After some new tennis literature? Good news, there is a new tennis book out this week. Game, Set and Match – Secret Weapons of the World’s Top Tennis Players is written by Mark Hodgkinson, a tennis journalist and author based in London. The book collects a whole host of insights and tips from some of the world’s top tennis players and coaches, both past and present. The book covers many different topics which include…
- Selecting the right strings and tension
- Dealing with voicers in your head
- Choosing a doubles partner
- Attacking with a one-handed backhand
- How to be a good tennis parent
- Coping with double faults
- Getting started in wheelchair tennis
- How to hit the lines on your serve
- The perfect drop shot
- How to play a volley
- Getting in shape for tennis
- Disguising your serve
- How to serve and run around your backhand
- Serving out the match
- Thinking like a champion
The book has tips from an eclectic mix of players including the likes of Sabine Lisicki, Petra Kvitova, Madison Keys, Steffi Graf, Robin Haase, Eugenie Bouchard, Rod Laver, Dominic Thiem, Maria Kirilenko, Esther Vergeer, Maria Sharapova, Urszula Radwanska, Sergiy Stakhovsky, Goran Ivanisevic, Martina Navratilova, Andrea Petkovic, Brian Baker, Virginia Wade, Belinda Bencic, Jiri Vesely, Caroline Garcia, Ana Konjuh, Jonny Marray, the Bryan Brothers, Sania Mirza, Judy Murray, Mark Petchey, Lynette Federer, Serena Williams, Kimiko Date-Krumm, Greg Rusedski andddd Mo Lahyani(!). It is a fascinating read with plenty of interesting tips and stories. Here are a few small snippets to whet the appetite…
Ernests Gulbis on how to hit the ball hard
I have naturally clean shots without any robotic movements and that’s why I can hit the ball hard… Technique is the most important thing. Many coaches don’t understand that. They work on fitness, they work on strength, but I believe that everything starts with technique. And then you can build the rest.
Grigor Dimitrov on how to play a tweener
You can really enjoy these shots. My coach wouldn’t necessarily find it more satisfying if I hit a winner with a tweener rather than a regular shot. He would give me so much s**t afterwards.
Elena Baltacha on how to stand up for yourself
I played Maria Sharapova in Memphis once. She started her mind games before the match – she didn’t give me a proper warm-up as she was just smacking the ball all over the place, or hitting the ball right at me, and not giving me any rhythm. It was bang, bang, bang. So I thought to myself “Do you know what? I don’t care who you are. I’m not going to make any eye contact with you”. Once the match started , I got a good tempo going, and I was playing well , and so I started shouting out “C’mon” in Russian. I was screaming it.
Moo's Tennis Blog 