Playing Tennis Singles
Tennis singles is a demanding game, physically and mentally. To succeed at it, you need to have a repertoire of competent strokes, sufficient stamina to prevail in a long, tense match and a command of strategy which differs considerably from that involved in doubles.
You start the game by deciding who will serve first. This is usually done by a spin of the racquet. The winner has four choices:
Option 1, generally gives you a psychological advantage of being ahead everytime you change ends. Your opponent on the other hand, will have to win a game every time just to make the score even and this burden will place extra pressure on that player.
Option 2, is used if you think that your opponent may not be totally warmed up. This way you might have a good chance to break your opponent's service which in turn would give you a good edge. On top of that, you will have another game in which to warm up before your turn to serve.
Finally, suppose your opponent won the toss and decided to serve, that leaves you with the choice of sides. In this case the relevant factors here are the wind and sun. Eventually, you will have to serve against the wind or the sun or both.
Tennis Singles Positions.
Server As a tennis singles player you have to defend your side of the court alone, so it is advisable not to stand too far away from the middle of the court when you serve. Your feet are not allowed to touch anything inside the court when serving.
Receiver As the receiver you should put yourself in a straight line across from the server over the service court. Stand so that you have an equal opportunity to return the ball, both forehand and backhand. You should be on the balls of your feet, knees slightly bent, arms in front, and able to move in any direction. Concentrate. Watch the server. Watch his/her movements. The faster the ball comes the quicker you will have to react. Watch the ball go up in the air. Try to see where the server is going to hit. Anticipate quickly. Try to take the ball early so as to give less time to the server to prepare for the next shot.
Placing the Ball. As a tennis singles player in the beginning the most important thing is just to get the ball into the service court. Later, as you improve and get more control, you should be able to place the ball more accurately, gaining more speed and control. The next step is to serve mainly right through the middle of the court. That way you don't open up the court.
All players need to develop a specific strategy and tactics for each match. To read about some of the most fundamental strategies required for players to achieve success.
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