Tennis Tip

Presented by Dwayne Hultquist, Camp Director
Nike Tennis Camp at Lawrenceville School

Learn about your opponent in the warm up

Not only is a warm up important for you to get comfortable and loose on the court, but it is a great way to learn about your opponent. A warm up can showcase a lot of your opponent’s strengths and weaknesses. All players should have a strategy to play to their own strengths each match, however, players that succeed and stand out are players that can adjust their strategy on the fly based on what you can gather from your opponent in the warm up.

Simultaneously try to get a feel for not only your own, but also your opponent’s strokes, footwork, mentality and strategy for the game. Below are 3 tips from FSU Head Coach Dwayne Hultquist and the Seminole High Performance Nike Tennis Camps staff to help you prepare for a match by learning your opponent –

1. Check if your opponent is righty or lefty: This can help you develop your serve strategy and what side you should hit balls to.
2. Figure out the mentality of your opponent: As you begin developing your own strategy, figure out what their strategy might be and come up with ideas to exploit that during the match.
3. Get a feel for how they hit the ball: Figure out if they like to hit with top spin or with a slice, see how they volley and get a feel for how they serve (hard, flat, spin, movement). This can also help with realizing which strokes your opponent may struggle with, giving you an idea of where you want to hit the ball and force them into hitting those shots.

Implementing these tips into your warm up can help you learn about your opponent and give you the upper hand with your strategy. Learn tips like this and more with us at the new Seminole High Performance Nike Tennis Camp at Tops'l Resort this summer!