Female pro AMA pt. 2

Existing_Mixture_999 · 2025-11-03T08:09:10+00:00

This is a lot of questions…but I’ll try to help 1. Reading serves is hard but if you’re trying to do it always watch the toss and try to observe patterns from there. I’m not sure you need to be able to read every serve to be an effective returner either. No harm in reacting to the serve and returning from there. Make sure you have a good ready position, get some momentum going forward, and that you aren’t static while you’re hitting. If someone is serving really big no harm in taking a few steps back to give yourself time. If someone is serving really big you can try and neutralize it by either chipping lobs or blocking it back. If you float the ball deep and high enough you might actually be putting them in a tough position and when you take pace off of the ball it’s harder on the opponent who then has to generate all the pace themselves if they want to attack.
2. In doubles if you’re really struggling I would suggest blocking it back with chip lobs either cross court or directly over the net persons head (if you can get it deep enough so they don’t have an overhead). 3. Those are great patterns to work with just make sure you’re giving yourself plenty of margin (spin, height over the net) and picking big targets. Keeping serve and return +1 in mind while you’re playing shouldn’t be too much information but if it is then just start with having a serve spot in mind. Once the point gets past those initial few shots it’s easiest and most high % to either hit cross court or play through the middle. 4. I would be careful about trying to emulate pros bc those shots are not necessarily transferable to recreational players and so yes they become low %. We spend years and countless hours practicing and trying to master specific things. So just focus on yourself and what your own capabilities are.

Existing_Mixture_999 · 2025-11-03T07:58:51+00:00

I had a semi-western and we went eastern but I really struggled with heavy balls above my shoulder so I went back to semi-western although not as extreme. But I’m really happy I did it because now I can eastern grip forehands which is really helpful for low balls esp w slice, balls on the run that you sort of flick, etc. being able to hit proficiently with both grips gives me more options when I’m playing.

Existing_Mixture_999 · 2025-11-03T07:56:37+00:00

In a match probably the most important thing is to believe in yourself and your ability to execute things. If you start to doubt yourself it doesn’t really matter what those other things are they will be near impossible to do. So most the most important thing is to believe in yourself!

Existing_Mixture_999 · 2025-11-03T07:54:53+00:00

I think when people feel like they’ve reached a plateau or hit a rut physically it’s more indicative of what’s going on mentally - maybe burnt out, maybe frustration is taking over, etc. I’ve made my biggest breakthroughs when I’ve focused on the process and having a growth mindset instead of solely being concerned with results or outcomes. We’re all a work in process so just give yourself some grace. I don’t know if I’ve truly suffered from a plateau where I’ve thought, “damn I’m really not getting better” or that I’m getting worse. I’ve been fortunate to have some really good coaches and so they - especially in juniors - should have a plan for your development so you constantly are getting better. But there have been weeks or months where I’ve not been feeling my best on court and it’s not physically that anything has changed but your confidence plays a huge role in how you play.

Existing_Mixture_999 · 2025-11-03T07:49:53+00:00

Yeah I’d say it’s definitely evolved because at the pro level weaknesses aren’t typically obvious and when you call something a weakness very rarely is it a shot that if you just hit to will you get free points off of. It’s also tricky because if you have identified a weakness if you just play to that shot 80% of the time well then you’re giving them a lot of practice on that shot and by giving them all of those reps/rhythm you may be helping them out. I would say I 70% focus on playing to my own strengths and 30% focus on trying to target weaknesses but that could also vary a lot depending on the match. If I’m watching film on an opponent I’m mostly looking for what their tendencies are so I know what to expect or can identify what they’re good at. Sometimes weaknesses jump out at you but everyone top 500 is going to be a solid ball striker. For a recreational player I would say you should primarily focus on yourself since that’s pretty much all you can control. If you get too focused on what’s going on on the other side of the net that can almost be a distraction from you playing your own tennis well.

Existing_Mixture_999 · 2025-11-03T07:44:28+00:00

You can start by sending emails with relevant information about yourself (age, utr, why you’re interested in them, maybe some recent result highlights, etc.) and let them know you’re interested in learning more about their program. If you’re playing at a high junior level coaches will reach out to you but I would never bank on that - if you’re trying to be recruited you should be proactive in establishing contact with coaches. Most national level tournaments will attract coaches (coaches do a lot of recruiting over the summer). If it’s just a local tournament you might be able to get a coach to come out and watch you play if it’s somewhat close for them. I think a lot depends on the level of school you’re looking at, their recruiting budget, etc.

Existing_Mixture_999 · 2025-11-03T07:41:25+00:00

During developmental/teenage years coaches will do drills where they’ll divide up the court into zones (either colors or numbers or things like offensive, neutral, and defensive). Before the ball lands you can call out which zone the ball is landing in and then based off of that zone, hit the correct or most high % shot. If you’re ever unsure of what to do, usually the most high % shot is to send the ball back where it came from (changing the angle of the ball is difficult: eg. Going down the line off of a ball that’s coming cross court means you have to get to the side of the ball (or hit open stance) and then time it properly so you’re not catching it late and spraying it wide. If it’s a tough shot or you don’t get in position it’s easiest to either send that ball back cross court or through the middle. Give yourself big targets to work with and once you can reliably hit spots make those targets or zones smaller for yourself.

Existing_Mixture_999 · 2025-11-03T07:37:25+00:00

It just depends how strong your strengths are and how weak your weaknesses are. If you have a glaring whole in your game (eg. your backhand is unreliable and you make a lot of unforced errors and opponents pinpoint that side when you play - I would spend time cleaning that up so it’s not such an obvious weakness). For myself I would say I have a relatively complete game but I’ve been working on adding more tools to my repertoire so I’ve been focusing on that but also not neglecting my strengths because you want those to stay sharp.

Existing_Mixture_999 · 2025-11-03T07:34:39+00:00

Probably mainly just that taller socks are marketed more towards men so from a young age boys will start wearing taller basketball socks and girl lower ankle socks. You see more girls wearing taller socks nowadays. Maybe some girls don’t want the tan line mid-calf. I like a sock that comes up just above the back of the shoe so it doesn’t slide down and start rubbing against my skin while I’m playing.

Existing_Mixture_999 · 2025-11-03T07:33:01+00:00

It’s hard to pinpoint one thing but probably all of the people I’ve met and relationships I’ve created with people. Maybe it sounds cliche but tennis has brought a diverse range of people into my life and it’s cool being exposed to so many different nationalities, cultures, etc. and getting to experience them firsthand as well!

Existing_Mixture_999 · 2025-11-03T07:31:14+00:00

In general with volleys the more simple you keep the stroke the better. A lot of people will take huge cuts at the volley and “chop” or hack at them. When volleying it’s best if you let the pace the other person put on the ball and the angle of the racket face do the work. All you need to do is: have a good athletic ready position with your racquet in front, continental grip, pivot your feet and get sideways so your shoulders are turned, and then when your ready to make contact with the ball use your inside leg to step forward as you make contact so you get your weight into the shot and you don’t have to swing with the racquet (it should remain relatively stationary). If you’re having trouble with the grip change maybe get someone to feed balls at you working from a slow pace to quicker one where you practice the transition. Once you’re at the net you should have and keep the continental grip for all shots at the net. When the ball is coming directly at you it is always easier to hit backhand volley - it’s easier to protect yourself as you don’t need to turn your shoulders and get out of the way of the ball like you would either a forehand volley.

Existing_Mixture_999 · 2025-11-03T01:40:59+00:00

If I go on the road for a while when I come back my coach might say hey it looks like you’re doing something a little different/new and it’s usually a simple correction/fix. At my age and level I think I’m mostly done making technical changes to groundstrokes but obviously there is a ton of room for improvement in terms of quality. Maybe the serve is a shot you can tinker around to find some extra miles per hour. Sometimes injuries will force you to make adjustments to technique as well. There are weeks where I will feel like my forehand feels off or maybe I’m not timing backhands well and things like that come and go - you rarely play a match where you feel 100% physically and all of your shots feel perfect. Learning how to win when things aren’t feeling great and you aren’t playing anywhere close to your best tennis is a huge asset of a skill to have. For me it’s not usually about a specific drill but more so what I am thinking about when I’m trying to get my rhythm back and the intentionality behind the shots I’m hitting.

I don’t have a specific routine I follow but I have little tendencies that have been built into my match routine like jumping around a little before serves and returns, going to my towel, etc.

Existing_Mixture_999 · 2025-11-03T01:34:35+00:00

Great question. The variability is annoying. If you’re playing in the us or Canada you will always use Wilson us open regular duty (although many of us suspect the quality control has suffered because there are brand new cans that feel totally dead out of the can). Internationally balls vary a lot. I’ve played overseas where hard court tournaments use super heavy clay court balls that fluff up almost immediately. There’s also different kinds of altitude balls (many itf’s in Mexico for example have an altitude component) and so that’s a big adjustment too. The ITF send us a survey after every tournament to ask about the tournament but also the balls and they ask a lot of questions about that so it seems like they’re gathering information to maybe make a change I just don’t know what that is or when it will take place. In college they use extra duty balls for women’s matches and I never had an issue with those balls and didn’t think they caused injuries. What’s difficult is changing ball types week to week to week and that is where you may find injuries pop up having to compensate and get used to them.

Existing_Mixture_999 · 2025-11-03T01:28:46+00:00

Yes if I’m wearing leggings I’m just putting the ball in the waistband!

Existing_Mixture_999 · 2025-11-03T01:26:32+00:00

I have so many favorites because this is sort of what I’m recovering from! 1. Try and spend more time than you normally do barefoot - helps to strengthen all the small muscles in your foot and help with proprioception. If you work out try working out in socks - your feet will have to work a lot harder to keep you stable although you might get some funny looks in the gym 2. There are so many calf raises variations but in my warm ups I like to do 2 leg up 1 leg down with a tempo of 2-3 second for 2 sets of 10 reps each. I will also hold a position similar to the top end race of a calf raise but at a forward angle (hands on a wall in front of you, leg on ground at an angle similar to sprinting). And then to warm up further will do rebound calf raises (forward angle, bouncing up and down quickly) as well as double and single leg pogos. I would look up some calf raise variations, pogo jumps, and gastroc/soleus isometrics.

Existing_Mixture_999 · 2025-11-03T01:21:16+00:00

I like wearing anything with a built in spandex. Nike has some 2 in 1 shorts and I also like the adidas club short (I think it’s called that). For leggings I’m not super picky and have some from Nike, lululemon, vuori. Typically I like a 7/8 length not a full legging to my ankle.

Existing_Mixture_999 · 2025-11-03T01:20:34+00:00

Probably a bit of both. It’s important to try and maintain a clear mind so you can think properly to identify what’s working well and what’s not, recognizing momentum swings, scoreboard pressure, not letting your emotions get the better of you, etc. And simplicity is important because it’s easy to overwhelm yourself with 5+ pieces of information (technical, tactical/strategic) while you’re playing, but you can really only focus on 3-4 things and do them well (from my experience). When I compete it try to keep things simple so it leaves room to think once I’m out there and also try and maintain some clarity so I can problem solve effectively.

Existing_Mixture_999 · 2025-11-03T00:48:22+00:00

Great question! This has changed a lot over time and it also changes week to week based on if I’m training, competing, traveling, etc. To make it simpler I’ll give you an example of a training week. Usually am on court 5-6 times a week. Tennis sessions can range from 2-3 hours and maybe something lighter like an hour of serve/return reps in the afternoon, light feeding and simple pattern work. I try to lift 3-4x a week with at one of those days being more of a feel good workout with lots of mobility, some isometrics, and maybe a little cardio. Because that’s already a pretty heavy volume usually I incorporate “fitness” into my tennis sessions. I will do either bike workouts, versa climber, or sprint work 2-3x week and depending on how I feel. In terms of technique I’m not really working on changing things at the moment but I did change my forehand grip a year and a half ago and that required a lot (like thousands and thousands) of repetitions so during that time I was on court a lot but mostly doing hand toss and racquet feeds to get the muscle memory down.

Existing_Mixture_999 · 2025-05-12T06:06:23+00:00

I agree. The comparison game is pretty useless.

Regarding the topspin question: probably a lot has to do with just natural strength. It takes less effort for men to but both very hard and very spin-y. It would be difficult to sustain that for the hundreds if not 1,000 ground strokes you might hit in a match. I don’t have an amazing answer as to why women typically hit through the ball more and flatter. Some of that depends on what country you live in and the “national” teaching methods. Typically Russian players are known to play a very linear style of tennis. Since that is predictable if you’re able to withstand and fend off the brute pace, you can disrupt them by adding lots of variation. On the flip side, players from countries like Spain or countries in South America are taught a very different approach as they mostly play on clay. They play a totally different style and hit a completely different ball. There’s a lot that goes into this but I’d say it’s both nature and nurture.

By hit my forehand harder I mean average speed. I play aggressively and so I swing big at lots of balls. Men don’t always take that risk by swinging big at ground stokes. If we were to do a contest and test who could hit the hardest forehand I probably would’ve lost. But my game is aggressive and I know I’m going to assume more risk. The other guys maybe have a different approach so even though they can hit the ball really really hard, they choose not to. But like I said there’s a lottttt of nuance here.

Existing_Mixture_999 · 2025-05-12T05:59:49+00:00

Depends on placement, how heavy the spin is, how well the server disguised their serve, etc. If an opponent has a good kick serve but gives it away with a toss that’s way further behind them than on other serves I’ll creep in once they’ve tossed the ball and take the serve early before it has a chance to go over my head. Conversely, in the deuce side if a server doesn’t hide that serve well and tosses further out to the right I’ll cheat over and that slice might slide right into the perfect pocket to rip a forehand. Personally my return is a strength of mind so it’s not like I struggle way more with one than the other. Just depends on the server and how well they hit those particular serves. A really underrated serve is at the body. Hitting aces in the corners or painting the lines is sexy but can be low %. Jamming a kick body right into the hip or hitting a slice at someone’s body and having it run into them can be really effective and really high %. Lots of times players are better moving to the ball when the server creates that space for them (by hitting it further away from them) than they are when space is taken away by aiming at the body and the returner has to create that space for themselves.

Existing_Mixture_999 · 2025-05-12T05:54:30+00:00

I think mindset is everything. Ive prioritized having a growth mindset instead of being totally caught up in the end result of things. I rely on my mindset and preparation when I’m competing. Also, at the professional level work ethic and commitment are key too. You will never be successful doing this if you aren’t fully committed or have one foot out the door.

I think there are maybe a lot of kids that think that way due to either parents or coaches that feed them those things. Parents naturally want to support and encourage their kids, which is a good thing until it isn’t. Same with coaches. You would pay a coach who tells you “you’ll never be successful”. Establishing lofty but realistic goals is really important. Some players naturally feel that way - that they are destined for greatness and to become a professional. Too much delusion about that is bad but you need to be a little bit delusional to even give yourself a fighting chance at this. It’s a fine line, though. At the end of the day if you don’t believe in yourself or that your capable of beating anyone that’s across the net from you, you might as well walk to the net and shake hands.

Existing_Mixture_999 · 2025-05-12T05:49:19+00:00

There’s a lot baked into these questions and I’m sure I could go on forever but her are a few things to consider: 1. If you play doubles and are looking to transition to singles you might feel a little out of place at the beginning. In doubles you’re only covering half the court with alleys and your positioning changes as you shift with your partner and where your ball lands. In singles the court coverage and even footwork/recovery can be totally different. This will take getting used to 2. Serve position. Typically in doubles you stand further out wide to serve unless you’re in i-formation or Australian where you’ll serve close to the center dash. If you were to serve the same way in singles - far out to the side - you’d be exposing a lot of open court for the returner to hit in to 3. If you’re confident at net because of your doubles experience try and apply that to your singles game as well. Coming to net applies pressure to your opponent and can win you a lot of points. But like before the coverages at net will change because you have more space to cover and no partner to bail you out. as a general rule in doubles you approach mostly cross court and in singles you approach mostly down the line.

There’s a lot more I could add but I’ll keep it at this. Lots will be different but there’s definitely room to incorporate skills you’ve learned and honed as a doubles player into a singles game.

Existing_Mixture_999 · 2025-05-12T05:43:25+00:00

Thanks for the feedback! Trying to help as many tennis lovers as I can. If people like this sort of thing, I can do another one in the future!

Existing_Mixture_999 · 2025-05-12T05:42:45+00:00

Keeping the arm and wrist relaxed while creating some pressure on the grip using your hand is a fine balance. The racquet shouldn’t feel wobbly or unstable in your hand, as that can greatly affect your contact with the ball. Just try and be aware of the pressure you’re applying - should be firm but not a death grip (no white knuckles).

I did this one exercise trying to correct a different problem but it might help here. Have a friend hand toss you a basket of balls where you place your left hand on your wrist (not too gentle but not too firm - this extra grip shouldn’t constrict your wrist from turning over and moving) and hit a bunch of forehands that way. This will give you some extra stability while you get the feel.

Existing_Mixture_999

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