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By
Johnny Tallent, Seay Tennis Center, Dallas, TX
Playing tennis in the wind can often be a totally unpleasant
experience, but if you put it into the right perspective,
it can be at least a little more bearable. The wind can be
the “great equalizer,” and if it is used properly,
it can be a great strategic tool.
What you need to realize is that even when you learn to use
the wind to your advantage and start to win matches with it,
you still might come off the court with that weird feeling
you get when you never quite get into a groove and play well.
The thing to remember is that the wind is not going to blow
on just one side of the court. It affects both sides—and
the player or team that adjusts the best usually comes
out victorious, because most of the time, neither will be
able to get into that groove. It is kind of like playing football
in Green Bay or Buffalo: The team that adjusts and does the
little things usually comes out on top, and teams with a wide-open
offense have to change their game plans to compensate for
the elements. The same is true in tennis.
While you don’t have to worry about playing tennis in
rain or snow, you will have to deal with playing in the wind
from time to time. To help, here are the “Five Steps
to Win at Wind Tennis.”
STEP 1: THE WIND IS YOUR
FRIEND—EMBRACE THE WIND!
The first thing you need to do when playing in the wind is
to go into it without making any excuses. You might as well
enjoy the battle; otherwise, you might as well play tennis
only indoors. The wind is going to blow, and since it is something
that is out of your control, embrace the concept and look
to it not as an obstacle but as an opportunity—because
it really can be.
Once you develop the right attitude, figure out which way
the wind is blowing so you can set up a game plan and use
it to your advantage. One of the easiest ways to do this is
to look for any flags that might be blowing. You can also
use balls to determine wind direction by watching which way
they go when taking overheads, observing on what side of the
court stray balls end up, or even by simply tossing one and
seeing in which direction it goes. Don’t wait until the
match starts to figure it out; use your warmup time for this.
Just remember, once you embrace it and figure it out, then
implement your game plan and stick to it. Let the wind drive
your opponents crazy and not you!
To
read the rest of this article, purchase this issue
here.
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