As a left hander I've always been told what an
advantage I have in tennis. I really thought I was special
by listening to what everyone was saying about being a
southpaw. I was certainly winning points with my slice and
kick serves but never really compared the mechanics to a
right hander.
When I stopped playing competitively and started
teaching and thinking more of mechanics and form, I became
really intrigued at this advantage I had. Can I physically
do something a right hander can't? Should I be a great
tennis player just because I'm left handed? The more I
taught the more I thought and came up with the some basic
conclusions about the advantages a left hander has. It has
nothing to do with the physical ability at all.
1.) Strange - there are only 1 in 7 people in the world
that are left handed and I'm sure the odds are far less in
tennis. Since right handers don't see that many of us we
look a little strange with the ball coming off a different
side of the body and spinning a different way.
2.) Big Points - a left hander gains his/her biggest
advantage by being able to slice the ball wide on the ad
court where most of the big points are played.
3.) Luck - when a left hander serves out wide in the
ad court it goes to a right handers backhand but when a
right hander serves wide in the deuce court it goes to a
right handers forehand.
A righty can physically hit as much spin, pace, and
depth as a left handed player. But the 3 points I've
discussed make me believe that I have at least a little bit
of an advantage so I wrote this article right handed just
to make it fair!
So the next time you face that southpaw serving wide
into the ad court remain calm, they just can't help it.
