The difference between winning and losing can be so small in tennis. Every year there are matches won by players that actually lost more points than they won. In 2016, Roger Federer fell out of the top 10 for the first time in over 14 years and didn’t win a title for the first time in 16 years. In 2017 he won two grand slam titles and finished ranked number 2. The difference in points won?

1%

In 2016 he won 54% of points and in 2017 he won 55%. That 1% difference was worth $10 million. (He did miss a few tournaments in 2016 due to an injury, but I think the point is quite clear)

1% can be the difference between a good year and a great year. 2% can be the difference between a good year and a terrible year. Below are some of the small details that pros pay attention to, but a lot of juniors and their parents aren’t well aware of yet.

Difference In Tennis Balls

Different brands of tennis balls have different qualities. For example, Penn balls are extremely different compared to Wilson US Open balls. Penn balls are the bounciest, fastest balls I’ve ever hit with. They fly through the air like a golf ball and are very difficult to have high level rallies with when they are brand new. The Wilson US Open balls are heavier, don’t bounce as high and by the second set you’re in an absolute grind. If you’re playing a third set and weren’t given new balls, I hope you’re playing a tiebreaker to decide the match.

I won’t go into detail about each type of ball but it’s important to know there can be a MASSIVE difference.

If the ball is not described on the website of the tournament, call the tournament and find out what balls they will be using. Then buy a can of balls and play a practice match with them. If you can practice with them for a few days, even better. This way you can feel if you need to adjust the string tension or strategy. Using the example above, I would probably play with a much bigger margin of error with and with a tighter string tension with Penn balls. Wilson US Open balls would force me to be more patient in rallies, focus on depth and a looser string tension

Hard Courts vs Clay Courts

SHOES!!!

Seriously. Shoes.

When I found out about this it changed how I felt about moving on a clay court. I’m sure everyone has tried to change directions on a clay court, start running in place like they’re on ice, and boom fall straight on their backside.

While I can’t promise that will never happen again, I can say the chances of that happening again will be limited once you buy a pair of specific clay court soled shoes. Professional players will never play a match on clay with a hard court soled shoe.

Clay court shoes have a herringbone outsole that allows the shoe to dig into the clay more so you don’t slip as much. This helps you stop on time, load properly and explode in the opposite direction faster than you would with a hard court sole. Stopping quicker and changing directions will make you a better clay court mover and give you that 1% boost on big points. 

The style of play on each surface is also different.

Hard courts are generally quicker than clay so you’re going to try and hit through the court more using a flatter ball. You’re also going to try and sneak into the net more and finish points off quicker. You can play closer to the baseline and hit down the line with more success. Slices are also more effective on hard than clay as the ball stays lower.

Clay courts can be really slow as the material slows the ball down dramatically when it bounces. Depth is crucial because short balls will sit up more and be attacked. Heavy top spin is a great play because clay makes a ball with spin jump up high. This way you can keep the ball above your opponent and out of their strike zone. Angles and drop shots are impactful because it’s harder to change directions than on a hard court. If you can make your opponent cover long distances you can really open the court up to take the offense. Also, you have to be really smart when changing directions or coming to the net. If the ball isn’t hit deep enough then your opponent will have enough time to get there and take the offense. 

Due to the different nature of each court, string your rackets tighter on hard courts, looser on clay.

Finally, if you’re going to play a tournament on a different surface than what you’ve been playing on, try playing a warm up tournament or two prior to the big one. Going from outdoor to indoor isn’t a big deal but will be if you’re completely changing surfaces. Pros usually practice for 2-5 weeks before playing their big tournament on a different surface.

And as a reminder, play with the proper shoe!

Traveling to Tournaments

Travel can have a dramatic effect on performance. Handling this part is just as important as everything else. 

If you’re driving to a tournament where you’re staying at a hotel, I’d recommend arriving two days before the tournament. Most people don’t sleep well the first night at a hotel. If their first night of sleep is the night before their match, odds are that it’s going to be difficult to maintain a high level performance for the first round. I know it’s more money as it would require an extra night at the hotel but if you can afford it, it’s worth it.

By driving up two nights before, you also get a chance to have two practices on the tournament courts before the first round. After a long drive it’s difficult to have a quality practice. Your body will be stiff. Use that practice more to just feel the court and get loose. The practice the day before the first round will then be of higher quality and help you feel more comfortable for the first round.

If you’re flying to a tournament, fly at least two days before the first round. If you’re going from coast to coast it might be 3-4 days, especially if you’re going from the west to east coast. That time change has the most effect on sleep. 

If you’re playing a local tournament and you’ve never played at that site before, I’d suggest at least practicing there the day before the event. It will make you feel more comfortable with your surroundings for your first round. 

Part 2 of this will be coming in a few days. Please message me in the meantime if you have any follow up questions regarding this information!