1. Acclimatize. If at all possible, get used to the conditions by playing outside in the heat in progressively longer increments of time.  Roger Federer is famous for his intense training in the heat of Dubai.
2. Hydrate.

• • Drink 16 – 20 ounces of water or electrolyte-enhanced carbohydrate sports drink (one standard bottle) two hours before competition or practice. An electrolyte-enhanced carbohydrate sports drink should not contain more than 9% electrolytes and carbohydrates (19 grams per 8 ounces or 48 grams per 20 ounces).  An electrolyte-enhanced carbohydrate sports drink with a higher % content may slow the rate of absorption.  A sports drink with salt (sodium chloride) helps to replace lost salt due to sweating and increases thirst and voluntary fluid intake.
  • Drink 4 – 16 ounces of water or electrolyte-enhanced carbohydrate sports drink during every changeover (or 32 – 60 ounces per hour). It’s important to drink consistently not just when you’re thirsty.
  • Drink an electrolyte-enhanced carbohydrate sports drink for matches or practice sessions lasting more the 60 minutes.
  • Avoid drinking beverages containing caffeine and carbonation. Beverages containing caffeine and carbonation are not as effective in replenishing body fluid loss.
  • After a match or practice session, drink one 20 ounce bottle of electrolyte-enhanced carbohydrate sports drink for every one pound of body weight loss within two hours after completion of the match or practice session. The goal is to replace 120% – 200% of body weight lost during competition or practice.

3. Cover up. Wear a hat or visor.  Wear UV protective clothing with a UPF rating of 30 or more.  Liberally apply a broad-spectrum sunscreen of SPF 15 or greater every two hours.  Wear sunglasses which provide 99 to 100 percent UV-A and UV-B protection.  Seek shade if possible during changeovers and between points.
4. Take your time. Pace yourself by taking as much time as possible between points and during changeovers.  Judiciously take towel breaks and manage the tempo of play to your advantage.
5. Be smart. Avoid playing from 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM when the sun is most intense if you’re not feeling 100%.
6. Get strong. On and off court conditioning is a must to be truly successful (and confident) in extreme heat conditions.  Heat-related fatigue, sickness and cramping are viewed by the ITF and USTA as the result of lack of conditioning and are not subject to medical injury rules for timeout and treatment.
7. Shorten the rally. Play “first strike” tennis to end the point more quickly.
8. Extend the rally. Of course if heat is your thing, you may be better served grinding and extending the rally to wear down your opponent.
9. Be positive. Embrace the challenge and approach things from a positive perspective.  Make the best of the situation and don’t waste precious energy by complaining or getting down on yourself.  If conditions are bad for you, they’re just as bad for your opponent(s).
10. Play indoors. Avoid the intense mid-day heat and sun by playing indoors.

Listed below are 10 ideas and approaches to take on the court next time you play an opponent who has given you particular difficulties in the past.  The philosophy should be to stay with the things that work and lead to a positive result and change the things that don’t work.

1. Embrace the challenge of the competition. Rather than dread the prospect of playing an opponent who has given you difficulties in the past, relish the opportunity to have a new “go of it” with an entirely clean slate and fresh prospects.
2. Focus on the process and not the outcome. Stay in the present.  Learn (and not dwell) on your mistakes.  Be positive and energetic.
3. Play to your capabilities. Don’t force mistakes by trying to do too much.  Play high percentage tennis and manage your unforced errors.  Establish and maintain patterns that favor the things that you do well.
4. Control the things you can control and don’t worry about the things you can’t control. Keep it simple by maintaining your focus on controlling the key variables for tennis – pace, spin, direction, depth and net clearance (trajectory) and not the external factors (that can only lead to distraction).
5. Change the pace and tempo of play (not just during points but between points and during changeovers). Take more or less time (as necessary) between points.  Do whatever is necessary to disrupt the timing and pace of your opponent and to establish a pace of play that favors your game.
6. Attack your opponent’s weakness. Prey on the weaknesses of your opponent.  As an example, draw your opponent into the net if he/she does not like to volley.
7. If change is required, go “small” as an option. To use a basketball analogy, go “small” by playing a scrappy, retrieving style of play.  Get a lot of balls back in play and look to extend the rally.  Play high percentage (cross-court with high net clearance) tennis and be a “nudge” and throw up lobs whenever in trouble.
8. If things are still not working, go “big”. Look to attack and finish the point quickly.  Attack with your first strike of the ball (serve and return).  Give your opponent less time to think and react (and to get into a comfortable rhythm of play).
9. Take your opponent by surprise and attack his/her strength. Although it may seem counterintuitive, it can be an effective approach to go at your opponent’s strength not just to potentially break it down but also to open up opportunities to expose his/her weakness.  Very often players get too comfortable (particularly in court coverage) and open up a lot court to their strong side leaving a much narrower target area to their weak side.  Attacking your opponent’s strong side can (in time) open up the court to your opponent’s weak side (e.g. backhand).
10. Have fun. Remember to not make it personal or take things personally.  It’s only tennis (and what could be more fun whether you win or lose than to be on the court moving and hitting).

1. Be active with your feet. Time the split step to properly “unweight” your body and get a maximum jump on the ball.
2. Make early contact (in relation to your body) and drive your hand and racquet face through the ball out toward the target (leading with the butt end and bottom edge of the racquet).
3. Maintain the racquet head above your wrist and maintain a consistent angle between your forearm and racquet. Keep the racquet head up at the finish as well to ensure you’re hitting through the ball and to assist your “quick” recovery for the next shot.  Keeping the racquet head up at the finish will give you more “pop” on your volley.
4. Coil and uncoil. Set your hand and racquet in line with the ball out in front of your body (with no backswing) and then coil with your hips and shoulders to set the racquet back in a strong hitting position.  For the one-handed backhand volley, this coiling action will position the butt end of the racquet in line with the ball and lay the racquet back to a parallel alignment with the court.  Uncoil by stepping forward (opposite foot) and then opening in succession first the hips and then the shoulders to drive the racquet forward through the ball.  For the one-handed backhand volley, the resulting stroke gives the appearance of a knifing action with the racquet path and angle.
5. Maintain core stability and balance. Establish a centered, balanced position with a lower center of gravity.  Avoid overextending (and drawing your body out of alignment) by reaching with your racquet for the ball.
6. Use your non-hitting hand and arm to generate momentum. For the backhand, swing the non-hitting hand (or non-hitting elbow) back as you bring your hitting hand and racquet forward to make contact with the ball.  For the forehand, drive the elbow of your non-hitting arm into your rib cage (into a tuck position) to lock the hips and allow the shoulders and racquet head to transfer force to the ball.
7. Get into the net. Close your distance to get as tight as possible to the net.
8. Close into the net and move through the shot for balls up in your strike zone (shoulder height).
9. Hit hard for angles when taking the ball close to the net. Hit for depth when taking the ball from a deeper court position.
10. For doubles, hit at the feet of the opposing player who is positioned closest to the net and has the least amount of time to respond (when in a court position to attack the volley).

Here are ten areas of focus and tips to improve dynamic balance and athletic, centered movement on the tennis court.

1. Lower your center of gravity for better stability. Maintain a low center of gravity with the position of your head approximately one foot lower in height when in the ready (or ideal athletic) position.
2. Maintain a wide stance to better support the weight of your upper body.
3. Bend with your knees to load and get down as necessary for each shot. Approach each shot with your legs as if you’re preparing (or bracing) to strike (or resist) a heavy object.  Do not bend from the waist.  Good things happen when you bend your knees.
4. Keep your head as still as possible and centered over your hips (belly button). At the same time, maintain a level, horizontal position with the shoulders.  Minimize any bobbing and side to side rotation of your head.  Maintain your eyes on the point of contact through the follow through and completion of your stroke.
5. Use your non-dominant hand and arm to maintain balance and coordination in tracking and moving to the ball and to facilitate proper weight transfer and trunk (or hip) rotation.
6. Be active with your feet. Use short adjustment steps to establish an ideal centered hitting position.  Be careful not to compensate for poor footwork (lazy feet) by overextending and reaching out with your hands and racquet.
7. Be fluid and relaxed with your stroke patterns particularly with the follow through. Hit with “soft” hands.
8. Include core stability exercises to strengthen your abdominal and lower back muscles in your training regime. Core strength and stability are critical to maintaining proper balance and posture.
9. There are a number of on-court hitting exercises to improve balance. Examples include hitting while balancing an object such as a towel on your head, holding the finish of each shot for a “one thousand”, “two thousand” count, hitting open-stance groundstrokes (in response to balls fed to your strike zone) with planted feet (no lifting of the heels), hitting groundstrokes and volleys while balancing on one foot and running around your forehand (backhand) groundstroke to hit a backhand (forehand).
10. It’s also important to focus on balance for the serve. Similar to the groundstroke exercise mentioned above, a great training exercise (and the first step in a progression to establish proper balance and weight distribution for the serve) is to hit serves with both feet planted on the ground (without lifting the heel of either foot off the court).

Based on hitting one of three designated service targets (angled out wide, at the body of the receiver and down the middle T) with the first and second serves and then following up with a second shot hit to one of four designated (short and deep) targets, there are a number of basic first-strike (two shot) patterns for both singles and doubles that effectively open up the court and allow the server or serving team to dictate play with the serve.  Included below are five basic examples.

Singles

1. Hit your serve to the middle T of the service box. Direct your next shot to the same corner as the serve (effectively hitting behind the serve returner).
2. Hit your serve out wide (to the outside of the service box). Follow up by hitting your next shot to the opposite side of the court either to the far deep corner or to a shorter, more angled target (if given the opportunity to hit a cross-court backhand or run around your backhand to hit and inside-out forehand).
3. Hit your serve out wide (to the outside of the service box). Follow up by hitting a short chip or drop shot to the opposite side of the court (closing to the net with the shot as necessary).
4. Hit your serve out wide (to the outside of the service box) preferably with spin. Follow the serve into the net and then volley your next shot short or deep to the opposite side of the court.
5. Jam your opponent by hitting the serve (with depth) down the middle of the service box. Move inside the baseline following the serve and then drive the next ball to either the left or right deep corner of the court.

Doubles

6. Hit your serve to the middle T of the service box to allow your partner to drift to the middle (in line with the serve). Your partner is then positioned to intercept your opponent’s cross-court return with a volley hit to either the open middle window of the court or at the feet of your opponent positioned at the net.  The choice of location for this shot is determined by how far into your side of the court your partner is required to move to hit the volley.
7. Hit an off-pace, angled spin serve out wide (to the outside of the service box). Stay back with the serve and then with your next shot hit a lob to the opposite corner of the court (over the reach of your opponent positioned at the net).
8. Hit an off-pace, angled spin serve out wide (to the outside of the service box) drawing the serve returner and his/her partner in the direction of the serve. Stay back with the serve and then drive your next shot down-the-line (aiming for the singles line or at least two feet inside the doubles line for margin of error).
9. Hit your serve to the middle T of the service box. Close into the net with your serve (serve and volley) and then depending on how close you’re able to get to the net for the shot, volley the return cross court for depth (or angle) or down-the-line (as a redirection) at the feet of your opponent positioned at the net.
10. Hit your serve to the middle T of the service box. As part of a predesigned play, close and switch court positions with your partner.  If the return is hit down-the-line, either redirect your reply volley to the open middle of the court or maintain direction with your volley and hit behind the receiver to the same side of the court as the serve.  If the return is hit cross court, your partner is in a position to drive the volley down at the feet of your opponent positioned at the net.

Practice and rehearse these basic patterns (with repetition) and your game will definitely get better.

1. Set the racquet in line with the oncoming ball (with your hitting hand or hands out in front of your body), coil with your hips and shoulders, drive the racquet head (leading with the butt end of the racquet) out towards the target and forcefully step in with your opposite foot to maximize the effectiveness of your volley. Close the net on a diagonal angle.  Get as close to the net as possible to hit the volley.
2. Hit your volley at the feet of the opponent positioned at the net. When in a position to finish the point with an aggressive volley hit to an opening or at the opponent who has less time to respond.
3. Poach or cross early in the match to get rid of early jitters and to immediately establish your presence at the net.
4. Disguise your move (or cross). Time your move to leave just as your opponent gets into the set position and commits to hit cross court.
5. Disguise your intention to move. Either go or fake a move and stay to disrupt the rhythm of your opponents and to keep them guessing as to your intention to move.  Avoid predictable patterns.  Aggressively move with your forehand and backhand (not just your strongest side).
6. Communicate with your partner. When your partner is serving, use signals to direct the location of the serve.  It’s much easier to move in response to a serve hit down the middle.  Use signals to also let your partner know when you’re planning to go or not go.
7. Don’t worry if you get passed down-the-line by your opponents. Aggressive play at the net is all about percentages and managing your risks.  Challenge your opponents to beat you down-the-line.  Redirecting a return or shot down-the-line is a difficult shot to make (particularly under pressure).
8. Play the score and situation and look for every opportunity to help your partner. Strategically poach to help salvage a hold when your partner is struggling with his/her serve.  Strategically poach when up in the score to decisively close out a game (and demoralize your opponents).
9. If you cross the center service line in moving to hit your volley continue to the other side of the court for coverage after the shot and advise your partner to cover your vacated side (switch).
10. Have fun. It’s much more fun to be actively engaged in each and every point rather than being a passive observer when not serving or receiving serve.

Here are ten quick and easy tips (reminders) to better slide on clay (clay composition) courts.

1. Use an open stance when sliding to the ball with your forehand groundstroke. Use an open or closed stance when sliding to the ball with your backhand groundstroke.
2. Plant your lead (or front) foot earlier than you would on a hard court so you slide into and not past the shot.
3. Set the toes of your lead (or front) foot in the direction of your path to the ball. It’s easy to catch your foot and fall if your toes are turned inward or not leading into the slide.
4. Apply equal pressure on the ball and heel of your lead (or front) foot. Be careful not to dig in with your toes or heel.
5. Approach the slide with a lower center of gravity and wider stance.
6. Make sure your lead (or front) foot is bent in starting the slide.
7. Flex and relax your back leg and drag the toes of your back leg with the slide.
8. Apply pressure and load your weight onto your lead (or front) foot to bring your body to a stop.
9. Remember to turn and coil with your upper body and set your racquet in preparation to hit the ball with the slide.
10. In executing the shot, transfer your weight back across your body from your lead (or front) foot to your secondary (or back) foot to complete the stroke and better recover for the next shot.

Slide well and have fun.

Here are ten things to improve your luck on the tennis court.

1. Practice hard and smart and get in the best possible shape prior to competition. Good things always happen when you prepare properly.  Better preparation and conditioning lead to improved confidence, ability to execute, court presence and tactical awareness and “good things seem happen to me” results.  It is no coincidence that the best players with the best results and good fortune work harder and smarter
2. Keep the ball in play. Your good luck and the ill luck of your opponent (not that you wish ill luck on your opponent) increases exponentially with every shot you put back into play.  Average four or more shots per rally and you will win almost every match you play.
3. Get your first serve in play. It’s much easier to control and dictate play following a first serve versus a second serve.  Getting your first serve consistently in play applies real and imagined pressure on your opponent.
4. Close as tight to the net as possible to hit your volleys. Hitting your volleys on top of the net opens up more opportunities for angles and winners and gives your opponent less time to respond.  Even mishits result in winners when hitting close to the net.
5. Go for everything. Do your best to run down every shot to improve your chances and likelihood for success.
6. Be smart with your directional patterns. Hit cross court and/or maintain the direction of the shot whenever in a neutral or defensive position.  Redirect (as appropriate) when in an advantageous position to attack.  Luck is about percentages and playing the odds.
7. Be active with your feet to better respond to the bounce of the ball and adjust for any miscalculations in timing. Get a little flat with your feet and you’ll be surprised how many balls seem to take a bad bounce.
8. Want to improve your chances of catching your opponent on a “bad and/or unlucky” day? Vary pace, spin and your other control variables to disrupt the rhythm and timing of your opponent (and possibly drive your opponent “really crazy”).
9. If you get a perceived “bad break”… Don’t dwell on things that go wrong, particularly things out of your control. Don’t let the memory of “bad breaks” lead to excuses, limiting beliefs and thoughts of self doubt.
10. Be positive and have fun on the court. Things generally work out for the best if you approach each match with confidence and a positive mental approach to competition.

Here are ten situations and responses to better manage your court position and take advantage of court dimensions and physics.

1. If playing a shot maker with more power and weapons, hit down the middle (preferably with depth) to eliminate angles and opportunities for your opponent to open up the court.
2. If you’re having difficulty covering the court (either because of a prior or match-induced condition), play close to the baseline or just inside the baseline and work your way in to the service line. Playing on or inside the baseline reduces your court coverage requirements and the court area for your opponent to hit to.
3. If forced out wide (particularly if required to hit on the run), respond by hitting cross court preferably with height and depth to buy time for recovery. Hitting cross court better positions you for the next shot and eliminates the opportunity for your opponent to hurt you with an angled redirection.
4. Hit drop shots from inside the baseline (not from behind the baseline) for the best chance for success. Think of the time it takes to execute the shot and the time your opponent has to respond.  Hitting a drop shot from a deeper court position is more difficult to execute, gives your opponent more time to run down the shot and makes your job more difficult to defend if your opponent gets to the shot (particularly if the response is another drop shot).
5. When hitting from behind the baseline, hit high and deep (either down the middle or cross court). Don’t force a mistake by trying to go for too much.
6. When hitting inside the baseline (particularly in response to a weaker shot), respond with a down-the-line redirection or cross-court angle. Hitting from a court position inside the baseline gives you the best opportunity to open up the court and put pressure on your opponent and in a risk-reward analysis, gives you the best chance for success.
7. Hit hard for angles (and/or to the open court) when volleying close to the net. Hit for depth and location (to set up your next shot) when volleying from a deeper court position.
8. Recognize what you have to work with in relation to the net. As an example, when volleying in response to a low ball dipping below the net (particularly if hit at your body), open and drag your racquet head across your body in an outside-in direction and aim for a down-the-line directed angle.  Keep the ball low (low net clearance) and use under and side spin to get the ball to stay down and bounce to the outside of the court.  If you get a ball up in your strike zone, close with the shot and hit a drive volley (cross court or down-the-line) to the open court.
9. When hitting overheads from inside the service line, flatten out your overhead and hit with “pop” and velocity. Aim for your opponent’s service line and look to hit the ball off the court in an angle.  When hitting overheads from deeper in the court, aim to a deeper court target and progressively use more spin as you are progressively forced back to hit from a deeper court position.
10. Want to keep things simple? Aim every shot to clear the middle of the court (or the center strap as reference).  This simple focused tactic guarantees a high percentage response to every shot.

Here are 10 ways to change things up and add variety to your game (to disrupt the rhythm of your opponent, change the course of a losing game and/or have more fun)

1. Serve and volley – Follow your serve into the net to pick off an unsuspecting return (particularly effective if your opponent is content at blocking back his/her return).
2. Chip and charge – Attack the net with slice (and sidespin) approach shots. Hit predominantly down the line and vary the angle and depth of your approach shots.  Work the point with short angled approach shots (e.g. Patrick Rafter) to change things up.
3. Hug the baseline – Play close to the baseline to give your opponent less time to respond. Take balls early on the bounce (on the rise) and attack with an aggressive baseline style of play.
4. Play further back behind the baseline – Play further back behind the baseline to give yourself more time to respond and set up for your shots. Play defensively and make your opponent hit more shots.
5. Vary your serve return position – Play closer in to take time away from your opponent and to distort his/her depth perspective in relation to placement of the serve. Play further back to buy more time to hit the return.  Cheat more to your left or right (particularly on a second serve) to give yourself a better opportunity to hit your best return and to bait your opponent to hit to a location not to his/her preference.
6. Vary your spin – Work the point with varying degrees of slice and topspin.
7. Take pace off the ball – Take pace off the ball (with softer hands, backspin and/or higher net clearance). This tactic is particularly effective against big hitters.
8. Hit high and deep – Elevate your shots with a high, loopy trajectory to pin your opponent back and raise the strike zone of your opponent. As a change, follow high, deep balls into the net (particularly after hitting a high and deep ball to the backhand of your opponent).
9. Vary your serve location – Mix it up. Hit serves out wide, down to the middle T and at the body to disrupt the rhythm of your opponent.
10. Drop shot and lob – Draw your opponent in with well disguised drop shots and push him/her back with well-placed lobs.