By Luke Jensen, French Open Doubles Champion
Fall tennis is here and colder days are ahead. The Grand Slam events are over for the season, and with Davis and BJK Cup completing there is the exhibition circuit for the touring pros to pick up a fat check for one night of work — win or lose. There’s a cool one in Atlanta on December 6 with Aryna Sabalenka, Ben Shelton, Naomi Osaka, and Nick Kyrgios. These are such fun events with high-caliber play and tons of trick shots. These tour players are more relaxed and want to put on a show. Fan involvement is encouraged, and most of the time the players will engage with the fans in these events. Keep an eye on your various tennis media sources or even ask your tennis pro about any cool events that you could attend.
There often are junior and adult clinics for which you can sign up. Being coached by Shelton for your serve or getting a massive forehand lesson from Sabalenka is a super fun experience. These happen all over the world at the end of tour season, or right around the “sunshine swing” of Indian Wells and Miami tour events.
Speaking of swinging, how are you feeling about your game? It’s definitely time to get your racquet restrung for a better strike on the ball that will give you more accuracy. Just remember that your strings are like the tires on a car; the older they are, the less performance you will get from them. The changing weather will be a factor in what string and tension will work best for you, so ask your stringer to provide a set-up to help you hit winners!
Now how about some tactical talk. If you have been a Jensen Zoner through the years, you know I have written a bunch of articles about singles and doubles tactics. From the aggressive approach to the defensive pusher approach, I have found all of us enjoy a certain style of play. From going for winners like Sabalenka, to players who like to be creative like Federer or the defensive players who hate to miss like Medvedev, these styles are easy to see and all can be difficult to play. But the style that I feel is the most difficult to develop and master is the rally ball player.
Players like Djokovic, Pegula, Sinner, and Alcaraz play at about 75 percent of power knowing there is more power in their swings if needed. These are the measured ones who play with both consistency and accuracy. They are in no rush to end the point, but can pull the trigger on a ball if the opponent hits short or slow. Next time you step on the court for a practice session, use this approach to discover a patient rally ball until your opportunity arrives.
This keeps you thinking and developing a style that is hard to play against. The aggressive player gives away too many free points with errors. The creator has too many options and doesn’t keep hitting to the weakness because the itch to create a new shot is too tempting. The defender is not playing on their terms and hopes the opponent eventually will miss, but the ball can get soft and short; that’s major trouble against a skilled player.
The player who has mastered the rally ball hits consistently and with depth. The performance is passive-aggressive because they trust the margins they play within and their swing is hit hard enough not to be attacked. That is why I can’t get enough of the Sinner vs Alcaraz rivalry. After all the tour matches they have played, only six points separate the two future hall-of-famers. Smart players win. You can beat them, but it takes an extraordinary performance and commitment of confidence to believe in your game style.
So next time you are on the practice court, tap into your Sinner and Alcaraz style to win more points for your game. See you on the courts!
