this represents a player’s approach to playing a match, taking into account his strengths and weaknesses in all aspects of the game and comparing it with those of his opponent. It also covers proper decision making on court from situation to situation, both in between points and within specific points.
Maximize the spaces where you can possibly hit your shots while minimizing your opponent’s. This is done by proper court positioning and shot placement. Basically, the more you control the centre of the court, the better off you are. Also, the deeper your shots, the better. Another thing to remember is that the more you push your opponent back and the more you move forward, the better your chance of winning the point.
Use your strengths and exploit your opponent’s weakness as much as possible. Corollary to this, minimize exposing your own weakness while avoid feeding or playing into your opponent’s strengths.
Be decisive about what to do before the point starts and commit to your shots once the ball is in play. Before the point, you should know where to serve and what kind of serve to hit or where to stand for the return and what kind of return to hit.
Proper court positioning is dependent on where your opponent is and what shot he or she will be hitting. As much as possible, you should be standing at a place that bisects the possible angles of your opponent’s shot.
Fundamentals of Tennis: Concentration and focus –
this is also usually called mental toughness.
Focus only on the things that matter. Usually, that would be the ball.
Don’t be distracted by things that you cannot control like the crowd and the atmospheric conditions.
Be calm, but be determined.
Learn how to deal with pressure situations and this includes handling bouts of nervousness.
Deal with the fear of playing a better opponent or the fear of losing to someone who you think is inferior to you. Just enjoy the game because no one wins by playing in fear.
Respect all opponents as well as the umpire, linesmen and ball kids.
The fundamentals of tennis should be inculcated at the beginning of a player’s development. There is no substitute for having the correct foundation when your objective is to build as much success as possible.
