Nerves during the match

[ttwarrior1]

seems to take awhile to get nerves to go away. When warming up sometimes i can't even get it over the net. Its like im thinking dont use up energy cause its so hot . then before you know it the match is almost over and i feel energetic and play my best tennis but too late at that point sometimes.

Im playing mixed doubles tonight without doing any practicing of serving for doubles. Seems i always move around in different spots looking for a good spot

 

[ubel]

Just try your best to keep a clear mind. If you find yourself panicking or overthinking your strokes, do your best to calm yourself down and keep your mind in the present. Oh yea, and don't forget to communicate with your partner, communication is key to teamwork

Generally, being closer to the alley's whilst serving is better.. lowers the percent chance of hitting your teammate by changing the angle.

 

[LuckyR]

I would recommend hitting out during match warmup because people tend to tighten up when nervous which should dial you in for nice deep shots. I would slow down the pace of the match at the beginning since you are a slow starter.

As to the doubles serving question. I prefer to serve from midway between the T and the singles sideline. This is a bit to the midline where others serve from, but from this single spot I can hit each corner with flat, slice and twist serves so the receiver cannot get a read on what I am going to serve by my stance. Also when rushing the net (which I do most of the time) I can just run straight ahead, also if my partner poaches I am near enough to the center to cross behind him and be ready for the next ball.

 

[papa]

I would recommend hitting out durig match warmup because people tend to tighten up when nervous which should dial you in for nice depp shots. I would slow down the pace of the match at the beginning since you are a slow starter.

As to the doubles serving question. I prefer to serve from midway between the T and the singles sideline. This is a bit to the midline where others serve from, but from this single spot I can hit each corner with flat, slice and twist serves so the receiver cannot get a read on what I am going to serve by my stance. Also when rushing the net (which I do most of the time) I can just run straight ahead, also if my partner poaches I am near enough to the center to cross behind him and be ready for the next ball.

I like this - most of it anyway -- probably all of it. However, rushing the net can be a bag of worms against good players. Yes, you should do it but if you make a habit out of just plain running to the net at "any" time, watch out.

Certain players are better off actually serving and taking the first groundstoke at or around the baseline and then moving in a few feet on each stroke untill they are inside the serviceline. Others like to come in half way after the serve while the reckless (not always) try to make it the entire way after the serve. I think there is ample proof that all three methods work, just depends on the players and who they are playing against.

If your playing against a receiver who can keep the ball deep and relatively low and you, as server, have suspect volley skills (along with not being the best at returning deep lobs), you might want to work your way to the serviceline in a couple of stages.

 

[JCo872]

seems to take awhile to get nerves to go away. When warming up sometimes i can't even get it over the net. Its like im thinking dont use up energy cause its so hot . then before you know it the match is almost over and i feel energetic and play my best tennis but too late at that point sometimes.

Im playing mixed doubles tonight without doing any practicing of serving for doubles. Seems i always move around in different spots looking for a good spot

As for the nerves, I would recommend trying to warm up well before you match begins. If you just have a short 5 minutes warm up it won't be enough to make the nerves go away. Try to get on a court and hit out with someone for at least 30 minutes.

Also I like that advice about hitting out on the ball. Instead of tightening up like you do now, hit the heck out of the ball for awhile to loosen up. Also, be aware of what kind of "self-talk" you are engaging in. What are you telling yourself that contributes to your nervousness.

Good luck. Nerves is a huge problem for so many tennis players. With experience you will learn how to channel that energy positively rather than letting it drag you down.

Jeff

 

[LuckyR]

I like this - most of it anyway -- probably all of it. However, rushing the net can be a bag of worms against good players. Yes, you should do it but if you make a habit out of just plain running to the net at "any" time, watch out.

Certain players are better off actually serving and taking the first groundstoke at or around the baseline and then moving in a few feet on each stroke untill they are inside the serviceline. Others like to come in half way after the serve while the reckless (not always) try to make it the entire way after the serve. I think there is ample proof that all three methods work, just depends on the players and who they are playing against.

If your playing against a receiver who can keep the ball deep and relatively low and you, as server, have suspect volley skills (along with not being the best at returning deep lobs), you might want to work your way to the serviceline in a couple of stages.

When I was speaking about net rushing I was refering to my court positioning for serve and volleying not blindly charging ahead on any old stroke. It is very rare for me to make it to the net actually after the serve, usually I end up taking the first shot within a step one way or the other of the service line. Naturally, from there I have a lot of low volleys and half volleys. Because of this I am pretty good at returning those, especially if I do not have to go wide for the shot. One thing I do when warming up for a doubles match is do less groundstroke warmup and take all of my volley warmups from the service line, specifically to warm up that first volley shot. When we run into someone who burns me on that, we switch to the Australian on that side, or I crank up my first serve and stay back on the second.

 

[papa]

When I was speaking about net rushing I was refering to my court positioning for serve and volleying not blindly charging ahead on any old stroke. It is very rare for me to make it to the net actually after the serve, usually I end up taking the first shot within a step one way or the other of the service line. Naturally, from there I have a lot of low volleys and half volleys. Because of this I am pretty good at returning those, especially if I do not have to go wide for the shot. One thing I do when warming up for a doubles match is do less groundstroke warmup and take all of my volley warmups from the service line, specifically to warm up that first volley shot. When we run into someone who burns me on that, we switch to the Australian on that side, or I crank up my first serve and stay back on the second.

Sounds good to me - guess I just read a little bit too much into your post but I like your explanation.

 

[ttwarrior1]

what if its 90 degrees, i cant do the warmups and play like that. Maybe ill warmup at home or something

 

[JCo872]

what if its 90 degrees, i cant do the warmups and play like that. Maybe ill warmup at home or something

Yes. You have to "work out" the nerves in my opinon. Just sitting down thinking about things will kill you.

As a side note, Brad Gilbert recommends warming up on your own and showing up about 10 minutes late to your match. That way your opponent is all messed up thinking he is going to get a walk over, and then he gets less warm up time because you are starting late.

I don't recommend it, but that's "Winning Ugly" for you

 

[shindemac]

Yea, it always takes me a long time to warm up too. I think I'm also a rhythm player so I need to get lots of feeds to my backhand instead of that random 1 or 2 at a time. For my new serve, I find after practicing a few days straight, it gets much easier to hit it. But if I take a break, say 4-5 days, then it noticably feels unnatural again. I guess I don't play enough so it stays in my muscle memory.