Winning Singles Strategy for Recreational Tennis Players: 140 Tips and Tactics for Transforming Your Game

by Gerry Donohue

This book is not about how to hit the tennis ball. It’s about where to hit the ball, when, and why. It focuses on playing tennis strategically, which is the quickest and best way to raise your game to the next level. For recreational players, developing a strategic approach to the game is the single, most transformative step you can take. In this book, you will learn how to take advantage of the strengths in your game, how to minimize your weaknesses, and how to attack your opponent’s game. Most tennis players start by focusing on the mechanics of their strokes. That makes sense. If you can’t hit the ball over the net and inside the lines, the rest doesn’t really matter. Later, when you’re hitting the ball well, it’s fun to keep working on your shots. All tennis players love to hit the ball. Unfortunately, stroke improvement has a diminishing return. Early on you improve rapidly, but then the pace levels off. It can be frustrating to work, week after week, month after month, and not see any progress. Developing your strategic understanding of the game completely changes that dynamic. It’s difficult to exaggerate how much focusing on strategy can improve every aspect of your game. At first glance, tennis is a marvelously simple game. All you have to do is hit the ball over the net and inside the lines one time more than your opponent does and you win the point. Do that often enough and you win the match. In truth, however, tennis is endlessly complex. That’s why it becomes a lifetime passion for so many of us. It’s a demanding amalgamation of muscle memory, hand-eye coordination, geometric understanding, stamina, and split-second decision making. Adding another layer of complexity, most of us model our games on professional tennis players. We see them win points by smacking the felt off the ball, going for the lines, serving aces, and hitting topspin lobs from outside the doubles alley. We want to play like that. The catch is we don’t have unbelievable hand-eye coordination and don’t practice eight hours a day. Is it any wonder, then, that about 80 percent of points in a recreational match end with an unforced error? That’s right. Eight out of 10 points—and often more—end because you or your opponent hit the ball into the net or outside the lines. When we come out of top in a match, we like to think that we won. It’s probably more accurate to say that we didn’t lose. At the core of strategic success at the recreational level is reducing unforced errors. Cutting them by just one or two per set can lead to an exponential leap in matches won. This book are filled with strategies and tactics that you can adopt and adapt to improve your game. You don’t need to apply all of them; use only the concepts that work for you. If altering the strategies better suits your game, go for it. Playing strategically will make your game more consistent. You’ll become a better competitor, and you’ll have more fun.

Genres: Sports, Nonfiction

104 pages, Paperback

First published April 17, 2014

About the author

Gerry Donohue is a magazine writer and a non-fiction and fiction author living in Washington D.C. He is the author of two books on winning strategies for recreational tennis players and has written the first installment of The Kinsale Trilogy, The Man in the Wall. He is an avid tennis player and bicycle tourist.

Reviews

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Same as with the doubles version...great book. Some overlap with the doubles version, but not a ton and only things that actually work for both singles and doubles. Super simple (not so much strategic info that you get overwhelmed) and perfect for beginners looking to up their game through strategy vs. technique.

[John laPlante · Rating 5 out of 5]

This short book provides concise and very helpful suggestions. I played a guy after reading this book who had beaten easily earlier in the year I completely turned the tables and I found the guy super frustrated. I wish this guy would write even more and get into more depth on many of the things because his ideas are really fantastic.

[Daniel Alvarez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Necessary information

This book should be given to every amateur tennis player. Also every teacher should focus on this kind of tips. I've played tennis for many years, and some of my teachers never mentioned any of this information, which is necessary to compete, and specially to stop loosing because of our unforced errors.

[Ọlá Ọládìran · Rating 4 out of 5]

Strategy is often underrated among amateurs and in this case, recreational tennis players. This book spells out what vast improvements can be made in one's singles game while being reconciled fully with the limits/weaknesses of one's game. It emphasizes choosing the high percentage shots over the flashy point-of-the-day shots.

[Melonie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lot of repetition but not in a bad way

Many of the key strategies discussed were repeated throughout the chapters but I liked that. It keep reinforcing what an attainable game plan is for a beginner level recreational player like myself.

[Erik Ask · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short and to the point with many good tips on dos and donts. Simple illustrations would make the reading experience better!

[Witos · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lots of repetitions, could be shrank into 10 pages.

[Bill Zawrotny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book...a few really good tips to incorporate into my game. The book was incredibly repetitive, but maybe it was done on purpose to hammer home the key points.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid basic strategy

This book is a great resource for basic strategy at the recreational level. It is an easy, quick read and serves both as instruction for the beginner as well as a refresher for the seasoned player.