How to make the most of your weapon

Published by Grant Doyle

Is there a bigger natural weapon in world tennis than Milos Raonic's serve?
The ATP and WTA are full of players who capitalise on a weapon. Make sure you do the same.

The pro tennis tours are filled with examples of players capitalising on their natural weapons. Whether it’s a big serve, beautiful backhand, unmatchable athleticism or unparalleled strategy and anticipation, they’re the special abilities that captivate and delight crowds throughout the world – and more importantly, are often the difference between a player becoming a memorable big name or surviving at a lower level.

They’re also the skills that grassroots and social level players dream about possessing. And the good news, in some instances, is that they do. While you may not possess Milos Raonic’s record-breaking serve or Gael Monfils’ awe-inspiring athleticism, there is almost certainly a natural strength in your game. It will be the stroke or strategy that you most enjoy playing and executing, or the obvious ‘go to’ play when you’re under intense pressure.

Grant Doyle, a former ATP level player and now National Academy Coach at Tennis Australia, says that while there is no point targeting a strength that doesn’t exist, there are opportunities to maximise the best parts of your game. “You can certainly build on natural weapons and make them better,” he says.

Doyle, who won four Grand Slam titles in a world No.1 junior career and coached Sam Querrey and Ryan Harrison before turning his attention to the development of Australian juniors, provides a few pointers to remember when it comes to your natural weapons:

Work on your strengths AND your weaknesses
While it’s temping to spend the most amount of time building the area of your game that works best for you, it’s also important to take an all-encompassing approach to your tennis success. “You need to work on both strengths and weaknesses,” says Doyle. “In the men’s game, for example, it is difficult to be a top 100 player if you have a glaring weakness but its also difficult to make it unless you have weapons.”

Protect your weakness
While knowing your strengths undoubtedly provides you with confidence, it’s an awareness of your weaknesses that can be the difference between a win and a loss. Doyle suggests that you always have some strategies around both your strengths and your weaknesses. “If you have a weak backhand, for example, then you want to avoid getting in backhand cross court rallies. You want to be looking to hit as many backhands as you can down the line, which will force your opponent to go into your strength, which is hopefully your forehand,” he points out. “Another example is to attack their weakness first and not let them get to your weakness.”

Don’t rely on your weapon
You might consistently serve at a much higher speed than your opponents but that won’t necessarily win every match you play. By the same token, a flawless forehand or blistering backhand will only take you so far. “You must continue to develop every part of your game and not believe that a natural weapon will be enough,” says Doyle. “It doesn’t matter whether you’re Rafael Nadal or someone ranked 1000, you must continue to improve because everybody else in the world will get better.”

Consistency creates class
While social level players enjoy building on the standout feature in their games, it’s all-over consistency that often provides the biggest advantage. As Doyle advises: “A natural weapon would be great but consistency at a social level would be the most beneficial.”

Priority placement
There are a number of weapons that will provide you with an edge, but some could be more important than others. “I would say a serve is the best weapon a player can develop, followed by a forehand then a backhand,” says Doyle. “A great serve will enable you to get free points and it’s the only shot that your opponent has no control over.”

Make your move
It’s not only strokes that will aid a player’s success rate, but also their overall mental and physical development. “Movement in today’s game is also crucial to a player’s success,” says Doyle. “If you don’t move well then it doesn’t matter how good your forehand or backhand is.”

Grant Doyle was a world No.1 junior who claimed four junior Grand Slam titles before competing on the ATP Tour. After working on tour with Ryan Harrison and Sam Querrey, he is now National Academy Coach at Tennis Australia.

This article first appeared in Australian Tennis Magazine.

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