adjusting your game in court changes....

[th____44]

i've played all my life in clay courts, but thins weekend, i've a
tennis tournament wich is played on hard courts....

what do ineed to adjust my game to that type of court????
do i need less tension????
should i play my baseline game as usual????
what i've to do in order to play as good as i do on clay courts????


thanks....

p.d:i can't practice on hard courts until the tournament....

[ShcMad]

You'll probably want to string your racquet a couple lbs/kgs higher. Hard courts are usually fast, so you need a little more control on your shots.

Heavy baseline game will suit fine, but if you get short balls, try to capitalize on it as soon as you can. Since the ball will move through the court faster, therefore, giving him less time to prepare for his next shot, coming to the net when you get the opportunity isn't a bad idea.

If you have a big serve, now is the time to go for aces.

Since this is the first time playing on hard courts, don't try to change your style of play dramatically. Do it little by little.

[Jack Romeo]

it depends on the pace of the hard court. some hard courts play pretty slow, though still not as slow as clay. rebound ace is a good example. some hard courts are very fast - like the ones with deco turf.

obviously, you will have less of an adjustment to make if it turns out to be a slow hard court. your heavy baseline game should still be fine. but don't stay too far back. get closer to the baseline and take the ball earlier. if you use heavy topspin, your shots will be bouncing really high. but be sure to keep them deep. experienced hard courters will flatten out their shots and very aggressively hit out on anything that bounces short and sits up. on your part, you should try to do this too when you get a short ball. don't use the drop shot too much unless you really have the opponent out of position. i know that most clay court baseliners like using this shot but remember that the ball bounces higher than on clay. the drop shot doesn't die as much and your opponent will have a better chance at retrieving drop shots on hard courts than on any other surface.

on a fast hard court, you will find that you will struggle against a flat hitter or a serve/volleyer. because you can't practice on the court to get used to the pace, i suggest that you work on your serves. it's the one shot that can save you in this situation. get a high percentage of first serves and mix up kickers and sliders. i also suggest you serve into the body a lot. you will definitely be at a disadvantage if it is a fast hard court and you have no practice on it. you can only try to minimize the disadvantage. serving well will definitely help. once you are in the tournament, make the most out of the practice time and the warm up. return your opponents serves in the warm up. this will acquaint you with the pace of the court as quickly as possible.

[TriCitiesTennis]

I wouldn't change a thing. I go from hardcourt to clay court about 3-5 times per week and I play with the same racquet each time.

The best advice I can give you is to clean the clay out of your tennis shoes before you slid and break a leg on the hardcourt.

Just expect a slightly faster surface, less spin. Make sure your warmup gets both your FH and your BH. Then you should be fine