Playing in a competitive tennis ladder has phases. The first is the “assessment phase”: figuring out where you are now. The second is the “technical consolidation phase”: building the shots and skills you need to advance. The third is the “pattern and matchplay training phase”: learning patterns and match strategies. And, finally, the last step is “league integration”: getting ready to compete in the league itself. Each requires different efforts and has a different aim, but together, they get you to your goal of playing in a competitive tennis ladder.
Why rallying well does not prepare you for competition
In social tennis, you’re playing others who want to prolong the rally, who want to move so that you can hit nice, easy shots, and who want to hide everything they can do to finish the point quickly. None of those things happen in a match. In a match, the opponent will be looking to exploit your backhand, will make balls short for you, and will leave you with nothing to hit.
According to ATP strategy analyst Craig O’Shannessy and his review of Grand Slam data, approximately 88 percent of points at the highest level were decided in the first four shots, or the serve, return, and two shots that follow. That figure is drawn from elite matches and should not be assumed to apply in exactly the same way to club tennis. It does, however, highlight why serve and return patterns deserve attention alongside longer rallies.
Phase one: assessment, and finding out where you are
Before you do anything else, you need to establish where you are. Many clubs use their own ladders or rating systems to group players of similar ability. Elsewhere, systems such as the North American Tennis Rating Program (NTRP) and Universal Tennis Rating (UTR) may help players understand their level, although the system used will depend on the club and region.
It is important to get a realistic grading of your own game, no matter how painful. Players who overrate themselves get beaten soundly by better opponents and find it easy to quit when they lose. You are looking to find the closest thing to losing at this stage, because it will put your mind in the right space for the technical work ahead.
Many clubs have internal ladders, the best sort of practice for the kinds of competition you’ll see later. You are likely to meet unseen, unranked neighbors who are right around your skill level in an actual match well before you have to shell out cash for a league. Think of this as your first few practice matches: what shots will you be using the most against others at your level? What shots are you least likely to be able to return?
Phase two: technical consolidation, and fixing the shots that have broken you
Most of your practice time should go into this category. It will happen in a particular order: the serve before the return, and both before footwork, because these shots have a far greater impact on match outcomes than any other single factor.
The serve: first serve percentage and placement before power
A reliable, well-placed first serve is often more effective in club matches than a faster serve that lands inconsistently. Club tennis rewards players who can start service points without unnecessary errors and prepare effectively for the next shot. If you only have time to improve one thing before your first competitive match, make it this: your first serve percentage, which can help you hold serve more often and build confidence in your service games.
The return: the shot that no one practices
No one cheers for a return of serve in a casual match. It’s the shot that gets the real tennis going, and so, for most adults who have picked up competitive tennis later in life, it’s the shot that gets almost no practice time. It is, however, the shot that most immediately puts the opponent on the defensive, which is why a small, controlled, deep return right down the middle takes away their attacking options before they have a chance to use them.
Footwork: the split step and recovering towards the baseline
You begin to develop patterns here, and you must focus first on the feet and not the hands. A split step, a small jump that happens just as your opponent hits the ball, lets you land facing whichever direction they hit the ball, rather than reacting to it 0.3 seconds too late. The second step is to recover towards an appropriate court position after each shot, often near the centre of the baseline during baseline rallies. Players who play casual tennis rarely practice either, since a rally that is always in their favor rarely penalizes them for standing around waiting for the next shot.
It can be difficult to track all three of these areas at once, which is why this phase often moves faster when a coach can assess your technique. In New South Wales, players preparing for competitive matches can use adult tennis lessons in Newcastle to develop their serve, return and footwork through structured coaching. A coach can identify weaknesses in technique and recommend drills to practise before match day.
Phase three: pattern and matchplay training, practicing the points, not just the balls
Once you have developed a good rhythm in your strokes, avoid long, open rallies in regular practice. Instead, practice points and pattern play, and work on developing serve and return patterns and one planned shot after each. You are working on the serve+1 and return+1 patterns that O’Shannessy’s data suggest are the most common ways to win and lose points: the serve, return, and immediate shot after.
Develop a rally ball: a shot that has good topspin, good height, and lands deep into your opponent’s court, rather than simply a ball that you hit hard and flat. A deep, heavy ball gives you two advantages that a weak, flat ball does not: it gives you more time to recover your feet and puts far more strain on your opponent’s powerful shots when they are hitting from an uncomfortable position. More errors are likely to come from your opponent’s side of the net when you use this shot.
You should also begin scoring practice games early on in your development and continue doing so frequently. Tiebreakers and short sets are great ways to simulate the pressure of a match with fewer games than you’d play in a full match. Even simple “first to 7 points” games during practice will force you to split points in a way that open rallies will not. Rally tolerance remains important, but it should serve as a foundation for building your overall game.
Keep your practice focused rather than social, using 30 minute blocks of time to practice specific skills rather than simply chatting and playing gently with others. You can continue to block out time to work on specific skills within a general practice session, such as working on your first-serve percentage within a match-play game, or checking your return placement. It can be incredibly helpful to keep track of specific, simple numbers after each session: percentage of games won, unforced errors, or double faults, and what you are going to work on next time. It takes far less time to keep track of these simple statistics, and it will help you keep your progress in perspective. It is far easier to improve your tennis if you can see your progress rather than simply spending months “working” without seeing any results.
Phase four: league integration, and setting your first milestones
Once you have gained confidence in your serve, your return is coming in and putting more pressure on your opponent, and you can hold service games in practice, it’s time to find a league or ladder through a local tennis club or competition organiser that suits your skill level. You’re looking to avoid overrating yourself at an early stage, so a realistic league will give you competition at a level close to your own.
Rather than working toward broad, general goals, set specific milestones for yourself: your first held service game against a stronger opponent, your first tiebreaker won, or your first successful serve+1 pattern in a league match.
You should also think about how you want to split your practice time between group and private lessons. Group lessons give you more opportunity to practice your skills in a competitive environment, as well as exposing you to a wider variety of players, while private lessons allow you to work on specific technical flaws. Group lessons are usually a better option for most adults new to competitive tennis, since most will benefit from the exposure to a wider range of players and techniques. Be clear with your coach about your intentions, letting them know that you are looking to develop your competitive skills so that their time spent with you is better utilized.
The mental side nobody talks about
Your first few real competitive matches are going to be far more mentally taxing than you are used to from casual games, and it is going to be hard work to move up the ladder while losing more games than you win, at least at first. You’ll have to get used to the idea of losing sets 0-6 or even games to love, especially as you experiment and try to develop your game against opponents you cannot beat yet. Overcoming this and finding your own rhythm is the real beginning of your improvement.
It is important not to allow yourself to become frustrated at getting tight and missing first serves every game, but you are also unlikely to fix the problem overnight. For now, it is best to simply keep your serve in play with a relatively simple motion and work on keeping your next serve in play as well. Your serve motion will become more natural with practice anyway.
A few simple touches will help you get through this phase:
- Breathe deeply and relax your neck, shaking out your limbs, in between points. Your body will naturally stiffen when it is frightened.
- Serve when you feel like it, not when the other player feels like it
- Have a phrase to refocus your attention if you make a particularly bad error, one that makes you angry or frustrated. Something as simple as “move your feet” will work.
- Think about your strongest shot and what you believe the opponent would most like to hit you before each point.
- Think about at least one good thing you did after a point where you didn’t do well.
- Convince yourself that you are happy and aggressive, rather than sad and passive. It works far better than you might expect.
It’s normal to lose sets and games early on in your competitive matches, but it’s important to move past that and get used to finding your own rhythm.
