With the bubble coming down on Wednesday next week, this is a good time to discuss the differences between outdoor and indoor tennis and how to adjust to outdoor tennis.
The main difference between indoor and outdoor tennis is that the wind and sun in outdoor tennis both add an extra degree of difficulty. These elements tend to slow down the pace of shots and often lead to extended rallies. However, if you are trying to pull off the same shots outdoors as indoors, then this will also lead to a lot more errors. When you are playing outdoors, you need to be able to take the elements into account.
Playing in the Wind
The most important thing to remember when you are playing in the wind is that you cannot assume that you know exactly where the ball will go as it is coming to you. I see many players make a mistake when dealing with the wind: stopping their feet too early to set up for their shot. This works fine indoors because no external factors will alter the path of the ball as it is coming to you, so your initial read on where it’s going is often correct. Outdoors, the wind could move the ball right as it is getting to your setup point, and now you have to hit from an awkward position. The best strategy for dealing with the wind is to keep some motion and movement in your feet right up until the point you are going to hit the ball. This will make it much easier for you to slide towards or away from the ball, depending on what the wind does to it. And remember, the wind is not a constant! Sometimes it will be blowing a lot, and sometimes it will hardly move the ball, so it will never be easy to know exactly where the ball will end up. Lots of extra footwork is required outside because of this!
The other piece of the puzzle is recognizing which direction the wind is going as early as you can! While there are some days when the wind can swirl and make outdoor tennis extremely confusing, more often than not, the direction of the wind will be constant throughout your match. If the wind is against you, you must ensure you are stepping and driving the ball, as the wind will knock down any weak shots. If you are with the wind, you need to add more spin to your shots because otherwise they will sail long. If the wind blows towards a sideline, be very cautious aiming anything near that line! Instead, seek more of your shots towards the other line because the wind will bring them back towards the court instead of away from the court, and make those shots a higher percentage and safer!
Playing in the Sun
The sun is less of an obstacle than the wind, but it is still an obstacle! The only shots the sun will affect are the serve and the overhead, which can make both shots very unpleasant! On the serve, you may need to adjust your toss to the side so that you are not looking directly into the sun. While indoors, you want to have the same toss every time, outdoor tennis can sometimes require you to get creative with your toss from time to time and find a way to make it work! When dealing with the sun on your overhead, you will want to shorten your swing and try to hit something halfway between an overhead and a volley. You will want to have a shorter motion for two reasons: you aren’t going to see the ball as well as usual so you don’t want to commit to the swing until you are sure the ball will be where you’re expecting, you will also have to deal with the wind on this shot so you will need to make last second adjustments. If you commit to a swing that needs to start before you know what the wind will do with the ball or how the sun might affect the shot, then the chances of success are not high.
Give these strategies a try next time you play outdoors – it should lead to more consistent and fun tennis!
By: Austin Barr, Head Tennis Pro
