Play to Win
By Sandra Eggers

Every tennis player has experienced playing "in the zone". It's when all your shots are going in and the tennis ball appears to be the size of a basketball and as light as a ping-pong ball. You can't miss, you're confident, and everything is going your way. It's the ultimate place in every tennis player's dreams to win a match playing a perfect game.

But what happens when your shots aren't going in? You like to pound away from the baseline, but you keep missing long. Or worse yet, you like pace and your opponent isn't hitting with any. This can quickly become your worst nightmare. Imagine you're playing a tournament, or other important match, and your normal game isn't working. What do you do?

When things aren't going your way in a tennis match, you have two choices: (1) keep doing what isn't working, or (2) change it and find a way to win. Most experienced tennis players will chose the second option, even though they probably don't like doing it. The more advanced your game gets, the more variety you will add to it. That will give you the ability to change tactics mid-match when your first strategy doesn't work.

Think about the age-old match-up with the young kid against the old guy. Everyone know that the kid has perfect strokes and can overpower the old guy any day of the week, but then why does the old guy always win? This frustration will follow the young kid throughout his whole life until he learns how to win, and 20 years later he will be playing against a younger kid, and the cycle starts all over again.

Learning how to win means diverging from your normal game and playing a style that is most effective against your opponent. If you are the typical power player and like to hit hard, playing against the typical retriever who gets everything back, all of a sudden the power game that normally wins your matches is no longer effective. The retriever thrives on hard balls, so give them a different look. The same is true against a serve-volleyer, when they close in on the net, put up a lob. Do whatever you have to do to take these players out of their "A" game, even if it isn't your "A" game.

Most inexperienced tennis players don't realize this dynamic is occurring in their tennis matches, so they miss many opportunities to win. Playing tennis doesn't mean using the same style every game. It means using the style that is most effective against your opponent on a given day. That may not be your favorite way to play, but it will give you the best chance to achieve a good result.

The next time you're involved in a match where your normal shots aren't winning for you, have a talk with yourself. Decide if you want to lose playing your style of game, or if you want to win playing an alternate style. It may mean you have turn into a retriever and just be consistent, instead of playing your normal aggressive game. It may mean you have to become a serve-volleyer for a few games to force your opponent out of their game hitting high "floaters". As long as you're in control of what's happening on court, you will have a better chance of winning.

It's up to you. If you want to win, you need to develop some variety in your game so that you can change it up when the need arises. If your normal style of tennis isn't winning games, go to plan "B". Though it may not be as much fun, you will enjoy it more after the match when you're holding the winner's trophy. Use your head and play to win.

Good luck on the courts!