What's WRONG with me (1st set only)?

[Deleted member 120290]

I have won all 5 of my league matches so far but the pattern is the same. 6-4, 6-0; 7-5, 6-1; 7-6, 6-1; 7-5, 6-0; 2-6, 6-3, 6-2. Obviously I'm happy I won but I think I'm too tight or unfocused in the 1st set. In the 2nd set my serve starts popping, FH takes control of the points and BH gets much more consistent. What can I do to play in the 1st set as I do in the 2nd?

 

[spaceman_spiff]

Show up early and play a set with a teammate before the match.

 

[kiteboard]

Decide to relax and not to feel nerves.

 

[michael_1265]

It sounds like you might be a little underrated. It's hard to stay focused when the other player is not really challenging you.

 

[The Wreck]

Warm up longer, maybe? Or it could be that your game works better when the balls have lost a lot of their pop and bounce and you can hit out more and have more time to set up. Or it could just be mental.

 

[tennis_balla]

Do you warm up at all before your matches? Go for a light run, stretch out a bit etc?

 

[Deleted member 120290]

Show up early and play a set with a teammate before the match.

I barely have energy to last me thru 2-3 sets. If I were still in HS or college I would.

 

[Deleted member 120290]

Decide to relax and not to feel nerves.

I think relaxation and not feeling nerves is the key. But how would I do that? I was thinking about still hitting hard but using more topspin until I get grooved?

 

[Deleted member 120290]

It sounds like you might be a little underrated. It's hard to stay focused when the other player is not really challenging you.

There may have been 1 or 2 players where this was true. But I think the others were not far from me in ability.

 

[Deleted member 120290]

Warm up longer, maybe? Or it could be that your game works better when the balls have lost a lot of their pop and bounce and you can hit out more and have more time to set up. Or it could just be mental.

I thought about doing that too but sometimes the other player wants to get started. Also when we warm up I hit the ball fine but when the game starts I ease/freeze up.

 

[Deleted member 120290]

Do you warm up at all before your matches? Go for a light run, stretch out a bit etc?

Usually I only have 5 mins to change and get to the courts straight from my office. But I hit fine during the warm ups with nice pace, depth and consistency. It's when the match starts I start sucking (for 1 set.) So it may be more mental or just way too conservative of a strategy.

 

[snvplayer]

I don't think it's unusual at all even at professional level to be a little tight or not as grooved in the first set.

It might be that you are more tight in the first set, which is expected. And, after you win the first set, the opponent might have given up, which will make thigns easier for you.

If you can, it may also help if you showed up a little early and just warm up your strokes for 20 minutes or so.

 

[Deleted member 120290]

I don't think it's unusual at all even at professional level to be a little tight or not as grooved in the first set.

It might be that you are more tight in the first set, which is expected. And, after you win the first set, the opponent might have given up, which will make thigns easier for you.

If you can, it may also help if you showed up a little early and just warm up your strokes for 20 minutes or so.

I've given it more thought and I think the reasons fall into 2 categories: (1)I play too conservatively to make sure I win the 1st set. But if I'm up a set I open up my game. (2)I control most of the rallies in the 1st set. So even though the 1st set score is close, the opponents are dead tired in the 2nd set, and their serve and footwork start to falter. Kind of like in boxing where they feel the early body blows by the 7th round.

Next match I'm going to try swinging out but with more topspin and not so close to the lines until I get grooved.

 

[spaceman_spiff]

I barely have energy to last me thru 2-3 sets. If I were still in HS or college I would.

If that's true, then how are you winning those second sets so easily?

If you barely have the energy, I'd hate to see how badly your opponents are struggling. :shock:

 

[pheonix6579]

If that's true, then how are you winning those second sets so easily?

If you barely have the energy, I'd hate to see how badly your opponents are struggling. :shock:

I agree...doesn't look like your opponents have anything left. Looks like they gave everything that they had in the first set and completely dropped their level in the second. I think you may need to find people that would give you more a fight in during the whole match to really say that you have a problem. Just looks like your opponents are playing better in the 1st.

 

[Deleted member 120290]

To be more accurate I should say I have energy for a 2 out of 3, but not for anything beyond that. If I play a set before the match I'd probably be wiped out by the final set.

Most of my opponents have good/great serves. So it's tough to break them in the 1st set. But I usually have better groundstrokes esp. FH. So I tend to run them side to side with topspin angles. In the 2nd set I notice their serves are markedly slower and less accurate so I break more frequently. Also they don't return the shots they did earlier. So perhaps the scores reflect the work that I put into the 1st set (and that pays off in the 2nd), not necessarily that I am playing poorly but more so that when both fresh my opponents and I are more evenly matched.

Even so in some matches I tend to be too conservative on my groundstrokes and 2nd serves, so I'm going to try using more topspin and swing at normal speed.

 

[spaceman_spiff]

To be more accurate I should say I have energy for a 2 out of 3, but not for anything beyond that. If I play a set before the match I'd probably be wiped out by the final set.

Most of my opponents have good/great serves. So it's tough to break them in the 1st set. But I usually have better groundstrokes esp. FH. So I tend to run them side to side with topspin angles. In the 2nd set I notice their serves are markedly slower and less accurate so I break more frequently. Also they don't return the shots they did earlier. So perhaps the scores reflect the work that I put into the 1st set (and that pays off in the 2nd), not necessarily that I am playing poorly but more so that when both fresh my opponents and I are more evenly matched.

Even so in some matches I tend to be too conservative on my groundstrokes and 2nd serves, so I'm going to try using more topspin and swing at normal speed.

In that case, I'd say you'll be getting bumped soon (assuming you're in USTA leagues). If these guys can't get a set off of you when they are playing at their peak and you're playing conservatively, then they'll never get a set off of you.

Eventually, you'll end up at a level where your opponents' fitness is better and you won't be winning those easy second sets. When that happens, if you want to start your matches a bit better, show up early and do a long warmup (maybe even play a couple of games) with a teammate. You'll probably need to work on your fitness a bit as well, because the better players will push you harder in the 2nd and 3rd sets.

 

[thug the bunny]

I'm the same way, no matter how long I warm up, I usually start slow, dropping the first few games at least, sometimes more. When the game is on, it just takes me some time to get my timing and technique up to speed. Not much I can do except keep playing...