I have coached many tennis players and recently I played my first match on grass. Here are a few observations and tips for winning on this surface. These tips should be of interest to players with varying levels of skill and expertise.
1. Take the ball early.
2. Shorten the points.
3. Shorten your backswing to compensate for the speed of the surface.
4. Practice getting down low to get those low shots.
5. Think of grass as being the opposite of playing on clay or on hard turf. The ball will not sit up for you. It will stay down.
6. Develop a good slice to keep the ball low and accommodate the grass surface.
7. A short serve can be a weapon on grass because it can force your opponent to move in and be off balance.
8. A slice serve can be a huge weapon on grass because it can force your opponent to return a wide and low ball.
9.
When setting up to serve, find a spot on the grass which will give you a reliable bounce for your pre shot routine.
10. Come in whenever you can.
11. Chip and charge returns of service.
12. A low soft drop shot when used properly can be a killer shot on the green stuff.
13. Wear sneakers that will give you good traction on grass.
14. Practice volleys, swinging volleys and overheads.
15. Take the ball in the air often, so the odd bounces which you get on grass will not hurt your ability to win points and games.
16. Watch the bounce very carefully and read the ball’s direction, spin, height and pace early on.
Jay P. Granat, Ph.D. is a psychotherapist and the founder of http://www.stayinthezone.com He has written several books and developed several programs to help people perform to their fullest potential at sports, at work and at school. Dr. Granat, a former university professor, has appeared in The New York Times, Good Morning America, AP, ESPN, Golf Digest, The BBC and The CBC. He can be reached at info@stayinthezone.com. His books include Zone Tennis and Get Into The Zone In Just One Minute. He is also the author of How To Get Into The Zone With Sport Psychology And Self-Hypnosis, How To Lower Your Golf Score With Sport Psychology And Self-Hypnosis, 101 Ways To Break Out Of A Hitting Slump and Bed Time Stories For Young Athletes. Golf Digest named Dr. Granat one of America’s Top Ten Mental Gurus. He was recently featured in a documentary film on long distance running. Dr. Granat writes a weekly column for three newspapers. He is also the author of Zone Tennis. This book is available at major book stores.
Tennis Now TV presents “Winning Tennis: Instruction by Jeff Salzenstein.” In today’s lesson, Salzenstein talks about what you should eat after a match or a workout, and what to watch out for when buying protein powder. Salzenstein is an 11-year veteran of the ATP tour who ascended to the top 100 in the rankings. Now he is a USTA high performance coach and a nutritional therapy practitioner, and founder of the JS Performance Tennis School in Denver. In addition to coaching, he also runs a blog, which you can find here: www.jeffsalzensteintennis.com