Sandy Mittleman Junior Insight
Seasonal Transition:
As April arrives and the season
becomes spring, the top juniors in
the world will now set their sights
on outdoor tennis, and with that
comes a physical, mental and
possibly tactical change. The
players now begin to cope with the
elements. Some of the elements the
players will prepare for are the
wind, sun, climate change, and
surface change.
Depending on the tournament
structure, the players may have to
play more than one match per day,
and will certainly have to if
playing doubles.
With this in mind, weather in some
countries can change by the hour. If
the weather is sunny and hot in the
morning, the players can expect the
ball to move a little quicker
through the air. If the weather
becomes a little more overcast and
cool, the players can expect the
ball to get slower and heavier. With
these changes, comes the possibility
of adjustment in string tension.
Usually, the warmer the temperature,
the faster the ball moves, and then
the players probably prefer a
tighter-strung racket. If the
climate changes and the temperature
drops and gets cooler, the players
may consider a looser string tension
as the balls might move slower
through the air and get heavy.
Climate change also may bring on
tactical change. The warmer the
temperature, the faster the balls
move, the more aggressive a player
can get tactically, for example,
trying to move forward more,
occasionally serve and volley,
playing first strike tennis.
When the temperature drops and the
play gets slower the players need to
begin to think about playing on the
steadier side; defensive thinking
comes into play.
One of the tougher parts of moving
to outdoor tournament play is the
wind factor. Sometimes, just the
fact that you either typically train
somewhere where there is often wind,
or you are from a place where there
can often be wind can be a big
advantage, as wind is often
difficult for players to adapt to.
The first thing a player has to
concern themselves with is how the
wind is blowing, is it north-south,
east-west, or swirling. The first
adjustment the players will make in
the wind is increasing their margin
of error.
Usually this will mean better
clearance over the net, and playing
much more inside the lines.
I remember a few years ago hearing
Roger Federer being interviewed
after a 5 set win over Andre Agassi
at the US Open in winds that gusted
up to 40 plus MPH, that he felt at
times like they were just playing
warm up tennis, as all the were
doing was hitting the ball back and
forth down the middle, because with
such high winds, they had no idea
where the ball would end up if they
played anywhere near the lines.
So as you head outside for the
spring and summer season, don't
forget when training to consider the
entire element changes that can and
may occur while competing. Drink a
lot of water, eat properly, have
enough clothes for any necessary
changes during a day, make sure your
equipment is prepared, and maybe
most importantly of all, be mentally
prepared for any kind of condition
changes, at anytime. The more
players relish the unforeseen, the
more likely they will be to succeed
in the ELEMENTS!
Sandy Mittleman
Head Coach
MAC/Bolletieri Alliance
(978) 526.8900 Ext 209
www.MittlemanTennis.com
