Windy Situtations

[normnmiles]

Now that the weather is finally getting suitable for playing tennis outdoors in the mid-west, my friends and I get to experience the great joy that is playing in the wind. Obviously, playing outside is very different from playing inside but I can't get over how much of an influence the wind is on different shots after having been spoiled by playing indoors for about 4 months.

I am just curious to hear some stories from people who have had to play on windy days and different things you do to cope with the wind.

 

[sanitarium]

hahaha man, I think i've got the worse condition possibly in the world for wind. Except for that 2 week period in August when the put wind screens up (they decide against keeping them up because of the possibilty of cracking every pole down with the force.. right on)

If you go out on court for the first time in a while (i.e in april) from playing and it's windy, have fun getting ready to curse the wind. Wait for a calm day to get back into it because the wind affects shots so bad..

Generally I try to pick up on the direction its going in and adjust accordingly, shorter strokes (barely pushing it back in some cases), I also don't get ready earlier because the location I think it's going in changes 10 times before it gets to me, but a short swing allows me to do that. Lots of spin (except if the wind is going into you at strong speeds, then more power). Less of power.

On serves I feel like dying when my toss ends up 3 feet behind me. Shorten up tosses and quicker swing. Playing tennis in the wind is really horrible and even after years of experience I doubt whether I should even play because it is just that bad here.

 

[Hawaii 5.0]

In windy situations it's easier to get the ball over the net with a slice than a heavy topspin shot.By slicing the ball is less likely to get taken by winds and when it's windy you want to end the point quickly, there's no better way than serve and volley.By hitting harder or flatter may be good in some situations, but overall ending points fast,preferably with a slice(stays lower and less likely to get taken by win),it's easier to get over the net,and the shorter your stroke must travel(ie from service line vs. from baseline) the less likely the wind will alter your placement or spin.

 

[whodat]

I find that slicing against the wind is very effective. Additionally if you can also hit loopy topspin with the wind it is also very hard to handle. Your opponent is driven back behind the baseline and you can come in to angle the volley for a winner.

 

[normnmiles]

Thanks for the tips. Especially the tip on taking shorter swings. As I reflect on my last match there were several shots that I had good preparation for and had a good swing at but ended up mishitting. The wind slowed it up and I made contact too early

 

[kevhen]

Hit a nice high but safe lob on a windy day and see if your opponent can hit the overhead. Usually not! Volleys and overheads are extremely difficult on windy days. I try to mostly hit safe groundstrokes away from all lines. I make more unforced errors than usual on windy days but then so does my opponent so I try to not let it bother me and just keep getting everything back. I try to use the wind when serving. Hard and flat when there is a tail wind and spin serves into the wind for maximum flight curvature. If it's too windy, then you have to cut back on serving big since your ball toss will get blown around and you may have to dink the ball in more. I developed my game playing outdoors in the wind so I seem to have the advantage over my indoor club friends. I do slice alot. I will hit slice serves where the wind will take the slice serve even wider. Try to use the wind as your friend, like hitting drop shots into the wind where they will die once they land. I too will curse the wind at times but I try to make it work for me and against my opponents.