The 5 Best Tennis Rackets For Doubles

The 5 Best Tennis Rackets For Doubles

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7 Drills To Improve Your Volleys

Written by Austin Rapp in Tactics,Technique

The volley is the most simple shot on the tennis court, so why do so many players have issues when they come forward? Missing an easy volley after setting up the point so perfectly will leave you pulling your hair out. How do you fix it? 

Improving your volleys takes a lot of repetition, but it is crucial to train the right way. Just rallying up the middle with a partner while you stand at the net is boring and unrealistic. You need to practice your volleys with purpose every time you step on the court.

As a player, I wasn’t blessed with the most natural hands at the net. However, I attribute my successful transition game to these 7 drills that will make your volleys rock solid. 

Bryan Brothers Drill

When trying to improve parts of your game, it only makes sense to copy the best. The Bryan Brothers are undoubtedly the best doubles team of all time, so why not borrow some of the drills that made them so good? I had the privilege of training with Bob and Mike a couple of years during the two week Masters 1000 tournament at Indian Wells.  Being on court with them made me realize how years of sharpening their volleys got them to where they are. 

One of the drills that they were doing every day during that tournament is referred to as “The Bryan Brothers Drill” most likely because they use it so much. This drill is useful because it includes several key aspects of the volley: lively feet, quick reaction, and sharp precision. 

It starts with both players in the middle of their respective service lines. As they begin to hitting volley to volley, both players move to their own left or right side as they rally. The players will be hitting crosscourt as they are moving opposite directions, or away from each other. When they reach the alley, they both come back to the center and continue on to the other side, trying to keep the ball in play as long as they can. If you miss, just feed another ball in quickly and keep going. This drill is pretty physical especially on the forearms, hands, and wrists. Below is a video of Karue Sell and I demonstrating the drill. We slowed down our footwork and ball pace to show a starting point for the drill. As you become more comfortable with practice, you can speed it up.

Bryan Brothers Drill

Key Points to Remember:

  1. Stay low even though you are moving laterally. It is easy to let yourself pop up.
  2. Keep the hips as square as possible to the net as you move. This is a lateral movement, not a forward movement. 
  3. Don’t crowd the ball. Give yourself space. If the space isn’t there, create it. 
  4. Don’t assume the ball will be where you want it to be. Remember, this is a reaction drill. Make it realistic and don’t expect it to come in the perfect place. 
  5. Work together to keep the ball going as long as possible. It won’t be perfect, just strive to get better. 

Wall Ball

As traditional as it sounds, you can improve a lot hitting against the wall. Some of the best tennis players ever, including Novak Djokovic, say they started their successful careers against the wall when they were kids. Though I’m not the biggest fan of hitting against the wall for groundstrokes, it has worked wonders for my volleys. Volleying against the wall helps strengthen your forearm, sharpen accuracy and precision, and keeps your swing compact.

 The first drill you can do against the wall is simple repetition on each side. Start with 100 forehand volleys without a break, followed by 100 backhand volleys. They don’t have to be in a row, if you miss just keep going. The closer you get to the wall, the more challenging it will be.

Key Points to Remember:

  1. Keep your wrist firm. We are training strength in this drill, it is counterproductive to do this with a broken wrist.
  2. Keep your weight on your front leg.
  3. Move your feet. You will have to make small adjustments as you go. 
  4. Stay low. Feel a burn in your legs and don’t pop up as the drill goes on. 
  5. Keep your swing compact. If you can’t keep the ball going and it feels rushed, it is likely because your swing is too big. 
  6. Keep your head still, but keep your eyes locked on the ball the entire time. 
Wall Ball

As you master this drill, you can move on to moving the ball up and down the wall. This is not easy, but it is a good challenge for you to work towards.

The next drill that you can do on the wall is changing between forehands and backhands. You can do this switching sides every other ball or every two balls. You will want to take a couple of steps back from the wall for this one so that you have time to switch. Be sure to have a pocket full of balls so that if you miss you can start over right away. 

    Key Points to Remember:

  1. Stay low. You won’t have time to allow your body to rise.
  2. Be precise with your targets. Your goal is to get the next volley right on your strings so you aren’t required to move too much. 
  3. Maintain a firm wrist. 
  4. Keep the same grip on both volleys. If you don’t have a slightly different grip for your forehand and backhand volley, this is a good drill for you to change that. 

Offense-Defense Volleys

This drill will help you improve your ability to close the net and your hand quickness. The offensive player in the drill will start a foot or two behind the service line, while the defensive player will start a foot or two inside the service line. The defensive partner feeds the ball as the offensive partner comes forward, closing the net until he can’t anymore. You should be able to hit 4-6 balls each before the player that is closing reaches the net. After you are content with how the drill has gone, switch roles and do it again. 

Offense Defense Drill

    Key Points to Remember:

Offensive player:

  1. Sticking your volleys with purpose.
  2. Move through each volley with rhythm, you don’t have time for too many choppy steps.  
  3. Stay square to the opponent so you are ready for a forehand or a backhand.
  4. If you happen to get a high floater, do your best to put it away. 
  5. Put the last ball away off the court to work on finishing the point.

Defensive player:

  1. Keep a strong, low base. Remember, you are trying to absorb the pace.
  2. Do your best to keep the ball low so that the offensive player cannot put the ball away. 
  3. Keep your wrist firm. If you let the wrist break, you will not be able to handle the pace. 

To make things more interesting, make it a game. Play on half the court with no alleys so that there is no room to go around each other. Play to 7 and add the scores between the two games. 

On Top of the Net Drill   

This drill is one of my favorites because of how challenging it is. Even the best doubles players can benefit from making their hands just a little faster, and this one will help you do that. 

For the “On Top of the Net Drill,” one player will be on the baseline while the other is only inches from the net. The goal of this is NOT to have long rallies and find rhythm. You really shouldn’t expect to make more than 3 or 4 balls in a row, or else you are not doing the drill correctly. 

On Top of the Net Drill

Key Points to Remember:

  1. Keep your hands up. If you drop your hands, you won’t have time to get them back up.
  2. Keep the swing compact. 
  3. Meet the ball out front as much as possible.
  4. Don’t let the ball move you. Be a wall and resist against the power of the baseliner’s shot. 
  5. Depth doesn’t matter. All that matters is you are sticking the volley back and you are making the ball with force behind it. 

Crosscourt Doubles Drill

The crosscourt first volley drill is a great way to improve your doubles transition game. The first volley is the most important volley in both singles and doubles, but most players don’t work on it nearly enough. 

For this drill, both players start on the deuce side of the court. One player will start on the baseline, while the transitioner will start in “no man’s land.” The baseliner feeds the ball to the transitioner and they play the point out crosscourt, alleys are in. After the feed, anything goes, including lobs and drop volleys. The baseliner should be sure to mix up feeds so that the drill doesn’t become repetitive and predictable. Feed some slow ones, some fast, some dipping at the feet, etc. This is a 4 part game, as both players will play a game to 7 as the transitioner and the baseliner on both the deuce side and the ad side.

Crosscourt Doubles Drill

Key Points to Remember:

    Volleyer:

  1. Pick a big target on the first volley. This is a point starter, and the goal is to make the opponent play. 
  2. Close the net to take away room for the opponent to hit. 
  3. Make adjustments. If you are getting beat on lobs, don’t close as hard. If you are getting beat on angles, close harder. 
  4. Keep points short. As the net man, you are on offense. If you get a ball that you can put away, be sure to do it. 

        Baseliner:

  1. Avoid unforced errors. You are on defense, so you want to make the volleyer earn the point rather than give it away. 
  2. Utilize the lob. It is easy as a volleyer to get right on top of the net, so keep them honest with a lob. 
  3. Play with variety. If you become too predictable, you make the volleyer’s job too easy. 

“The Floor is Lava”

 The “floor is lava” drill is one of the more physical volley drills that you can do. It will improve your ability to get up and back quickly. Being able to cover the lob is essential because it gives you more confidence to close the net harder. 

For this drill, one player will start a couple feet inside the service line while the other is on the baseline. The objective is pretty simple: the volleyer isn’t allowed to let the ball hit the ground on their side of the court. The baseliner should try to get the ball to hit the ground by mixing in lobs and dropshots when appropriate. The goal of the drill is to get the volleyer to work, so make sure as the baseliner you are pushing the volleyer to their limit without making it too challenging. 

The Floor is Lava
  1. Be ready for anything. There is no pattern because it makes it more realistic, so try to cover as much court as possible.
  2. Keep the ball going as long as you can. If you have an overhead you should put it away, but other than that you want to keep the ball moving until someone misses. 
  3. Go until exhaustion. It is a tiring drill, but you want to try and go as long as you can. 

*** Make this a game by either playing on half the court with no alleys and play to 7. Alternatively, you can play this game 2 on 1. There will be 2 baseliners and one at net, alleys are out. The baseliners can only hit winners by lob or dropshot, but not winners around the net-man. Rotate so that each player has a chance as the volleyer. 

“Get Low, Stay Low”

If you have a hard time staying low on your volleys, this is the drill for you. The “Get Low, Stay Low” volley drill is simple. One player will be at the net volleying while the other will be at the baseline hitting groundstrokes. The volleyer is required to touch the ground between each of his volleys. The goal is to see how many volleys you can hit in a row without losing the quality of the shots. 

This drill is not only good for working on staying low, but it also helps you improve your reaction time. When you go back to hitting volleys normal without touching the ground in between, you will feel like you have all the time in the world. 

Get Low Stay Low

Key Points to Remember:

  1. After you touch the ground, still stay low. This should not look like you are doing a burpee.
  2. Keep your chest up throughout. 
  3. Bend with your knees, not your back. 

CONCLUSION

Volleying is simple, but it requires work to become a master of it. Fine tuning your volleys is important because it is the most effective way to end points. Players without good volleys are at a huge disadvantage in finishing points for both singles and doubles. 

Using these 7 drills have improved my volleys, and I have confidence that they will help yours as well, no matter what level you play at. Set aside a bit of time daily to train your volleys with these drills and you will be sticking them with authority in no time. 

How Do Tennis Players Qualify For Grand Slams?

Written by Gui Hadlich in Grand Slams

Even if you do not consider yourself to be a huge tennis fan, chances are you’ve heard about Grand Slams. The Australian Open, Roland Garros (French Open), Wimbledon, and U.S. Open are the four biggest tennis tournaments in the world, and each one happens once every year. For tennis fans, Grand Slams are the equivalent of Disneyland – the happiest place on earth. You get to watch your favorite players, eat some nice food, and every now and then take some pictures with your biggest tennis idols. 

For every junior and professional tennis player, Grand Slams are the absolute ultimate goal. Every single player has (at least once) imagined what it would feel like to play in the giant stadiums with thousands of people watching, and on top of that still make thousands of dollars. I’ve had the chance to play the qualifying for the Junior French Open, and even though the event is played at a random club and it doesn’t feel like the French Open, I still feel like it was one of the best experiences I’ve had on a tennis court. 

In 2019, the Australian Open had total prize money of roughly $42.5 million US dollars. Roland Garros paid roughly $47.2 million USD. Wimbledon, $49 million. And lastly, the 2019 US Open paid a total of $57 million dollars. Crazy, right? No wonder every professional tennis players dreams of getting a piece of that pie. And still, only a very, very small percentage of players ever get a chance to do so. 

Ultimately, how do players qualify for tennis Grand Slams? There are 3 ways players can qualify: 1) rank among the top 104 players who sign up for the Grand Slam; 2) win 3 rounds in the qualifying; and 3) receive a wild card. A total of 128 players get to play in the main draw of each Grand Slam: 104 through ranking, 16 through qualifying, and 8 through wild cards.

If you’re still not sure exactly what that means, or you want to understand it a little more in detail, we’ll cover all of that just below. 

Rankings

This is how the vast majority of players qualify to the main draw of a Grand Slam. 104 out of the 128 spots available are destinated for the 104 best-ranked players, which leaves all the other thousands of professional players out there with only 24 spots left. Notice that you do not have to rank among the 104 best players in the world, just among the top 104 who signed up for the tournament. There are usually a lot of absences due to injuries and personal problems, so a player who is ranked outside the top 104 in the world may get a chance. 

For instance, if the numbers 6, 20, 38, 61, and 95 in the world decide to not sign up for the Australian Open, that means that the numbers 105, 106, 107, 108, and 109 will qualify to the main draw directly. 

Players can also get in with a Protected Ranking. That is the term for when players get injured and cannot play for 6 months or more, so they request for their previous ranking to be “protected”. Once they are healthy and ready to play again, they can use their Protected Ranking to get into the main draw of tournaments. For instance, Andy Murray was ranked #2 in the world but he needed to take time off due to an injury. Then in 2019, he returned to the Australian Open by using his protected ranking of #2 and getting straight into the main draw. 

For the doubles draws, only 64 pairs get a chance to play the main draw. Since there are usually no qualifying for doubles, there are 57 pairs who qualify by ranking. The other 7 sports are reserved for wild cards. What’s interesting about doubles is that players can sign up with either their singles or doubles ranking – whichever one is best. Then, the rankings of both players are added together and the 57 pairs with the lowest combined rankings qualify directly. So if the #7 player in singles decides to play with the #33 in doubles, their combined ranking is #40. As long as they are among the lowest-ranked 57 pairs, they qualify directly. 

If you would like to understand a little bit better what you would have to do in order to rank among the top 104 players in the world, you should check this article about how tennis players earn ranking points.

Qualifying

Only 16 out of the 128 players qualify by getting through the qualifying rounds, and – trust me – they need to work hard for it. A total of 128 players participate in the qualifying round of Grand Slams, and each one needs to win 3 rounds before making it to the main draw. That is a lot of matches to play before you even get to the main tournament.

So how do players qualify for the qualifying rounds? Since the top 104 ranked players go straight to the main draw, the next 119 best players who sign up get a spot in the qualifying. The remaining 9 spots are given to wild cards. 

If you’re looking to win a Grand Slam after going through the qualifying rounds, that means that you will need to win a total of 10 matches in a row. Not easy. Until 2021, no player had ever won a Grand Slam after playing the qualifying.

During the 2021 US Open, 18-year Emma Raducanu made history by winning the Women’s Singles draw after playing the qualifying. Not only the British player won 10 matches in a row, but she did so without losing a single set along the way. Many consider Raducanu’s story to be one of the best ever “Cinderella Stories” in tennis.

Wild Cards

Lastly, the final way to qualify for a Grand Slam is by receiving a wild card. The 8 lucky players who receive them do not have to play any extra matches and are given a spot straight into the main draw. They receive the same amount of money and points as if they had entered by ranking. 

Wild cards are given to players by the tournament organization, so they are usually awarded to local players, young players with potential, or good players who are coming back after injuries. It is also common for Grand Slams to do a “wild card swap”: the Australian Open gives a wild card to an American player in exchange for the US Open giving a wild card to an Australian player. 

How To Qualify For Australian Open

In 2019, in addition to the players who got into the main draw with their regular rankings or through the qualifying, there were 3 players who used their Protected Rankings:

  1. Andy Murray – PR #2
  2. Janko Tipsarevic – PR #88
  3. Steve Darcis – PR #90

In terms of wild cards, the 8 players who received wild cards were:

  • Jack Sock – won the American Wildcard Challenge, which awards a WC
  • James Duckworth – won the Australian Wildcard Playoff, which awards a WC
  • Li Zhe – won the Asia Pacific Wildcard Playoff, which awards a WC
  • Jo-Wilfried Tsonga – selected by French Tennis Federation, which did a “WC swap”
  • Jason Kubler, Alex Bolt, Marc Polmans, and Alexander Popyrin – selected by the Australian Federation

How To Qualify For Roland Garros

For the 2019 French Open, in addition to the players who got into the main draw with their regular rankings or through the qualifying, there were 4 players who used their Protected Rankings:

  1. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga – PR #34
  2. Josef Kovalik – PR #85
  3. Janko Tipsarevic – PR #88
  4. Cedric – Marcel Stebe – PR #95

In terms of wild cards, the 8 players who received wild cards were:

  • Gregoire Barrere, Quentin Halys, Antoine Hoang, Maxime Janvier, Nicolas Mahut, and Corentin Moutet – selected by the French Federation
  • Tommy Paul – selected by the US Tennis Association for a “WC swap”
  • Alexander Popyrin – selected by the Australian Federation, part of the deal for Australian Open WC swap

How To Qualify For Wimbledon

For the 2019 Wimbledon, in addition to the players who got into the main draw with their regular rankings or through the qualifying, there were 6 players who used their Protected Rankings:

  1. Tomas Berdych
  2. Vasek Pospisil
  3. Josef Kovalik – PR #85
  4. Janko Tipsarevic – PR #88
  5. Steve Darcis – PR #90
  6. Cedric – Marcel Stebe – PR #95

Since there were more players who were accepted into the main draw due to a Protected Ranking, only 6 wild cards were awarded at Wimbledon:

  • Marcos Baghdatis
  • Feliciano Lopez
  • Dominik Kopfer
  • Jar Clarke, Paul Jubb, and James Ward – selected by the British Federation

How To Qualify For US Open

For the 2019 US Open, in addition to the players who got into the main draw with their regular rankings or through the qualifying, there were 6 players who used their Protected Rankings (the same players as in Wimbledon):

  1. Tomas Berdych
  2. Vasek Pospisil
  3. Josef Kovalik – PR #85
  4. Janko Tipsarevic – PR #88
  5. Steve Darcis – PR #90
  6. Cedric – Marcel Stebe – PR #95

In terms of wild cards, the 8 players who received wild cards were:

  • Ernesto Escobedo, Christopher Eubanks, Bjorn Fratangelo, Marcos Giron, Jack Sock, Zachary Zvadja – selected by the US Tennis Federation
  • Antoine Hoang – selected by the French Federation, part of the deal for French Open WC swap
  • Thanasi Kokkinakis – selected by the Australian Federation, part of the deal for Australian Open WC swap

Do Tennis Players Need To Pay To Enter Grand Slams?

Players do not need to pay in order to play the Grand Slams. Since it is in the tournament’s best interest that the best players in the world play it, they do not charge the players anything. In fact, once players do enter into those tournaments, they often receive free hotel stays, transportation, and food.  

How Do Tennis Rankings Work? (Easy Guide)

Written by Karue Sell in General Info,Rules

How do tennis rankings work?

When you are a professional tennis player, you often get asked “how do you become a professional tennis player?”. Because tennis is an individual sport, players do not get hired by a team or club (like the NBA, NFL, NHL, Soccer/Football Clubs, etc) so it can be quite difficult to understand the path players need to take in order to reach the top of the rankings.

Tennis rankings work based on a points system that adds up players’ 18 best results in the previous 52 weeks. In order to earn ranking points, tennis players must participate in events hosted by the International Tennis Federation (ITF), the ATP, and the WTA. The number of points earned by the player depends on the round the player loses.

The ITF hosts the Grand Slams and the ITF World Tour Circuit for both men and women. The ATP is in charge of the men’s ATP Tour and Challenger Tour and the WTA takes the lead on the women’s side, putting together the WTA Premier Mandatory, WTA Premier 5, WTA Premier, WTA International and WTA 125K events. Each one of these events has a different point distribution system. 

ATP Ranking (Men’s Tour)

The ATP rankings list is the gold standard when it comes to men’s tennis. “The ATP is the governing body of the men’s professional tennis circuits – the ATP Tour and the ATP Challenger Tour. The ATP determines the rules for ATP tournaments and determines the points allocation for all men’s professional events” (ITF World Tennis Tour).

A professional tennis player’s ability to enter tournaments is determined by their position in the rankings. The higher a player’s ranking is (closer to #1), the better. If a player is ranked #70 in the world, wins a tournament, and moves to #40, that player is considered to have moved up in the rankings.

A player’s ranking is determined by their performance in Grand Slams, ATP Tour and Challenger Tournaments, 25K ITF tournaments, and 15K ITF Tournaments. The player’s ranking is based on their best 16 results during a calendar year. The points for a tournament will count towards a player’s ranking for a total of 52 weeks following the result.The ATP Points allocation table is as follows: 

Source – ITF World Tour

ITF $15,000 and $25,000 (Men)

The first step on the journey of becoming a professional tennis player is to play ITF 15Ks and 25Ks, which are called “futures events.” Futures are where players can earn their first ATP points and get their names on the rankings.

Futures are small events with a total purse of either 15K or 25K distributed among all the players, which includes both singles and doubles. In order to enter these events, players need an IPIN account (a service by ITF), which costs $65 dollars a year. Anyone can have an IPIN account, even without ATP points, and it is on this platform where players sign up for tournaments.

The first (of many) challenging part of playing professionally is being able to play futures events without having ATP points.

When players sign up for futures, the acceptance list is based on the ATP Ranking. There are 20 main draw spots and 48 qualifying spots. If players do not have ATP points, they will often find themselves deep on the alternates page on the acceptance list.

Alternates are the players waiting to get into qualifying. In futures, the players in the qualifying and alternate lists need to sign in to the tournament on-site the day before the qualifying starts.

The problem when players are starting to play futures (and have no ranking) is that there are often many players in front of them on the list, which can be deflating. It is hard to justify traveling to a tournament without knowing for a fact if that player will be able to compete.

That is not to say the qualifying draw will always fill up and you won’t be able to play. In fact, most lower-level tournaments do end up having multiple spots not filled in the qualifying after sign-in. Regardless, starting your professional career can feel overwhelming from the get-go. Some people can rely on wild cards but that is a luxury most players do not have. In any case, here is the points break-down for futures:

Earning that first ATP point is super important. Not only is it a great personal achievement, but it means a player will often be able to compete in any futures qualifying draw. While not many people bat an eye at futures events, they are a major character-building time in a player’s career.

The majority of the players are not able to level up to challengers, therefore most pro careers die here. Now let’s move on to the next level, the ATP Challenger Tour. 

ATP Challenger Tour:

After you earn enough points at playing futures, you can graduate to the ATP Challenger Tour. The Challengers are the lowest level tournaments hosted by the ATP. There are 5 tiers of challengers: ATP Challenger Tour 80, 90, 100, 110 and 125. Here is the points breakdown:

As you can see, there is a huge jump in points awarded per round won from futures to challengers. That translates into much tougher competition. Players whose rankings are high enough to be directly accepted will most often compete at a challenger because there is more money and points to be earned.

Cutoffs have changed a bit this year because the draw size at Challenger events increased from 32 to 48 players. Regardless, the cutoff will largely depend on the availability of other tournaments at any given week. Weeks that only have one or two challengers will have cutoffs in the three hundreds, where weeks where there are 4 plus challengers will see the cutoffs dropping to the five, six hundreds. 

The challenger level is where we see a lot of the current stars break through. It is where the great get separated from the good. If you ever have the chance to go watch a challenger, do it. Entrance will most likely be free and you will watch high quality tennis all around.  Most challenger events include one, if not a couple of current top 100 players.

ATP Tour Events

Aside from Grand Slams, the ATP Tour events are the most well known tournaments. As a player, the ATP Tour is where you want to be. The tournaments are bigger, there is more money and points involved and the atmosphere is awesome. The ATP Tour is the NBA of the tennis world. To consistently play ATP Tour events, a player will have to be ranked inside the top 100. There are three tiers of ATP tour events: ATP Tour 250, ATP Tour 500 and ATP Tour Masters 1000. 

Again, you can see the point distribution drastically increases from the Challenger Tour to the ATP Tour. Players competing on the ATP Tour are the best of the best, and it is every tennis player’s dream to be able to compete on the ATP Tour throughout their careers. The only events that are bigger are the Grand Slams. 

Grand Slams

The Grand Slams are the holy grail of tennis. They are the most prestigious events of the year and this is where the most points are awarded. There are four grand slams: Australian Open, Roland Garros (French Open), Wimbledon and the US Open. Here is the points breakdown:

As you should notice, there are massive amounts of points that can be gained at grand slam events. For a player to become number one, he/she will most likely have to win a Grand Slam. If not, the players will have to be incredibly consistent outside of Grand slams. Very few players have achieved that. 

WTA Tour (Women’s)

The WTA journey is, for the most part, similar to the ATP. The Women’s Tennis Association is the governing body of the women’s professional tennis circuits. It determines the points allocation for all events. Here is the WTA Points Table.

Source – ITF World Tour

“A player’s ranking for singles is based off their best 16 tournaments and best 11 tournaments for doubles. To have a WTA ranking, players must have WTA ranking points from 3 tournaments or a total of 10 WTA ranking points” – ITF World Tour Points website.

As you can see, there are a few differences in the point structure between the ATP and the WTA. On the women’s side, you need to earn points in three different events in order to be on the WTA rankings, where on the men’s side as long as you win one main draw future’s match, you will automatically be in the rankings.

How Many Points Players Need to Move Up Level

Now that you know how players earn ranking points, let’s take a look at how many points player’s need to earn in order to move up the rankings.

WTA

RankingPoints Needed
100012
75028
50076
300186
200297
100661
75805
501115
202175
103935

ATP


Ranking
Points Needed
10009
75023
50058
300136
200257
100576
75743
501017
201747
102530

As you can see, the higher a player’s ranking is, the more points you need earn per tournament in order to continue the upwards trajectory in the rankings. During the future’s stage, it is easier to make big jumps up the rankings. As you move higher, the more difficult it is to do so.

Consistency is key and at the end of the day, there is no magic recipe; the more matches you win the higher your ranking will be. Outsiders usually do not understand how long the journey to top 100 is. It is quite literally a marathon and the majority of players won’t make it through the finish line. Most of the players who reach the top 100 do so after years on tour.

Can Tennis Players Talk To Their Coaches During A Match?

Written by Gui Hadlich in Rules

One of the reasons why tennis is one of the most difficult and most respected sports in the world is that players are all by themselves. In sports like football, soccer, basketball, and baseball, if a player is having a bad day or gets injured, the coach can substitute him or her. In tennis, if you’re having a bad day, you have to deal with it. If you get injured, you have to deal with it. If your strategy is not working, you have to deal with it. And trust me when I say this, it can be extremely difficult to do that sometimes. 

If you’re not extremely familiar with the sport, you may be unsure about how coaching works in tennis. When you’re watching tennis on tv, they keep showing the coaches every time a point is over. And still, you never see them on the court. Or do you? The rules of coaching in tennis can be quite confusing for fans, but here I’ll try my best to simplify them for you. 

So after all, are tennis players allowed to talk to their coaches during a match? Different tournaments have different rules, but generally, male players cannot talk to their coaches in any circumstances. Female players are allowed to have one on-court coaching session per set in non-Grand Slam tournaments. In Grand-Slams, players cannot talk to their coaches at all. During college tennis events, Davis Cup, and Fed Cup matches, players can talk to coaches at all times.

While the summary above gives you a brief understanding of on-court coaching rules, sometimes the rules are not that straight-forward. Every now and then, you’ll hear about a player going crazy over a coaching violation (like Serena in the video below), but it’s hard to understand why. We’ll get a little more in-depth below and answer all your questions, and by the end, you’ll understand why Serena is indeed wrong in the video. 

Rules About Coaching During A Match

Since the rules for male, female, junior, and college tennis players are written and enforced by different organizations, there are some differences when it comes to coaching rules. Below, we will cover how each institution views on-court coaching.

ATP On-Court Coaching Rules

The ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) is the organization responsible for all of the major men’s tennis tournaments except the Grand Slams. The ATP has its own set of rules, which differ from the WTA, ITF, and college tournaments, and every ATP tournament should abide by such rules. 

In any ATP tennis tournament, male tennis players are not allowed to receive any sort of instruction from a coach – whether the coach is inside or outside the court. The ATP Rulebook states that “Players shall not receive coaching during a tournament match. Communications of any kind, audible or visible, between a player and a coach may be construed as coaching.” What that means is that coaches can neither come to the court nor give instructions from the stands. 

So technically it doesn’t matter if you’re Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, or just an average Joe – you will always have to play a professional tennis match by yourself. In reality, coaches break these rules frequently and try to find ways to communicate with their players without the umpire noticing it. If an umpire does catch a coach giving instructions to a player during a match, that will lead to a coaching violation (see below) and can lead to fines up to $5,000. 

WTA On-Court Coaching Rules

The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) is the equivalent of the ATP but for female players. It organizes every major tournament besides Grand Slams, and it also has its own set of rules. 

When it comes to coaching rules, the WTA shares a few of the same rules with the ATP, like forbidding audible or visual communication throughout the match and fining players up to $5,000. However, the WTA rules differ in one major aspect from the ATP. The WTA allows players to request on-court coaching once per set. So if a player decides that she needs a change of strategy and wants to talk to her coach, she can let the umpire know and the coach will be able to join her the next time there is a change of sides. 

On-court coaching happens quickly (60 to 90 seconds), and the coach needs to leave the court immediately after. During doubles matches, each player can request their own coach one time per set, but both coaches cannot be on the court at the same time. Every time a coach walks into the court for coaching, he or she will be equipped with a microphone, and you can usually hear what they said on TV. 

The video below shows one of my good friends, Tom Hill, during a changeover with his player Maria Sakkari. You can see how even a 60 to 90-second interval with your coach can change the course of the match. 

Grand Slams On-Court Coaching Rules

The Grand Slams (Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open) are the four greatest tennis tournaments in the world and are organized by the International Tennis Federation (ITF). The ITF has its own set of rules when it comes to on-court coaching, so players in Grand Slams need to abide by them. In both singles and doubles Grand Slam matches, on-court coaching is not allowed. 

College On-Court Coaching Rules

Collegiate tennis matches follow the rules of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA). One of the coolest things about college tennis is that coaches can be on the court – at all times. Coaches can communicate with players either visually or audibly, and there are no restrictions on how much time the coach can spend with the player. Coaches can actually talk to players in between points!

Since multiple matches happen at the same time in college, coaches can also change courts whenever they want and can coach multiple players at the same time. 

Below you can see a photo of my coach and me during a match in college. A lot of times it’s great to have some advice and encouragement when matches get tough. 

Junior On-Court Coaching Rules

All international junior tennis tournaments, including Grand Slams, follow ITF rules. Because of that, on-court coaching is not allowed for either male or female players. However, since there are no chair umpires nor television streaming in many of the junior tournaments, it is much more difficult to enforce such rules. 

Davis Cup & Fed Cup On-Court Coaching Rules

The Davis Cup and the Fed Cup are team events organized by the ITF, where players have a chance to represent their countries. What is really cool about them is that coaches are allowed to be on court at all times, creating a fun and engaging atmosphere. 

What Is A Coaching Violation In Tennis?

If a coach attempts to communicate with a player (whether visually or audibly) when he or she is not allowed, he is considered to have committed a coaching violation. If an umpire notices that a coaching violation has happened, he will first give the player a Warning. If that happens a second time, the player will be given a Point Penalty, which means he will lose a point. If it happens a third time, a Game Penalty will happen (losing a whole game). If continues to happen after that, the umpire may ask the coach to be removed from the stands. 

Can Players Talk To Coaches During Bathroom Breaks or Rain Delays?

Since players are able to leave the court during matches for bathroom breaks, you may think that they are able to speak to their coaches during that break. However, that is not allowed by any means, and, in order to avoid that, a tournament official always follows the players into the bathroom. During WTA events where on-court coaching is allowed, if a player chooses to take a bathroom break, that means that she is giving up on her on-court coaching opportunity during that set. 

The one exception to the on-court coaching rule is when a rain delay happens. If there is substantial rain and a match gets suspended, – that means both players leave the court – then players are able to speak to their coaches until the match restarts. 

How To Play Doubles With A Weaker Partner

Written by Austin Rapp in Tactics


No matter what your level is, odds are you’ve been placed in a situation where you are paired with a player who is weaker than you. Taking doubles seriously my entire career, I have found myself in this position countless times. It is easy to get frustrated with this situation, but knowing how to manage your emotions is critical if you want to have a chance to win when playing with a weaker partner.

When playing doubles with a weaker partner, first you need to find a good mindset for yourself. Secondly, in order to get the most out of your partner, positivity is key no matter how poorly he or she is playing. Finally, it is important to develop strategies to highlight yourself on the court and highlight your partner’s strengths (if any.)

Focus On Yourself

When playing with a weak partner, it is easy to focus on how poorly they are playing rather than on what you are doing to help. It is key to remember to ​control the controllables. ​The biggest​ ​controllable when you are playing doubles is how you are performing as an individual. When you get too caught up with your partner’s performance, it takes your focus away from what you need to be doing to perform well.

As frustrating as it may be, the best thing that you can do to help a weak partner is to perform well yourself. Look at this as an ​opportunity r​ather than ​pressure. ​This is a chance to play with nothing to lose and no expectations, so if you treat this situation properly you should be able to perform above your average as an individual.

Again, the biggest mistake you can make is to feel like you have to do everything perfectly in order to win. Striving for absolute perfection never leads to perfection. Just go out there and play aggressive, loose, positive and remember to have fun.

Be Positive


It’s not rocket science. Everybody knows that it is easier to play well when you feel support from others. Being negative towards your partner can only lead to worse play from him or her.

Even if you don’t realize it, negative thoughts about a partner show through your communication and body language. In order to play well with a weak partner you must actually be p​ositive, not just ​act ​positive. Get to the root of the problem, because it’s a lot harder to fake positivity than to actually be positive.
Being positive is something that is easier said than done, so follow these tips to make it happen.

Body Language


When playing with a weak partner, a lot of the positive body language we normally use on the doubles court can go out the window. If you typically give your partner a fist bump or high five after every point (which you should), then there is no excuse not to do that with a weak partner as well. If you always get off the bench at the same time as your partner (which, again, you should), the same should happen with a lower level partner.

In addition, make sure to be aware of your negative body language and limit it as much as possible. Your partner WILL pick up on it. No racket hitting, ball launching, shoulder shrugging, head shaking, etc. should ever happen, or things can go downhill quickly. It is definitely not easy, but be aware of your reactions and body language so you can create a positive environment on the court.

Positive Talk


You have full control over what comes out of your mouth. Make sure that everything ​you say has purpose. A lot of players forget that you can say positive things even after lost points. It is easy to compliment your partner after they hit a good shot, but remember that compliments after mistakes are possible too. Don’t believe me? Here’s an example:


You serve and your partner has a volley on top of the net and misses it. While internally you are frustrated that your partner didn’t capitalize on your good serve, you can still make a positive comment to your partner. Something like, “Don’t worry Allen, you will see that ball again and make it the next time. It’s good we are setting the points up well like that.”

This kind of comment can go a long way because now your partner feels confident in you as a team, and he will be ready for the next easy volley he gets. Lastly, saying nothing at all is in my opinion a form of negative communication. Even something as subtle as, “It’s okay Linda, right back” after a mistake can be massively encouraging for your weaker partner.

Strategy

Creating strategy that highlights the doubles team’s strengths is a must for any team if they want to be successful. However, when a doubles team has two players at different levels, building that winning strategy is a bit different. Because each player has different strengths and weaknesses, this is not a “one size fits all” mold. However, I think that the following advice can help a lot of players that struggle playing with weaker partners.

Highlight the Better Player


It’s pretty simple, but can’t be overlooked. You should make sure that the plays you are calling set you up for success. That means choosing strategy that will make it hard for the opponents to hit it right at your partner’s weaknesses.


For example, if my partner is returning and has a good return, but we are losing points when he is stuck at the baseline, I will make sure that when he hits his good return I am either poaching on the first ball or at least looking to be aggressive. In this case it is better to be overly aggressive to hit a volley, my strength, rather than to be too passive. If I am not looking to poach, it creates an easy target for the opposing team, and we will lose a high percentage of the points anyways.

Highlight Weak Partner’s Strengths

It’s important to remember that even though your partner may not do things as well as you do, they still have strengths and weaknesses. To be successful as a team, you have to set your partner up to be successful as an individual. You must make sure that your partner’s strengths are coming through and being effectively used.

For example, if my partner has a great serve but not much else, I will make sure to be poaching at the net as much as possible off of his serves to limit him having to hit a groundstroke or volley on the next shot. If my partner does a good job on volleys that come slow, but his hands are not quick enough for the balls that come fast, I will be a bit more aggressive on my own second serve. This way, there is a good chance that he will get more floating volleys rather than the opponents being able to hit aggressive returns.

If you are unsure what your partner’s strengths are, just be open and communicate with him or her. Nobody knows his game like he does, and he will be more than happy to tell you what shots he has the most confidence in.

Be Aggressive


Aggressive style is key for a lopsided team because generally the longer the points go, the more of an opportunity you give your partner to make a mistake. Super simple, aggressive play calls work best because the more aggressive you are as a team, the less time your opponents have to expose your team’s weaknesses. Take your chances and remember that even if you are aggressive and lose the point, it still puts it in your opponents’ heads that you will be playing to win.

Be Adaptable


For my own game, I play pretty traditional doubles. Big serve, aggressive movement at net, and trying to put pressure on my opponents. However, if I am playing with someone who is more comfortable on the singles court, I know that I need to adapt my game to be successful. I have found that strategies like returning with both players on the baseline, not serving and volleying, and not playing out of the I-formation work much better with partners like this.


In order to maximize your partner’s potential, you need to make them feel comfortable. If they don’t want to serve and volley, work around that and poach more often. If they don’t feel comfortable at the net when you are returning, let them stay back and see if it works. Be creative and be a problem solver.

The best doubles players in the world are able to play lots of different styles. While you should stick to your strengths as much as possible, it is also important to be willing to be fluid. If you and your weaker partner are losing a match, be sure to evaluate the situation and be open to changing strategy.


Conclusion


As much as I’d love to play my professional doubles matches with Mr. Federer, we can’t always play with partners that are better than us. Playing with a partner that is not as skilled as you are can be a hard thing to manage, but with these simple tips you should be able to win more and lose less. If there is one thing to remember, it is to enjoy your time on the court regardless of your partner’s level. Being positive with your partner will not only make you easier to be around, but will lead to more success. So take your ego out of it, get on the court, and have fun competing with whoever you get the chance to play with.

Why Do Tennis Players Grunt?

Written by Gui Hadlich in General Info,Mental

If you ever watched a tennis match played by Maria Sharapova, Serena Williams, or Rafael Nadal, you certainly asked yourself: “What’s up with all the grunting?” You’ll see players who will not make a single noise throughout a 4-hour match, and then you’ll see the players who scream loud enough to wake up an entire small village. That just doesn’t seem fair, right?

Tennis is a sport known for its elegance and sportsmanship, and grunting is generally not considered to be very elegant. So it is only normal that tennis fans (who have never played the sport) would ask why professional players would choose to grunt. At the end of the day, you would think that grunting could even harm a player’s image for fans, other players, and even sponsors.

Tennis players grunt because it helps them concentrate, breathe, and increase their intensity. Grunting can be beneficial to every tennis player, as it is scientifically proven to increase shot velocity by roughly 5%. 

Some players have been so used to grunting for so long that they already see grunting as a part of their on-court identity. Below you can see a video of Maria Sharapova’s history of grunting for 15 years. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CwR05t154W0

As Maria puts it: “Either you do it or you don’t.” Below we wanted to cover some of the benefits and drawbacks of grunting in tennis, so hopefully, you will have a better understanding. And if you are a player yourself, you can then make a decision of whether grunting will help your game get a little further. 

What Are The Benefits Of Grunting?

Professional tennis players choose to grunt for several different reasons. Some players grunt because it helps them to maintain their concentration, others do so to keep their intensity up, and some do so as a way to regulate their breathing. Personally, I always felt like grunting helped me to reach my “zone” – the level of intensity I needed in order to play my best. I always found that, without grunting, I would become too passive on court and unmotivated. So somedays, when I wasn’t feeling particularly motivated, I had to mechanically start grunting in order to bring my energy level up.

You will notice that some players have incorporated grunting into their games (just like bouncing the ball before serving) and their game would most certainly be off if they suddenly couldn’t grunt anymore. Other players only end up grunting after a match has been going on for a few hours, as their bodies begin to get tired and grunting emerges as a way to continue playing at a high intensity. Lastly, some players will not grunt even if their lives depended on it; they find it a waste of energy and sometimes even embarrassing. 

While these benefits are a matter of personal preference (and not scientifically proven), grunting actually has been scientifically proven to give you an edge on the tennis court – by improving your power and velocity. 

The Science Of Grunting In Tennis

Tennis is not the only sport in which you will find athletes grunting. It is very common to see Olympic weightlifters shouting some primal screams as they attempt to break their own records. The belief is that grunting can help to increase power and velocity in sports that require short bursts of energy and movement. 

In an attempt to prove whether that was true, a 2014 study conducted in Texas measured the effects that grunting had on collegiate tennis players. The team conducting the study selected 32 athletes from NCAA Divisions II and III – 17 of them without a history of grunting and 15 with one. The study measured velocity, force, and peak muscle activity during serves and forehands by using a radar gun and sensors. 

The study found that grunting increased the velocity of serves and forehands by 4.91% and 4.89%, respectively. The isometric forces (when your muscle sustains a position or movement for longer durations) when grunting increased by 19.09% and 26.35% during forehands and serves, respectively.

Considering how much a player’s game depends on forehands and serves, we can say that grunting could become a significant advantage for players. Increasing the velocity of such main shots by roughly 5% could prove to be a significant advantage for tennis players. 

Tennis Grunting Controversy

While grunting in tennis is seen by many is beneficial and strategic, several people have voiced their opposition to it. In 2009, Martina Navratilova (a tennis legend) said that tennis was the equivalent of cheating, as it is nothing more than a way to distract your opponent. Other current and former players like Caroline Wozniacki and Todd Woodbridge have publicly criticized players who grunt and said that the main professional tennis associations should do something about it.

Loudest Tennis Grunts

While the volume of players’ grunting is not something that is regularly measured, it has been done on a few occasions in the past. Maria Sharapova is believed to have the loudest grunt on the circuit, measured at 101 decibels. Just as a reference, a regular conversation usually produces 60 decibels. A regular car driving at 60mph will produce 70. A garbage disposal or an average factory will produce 80. A motorcycle that is 10 meters away from you will product 90. A jet take-off will product 100. And once again, Maria Sharapova is capable of grunting at 101 decibels. Impressive. 

While Sharapova is considered to be one of the loudest tennis grunters, there are several other players who are also extremely loud. Aryna Sabalenka, Victoria Azarenka, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic (mostly when he’s tired) have some of the loudest tennis grunts.

Below you can watch a sample from one of Sabalenka’s matches.

Is Grunting Banned In Tennis?

While there have been complaints against grunting for years, a tennis grunting ban has never been approved. While such regulations would be sure to find several supporters, they would also harm players that have incorporated grunting into their games. The WTA has considered establishing a “grunting limit”, but nothing has been banned so far.