Thanks for visiting the home of Tenerife Tennis

I have just put this video above on the site.

Thought you would all like to see some amazing backhands played by The Master.

Note his set-up,follow-through.finish,balance - just wonderful.

Click to zoom

A great idea I picked up from an article in Tennis by Roy Barth, regarding changing the way you stand ready at the net when you play against a big hitter, read on:

Adjust your ready position against big hitters.

Doubles is a fast-moving game, so it pays to know how to protect yourself. I learned this when I played on tour against Arthur Ashe, whose blazing backhand would frighten anyone at net. To be ready for one of Ashe’s blasts, I abandoned the traditional ready position, with the racquet straight up and down, in favor of an open racquet face, as I would hold it when hitting a backhand volley. You should adopt this stance against big hitters, too. That way, if one of your opponents drills the ball at your chest, you’ll be in position to block it with a backhand volley. I’ve also found that holding the racquet this way doesn’t slow you down on forehand volleys. You can turn your shoulder and hit a ball to your right (or if you’re left-handed, to your left) just as quickly from this position. This worked wonders for me throughout my doubles career. Protection and simplicity: How can you beat that?

Roy Barth, a PTR Master Pro, is the director of tennis at Kiawah Island Golf Resort in South Carolina

Very interesting idea, but remember what he says, this is for when you play the big hitter, not I think a good idea for lower level players, but give it a go.

Watching the French it is pretty obvious to see that if you hit a weak second serve then you get punished on the return.

To practice the return against a slower, shorter serve try this with your coach or a friend.

Server 1 only has a second serve, this is because the practice is based around the receiver, so we want any easier serve at this stage to practice against.

Receiver 2, must stand at least 1 meter inside the baseline(the green zone) to encourage an early ball that is attacked.

Receiver tries to hit to either point A or B.The point is not played out.

Try this against 20 serves from both sides, and see how accurate you are with the return - then you can change so the server now becomes the receiver.

If you did this for points, the receiver could score a point everytime the return lands in the A or B zone - and the second bounce is OUTSIDE the court - see how many points you can score off 40 serves.
Note: no faults on the serve, serve 40 ball in - this is a receivers practice.

Now get out there and try it!

I received this question from a guy called Kevin from Sheffield the other day.

Q. What are some good drills and or tactics for putting away mid-court shots? In my last match I noticed that when my opponent hit some balls that landed around the service line, my shot in reply seemed to set him up to pass me. From the mid court, I want to at least move my opponent and try to set up a volley closer to the net that I can put away.

A. Kevin,this is a good question because, while it seems like these mid-court balls ought to be easier to handle, they present problems for a lot of players.

Why is that?

I believe it is because players hardly ever practice this shot, as opposed to baseline rallies anyway. When you recognize that a ball will be landing short, move forward immediately and set up to hit the shot quickly. Often this quick movement and preparation will “freeze” your opponent. In contrast, if you arrive late to the mid-court area and are not prepared to play the shot, then usually your response is easily spotted.

Further, poor preparation often translates into a rushed attempt. Another tip would be to play the ball near the peak of the bounce. When you allow the ball to descend after the bounce, then it gives your opponent additional time to get in position to scramble AND it forces you to play the shot from a lower perspective. Instead, play it early and from a high position so that you can pound the ball (down) into the court. Be certain to practice these shots diligently. As you become more proficient in handling them, it will help you in other areas of the court as well. When you have earned a short ball, knowing that you are in position to finish the point with emphasis is definitely a confidence builder.

So get a friend, or your coach to feed you the mid court ball for you to practice.Remember also that it is always better to hit this ball down the line as opposed to cross court in terms of the angle of your opponents reply.Obviously nothing is "set in stone" and you have to be able to also hit cross and deep and croos and short angle.

Technique wise it is also better to use a shorter backswing as the court becomes smaller as you move nearer to the net - but don't forget that all so important finish to your stroke, which will then lead your body to move forward for the next shot, be it a volley, drop or smash.

You could do this on your own by feeding your self a short high ball, starting from the service line and then gradually working back.

Now get out there and DO IT!!