During Wimbledon this year Prince has a little contest going on that seems to be getting a bit of hype. Prince has got a container and filled it with tennis balls and all you have to do is guess how many tennis balls are in the container.
If you head to the Prince site here you can enter until the 5th July, but unfortunately this competition is only for USA citizens. This is the internet age Prince, get with it, anyone anywhere should be able to enter!
Prize = Autographed Prince racquet signed by Maria Sharapova. Approximate Retail Value of prize is $300.
If you want to see the container for yourself then you need to head to the HSBC Wimbledon in Rockefeller Center (June 22 – June 26).
In the game of tennis, there is an invisible force always present. Call it momentum.
In theory, each point should be independent of the previous point. However, this is very rarely the case. The momentum in a match can be built up between points, between games and between sets.
The momentum can be your friend or it can be your enemy. We will talk about both. However, let’s first talk about how to identify momentum.
The momentum is defined by winning it back to back points, back-to-back games all back-to-back sets. Let’s work was an example. The score within the game is 30-30. the person who won the last point, has a little bit of momentum however, if they were down 30 love they would have a lot of momentum. With his momentum they would be more likely to win next point. Momentum is basically when one person is getting upperhand on the other person.
Invisible momentum can be very powerful. If you were down 30 love and you win the next two points you are feeling uplifted and more confident to win the next point. Your opponent on the other hand, would be feeling negative having had such a strong lead and is now back to 30-30.
Momentum can be very powerful when a player wins a few games in a row. Momentum can swing an entire match. Momentum is a very powerful force, it can be your friend or it can be your enemy. Once you realise you have momentum either on your side or against you, you need to take action.
What to do when Momentum is on your side. When momentum is on your side you must nurture it. You must keep the momentum flowing. It is the time to concentrate and not let your opponent back into the game set or match. Do not play any loose points, nor go for any spectacular winners. Simply play good solid tennis and maintain your game plan. Having a nice lead is NOT a time to relax because, by definition, the momentum may swing back against you. In which case you’ll find yourself having to stop the momentum in the other direction.
When momentum is on your side you are trying to hit your opponent while they are down. You do not want them to get up off the ground. Do not open the window for them to jump through. Keep it tightly closed until the end of the match.
Tips that will help you keep momentum:
Do not waste time between points. Move efficiently between points, do not rush, but do not waste time. Keep the momentum going and get as many points under your belt as possible. The stronger the momentum the easier the points.
Move efficiently between games. Do not waste time and quickly get the balls down to the servers end. On the change of ends, only take a short break and keep going. Start the next game as soon as possible.
In between sets, again move efficiently. Take the shortest amount of time possible, try and start the set as soon as you can.
What to do when Momentum is against you. This one is simple, you must stop it!!
There are many ways to stop momentum. They are actually the opposite of what I mentioned in the previous section. The goal is to change the environment. You must do something to break out of this spiral. Here are a few tips:
take a long time between points
straighten in your strings
Tie your shoelaces
change racquets
stretch your muscles
discuss something with a referee or umpire
Now some not so subtle actions
Argue over a line call
Hit a ball out of the court so it takes time to retrieve the ball
Talk to your opponent on a change of ends. Find something to say to enter their mind
Call for injury time
Use every second of time you are allowed between, games and sets
take a toilet break
We will discuss momentum in a lot more detail in future articles. But for now just be aware of it in your matches and matches that you watch other people play.
It is important to get off to a quick start in a match. Why not start with the warm up! The best part is you make the rules and start controlling what is happening on the court. I am not talking about hitting winners or junk in the warm up. It is unsportsmanlike and you should always respect your opponents needs to warm up. Tennis is one of the few sports where you actually warm up the person you are about to try and beat.
Focus on making no unforced errors. In the warmup you should be looking for your opponents weaknesses and not letting them see any of yours. Focus on not having any balls sitting on your side of the net.
After warming up your ground strokes be the first to come into the net to warm up your volleys. This shows that you are happy with your ground strokes and are moving on. You are already starting to control the match.
After you have practiced your serves to first court be the first to change sides and serve to second court.
Finally, when you are practicing your serves to second court offer to start the match before the opponent. “Are you Ready?”
This is what I call win the warm up. You are already focusing your attention to the job at hand AND you are already appearing like a solid opponent who is already in control and knows what they want.
Keep that momentum going and win the first game, serving or receiving, it sets a nice tone for the match !!
Enjoy and keep improving. Dont forget to Sign Up to ensure you do not miss a Tip!
You never know, the next tip could be the difference between winning and loosing your next match!
After winning probably the Wimbledon final of the century, Raphael Nadal is now going to take some well earned time of from tennis and just relax. He has pulled out of the Stuttgart tournament this week in which he was supposed to defend.
It is important to get off to a quick start in a match. Why not start with the warm up! The best part is you make the rules and start controlling what is happening on the court. I am not talking about hitting winners or junk in the warm up. It is unsportsmanlike and you should always respect your opponents needs to warm up. Tennis is one of the few sports where you actually warm up the person you are about to try and beat.
