THE 3AM THEORY

A player involved in a match and trying to play smart tennis is constantly assessing a variety of factors to maintain their good momentum or make significant changes when they are behind on the scoreboard. If a player feels they are losing the battle, either technically, tactically, physically, or mentally, there needs to be a process each player can follow to make the necessary changes. As a Davis Cup and Federation Cup captain, I often had to go through this mental process myself to turn a match around by adjusting how my players competed. Those adjustments came about after a process that involved accurately reading the situation and deciding what needed to change (or in some cases to not change at all) and putting those changes to the test during the match. Here is that process in detail: 1.      EXPLORE (Analyse) This is the stage at which, if a change in strategy is needed, the player explores the possibilities. At the same time as they compet...

A correct physical training program can enhance your tennis game significantly, while an incorrect physical training program can also harm your game tremendously. In past years players honed their skills on-court and then participated in an off-court physical training program that was very general and non specific to the demands of a tennis match. This all changed several years ago when players, coaches and trainers began to mimic the physical demands and skills required in competitive tennis. Suddenly off-court training became highly specific to tennis and the players began to experience a marriage of tennis skills and physical ability… the two facets of training began to enhance each other! If you have not yet synchronized your on-court and off-court training programs you are definitely missing out on obtaining optimal results in competition. So what areas do you need to be aware of when synchronizing physical training with tennis technique?  Here are 5 ar...