When preparing for an upcoming tennis tournament - practice different
scenarios:
- Play some practice 12 pt tiebreakers; often times, we have not
played one in so long that we are apprehensive or have the wrong mind set.
- Start the set at different score situations and then play it out
(example: you are serving at 5-4 in the first to win the set).
- Play some situations where you are both up and down in the match.
- The two most important shots in a tournament are the serve and the
serve return; practice this and remember - just hitting groundstrokes is not preparation enough for returning serve; serves are v
ery individualistic and have unique spins.
- Practice serving into and with the wind and serving into the sun;
be able to adjust your toss for varying conditions.
- When working on something new (like serve and volley) play a whole
set where every server must play serve and volley before the point can be won or lost.
- When working to improve your second serve you may go through a
period of more double-faulting than usual; stick with the new serve; your partner will appreciate you for it later.
