The Lesson Lounge - Tennis Warrior

Your Link to Professional Thinking!

Down love 40! Now What?

You're in match, you're serving, and you're down love 40. How would you like to have a plan you could use that would at least give you an opportunity to make a come back. Well, I have that plan and it's yours for free! I call this plan "The Sleeper Technique".

You're down love 40, you're in a tough spot, if you can increase your percentage of wins a notch or two this could mean the difference between winning and losing the match! The first thing you have to understand is this, on the verge of victory your opponents are vulnerable to defeat. When they are winning 40 love they think they're going to win...this makes them a little vulnerable! The first point they play will be very relaxed, that's why I call this point, sleeper number one. They think they're going to win so you actually can catch them asleep. You should be thinking, lets play conservative, make sure they hit balls, and see if you can pick up sleeper number one.

If you do, the score is 15-40....they still think they're going to win because they're up 15-40. The next point therefore is another sleeper, after all if they miss they still have another shot at 30-40. You should play this point with the same mind-set as the first. If you win this point the score is 30-40. This is the most important point of the game and I call it the turn around point. Your opponent realizes they have to win, or lose the edge.. If you win, the score becomes 40-40 it's tied, but is it really? No, not at all...you're winning! Since you made a comeback from love 40 you'll feel like you're winning, and since they lost a 40 love lead they'll feel like they're losing! You now have the edge even though the score is tied. That's why the point at 30-40 is the turn around point, it brings you to a tie score that is not really a tie, but your advantage. From this point you need to capitalize quickly to ride on the momentum. If you do not win the next two points it will be anyone's game. You have lost some momentum and they will feel redeemed.

Practice "The Sleeper Technique," and the point by point thinking involved, so you can learn to mentally engineer your way back from a love 40 deficit.

Tom Veneziano