Lessons from my Tennis Idol
If you were to ask me why I loved him so much as a kid, I couldn’t tell you. But I can tell you that I subconsciously modeled my game after him — and it’s taken me nearly 2 years of training as an adult to realize that’s the game I need to get back to emulating.
The one, the only, Andre Agassi.
Maybe it was something about his no-nonsense walk after a point (which I later read was due to crippling pain in his back), or the way he stood out from the standard tennis culture, but I loved him.
I also happened to name my US Open quest after his autobiography “Open” — which I highly recommend.
Rediscovering my Game
For the last few weeks I’ve been recording every practice match / tournament I’ve played (and sharing them with my opponents as a thank-you), and after a tough tournament match last night, realized I was playing without a solid gameplan.
As in, what am I trying to accomplish in every point? What strength of mine am I trying to guide it towards? After watching enough matches, not only was I struggling with playing scared, but playing without a purpose.
That works up to a certain level, but hitting 8 feet back from the baseline just ‘getting it back’, or slapping a mild-mannered shot up the middle off an easier ball gives an advantage I could have had right back to my opponent.
This point really showed me two key changes to make in my game — and what Agassi did so damn well.
- Step In. For the majority of this point I’m a good 8 feet behind the baseline, like a good retriever just getting it back.
- Stay Aggressive. What were those tame forehands about? And what was that slice backhand or half-hearted passing shot (prior to the last shot)? All of these simply gave my opponent control!
My opponent took advantage of these faults throughout the match, and I lost. But I’ll consider it a win if, next time I step on court, I can stay toes-to-baseline and fix those errors!
What strategic errors do you strive to fix in your game?
