Tips for playing smart tennis in bad weather and tricky conditions
Whether you’re playing to win or having a friendly hit, here’s how to play better tennis in wind, rain or glaring sun…
Let’s face it, the Great British weather often makes playing tennis outdoors a bit of a challenge. But club level players are hardy sorts and it takes more than an icy downpour or a gale-force wind to make us cancel a match…
It doesn’t make things easy on the court, though - especially if we don’t adapt our game to the tricky conditions. Here I’ve put together my top tips for playing smarter tennis come rain or (too much) shine, whether for a friendly hit or a competitive match-up…
Enjoying a friendly hit - or playing to win?
The first question is, how competitive is your match? Are you just having a friendly knock-about, so the object is for you both to cope with the conditions together? If so, you’ll want to make things easier for your partner to get the ball back so you can keep the rallies going and have an enjoyable hit..
Alternatively, if you’re playing a must-win match you’ll want to do the exact opposite: exploit the conditions to your advantage and make life as difficult and uncomfortable for your opponent as possible! So while some of my tips below apply to all types of play, I’ve labelled others specifically for ‘Playing to win’.
Playing to win in bad conditions - three general pointers
1. Choose an end at the racket-spin
Normally the winner of the racket-spin chooses either to serve or receive first. But my advice for when the weather is a big factor is to instead choose which end to start at.
Check the conditions carefully. Which direction is the wind blowing? What end has the glaring sun? Where are the puddles on the baseline?
Now, the endless changing ends in tennis is designed to ensure that conditions are fair for both players over the course of the match, but the first few games can be crucial psychologically so it’s always nice to get off to a good comfortable start. Funnily enough, my preference is to start at the end with the worst conditions. That way I get rid of the first tricky game and have less time in the bad conditions in those important first three games and hopefully take a quick 2-1 lead. But you may prefer to start at the good end and get 1-0 up straight away.
It’s a matter of personal inclination, but the key thing is to be aware of the conditions and make a decision that suits your game and psychology.
2. Be prepared to ‘win ugly’
Let’s not beat about the bush, winning tennis outside can sometimes mean winning ugly. You can’t play your preferred A-game in a howling hurricane, and even a little light rain or a low sun can seriously affect things.
If you’re being competitive, it’s really about being open-minded, not slavishly sticking to your usual gameplans – and instead finding a way to adapt your technique, mindset and tactics to get a winning edge.
3. Enjoy the challenge
If you’re an outdoor tennis player, the weather is just part of the deal and never an excuse to play badly. If your game relies on ideal conditions to function, you’ll be constantly frustrated and your tennis won’t develop.
Avoid getting into a negative mindset where you think ‘oh this is impossible, I can’t play properly’, rather, think positively and focus on how you can use the conditions to your advantage and against your opponent.
And playing in lots of different conditions is great for teaching you to adapt, which will stand you in good stead for dealing with other challenges that tennis throws up: different opponents, new surfaces little injury niggles you might need to manage…anything that can throw your ‘perfect game’ off. You’ll learn to be flexible, open-minded and ready to sail through any storm.
Playing tennis in windy conditions
Extra footwork
The first thing to think about in windy conditions is your footwork. Regardless of whether you’re having a friendly hit or playing competitively, being more aware of your footwork is key to helping you deal with the swirling ball.
You need to be on your toes and make lots of little extra steps, ready to move your feet at the very last second when the wind carries the ball in an unexpected way.
Play to the wind direction
Now think about the wind direction.This will have a big affect on how you should hit the ball.
If the wind is behind you, the ball can travel through the air much further, so you need to add more topsin than normal for that extra safety of keeping your shots in.
When the wind is against you, you have more freedom to go for it and hit through the ball, which will prevent the wind keeping them too short.
If it’s blowing side to side, be cautious about hitting shots too close to the line where the wind can carry them out. Extra topspin will help with this, but also allow a greater margin for error with your placement: you may want to aim a foot inside the line on very gusty days.
Smart serving
As for serving in windy conditions, one of the most common problems is getting the ball toss right. Throw slightly lower than usual, so there’s less time for the ball to go off course (be aware that this will mean speeding up your action slightly).
If the wind is behind you, avoid the hopeful ‘ploppy’ serve that you have little control of, and instead try to add spin to keep the ball from floating out. When serving against the wind you can have more fun and let rip with a flatter serve. In side winds, just be aware of the direction and stay well within the lines.
Tips when playing to win in the wind:
Expect the unexpected – be prepared not to commit too much to where your natural instincts expect the ball to be. In howling conditions it won’t go where you think, so you need to be open-minded, flexible and ready to make multiple last-second adjustments to your positioning.
Play shorter points – the longer the rally the greater the number of difficult balls you’ll have to deal with. So get to the net and hit balls out the air where you can.
Look for weaknesses – keep an eye on particular areas where your opponent is really struggling to adapt to the wind. For example, if they’re hitting forehands long with the breeze behind them, keep giving them opportunities to make the error.
Playing in the rain and on wet courts
Playing in the rain can be pretty horrible. Water in your eyes, soaking wet clothes, a dangerous slippy court and the balls getting heavier and bouncing lower. But all of that is just the reality of being a committed weekly tennis player in Britain!
Coping with slippery courts…
This is the only time in tennis I’d advise against chasing every ball at max speed. Staying safe and avoiding injury is the priority, so be sensible about which balls you choose to chase down.
Perhaps in a friendly hit you could work on a specific area such as cross-court hitting so you don’t have to move too much.
…and heavy balls
Be aware of the effect the rain has on the balls too. As they get wetter they will become heavier and bounce lower than you’d expect, so it will feel heavier on your strings as you swing through and you won’t need to stand back as far behind the bounce as you normally would do.
Serving in the wet
Looking up into the rain when you’re serving isn’t nice. So throwing the ball lower and speeding up your action will mean less time with raindrops splashing in your eyes.
Tips when playing to win in the wet:
Use the slice – keep the ball low for awkward skiddy shots that skim off the wet surface
Make your opponent move – they’ll be hesitant on their feet too
Aim for the puddles!
Playing with bright sun from one end
Standing down one end of the court staring into a dazzling glare can be brutal, making it impossible to play your usual game. You’re squinting, got spots in your eyes, the person across the net is just a shadow and there is diddly-squat hope of making out where the lines of the court are!
Yes we do admit feeling a little guilty complaining about the sun, but sometimes it’s just not quite in the right place…
Tips when playing to win in glaring sun
This is the only completely asymettrical weather problem: at one end it feels impossible; at the other it’s perfect. So you need to take full advantage when you’re at the good end. Avoid sloppy unforced errors – you want to come away from that end with games on the board, so that you’re not then having to make a comeback from the tough end.
Looking into the sun:
Play a faster game – you don’t want to be staring at the sun too long, dealing with long rallies. Try to quicken the points by taking more risks.
Shorter ball toss – when you’re serving shorten your throw up so you have less time looking up into the glare
Take note of what’s hurting you – be aware of which shots you’re finding difficult and make sure you play those back at your opponent when you get them in the sun.
When your opponent is looking into the sun
Hit higher, spinnier shots – and keep the rally going with your aggressive patience strategy
Use the lob – draw them in and then get them staring into the sun with a high one
Quick returns – step up and try to hit earlier returns. It doesn’t have to be an amazing shot - with any luck, they’re still seeing stars from looking into the sun and you could catch them off guard
…Oh and don’t forget your cap and sunnies!
So next time Carol Kirkwood warns us of some extreme conditions, don’t let it cancel your tennis, instead adapt your game, dress for the occasion and have fun embracing the elements!
See also:
Rallying: 3 top tips every beginner should know
Levelling up tennis mismatches: Fun games for when players have different skill levels
Lizzie Flint is a writer and a practicing level 3 LTA professional tennis coach.
She has been in love with the game since picking up a racquet at the age of four – and she has seen it from every possible angle: playing, analysing and reporting on tennis all over the world. Read more about Lizzie here.
Image Credit: Ingrid Taylar