It's Not My Game...It's the Weather (Humid)

Humid weather, sometimes called "heavy conditions" can be deceptively difficult. Scientifically speaking, there just happen to be more water molecules in the air. So the ball has to push through more molecules and it has absorbed molecules too. Imagine if you were going to play tennis underwater. Think of how hard it would be to hit a ball over the net. How hard it would be to run. Now imagine the ideal dry and hot conditions. Mix the two together.

Regularly speaking, the ball is heavier. So it will be harder to hit and it won't bounce as high.

You and your opponent will be experiencing the heaviness too. Which means that you will be using more energy. Your sweating will also increase because the humidity and the normal sweat will act as a barrier, keeping heat from escaping your body at a normal rate. Which means more sweat still.

Water is a really powerful molecule. Here is how you counteract:

1. Spin is your friend. Humidity will make the ball bounce lower. So get ready to hit a heavily spun ball. A higher percentage of balls will be too low for you to hit straight into the court flat. So it is a good rule to spin all the balls unless they are really high. Legs don't fail me now!!

2. Serve aggressively. You can hit more flat serves and slices. In these conditions, the ball should fall into the box a little more. Just toss a little higher to counteract the ball heaviness.

3. Bring more water. If you sweat, you will lose more fluids than you are used to. Make sure that you bring extra to replace.

4. Bring more towels and shirts. Double up on the sweat bands and headbands/hats. Managing your sweat will start to become an issue. If you sweat a good amount in normal conditions, bring another shirt or two. Maybe a complete change of clothes. The accumulation of sweat will weight you down if you aren't careful.

REMEMBER: Your body controls it's temperature by sweating and shivering. So make sure that you create as many spaces for your body to sweat. The sun is not an issue so show a little more skin and dry yourself off meticulously between points. By letting heat escape from your body faster, you fight fatigue.

Good Luck

It's Not My Game....It's the Weather! (Wind)

Unless you are rich enough to play all your matches indoors, you will have to deal with the weather at one point or another. It is very important that you recognize the weather as another player in your game because it is always trying to impose it's will. Since the spring seems to have the most unpredictable weather in Georgia, it is a good time to discuss this. Starting with the WIND.

Wind

Indian Wells 2009 was the wierdest day of finals I ever saw!  They don't postpone matches based on wind.

The wind is a very tricky foe. It turns on and off without warning and seems to effect each side at different times. It can also come from any direction. In general you want to play a conservative 3/4th power game and use more spin.

Stay Mentally Strong

You cannot control the wind. So do not let it get you upset.

Different Wind Directions

Oh man! Depending upon the direction wind is blowing, the ball will break to that effect. If the wind is blowing into your back then the ball will stop short. If its to your front, the ball will move faster and deeper into the court towards you. If the wind is breaking left or right then the ball will move left or right. It is really important to notice this early and make the adjustments in your game.

Footwork

Footwork is the key in most of tennis. But it REALLY matters when it is windy. Take note of the wind early and try to tell yourself what the ball is going to do before the game starts. Then get the jump on the ball. If the wind breaks to the left, stand in a spot where you can lean and hit a shot that jumps to the left. If the wind is to your back, play up in the court. Etc.

Serve

Forget about your power serve. The wind will move your toss all over the place. Spin serves are the key since you have a little more time to judge where the ball is in the toss.

Ground Strokes

You will want to work your topspin as much as you can if the wind is to your back. If you hit the ball flat, it will be pushed long. Hit out on the ball if the wind is to your front. If you can, work the slice in to save you some time. If the wind is blowing left or right, move the court in your mind a few feet in the direction the wind is moving.

Volleys

Generally if you can hit good enough shots to come to the net with, the wind is not enough of a factor. But if you are brought to the net, make sure you play your volleys light and short around the service line and be vigilant for out balls.

If you accept the wind is going to make your day difficult and plan accordingly, you will play with more confidence. The trick to it is handling the wind better than your opponent and not being too aggressive.

The Great Equalizer

Say you are a good counterpuncher. In other words you use your patience and consistency and rely on unforced errors (you counter the other players punches). I mean you are HARDCORE. If tennis was COLLEGE you would have a PhD in counterpunching. I think you get the idea.

NOW say you have a match against another counterpuncher with a PhD from a college of equal or greater value.

Sweet! THAT means that you will have your patience and fitness tested to the LIMIT. Worse yet, what if the person stepping out there against you has HUGE quads. Suggesting that they could go all day...

Now THOSE are quads.

Maybe you are an average size but your opponent is skinnier and lighter. Taking less energy to get to a ball than you spend for the same endeavor.

What do you do when your opponent is better at your game that YOU are? You find an equalizer. And equalizer (and I'm coining this phrase) is basically a technique that you borrow from another playing style. It is something that you are good at that you don't really need unless it is clear that you will not win the match doing your regular play.

As an example, being a counterpuncher is a safe style. You keep the ball in play and try to draw unforced errors. But when the other player is better at keeping the ball in play you might have to learn how to construct points like an all around player and finish things off at the net. OR you could learn how to mix spins like a junk baller to facilitate getting errors from your opponent.

Whatever it is, all great players have the equalizer. The secondary style. Roger Federer has a great aggressive all court game. But he counterpunches unbelievably well.

Serena Williams has an AWESOME power game but occasionally you see her come to the net.

If you don't have a second game, you had better bring a VERY VERY strong first game. And you had better be prepared to do it all the time whatever it takes. If you love power and you hurt your shoulder, you had better be prepared to hit through it. If you like retrieving balls and getting them back and you pull a leg muscle, get ready to do your fastest limp. It's that simple.

Tennis is FULL of players that were very one dimensional and changed because they were getting older and couldn't afford to spend the energy. No one can escape this and still be at an equally competitive level.

Good Luck!