Setting Up & Paying Off

[oliensis]

The last week or more, I've played 3 or 4 matches (just friendly matches, not league or tournament) in which I suffered almost identical fates: Played the bulk of each set well against a worthy opponent, get to 4-4 or thereabouts, and then in a crucial game, set up the points just the way I want, and blow the payoff/putaway shot (shank an overhead or miss a forehand cross-court volley deep by inches, for example). Or...

my opponents have been making excellent but unlikely low-percentage shots in these games (e.g., baseline half-volley inside-out forehand winner off my deep, aggressive inside-out forehand , his shot landing deep, low & flat to within inches of my backhand corner; or stinging topspin cross-court backhand passing shot off a deep, low approach shot on which I come in and cover the line (his backhand is his weakness))...or, I serve-volley off a solid, deep spin serve to the backhand in ad court, come in, he floats a slice backhand return to the middle of the court, I hit an inside-out backhand volley (since I'm covering the line) that skids low and deep, but he races to his forehand and flicks a winning down-the-line passing shot that barely clears the net and lands within inches of the line (past me) even though I've raced to cover the line--all but a teeny margin in which his forehand passes me.

Each time I have to simply say, Good shot! And figure, well, I've played the point the right way, but he just played it better, and if he can keep doing that, then he deserves to win. But it's happening too consistently and too frequently, and I'm starting to get a complex about it.

Yesterday, serving 4-5 , after opening the court to opponent's backhand and drawing the short ball I wanted on 2 different points, I hit 2 forehands that hit the tape @ the top of the net and fell on my side, on what would have been winning forehands.

Maybe I'm forcing things a bit, going too hard too early for the payoff shot, rather than just playing forcing shots at a more consistent level of aggression and w/ better margins for error and letting the winners take care of themselves.

Partly I'm thinking outloud here. But mainly, I'm looking for thoughts on the subject. Anybody got any words of wisdom or food for thought?

Thanks,
Adam

[uspta146749877]

Patterns

The last week or more, I've played 3 or 4 matches (just friendly matches, not league or tournament) in which I suffered almost identical fates: Played the bulk of each set well against a worthy opponent, get to 4-4 or thereabouts, and then in a crucial game, set up the points just the way I want, and blow the payoff/putaway shot (shank an overhead or miss a forehand cross-court volley deep by inches, for example). Or...

my opponents have been making excellent but unlikely low-percentage shots in these games (e.g., baseline half-volley inside-out forehand winner off my deep, aggressive inside-out forehand , his shot landing deep, low & flat to within inches of my backhand corner; or stinging topspin cross-court backhand passing shot off a deep, low approach shot on which I come in and cover the line (his backhand is his weakness))...or, I serve-volley off a solid, deep spin serve to the backhand in ad court, come in, he floats a slice backhand return to the middle of the court, I hit an inside-out backhand volley (since I'm covering the line) that skids low and deep, but he races to his forehand and flicks a winning down-the-line passing shot that barely clears the net and lands within inches of the line (past me) even though I've raced to cover the line--all but a teeny margin in which his forehand passes me.

Each time I have to simply say, Good shot! And figure, well, I've played the point the right way, but he just played it better, and if he can keep doing that, then he deserves to win. But it's happening too consistently and too frequently, and I'm starting to get a complex about it.

Yesterday, serving 4-5 , after opening the court to opponent's backhand and drawing the short ball I wanted on 2 different points, I hit 2 forehands that hit the tape @ the top of the net and fell on my side, on what would have been winning forehands.

Maybe I'm forcing things a bit, going too hard too early for the payoff shot, rather than just playing forcing shots at a more consistent level of aggression and w/ better margins for error and letting the winners take care of themselves.

Partly I'm thinking outloud here. But mainly, I'm looking for thoughts on the subject. Anybody got any words of wisdom or food for thought?

Thanks,
Adam

Your opponents started reading your pattern of serve and volley OR approach shots.
I assume you know that.

[ochi]

Oliensis, I'm not on your level, but sometimes lately when I've mysteriously played over my head, a batch of unusually good serves has been ripped for winners at impossible angles; or framed with impossible, unduplicatable spin; or whimped back, impossible to reach. This is maddening. So when opponents' reflexes just happen to be super-sharp, and they know not what they've done, or how, I will hit some junk, and it works. They cannot handle it -- cannot go from their sublime to my abysmal. I learned this from a nationally ranked older player who hits so much high-level crap, I have come to detest his game and avoid him like the plague. I don't care what Allen Fox says about it -- he can keep the challenge.

[oliensis]

877,
There may be some of that going on (opponent reading patterns), but I don't think that's the lion's share of the problem. It's a combination of different things coming together in a kind of perfect storm: My mistakes when I should put the ball away, my opponents hitting uncharacteristically good shots at key times, and, as above, perhaps some of their reading my game, among other factors. I don't mind any of those things operating from time to time, it's just been the consistency of it going against me lately that's been disheartening.

Case in point: Tuesday night I played a guy that I'm close with in level of play. A couple of times I hit deep, solid crosscorut slice backhands that landed w/in a couple of feet of his baseline and I awaited neutral/defensive replies, probably crosscourt, as one would expect, but he hit ugly-looking off-balance flat backhand winners down the line that landed within inches of the duece-side corner. I had to say, "great shot." But, given his mechanics and balance (sub-optimal to say the least), and the low-percentage nature of the shot (flat, low net clearance, changing direction on a deep low slice to his weaker side), it was unlikely that he would go 2-for-2 on those. But he did, so there you go...

Ochi,
I think that's a good strategy, to bring "down" the level of play with junk when the other guy is super hot. Been playing on very fast indoor hard courts, so it's harder to do than on slower hard courts or har-tru. But I will keep that in mind.

[uspta146749877]

Different factors

877,
There may be some of that going on (opponent reading patterns), but I don't think that's the lion's share of the problem. It's a combination of different things coming together in a kind of perfect storm: My mistakes when I should put the ball away, my opponents hitting uncharacteristically good shots at key times, and, as above, perhaps some of their reading my game, among other factors. I don't mind any of those things operating from time to time, it's just been the consistency of it going against me lately that's been disheartening.

Case in point: Tuesday night I played a guy that I'm close with in level of play. A couple of times I hit deep, solid crosscorut slice backhands that landed w/in a couple of feet of his baseline and I awaited neutral/defensive replies, probably crosscourt, as one would expect, but he hit ugly-looking off-balance flat backhand winners down the line that landed within inches of the duece-side corner. I had to say, "great shot." But, given his mechanics and balance (sub-optimal to say the least), and the low-percentage nature of the shot (flat, low net clearance, changing direction on a deep low slice to his weaker side), it was unlikely that he would go 2-for-2 on those. But he did, so there you go...

Ochi,
I think that's a good strategy, to bring "down" the level of play with junk when the other guy is super hot. Been playing on very fast indoor hard courts, so it's harder to do than on slower hard courts or har-tru. But I will keep that in mind.

I advise to make a list of different factors
and to see whether you can work on them one at a time.
I strongly believe that human beings are NOT multitasking.
I will try to expand this post tomorrow
Good luck

julian mielniczuk
uspta certified pro 27873 juliantennis@comcast.net

https://www.julianmielniczuk.usptapro.com

Courtside Tennis Club,Bedford,MA

[ochi]

junkball lessons from Agassi's book

Oliensis, here are two brief excerpts from "Open." Agassi tells how two players' crappy play messed him up.

On page 245-246 -- "Two days later, I play Jan Siemerink, aka the Garbage Man... Every Siemerink forehand seems shanked. Even his serve has a wacky, slingy quality. Garbage. I start the match confident, then recall that his lack of form is a powerful weapon. His abysmal shotmaking keeps you always off balance. Your timing never feels right."

On page 273 -- "Then I remember: the better you play Kucera, the better he plays. Hit shit to him, he hits shit back... When it's my serve, I imitate Kucera. The crowd laughs. Then I hit big goofy moonballs. I irk Kucera, irritate my way back into the match."

So if opponents are still driving you nuts with lucky shots when they get red-hot, try imitating Siemerink against Agassi, and Agassi against Kucera.

[oliensis]

Thanks, Ochi.
Good quotes.
Things have turned recently. Won a couple matches by serving well, making sure I was hitting deep, and being more aggressive on service returns--taking time away by taking the ball earlier on the returns. And then mixing up aggressive crosscourt forehands that have drawn errors with rolling down-the-line forehands that make these guys hit high off-speed backhands (something I had been fortgetting about, and which is in line with Agassi's comments). Also reasserting my DTL backhand drive, as an aggressive change of pace (had been a strength of mine) from standard crosscourt backhands.

The combination of changes has made me press a bit less on big points and disturbed opponents' rhythms, helping me break down their games in addition to helping me play better.

Also, I spent some extra time working on forehand volleys which hadn't been feeling quite right. Last 2 times I played that shot felt like a solid weapon again rather than a bit of an unexpected hole in my game. Mostly imprved by being more aggressive with feet, moving my center through the ball with a shorter stroke & bigger step into the ball--keeping the racquet really out in front rather than lazily taking too big a backswing.

Oliensis, here are two brief excerpts from "Open." Agassi tells how two players' crappy play messed him up.

On page 245-246 -- "Two days later, I play Jan Siemerink, aka the Garbage Man... Every Siemerink forehand seems shanked. Even his serve has a wacky, slingy quality. Garbage. I start the match confident, then recall that his lack of form is a powerful weapon. His abysmal shotmaking keeps you always off balance. Your timing never feels right."

On page 273 -- "Then I remember: the better you play Kucera, the better he plays. Hit shit to him, he hits shit back... When it's my serve, I imitate Kucera. The crowd laughs. Then I hit big goofy moonballs. I irk Kucera, irritate my way back into the match."

So if opponents are still driving you nuts with lucky shots when they get red-hot, try imitating Siemerink against Agassi, and Agassi against Kucera.

[nokomis]

Adam,

I have no idea about your game other than what you described but I have/do see some pretty good tennis on a regular basis. What I've noticed, even today at the boy's 18 and under final at IMG, is that when we get a little tight, or the end is in sight, we do several things that cost us dearly.

One: we start going too close for the lines trying to end points too quickly

Two: we lower our net margins

Three: When we get down, say 3 - 5 and its our serve, we are thinking too much about the "next" game instead of our service game. Quickly, its too late and we find ourselves behind 5 - 40 and trying to battle back. Many times when we battle back, we relax a little and bingo its add out again.

I see this over and over and it just creates too many UE.

[oliensis]

Nokomis,

Thanks for the observations. I think that I am guilty of those tendencies, esp. making margins for error smaller at crunch time--done in an effort to seize control of the situation. Probably better to "make him play" by playing good solid percentage tennis. Also, guilty of being a "happy camper" (Brad Gilbert's term) when I come back after being down a break, and letting up on account of my relative state of glee.

Thanks again,
AO