3 WAYS TO BEAT A SUPERIOR OPPONENT

                                      

                           

Nothing is more satisfying than beating an opponent who is, on paper, at least better than you.  A win against a superior opponent sets you apart as a genuine competitor.

You can still get the wins while not playing your best tennis

Here are three ways to overcome a stronger opponent.

1. Do Your Homework First

Playing someone supposedly better than you suggests that your opponent is technically, physically, OR mentally stronger than you. They could even be technically, physically, AND mentally stronger than you! Don’t panic. It's time to plan their demise.

Begin by looking at what they do best. Ask the following questions:

Speed: do they prefer the ball fast or slow?

Direction: do they like the ball wide or tight into the body?

Height: do they like the ball high or low?

Position: Do they want to play at the net or baseline?

That’s the technical part finished. Your job is to give them the opposite of the above. If they prefer higher balls around their shoulders, your job is to keep the ball lower than their shoulders, either by hitting the underspin more often or increasing the speed of the ball so that it stays low after the bounce.

Next, you must look at their mental makeup. Don’t always assume they are confident just because they win many matches. They may indeed be experienced and can appear intimidating to you by how they walk and talk. They may well be all these things, but let's see what they are like after you have done your homework on them and devised a systematic plan to beat them yet!

2. Play With a Plan

Devise a plan based on understanding what ball your opponent prefers and giving them the opposite.

If they are timing the faster ball perfectly during the match and are sending it back with added power and accuracy, feed them slower balls to take them out of their preferred option

If they are taking big swings at the high-bouncing balls you give them, add underspin or increase the speed of your ball to limit their potency.

If you are hitting wide in the court and your opponent replies by hitting offensive winners, start targeting the middle of the baseline to take away the angles. Likewise, if they look comfortable with balls down the middle of the court, create more angles by targeting the "side T" area.

If your opponent is dominating the rally, coming forward on your short balls and finishing with a volley or an overhead, get to the net before them, and allowing them to dictate in this way.

I will repeat again… 

Devise a plan based on understanding what ball your opponent prefers and giving them the opposite

Sometimes the conditions will assist you. Conditions may make it easier to implement your ideal game plan; therefore, factor in court, climatic, and physical conditions.

I once played a match indoors.  One court was particularly close to a wall, so close that the court should not have been used during the tournament. I kept serving wide towards the wall during my match and winning the point each time. Fortunately, my opponent didn’t seem to have practised his slice serve!   

3. Believe and Keep Believing

Once you have done an excellent job of scouting your opponent and devised a clever strategy, you’ve got to go into the match with solid determination.

Here’s a great quote from Vince Lombardi, the late coach of the champion NFL Green Bay Packers… 

“Life’s battles don’t always go to the stronger or fitter man, but sooner or later, the man who wants to win the most; will win.”

"Sooner or later the player who thinks they can win, will win"

Many things will happen during a match that dent your spirits, but you must continue to implement your strategy no matter what happens. Sometimes the process takes time to develop. The majority of your tactics are based on the following:

Creating errors and frustration, while also targeting your opponent's confidence and composure.

The more often you develop game plans in your matches to help overcome stronger opponents, the better you will become at pulling off the “upset” win that sets you apart from most players.  Nothing is more satisfying than outsmarting a higher-ranked player for the win.