Improving your tennis game is an everyday process requiring time and dedication. Ensuring you drill the basic strokes each day, work on fitness and practice playing during the pressure of matches will give you the best chance to improve quickly as a tennis player.
Drill Groundstrokes
Forehand and backhand groundstrokes are fundamental building blocks to every tennis player's game. Practice hitting these shots both crosscourt and down the line. Consistency is paramount with groundstrokes. Every player should be able to routinely hit 25 of each groundstroke in a row without missing. To practice consistency, rally crosscourt with your hitting partner. Once you have hit 10 in a row, play out the point using the entire singles court. Make the drill competitive by playing to 7 points. Only count points when the crosscourt rally reaches 10 shots. After playing crosscourt, use the same drill with a down the line rally.
Serve for Consistency and Placement
Do not neglect your serve. Hit 100 serves each time you practice on court. The benefit of practicing serving is you do not need a partner. At first, practice consistency by attempting to hit 10 second serves in a row anywhere into the box. As you improve, begin to develop more pace, spin and accuracy. Set up three cones in each service box: targets for the wide, body, and T serves. Aim at each cone in turn until you hit 10 serves close to each target.
Work on Fitness
Regardless of your fitness and tennis levels, training for tennis-specific fitness will help propel your game forward. Tennis fitness requires fast bursts and quick recovery. Interval training is one of the best ways to train for tennis. At your local track, sprint the straightaways and jog the curves. Increase your total distance until you can run at least two miles in this manner.
Match Play
Every tennis player will tell you that being able to execute a skill in practice does not necessarily mean you will be able to execute it in a match under pressure. Play points, sets and matches as often as possible to become used to the pressures of competition and to refine your game style and strategies.
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