Singles Tennis Strategy

To be a successful singles player in tennis, you will need to know more than just how to hit a forehand or a backhand. You will need to recognize and develop game strategies and you will need to have game plans and a point plans. Recognizing different playing styles, knowing how to use the court dimensions and knowing how to cut down on unforced errors will be to your advantage.

  1. Have a Plan

    • During the warm-up period at the beginning of a match, take note of your opponent's strengths and weaknesses. With this knowledge, develop a plan for playing the match. Basic singles strategy is to keep your opponent deep and on the defensive and to look for opportunities to take control of the point and hit a winner. If your opponent has a weak backhand, plan to hit the majority of your ground stokes deep to their backhand. During the warm-up, it your opponent chooses not to warm up her overhead shot or volley, this may be a clue that she is uncomfortable at the net. Plan to hit short balls to your opponent to pull her up to the net where she feels uncomfortable. Have a plan for each point, then play the plan. This will keep you focused for each point.

    Play the Percentages

    • Too many unforced errors will work against you when playing singles in tennis. Playing high-percentage shots will keep you in the game longer and cut down on the errors. Hitting cross-court shots are high-percentage shots in that you have a longer court to work with and you will be hitting over the center of the net. The net is the lowest at this point. Hitting deep down the middle of the court is a high-percentage shot. Again, you will be hitting over the lowest part of the net, but more importantly, your opponent will not be able to hit severe angled shots back to you. More errors are made when you change direction of the ball. It is best to hit the ball back to where it came.

    Be Consistent

    • Singles is a game of patience. Be prepared to hit five, 10 or even 20 shots to win a point. Learn to be a human backboard. Staying in the point and getting one more ball back puts pressure on your opponent to do the same. Over time, this will frustrate your opponent and there will be more opportunities for you to win points. Instead of going for the winner too soon, give your opponent the chance to lose the point--make him hit another ball. Be consistent when returning the serve. The return does not have to be an outright winner. Even if it's a weak return, just by getting it back gives you a chance to win the point. Be consistent on your own serve. Trying to ace your opponent will only rack up the errors against you.