HOW TO PLAY GRASSCOURT TENNIS

Grass court tennis is a challenge like no other. A lightning-fast, slippy surface, with poor traction and poor grip. It presents a challenge to even the most seasoned and experienced tennis players. What works on the other surfaces doesn’t on grass courts. Grass can throw the form book on its head such is its difference from regular tennis court surfaces. The blue riband event in professional tennis is the Wimbledon Championships which take place in London, England last week of June and early July. If you are lucky enough to play on grass this summer here are some tips.

INVEST IN YOUR SLICE

If there is one shot that is effective on the grass courts, it is the slice. A good slice will stay low across the net and on grass skid upon impact which makes it so difficult to defend against. Tall players find it especially difficult to get down low time and time again to get the ball up over the net. Nadal had trouble years ago with his defense on this shot. His knees were not in great shape and he really struggled on the grass to get down for every ball. Work on your slice, learn to really cut into the ball and be aggressive and aim to vary your slice depth and the direction of the slice. Avoid slicing into the forehand too much and try and swing the slice away from the player.

BEEF UP YOUR SERVE

With the nature of grass, players who take the bull by the horns in the rallies will be rewarded. Attacking players will often win the rallies on grass. A big serve is useful to do this. It affords the opportunity to the server to get a slight advantage on the court and get the edge early in the rally. Grass court tennis is notoriously bumpy and often the big serves will hit those bumps and skid through the court. Even if you don’t get an ace, the serves are hard to return and certainly, returns can be less potent.

PIMPLED TENNIS SHOES

We have already mentioned that grass is a slippy surface and traction sometimes can be tough. The Wimbledon courts especially early in the championships can be greasy. Grass court tennis shoes are the perfect tonic. Instead of the usual herringbone pattern on regular tennis shoes, grass tennis court shoes have pimples designed to give a good grip on the green stuff. If you want confidence on grass, then pimpled shoes are an absolute must.