Practice vs Match Play

How to Prepare for a Tennis Match (Tournament) with confidence.

Our practice and training involve a very methodical and deliberate process. It can sometimes become monotonous, but we adhere to it because it lays the foundation for a successful practice. However, there's an issue: we don't apply a similar approach when preparing for tennis matches and competitions.

Why not? Shouldn't our preparation for matches and competitions be just as rigorous, if not more so? Are we not practicing for hours, weeks, and months to perform at our best in matches?

Let's explore some strategies and training formats we can use in the days leading up to our match or tournament.

Tip #1 - Stop hitting from the baseline!

If you are at the point of playing matches, you've hit thousands upon thousands of forehands and backhands from the baseline.

In the week leading up to the event, you only need to warmup the forehands and backhands just enough to get a feeling of the ball.

Tip #2 - Take more Serves & Returns

It's not a mystery anymore. 70% of Tennis is won in the first 4 shots. If the Serve is the most important shot in Tennis, by default, the Return of Serve becomes the second most important shot. If we are not spending a bulk of practice time working on the Serve and Return, we are truly not preparing for a match. Rather we are working on becoming legacy practice partners.

Tip #3 - Embrace the Change

Yes I know, we have played Tennis for years and prepared for matches in a particular way. Changing to a new format of training is daunting, strange, and can definitely be a bit annoying. However, this change could be exactly what your game needs. This was the exact training alteration needed when I was playing high level competitive Tennis!

Tip #4 - Play Practice Matches

Let's be honest, this is not a part of your practice format. Full 2/3 set Practice Matches.

Not a set.

Not a set and a tiebreaker.

Not an 8-game pro set.

A full 2/3 set Practice Match. This is going to take some time, so be sure you and your training partner have cleared the schedule for at least 1.5-3 hours of tennis. Yes, that is a long time for training. However, a strong commitment to a practice match will surely give you more data of your matchplay performance than simply play some practice points in a drop feed game.

Tip #5 - Commit to Structure

We have invested countless hours, weeks, months, and potentially years in training for this sport. This represents a significant commitment of time, money, equipment, and more. If we are going to devote an entire weekend or part of it to playing matches against unfamiliar opponents at the courts, we should be as prepared as possible.

Train in a way that will support your match-play success in the days and weeks leading up to the event.

My suggestion:

• Any stroke mechanics or technical improvements should be addressed well before the event week. It's challenging to implement stroke changes during the event week and expect to confidently apply the new adjustments.

• Ensure that physical training (speed, strength, stretching, etc.) is not neglected in the 2-3 weeks leading up to the event. Missing this can lead to injury, may slow down progress, or even result in withdrawal from the event.

• Focus on specific tactical adjustments in the week before and leading up to the event. This allows sufficient time to understand, get accustomed to, and apply the new adjustment and build confidence.

• PLAY MULTIPLE PRACTICE MATCHES in the week leading up to your event. This provides ample opportunities to gather data for minor game adjustments. These matches can also help build confidence in facing a tournament and the mindset required for success in the event.

Our goal is to excel on the tennis court, not only during practice sessions but, most importantly, during actual matches. Take some time to develop a strategy that suits you by following the tips mentioned earlier. Since everyone is unique, our path to success in matches needs to be customized to what best supports our match-play growth.