First tournament of the year tomorrow....

[cgtennis10]

I am playing tomorrow in my first tournament of this summer. I found out that I'm playing some short kid who hits with some spin and has a litlle bit of a kick serve. Some advice I got was to hit to his backhand and let him make the mistakes. The only problem is that when i play tournaments, I accidently change my game, probably because I am nervous or something. Usually I start to hit softer or don't hit the ball the smae way as I usually do, such as slicing way too much and when not neccesary. Any tips for my match would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

 

[tarheels2323]

It's alway risky to rely on your opponent to make the mistakes (not to mention pusher style tennis is never the way to go) So, even without knowing your game I can tell you one thing to avoid. However, I have to know more about you and more about the person you're playing against to give any real advice.

 

[looseswing]

Yes, what kind of player are you? What are your strenghts and weaknesses? Once we know this and more about the player you are playing against we can give you some advice.

 

[MTChong]

It's alway risky to rely on your opponent to make the mistakes (not to mention pusher style tennis is never the way to go) So, even without knowing your game I can tell you one thing to avoid. However, I have to know more about you and more about the person you're playing against to give any real advice.

But based off what he says and what he has heard about the opponent, it seems as if that is the right strategy... Waiting for them to make mistakes does not necessarily make one a pusher; and further, it just seems like you have a bad time against them. They still win; and that's what counts.

 

[tarheels2323]

But based off what he says and what he has heard about the opponent, it seems as if that is the right strategy... Waiting for them to make mistakes does not necessarily make one a pusher; and further, it just seems like you have a bad time against them. They still win; and that's what counts.

I'm not saying he should hit the ball as hard as he can every time his racquet comes in contact with it. Rather, he should keep the ball in play and make the most of the oppertunities he gets. And actually, I only had a tough time against pushers (and only one particular pusher) for a few weeks during my freshman year in HS. After that, I realized that if I stuck to my game it wouldn't be a problem. The only thing you need to beat a pusher is a decent mental game. There's a reason that you don't see any pushers on the pro tour; counter-punchers yes, but no pushers. The actual reason I don't like pushers is because their game is so ugly and I can't stand ugly tennis.