponent’s racquet then the 1 cycle is complete and the 2nd cycle commences and so on. It is critical to repeat the same process for each and every cycle.
Do not stress if you cannot see the specific details of the ball. As long as you are making your best effort to try to focus on the 4 parts in step 1, then your level of concentration will improve immediately.
The key is to strive to focus on each cycle so much that you achieve these effects:
- You feel like the ball appears bigger;
- You feel like you have more time to play your shots;
- You feel like the ball is moving slower than it seemed to be before.
If absolutely anything interferes with or breaks your concentration, make sure you redirect your full attention back to the above mental skills training process.
Improve the mental skill of concentration by using Steps 1 & 2 and you will definitely have the OnCourt Advantage.
Sign the GRUNTING in Tennis Petition #2
Is GRUNTING good for the integrity of the game or is it turning more people and sponsors away?
See part 1 by clicking this link -> Sign the GRUNTING in Tennis Petition #1.
Once noise hindrance by grunting it is added to the code, players who grunt would be subject to the usual code of conduct process. This outlines that a warning is issued for a 1st offence, 1 point penalty for 2nd offence, losing a game for a 3rd offence and being defaulted from the match for a 4th offence.
The grunting has gotten so out of hand that people post tennis players grunting on You Tube because they think the grunting is so ridiculous and extreme, that it is funny. Surely, this does not add to the integrity of the game.
If you click the following link you can view an example of Maria Sharapova (pictured above) and Venus Williams going too far http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRb5niH5GSw
The rules of tennis give the umpire the power to award a point against a player if the umpire believes that player has hindered his or her opponent. This power is supplied via the hindrance rule.
When a grunt lasts into their opponents preparation of their stroke then the receiving player’s shot is certainly being hindered. Grunting loudly enough through the collision of the ball and racquet to disguise the telltale sound of the ball coming off the racquet gives the grunter an unfair advantage.
Not being able to hear the ball off the racquet throws off your timing and makes it harder to judge the ball for your own stroke. Try playing with headphones on so you cannot hear.
For those tennis coaches who are teaching their players to grunt in order to intimidate their opponent, we challenge you to use your coaching skill to get results for your players rather than reinforcing this unsportsmanlike conduct.
Coaching players to deliberately grunt is stupid and if you are being taught to grunt then you should look for a new coach, as your current coach is most likely all talk and no substance.
There is a physiological advantage to exhaling rather than choosing to grunt. Exhaling during the exertion phase of any exercise means you will preserve energy, reduce anxiety and tension and be able to perform the movement more effectively.
The longer, slower and closer to full exhalation you achieve the better off you will be because your movements are more likely to be long and smooth, just like Roger Federer. Federer served 50 aces in the 2009 Wimbledon final and he doesn’t grunt.
When all is said and done, the greater good of the game needs to come before individual players and what they choose to do.
Everything should be done to maximise the number of people who watch broadcast tennis and their level of enjoyment in doing so. Many sponsorship dollars are going begging as so many people find the grunting to irritating, so cannot bear to watch when it occurs too much.
Sign the GRUNTING in Tennis Petition #1
photo credit: Richard.Fisher
Get GRUNTING in tennis under control.
This is the first post in the new category called Strength in Numbers. The purpose of this category is to provide an opportunity for YOU to make a difference in the tennis world.
YOU and I are the consumers of all things tennis. Your voice needs to be and deserves to be heard. Grunting hindrance is a problem on the ATP World Tour and even more so WTA Tour and on the ATP World Tour that is only escalating and becoming more problematic.
THE PETITION:
Vote IN FAVOUR of making noise hindrance (as a result of grunting), part of the International Tennis Federation’s Code of Conduct.
By adding grunting as a hindrance to the ITF code of conduct, this behaviour would become punishable. Therefore, players would make their best efforts to keep the noise down to a reasonable level to avoid warnings and penalties.
Currently, players have no incentive NOT to grunt…
OnCourt Advantage encourages you to stand up and be counted. Strength lies in numbers.The greater number of people who sign our petition, the greater chance we can have a REAL influence on the decision makers.
Time to strike whilst the iron is hot. Tennis officials are currently considering classifying grunting as a noise hindrance and adding this to the ITF Code of Conduct.
Join the STRENGTH IN NUMBERS by signing the petition. Please click this link in order to sign the petition -> http://www.oncourtadvantage.com/petitions/
This petition will be forwarded to the International Tennis Federation (ITF), every time another 1,000 signatories are added to the growing list.
To see part 2 click this link ->Sign the GRUNTING in Tennis Petition #2. Pictured above is VICTORIA AZARENKA!!!
©OnCourtAdvantage.com 2009
Understanding the Women’s Pro Tour #2
photo credit: bovinemagnet
As previously discussed, the WTA and the ITF are the governing bodies of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour. Together they are responsible for managing and staging the events that make up the 7 categories of tournaments each year.
To recap, these categories are:
- The Grand Slams;
- Sony Ericsson Championships;
- Premier Mandatory;
- Premier 5;
- Premier;
- International events; and
- ITF Women’s Circuit.
These events form the basis of the annual tournament calendar and are vital in determining the overall rankings of the top women’s professional tennis players.
In this post we will concentrate on the top 4 categories of events; The Grand Slams, the Sony Ericsson Championships, the Premier Mandatory and the Premier 5 tournaments. Each year there are 4 Grand Slam events, 1 Sony Ericsson Championship event, 4 Premier Mandatory events and 5 Premier Five events. Together, these 14 events are the most important singles events that a female tennis professional can play.
The 4 Grand Slam tournaments in calendar order are:
- The Australian Open (Hard court);
- Roland Garros – often called the French Open (Clay court);
- Wimbledon (Grass court); and
- The US Open (Hard court).
The 4 Premier Mandatory tournaments in calendar order are:
- Indian Wells, California, USA (Hard court);
- Miami, Florida, USA (Hard court);
- Madrid, Spain (on Clay for the first time in 2009); and
- Beijing, China (Hard court).
The 5 Premier Five tournaments in calendar order are:
- Dubai, United Arab Emirates (Hard court);
- Rome, Italy (Clay);
- Cincinnati, Ohio, USA (Hard court);
- Toronto/Montreal, Canada* (Hard court); and
- Tokyo, Japan (Hard court).
* For the years falling on an odd number, for example 2009, the women play in Toronto and in the even numbered years they play in Montreal (e.g. in 2010).
This year the Sony Ericsson Championships will be held in Doha, Qatar from October 27 to November 1 for the 2nd year of it’s 3 year term.
The Sony Ericsson Championships is the pinnacle of the tennis calendar, as the year end World No.1 ranking can be determined at this tournament. The event is structured so that players need to qualify for only 8 spots in the draw, in effect creating a race to make the end of year finals.
Each year is termed a tennis season. The player who finishes with the World No.1 ranking after the final match at the Sony Ericsson Championships is played, is declared the champion for that season.
The aim of this category: “The Tour: Explained” is to make it easy for everybody to understand the tour. To read part 1 on this tennis website click this link -> Understanding the Women’s Pro Tour #1.
© OnCourtAdvantage.com 2009
Understanding the Men’s Pro Tour #2
photo credit: envisionpublicidad
As previously discussed, the ATP and ITF are the governing bodies of the ATP World Tour. Together they are responsible for managing and staging the events that make up the 7 categories of tournaments each year.
To recap, these categories are:
- The Grand Slams;
- ATP World Tour Finals;
- ATP World Tour Masters 1000;
- ATP World Tour 500;
- ATP World Tour 250;
- Challenger events;
- Futures events.
These events form the basis of the annual tournament calendar and are vital in determining the overall rankings of the men’s professional tennis players.
In this post we will concentrate on the top 3 categories of events; The Grand Slams, the ATP World Tour Finals and ATP World Tour Masters 1000. Each year there are 4 Grand Slam events, 9 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 events and 1 ATP World Tour Finals event. Together, these 14 events are the most important singles events that a male tennis professional can play.
The 4 Grand Slam tournaments in calendar order are:
- The Australian Open (Hard court);
- Roland Garros – often called the French Open (Clay court);
- Wimbledon (Grass court); and
- The US Open (Hard court).
The 9 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournaments in calendar order are:
- Indian Wells, California, USA (Hard court);
- Miami, Florida, USA (Hard court);
- Monte Carlo, Monaco (Clay);
- Rome, Italy (Clay);
- Madrid, Spain (Clay);
- Montreal/Toronto, Canada* (Hard court);
- Cincinnati, Ohio, USA (Hard court);
- Shanghai, China (Hard court); and
- Paris, France (Hard court).
* For the years falling on an odd number, for example 2009, the men play in Montreal and in the even numbered years they play in Toronto (e.g. in 2010).
This year the ATP World Tour Finals event will be held from November 22 to 29 in London, England. It is the pinnacle of the tennis calendar, as the year end world No.1 ranking can be determined at this tournament. The event is structured so that players need to qualify for the 8 spots in the draw, in effect creating a race to the end of year finals.
Each year is termed a tennis season. The player who finishes with the world No.1 ranking after the final match at the ATP World Tour Finals is played, is declared the champion for that season.
Who do you think will be crowned the 2009 ATP World Tour Champion?
Please comment if any of the above needs further explanation. The aim is to make it easy for everybody to understand the tour!
©OnCourtAdvantage.com 2009
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