Bigger Better Tennis - Paul Dale

Back in the 80s, players like Ivan Lendl and Martina Navratilova embarked on nutritional regimes that were considered extreme but would later become the norm. A little later, players began adopting more scientific fitness programs that would take us to where we are today, with players now able to sustain a high work rate in matches for long periods of time. In my opinion, “the next frontier” for coaches and players to conquer in tennis is strategy. I’m not talking about the current levels of strategy seen at the top of our game. I’m talking about a systematic approach to strategy that includes analyzing an opponent’s strengths and weaknesses and designing a systematic strategy to exploit this knowledge in the match. The Analysis: Over the years, I have used a system of spotting strengths and weaknesses that has worked well for me.  I look at an opponent in terms of 8 opposites… 1.      Fast v Slow (Speed of the ball) 2.      High v Low (Height of ball) 3.      Tight v Wide (Ball in