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This is a question that usually does not creep up until someone has been playing the game for awhile. Many times a player will reach a certain level and look for ways to improve their all-around game by taking a look at ‘doing something different’. I am all for a player assessing their game from time to time and looking at what they can improve, but in order to do that one needs to have an understanding of the different ’styles’ of play that exist within the game.

By and large, there are three types of ’styles’ that players usually fall into, and most players usually adopt a style that maximizes their natural strengths on the court wile simultaneously minimizing their weaknesses. Let’s take a look at the three most widely adopted ’styles’ of tennis.

Let’s start with the ‘Baseliner’. A Baseliner is a player that, most of the time, plays from the baseline and utilizes their ground strokes to play their most effective tennis. Most often, this results in long rallies back and forth across the net, with the Baseliner’s main goal being to simply hit the ball back over the net just one more time than their opponent. Strategies of the Baseliner include:

- Moving the opponent side to side, wearing their opponent down physically by making them run down well-placed shots.

- Keeping the ball deep in their opponent’s court, which reduces the angle from which their opponent may attack.

- Hitting a variety of consistently well-placed shots that keeps their opponents off-balance.

- Playing points intelligently and patiently, and waiting for just the right opportunity to attempt to hit a winner.

To paraphrase, a good Baseliner might say something like this in describing their
play:

“I’ll stay out here all day with you, and wait for you to make a mistake. If you don’t then I’ll just keep opening the angles of my shots, and keep you running from sideline to sideline, until I run you ragged, and then I’ll hit a nice smooth winner that you just won’t be able to get.”

Examples of World Class Baseliners, Past and Present:

Men: Bjorn Borg, Ivan Lendl, Jimmy Connors, Andre Agassi, Rafael Nadal.

Women: Chris Evert, Monica Seles, Steffi Graf.

Let’s next take a look at the ‘Serve-and-Volley Player’ aka ‘Serve-and-Volleyer’. A Serve-and-Volleyer does just that. They hit a first serve and immediately follow the serve into the net, where they attempt to utilize their fast hands, good footwork and first-rate volleys to win the point quickly. This usually results in quickly played points. The Serve-and-Volleyer’s goal is to end the point before his opponent even knows what is happening. Strategies of the Serve-and-Volleyer include:

- Using a well-placed, powerful 1st serve to force a weak return from their opponent, followed by a crisp volley to their opponents open court, ending the point.

- Angling 2nd serves wide on both the deuce and ad courts, again opening angles that can be exploited with good volleys.

- Using well-placed approach shots that will force weak return shots and/or lobs, which can be put away quickly.

- Constantly pressuring their opponent by coming in on every serve and return possible.

The Serve-and-Volleyer’s creed may read something like this:

“I’m coming to the net. I am going to come to the net all day long, behind my serves and behind your returns, so you’ve got two choices: pass me or lob me, because if I get to that ball I’m gonna put it away with a volley or overhead smash.”

Examples of World Class Serve and Volleyers:

- Men: John McEnroe, Stefan Edberg, Goran Ivanisevic

- Women: Billie-Jean King, Martina Navratilova, Jana Novotna, Amelie Mauresmo.

Lastly, there is the all-court player. There is nothing that the all-court player won’t do to win a point. If they are playing on a fast surface, like the grass at Wimbledon, they can serve-and-volley. On the slow red clay of Rolland Garros at the French Open, they can slug it out from the baseline. On hard courts, they can mix it up and do both, sometimes choosing one style over the other based on the style of their opponent.

Strategies of the all-court player are varied:

- They can adapt their style of play dependent upon surface, opponent, etc.

- Can surprise opponents by serving-and-volleying on one point, and then sticking to the baseline on the next.

- Have the ability to attack short balls and turn a baseline point into an approach to the net.

- Have the ability to play offensively and defensively with roughly equal skill.

Examples of World Class All-Court Players:

Men: Rod Laver, Pete Sampras, Roger Federer

Women: Martina Hingis, Justine Henin, Daniela Hantuchova

Note that Rod Laver, Pete Sampras and Roger Federer have all been hailed as the greatest players of their generation. They had solid all-court games and could play the way they needed play in whatever circumstances they found themselves in. Sampras, an all-courter and holder of the most Grand Slam Singles titles in history was always the favorite on grass and hard courts in his heyday; yet he never won on the clay at the French Open. Bjorn Borg, a baseliner, won 6 French Opens on the slow clay that suited his game; yet he dominated the grass of Wimbledon for 5 straight years, proving that adapting to a surface outside your normal style of play is definitely possible. Even so, a title on the hard courts of Flushing Meadows at the U.S. Open eluded him his entire career.

The different styles of play, and different surfaces that tournaments are played on, contribute to the wonderful flavor of this game we all love so much. Take some time and figure out what your strengths and weaknesses are; then find a style of play that maximizes the strong parts of your game, while you continue to work on areas that need improvement.

To Your Massive Tennis Success,

Coach Kyril

Kyril Popoff is a former NCAA Div1 All-Conference Tennis Player, Instructor, Coach and Author.

His books include THE TEN LAWS OF TENNIS SUCCESS and FOCUS & WIN: WHY YOUR TENNIS GAME ISN’T WHERE YOU WANT IT TO BE, & WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT!

You can sign up for Coach Kyril’s Tennis Lessons, Tips & Tricks newsletter at:
http://www.coachkyriltennis.com

If the men’s honours board at Wimbledon is to be dominated by two names, the ladies’ equivalent is principally dominated by one: Williams. Venus and Serena have now won now seven of the last nine titles at the All England club and been runner-up four times between them in that time.

It is the kind of dominance that once seemed likely at all the grand slams. Venus reached the final of her first US open in 1997 and her sister won at Flushing Meadows at just her second attempt in 1999. Their 2001 final clash at their home grand slam was expected to be the first of many showdowns for the major trophies.

It is hard to say they have underachieved - Venus is five time Wimbledon winner and her record at SW19 deserves comparisons with Martina Navratilova and Steffi Graf, whilst Serena is in a select band to have won all four majors - but the expected period of dominance has not materialised.

The reasons for this are varied, ranging from injury and personal tragedy to an apparent loss of interest in the game. The pair are famed for their interest in the fashion and entertainment industries, with Serena herself one professing to be ‘part tennis player, part actress’. They also had multiple grand slam winners Martina Hingis and Justine Henin as opposition.

It is ironic that the more driven and focused Hingis and Henin retired earlier from the sport rather than the Williams sisters. This is perhaps due to those other interests and they now appear to enjoy the game more than they ever have done. At 28 and 26 they might be looking towards the end of their career, but the initial opportunity for family dominance again appears possible.

They have have the ability to win tournaments with little preparation (Serena notably won the Australian open last year with no significant practice) which says much about their natural skill and match play prowess. However, both appeared fully focused at Wimbledon and their desire to make history and leave a family legacy suggests they are ready to mount serious assaults on the other majors.

Venus has two US open titles to go with her five Wimbledon crowns, going past the quarter finals just once at Roland Garros and it is apparent that Serena is better-suited to succeed on clay and hard courts. However, the retirement of Henin has removed a major obstacle to progress at the majors and no other player is equipped to compete with the sisters’ power as the Belgian was. Maria Sharapova is still inconsistent and Serbian stars Ana Ivanovic and Jelena Jankovic struggled to justify their seedings at Wimbledon.

A more comprehensive schedule on tour next season should see Venus and Serena improve on respective world rankings of seventh and fifth, although one suspects they are happy as long as they are on opposite sides of grand slam draws. If that is the case at the US open later this month, I will not be betting against another family affair in the final.

The reaction to last Monday’s victory by Andy Murray over Richard Gasquet was truly that of Murray mania.

To come back from 2 sets and a break down in the third set was in some peoples eyes bordering on Superman like proportions and when at the end of the match Murray rolled up his sleeve to display his biceps in an incredible Hulk like bodybuilder pose we all wondered whether the British number 1 really had a shot at the Wimbledon title.

That was quickly extinguished 2 days later when he was soundly beaten by Rafa Nadal in 3 one-sided sets which brought the reality back to the situation and made everybody realise exactly where Murray was in the pecking order of tennis at this point in time.

But what happened in that match with Gasquet, after all he was two sets up and indeed served for the match at 5 games to 4. Having not been troubled up to that point on his serve he was broken, lost the set and then lost the match - Did Gasquet CHOKE?

Firstly let’s look at what choking is.

Choking is typically when a player who performs well in the practise situation is unable to perform anywhere near the same level in competition. It can also apply to a player who can play well in matches when there is little or no pressure but “chokes” when faced with match situations that have more pressure.

This was the case with Gasquet who was coasting up to the point when he needed to play well to finish the match and then was unable to perform at the required level.

Typically players who choke become so nervous and filled with anxiety that they lose all “feel” for the ball. Feelings of self-doubt and anxiety set in and performance levels drop.

The first thing to realise is that choking is a mental problem, however your ability to take your “practice game” to the court, is critical if you want to be successful.

Here is how you can overcome choking

Focus on the process, not the outcome

Most of the stress you will feel will be generated by paying too much attention to the end result. The biggest hurdle you need to overcome is the fear of failure. You need to learn how to focus on processes such as improving your first serve percentage or bending your knees on your shots or even reminding yourself about your game plan and what has possibly got you into a winning situation rather than the win or lose end-scenarios and “what ifs.”

Practice in conditions that mimic competition

Try to do “simulation” training to get ready for matches. Practice is always more effective if you can mimic competition conditions. You can practise serving out for a match, maybe even starting from 0-30 to add a bit of pressure to the situation. If you do this often enough you become used to it.

This is precisely why players are encouraged to start competing at an early age - to get used to it!!

Stop Caring

The best players don’t have any cares or worries about performance and are then able to play free (champions mentality). How many times have you seen a player at the point of defeat suddenly play amazingly well because the “they just don’t care”?

Bjorn Borg who was one of the best “big-point” players in history put his success down to going for his shots because ultimately in the scheme of things it “didn’t matter whether he won or lost”

Have a game plan

You should always have a game plan in place.

Even if you don’t know your opponent you can construct a simple game plan to try to play to your strengths.

By making as many decisions as you can ahead of the match is good because decisions making can become difficult in the “heat” of competition.

NEVER expect to choke

Your expectations have a massive impact on your end performance. If you go into a match expecting to lose or choke then you are probably going to.

Try to recall situations in the past when you played well and played great shots.

Write those down in a notebook and read them regularly to remind yourself of them and they will stay at the front of your mind whilst pushing any negative thoughts further back.

Paul Gold is a licensed tennis coach and is a Performance Enhancement Specialist and Speed Agility Quickness trainer.

For information about products and services contact via http://www.tennis-training-central.com (FREE Top 10 tennis training tips)

ebooks available at - http://www.tennis-training-central.com/products.html

Before starting any exercise program, always be sure to first consult your physician

One week after the conclusion of this year’s last grand slam in the 2008 WTA tour and with very few tournaments remaining, we find the current top five shared by two Russians, two Serbians and one American player.

Both Russian players Elena Dementieva and Dinara Safina who are in the fourth and fifth position respectively and whose career breakthrough year has been the present tour have shown incredible determination beating well-known opponents on all surfaces. Dementieva, who is in her mid twenties reached this year a career high raking at the number four position and holds a singles record of 469-232 and she is also a gold medallist holder. On the other hand, there is Dinara Safina who is only twenty-two years and already has eight single WTA titles and four ITF wins to her name. Safina’s best performances have been at this year’s French Open final where she played Ana Ivanovic and at the recent US Open semi final.

Then we move to the top three standing where there are the best two female Serbian players Ivanovic, who has already been in the number one position and her partner, Jankovic who has also had a spectacular year as her injuries stop troubling her. She has been able to improve her game while surpassing some of the best players in the tour. Currently, there is a point difference of approximately 400 (plus) between the number two and the number three and even a shorter gap between Jankovic and the number one leading lady, Serena Williams, who is up by not more than 125 points.

Once the former number one the Belgian Justin Henin announced her sudden retirement, a few months ago, the WTA rankings began to move up and down from that point forward. Players such; Maria Sharapova, Ana Ivanovic, Jelena Jankovic and now Serena Williams have occupied this position but for the shortest periods compare to the many weeks Justin retained her leadership. There is no doubt, this could be a healthy way to allow the new growing talent to pursuit the top positions but we have not yet seemed which of these ladies could become the best player to remember.

Currently, in the top five ranking there are still many uncertainties regarding injuries, program issues with some of the tournaments remaining, and even with the players not being constant at their play. Regardless of what happens next in the tour we would really enjoy seeing a new era where one of the female tennis players reacts and steps up as the new queen. Could this really happen? Perhaps not yet, as if we look back we see four different ladies winning this year’ Slams; Sharapova took the Australian Open, Ivanovic crowned herself in Paris, then Venus Williams retained her title at Wimbledon and Serena returned to the podium in New York City.

The 2008 WTA tour will end within a couple of months therefore it is likely the rankings will not change much in the coming weeks, but one thing is certain and that is we hope for one of them to establish herself as other women have done it in the past…as we, the tennis fans, will like to see a new tennis legend rise to the top.

Claudia Beckford provides outstanding and current content to sports enthusiast in the sports betting industry. http://www.instantactionsport.com/uk/

The La Cienega Tennis Center is the key tennis facility in Beverly Hills, California. As the recipient of the United States Tennis Association’s Outstanding Public Facility Award and winner of the 2003 “Best Tennis Courts” award by Los Angeles Magazine, the tennis center has been home to the Beverly Hills Tennis club for the past decade. The La Cienega Tennis Center has 16 courts, out of which 4 are used by the Beverly Hills Tennis facility for daily private lessons.

The full-service Pro Shop at La Cienega Tennis Center is also operated by Beverly Hills Tennis. The tennis center is open to the public and doesn’t require any membership to use the facilities.

Facilities and services offered at the La Cienega Tennis Center include private lessons and 75 different junior and adult classes. The 16 courts are well-lit and professional-grade, with the center court providing shaded seating for 300 spectators. There’s an outdoor deck area for viewers as well.

The Pro Shop has a lounge area for leisurely observers. Professionally certified staff are available for instruction and training at the La Cienega Tennis Center. Multi-purpose rooms are also available on rent, for small gatherings and meetings. A year-round program handles camps, classes and tournaments at the center and with a Leisure Services card, you can reserve courts up to four days in advance.

The La Cienega Tennis Center is located on South La Cienega Boulevard and is a municipal facility. Guests are welcome to attend classes for $8.50 per hour on weekdays between 7:00 am and 4:00 pm or $9.75 per hour during weekdays between 5:00pm and 10:00pm. The center and its training programs are available all throughout the weekends as well.

If you are in Beverly Hills for business or a quiet vacation, you should it out at your leisure. The Beverly Hills hotel you’re staying at could arrange some passes if you ask the concierge. If you are staying at a luxury hotel, the concierge services will also arrange transportation and other surrounding area sightseeing itineraries for you.

Naveen Marasinghe is an e-marketing executive at eMarketingEye(Private) Ltd. eMarketingeEye is an search engine marketing company offering integrated Internet marketing solutions, specializing in serving the online travel and hospitality industry. (http://www.emarketingeye.com/)