Playing Tennis in The Wind is not an easy task. The wind is a problem for tennis players during the fall. They have no choice but to face all of the little annoyances it tags along with. Yes, playing tennis in the wind is a huge pain in the neck.
Unfortunately, your aversion to wind as a tennis player does not make it less advantageous. Although wind can be an issue while playing outdoors, there are some courts with trees, windscreens, trees, and nearby buildings that may block the wind.
Tips for Playing Tennis in The Wind
Here’s a list of ways you can take wind to your advantage while playing in the wind:
1. Groundstrokes Tweaking
When playing in the wind, you will be forced to make adjustments with groundstrokes. Here, you must allow yourself a greater margin of error while aiming at corners as well as passing shots.
Hitting the ball harder will prevent wind affect the ball much while traveling to the destination. On the other hand, hitting slower will make wind have a negative effect on the ball. In case, the wind troubles your opponent, you might want it to push your shots around. This will keep him off balance.
2. Focus on Footwork
The biggest challenge players have to face in wind is proper footwork. Several smaller steps are required for making sudden and quick adjustments. If you take large steps while preparing to hit, you might be caught off-guard as the wind picks up and moves the ball prior to swinging. It is very important to keep your steps as small as possible to adjust your position and cleanly striking the ball.
3. Adjust Swing
Players with huge backswing may consider shortening of back-swing so that it hits their shots. A bigger back-swing will make the ball take more time to move around right from the beginning of the stroke until the point of contact.
Once you hit the wind, it is time to aim for a little higher. For normal groundstrokes, the wind can lead to shots landing shorter inside the court. This will allow the opponent to attack your shots frequently. It is also crucial to hit the ball harder so that you can keep the shots deep.
You need to hit approach shots short and low. This is important to force your opponent to hit up in order to pass you at the net. The strategy is tough to undertake with the wind.
4. Drop Shot is the Way to Go
These shots are effective while hitting into the wind. In this case, the wind prevents the ball from going too deep inside the court. It will also force your opponent to run extra to reach out to the ball.
5. Fine-Tune Your Serve
The slice and kick serve may be more productive especially if the wind blows sideways. Here, you should make the ball move towards the left or right as far as possible. This will keep your opponent on their toes.
For players with the high toss, the ball may get involved in some very serious movement in the air right before hitting the ball. In case, the wind pushes toss around, catching the ball and starting all over is the solution. The best part is the player has the luxury of doing this the number of times it’s required. This strategy might irritate the opponent.
6. Spin will Help
You can trouble your opponent by hitting high topspin shots. This will keep the ball deep. Also, the bounce will go higher. It can compel the opponent to move deep into the backcourt so that he can return your shots. This may even force them to hit several short balls.
Also, keep tabs on a short ball each time your opponent hits into the wind. It is definitely a great idea to get to the net during windy conditions. This makes it tougher to hit passing shots. The sideways position of wind ensures effective side spins. When the wind blows to your right, it is better to use sidespin on the slice. It forces the ball to curve more towards the right. Getting the ball to travel sideways will let you cause more problems to your opponent.
7. Conquer the Overhead
Yes, overheads may get quite tricky to hit especially when the wind plays with them up in the air. In case, the ball has gone high enough, simply allow it to bounce prior to hitting the overhead. This will allow the tennis ball to bounce and facilitates you to adapt to the movement right after the bounce as the movement from wind will be lesser.
Final Words About Playing Tennis in The Wind
The players who tried to play tennis in The wind, know how tricky is to cope up with the wind speed in such circumstances. We think. our recommended 7 tips for Playing Tennis in The Wind will help you to get success if you need to play and win in such conditions.
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