What is the best game tactics a lefty could use to raise his game to full potential?

Do left-handers have an advantage in tennis?

Yes, and the main reason is that in most cases player’s forehands are better than backhands and this makes a left-hander’s forehand go cross court to your weaker backhand.

And because of court coverage and higher percentage shots everyone needs to play a lot cross court; so the forehand – backhand duel is inevitable.

You might think that it’s the same for the right-hander since their forehand goes to lefty’s backhand and that’s true, except the right-hander doesn’t practice this very often.

There are approximately 8-15% left-handers so the right-hander may practice their “forehand against backhand” tactics in about 15% of the matches, while a left-hander practices this in 85% of the matches.

So in general, the left-hander finds it easier to control the point with their forehand than a right-hander.

The other advantage is that the left-hander serves out wide to right-hander’s backhand on crucial points like 40:30, 30:40.

And since left-handers play at lot of right-handers, they keep serving their wide serves time and time again and become very good at them.

Right-handers on the other hand play mostly right-handers and don’t serve many wide serves out to opponent’s forehand.

So when they play a left-hander they are not that good with a wide slice serve.

Your main goal as a left-hander is to try and gain advantage in the point with your wide serve and occasionally surprise your opponent with a serve to their forehand.

There is a whole chapter in the Tennis Strategy Encyclopedia on how to deal with left-handers and that might help you discover new tactics that you never considered before.

I highly appreciated reading your ebooks. Great work!

I have a question for you: Untill recently I hit a lot of double faults every match.

Since I’ve started serving with courage this has improved a lot.

However, I find that some players tend to jump up and down or make sudden movements when I look up during the serve to distract me and this works very well on me.

As a result I start double faulting again. I don’t know what to do in this situation because I can’t not notice it.

Do you have any tips? (more…)

HI! Your book is great and you have amazing tips!! Thank you so much for writing it and for sharing w/the rest of us your vast knowledge!!! You are awesome.

I have a question about mixed doubles. I am 32 and I am a very consistent player (or I was and most of the time that is what my team members always say about me and playing w/me) but I don’t have a hard shot and the greatest technique.

I guess that my “technique” had just been to get the ball back no matter what, and keep it in play. (more…)

Hi Tomaz! I just ordered your videos today.

I have one question for you: do you lift or swing your racquet to the contact point?

Many thanks!

If I understand you correctly, then I would say that I swing to the contact point.

You would need to lift the racquet to the contact point if you started the forward swing below the ball.

The problem with that is that the racquet has no speed when it starts to move upwards. You start from zero speed.

But when you prepare with the racquet head up, then you just let go and the gravity pulls the racquet down and eventually it has to go up because that’s natural for your arm.

It will swing upwards.

Note that the feeling of moving racquet forward is similar to pulling since you initiate this movement with your legs, hips and whole body and you arm is the last segment of this kinetic chain.

The matches at Wimbledon 2007 are finally under way and we’ve already seen 2 very interesting matches where players failed to convert on match points.

©Getty Images/ J. Finney

First, Naomi Cavaday, ranked #223, failed to convert 2 match points against Martina Hingis and eventually lost 6-7, 7-5, 6-0.

And second, Tim Henman had four match points at 5:4 in the fifth set against Carlos Moya and didn’t convert them. The match was suspended at 5:5 because of the low visibility.

Why does this happen?

How come players fight all the way to the [tag]match point[/tag] and then somehow are unable to win that last point?

The most common reason is that they start thinking too much. (more…)

I am looking for some tips on how to make someone excited and motivated about practice again once they start to lose it or already lost it?

I know sometimes it is needed to have some break. But beside that, what else can be done to motivate someone again?

Create more matches? Find new challenges, new players to play against, new drills, or maybe even new coaches? (more…)

I asked my students a simple question: ” How do you know that you hit a top spin?”

There were lots of interesting answers and if we make a summary of your answers and differentiate between what is the proof of top spin and what a possible indicator is, then here are my tennis thoughts:

First, we have 5 senses through which we perceive outer world: sight, hearing, feel, smell and taste.

So obviously we cannot smell or taste a top spin shot , but we can see it, hear it and feel it.

(more…)

Andy Roddick was one point from losing a final match with Nicolas Mahut in the finals of the Queens tournament.

Mahut led by a set and had a match point in the second set tie-break. He missed a passing shot and Roddick eventually won the tie-break and the match with a 4-6, 7-6 (7), 7-6 (2) score.

Here’s what Mahut said after the match:

“I was one point away to put my name on the trophy,” Mahut said. “It was just an easy passing shot like I hit a thousand passing like that. But it’s easier when you practice. When you have to make it to win the tournament, it’s another shot.”

So how can you learn to hit the shots when it matters most? (more…)

There were two recent shock defeats on the ATP tour in the last week.

First, Lleyton Hewitt lost to a qualifier Jo-Wilfriend Tsonga (France) in Queens and second, Richard Gasquet lost to a qualifier Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi (Pakistan).

How come these unknown qualifiers are able to beat experienced top players? (more…)

Hi, my coach keeps telling me to spin the ball, roll it. He basically tells me to focus on TECHNICAL PART OF TENNIS.

Do i have to do the same in match? To concentrate on swing, low to high, knees bend (technical part). Please just tell me what do pro tennis players think, focus on when they are in a match???

And what do i have got to do to get my swing, footwork during rally, drill time, in match?? E.i. what should i work on more?? More drills? More rally?? More matches???

(more…)