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 Featured Pro - Greg Grover
Greg has been a USPTA Master Professional since 1990 and Windward Lake Club owner.
Greg played varsity tennis at Stanford University, where he learned to teach under his coach and mentor, Dick Gould.
He was previously Tennis Director at Countryside Tennis Center and Dunwoody Country Club.
A past president and honorary member of the Georgia Professional Tennis Association, he was awarded the Educational Merit Award in 2001 and 1995 as well as the Georgia Professional of the Year in 1996, 1986, and 1982.
Greg is the author of two books on creative tennis programming and a third book on doubles strategy for players and coaches.
He also has articles in our Article Library. |
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Browse Some Past Questions
Below are some of the questions and answers that have come through our Ask The Pro section.
Browse through to see if your question has been answered or to see what others were wondering that might help you too.
| Q: |
I play mixed doubles and women's doubles and was told by a coach that the man should usually play the ad side of the court and that in women's doubles, the stronger player should play the ad side. He says that in the case of a deuce score, the stronger player would be more likely to win the next point, thus winning the game. How should players assess who should play where on the court? |
| A: |
The answer to your question may be a little more complicated than who is the stronger player. It is true that the stronger player may have an advantage when playing game points. 40-love, 40-30, and advantage points are all game points played from the ad-side. However there are a number of opportunities to settle a game from the deuce side during a tie breaker. And of course at 40-15. Additionally you cannot get to ad-in for example, if the deuce side player does not win their point. Both sides share an equal importance in my mind, but most games are won or lost from the ad-side.
I prefer to place the emphasis upon the returner. The inside out return (from the middle cross court is usually the more difficult return. The high percentage cross court shot is usually made easier by not changing the direction of the ball and returning the ball close to the same line it came in on. Therefore a backhand from the backhand side hit cross court will usually be the highest percentage return, where the inside out forehand (for right handers) from the ad side court is usually a more difficult shot. Contrary to popular belief, it is easier to return the backhand from the ad-side for most right handed players.
Other factors to consider are; should we play forehands in the middle or out wide, do we need to switch up after the first set, does either player hit a weapon from a particular side (lob, forehand etc.), do I want to hit my forehand volley or my backhand volley from the middle of the court. Think carefully about all of these before you decide.
I tend to stray away from generalizations like "usually the men return from the ad-side". The problem with that statement is it infers that the man is the better player. It does not take in to account things like; right handed, or left handed, consistency, weapons, weaknesses, which side I like to volley from or if the lady might return better and the gentleman volley better from a certain side. There really are many variables to take into consideration. WHEW!!!
So the bottom line is this; decide which side you like better, where would you like to hit certain volleys from? Should it be forehand in the middle or backhand? Where are our strengths and weaknesses? Don't forget most games are won and lost on the ad-side. Never forget you can always switch sides after a set.
Travis Parrott and Jan Michael Gambill are playing in Qatar right now. During their match yesterday they found themselves down 6-4 in the first set. They decided to put Travis back on the ad side where he is used to playing. They won 6-4,6-2. |
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- Answered by: Jim Harp, Director of Tennis, Windermere Tennis Club, USPTR |
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| Q: |
I do not hit a two handed backhand. But I do see players on my team mis-hit it, and I wonder if the right hand (right handed player) keeps the same forehand continental grip since using both hands, or are they suppose to roll their hand into a back -hand grip like a one-hander. Also, what is the other (left hand) suppose to do as to positioning. |
| A: |
There are a variety of grips that are used for the two-handed backhand.
These come primarily as a result of different right hand positions (assuming a right handed player).
If the player maintains a semi-western grip with the right hand, there will be a significant break in the wrist during the preparation (Mary Pierce) and a stronger left hand.
If the player makes a fairly extreme grip change with the right hand towards the eastern backhand, the player will have less wrist break and a stronger right hand (Amanda Coetzer).
In general, what we advocate to a developing player is a continental grip with the right hand.
This allows for balance in the two hands but gives the added advantage of allowing the player to let go and slice with one-hand or hit effective volleys with one-hand. |
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- Answered by: Butch Staples, USPTR Professional, Van Der Meer Tennis Center |
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| Q: |
I do well in practice matches but don't play up to my potential in ALTA/USTA matches. What kind of mental strategy can I use to overcome match anxiety? |
| A: |
Playing with nothing to lose in a match as you might in practice is a challenge encountered by players of all ages and ability. It is a delicate balance of trying to achieve a feeling of emotional calmness versus playing nervous or choking.
The first thing I tell all players is to focus on performance goals instead of outcome goals. To be successful, you absolutely must think of the process first: what must I do (performance wise) each point to be successful? Think of of the basic execution skills, more spin on your serve, more net clearance, more depth. Many people fail (or choke) because they use outcome goals such as "I must win this point!"
If you feel yourself getting tight or nervous there are several things you can do. First, keep moving your feet. The initial thing that occurs when you start to get nervous is that you stop moving - you freeze. Insteading of freezing, stay hot - stay on your toes, bounce up and down. Not only will you be able to adjust and hit the ball better, but you will give off the appearance of a confident, mentally tough competitor. Your opponent will see this. Also, don't forget to breath - this is no different than stagefright. Practice good breathing techniques.
Practice positive self-talk. Don't be hard on yourself. Instead, go back to telling yourself what you need to do in order to be successul. Don't beat yourself up or it will only get worse. If playing doubles, always have good communication and tell your partner to pick you up if you get down on yourself.
Exhibit positive body language. Don't slump your shoulders or walk around the court as is someone just kicked your dog. With mentally tough competitors you shouldn't be able to tell if they're winning or losing.
It's a roller coaster of emotions. Keep this in mind: even if you win a close tennis match you probably lost at least 40-45% of the points. That's a lot of dissapointment. Understand the momentum swings and try to create enough streaks that you control the tempo. Build on great plays and find positives in your mistakes.
A very common occurence of recreational players (and my personal pet peeve) is not giving the opponent enough credit for a great shot. I'm not even talking about verbalizing "good shot" to your opponent -that's up to you. But I've seen countless matches where the opponents hit a great shot down the alley and the team that has just been passed lashes out at themselves for not covering the alley.
Teams cannot beat you by hitting an slew of winners (unless their level is drastically better). Players/teams win by making the least amount of mistakes. Accept the fact you made the opponent work to earn the point rather than you making a silly mistake. If you take on this mentality you will understand that most of your opponent's winners are an uncontrollable - something you can do nothing about. Why get upset about that - give them credit. Believe me, top college players and pros go into their matches knowing their opponents will hit a multitude of good shots. They come to accept this and simply try to "weather the storm" if their opponent is playing great.
If all else fails you can do what John Newcombe once did when he was nervous - he looked across the net and imagined his opponent was a big rat! Sometimes you must keep it light and realize it's just a game. Above all else, you must have fun - that's why you play right? Finally, the absolute best theme to use when choking - "I don't want to win more than I want to compete. Enjoy the battle." If you truly buy in to this statement and understand it's meaning you'll be successful regardless of the outcome. |
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- Answered by: Billy Pate, Assistant Tennis Coach Notre Dame University, USPTA |
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| Q: |
This is my second season playing organized tennis and I am having a lot of fun learning. The one area that I am extremely weak in, and at the very least have find a quick fix while developing my skills, is playing at the net. The opposing team sees the weakness and drills in on me only making matters worse. I am not afraid - although a little frustrated - of being at the net it just seems that when I hit the balls they never make it over the net. Any good suggestions? |
| A: |
You may be reaching for the ball with your hands, instead of moving your feet (this enables you to get to the ball) and turning your shoulders (this enables you to hit the ball with control and power).
The old saying, "Volley with your feet, not your hands," is good advice. |
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- Answered by: Pete Collins, Director of Tennis Augusta CC, Master Tennis Professional USPTR |
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| Q: |
I keep on playing into my oponents hand. Simply because I have a choice of two or three shots, so I end up playing a combination of the three shots and this ends up right in his hand. What do I do With so many shot decisions? |
| A: |
Keep it simple, as you warm up or if you know your opponent pick out his weaknesses. Once you know his weaknesses put together a game plan that will keep he or she in a neutral or defensive position.
If they get you into a defensive position keep it simple, hit the shot that will go to their weakness, make them beat you with their weaker shot. If all falls use the high, high, high, lob as a reset button and start the point over. |
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- Answered by: Dennis Hord, Director of Tennis, Suwanee Station |
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