If you want my .02 on your game.
In one word, Depth. In 4.0 tennis people know how to hit the ball back consistently and can move side to side pretty well. Most 4.0 I have rallied with does not have the concept of depth down. It looks like your match is no different. It seems like both of you and your opponent are a little slow to react on incoming short balls.
Groundstrokes:
the difference between you and your opponent was that your placement on almost all your shots were short, which is the reason why you felt like you were outclassed. You gave him a lot of opportunities place them far from you. Your ground strokes should never land before the the service line, it should always be deeper. If I see a ball bounce before the service line, I will attack that ball, and put it in a spot where the opponent will have to reach for the ball, which will be another short ball for me to capitalize on.
Approach shots:
Your read on your opponent on direction is already solid. Your judgment on whether a ball is coming to your forehand or your backhand is already second nature. Now your main goal is to make depth perception a second nature to you as well. When the ball leaves your opponents racquet think about where the ball is going to land and immediately move to it. You can improve your game by reacting to approach/chance shots better simply be judging where the ball is bouncing on your court. Approach shots should be a very aggressive shot, since you are coming up to the net, the opponents court opens up for you. Your angles can be a lot steeper and shorter, especially with the spin you are already putting on the ball.
*on a side note, I noticed that you come in to volley sometimes. Although that is a good strategy, I think your timing is incorrect. If you want to go and volley, you need to have hit an aggressive shot before coming into the net, once again to put your opponent in a defensive position, for you to have a floating chance shot. If your opponent has a sitting ground stroke (and the player is half decent) you will be passed everytime if you are at net. There are many times, when I will move back to the baseline after an approach shot if I think my ball was not an aggressive enough shot.
It seems like right now you are trying to outrally the opponent, which is a pretty standard 4.0 game, but to step it up, start practicing hitting the balls in the furthest quarter of the court closest to their baseline. Try to notice how you hit balls that are deep on your side of the court, they will almost be defensive simply becasue of your court positioning, and even if you happen to be far back enough to hit a good ball they will end up short on your opponents side because of the amount of space your ball has to travel, which means a half decent player will be able to put it away.
The Practice:
I will do away with baseline down the middle hitting (like your video). I know its more fun, but whenever I do it I feel it builds bad habits. When you are rallying make it all practice to improve your game. As in only hit cross court (DEEP) or down the line on one of the sides of the court. Down the middle practice is deceiving because you are rallying on the lowest point of the net. Pay attention to where your hitting partners ball are landing, If your rally partner hits a ball that lands before the service line, approach and crush the ball in the direction you are rallying, and if they get it back volley practice until miss. Then go back to the baseline.
Once you have depth down when you play a tennis match, you will notice all you need to do is strategize between cross court and down the line, to try to put them out of position to CRUSH THEM with a final shot.
