This is the final installment of the common habits that the very best players at Adult Senior tennis have in common. I arrived at this list by paying close attention to what the very best players in each open age group division do in order to compete successfully at that level. The cool thing is that anyone can do these things with a little intentional effort.
9. They Can See Past the Net
A tennis match involves two people or teams. That means the players on the other side of the net have a profound impact on the tactics that will be effective. Additionally, those conditions are highly dynamic as the players make adjustments in strategy.
The phrase I use to describe a player who isn’t good at this habit is that they can’t see past the tip of their nose. It doesn’t matter who they are playing, they use a standard set of shots and tactics. That player will not notice if their opponent is struggling with a shot or has an injury that is hampering mobility. They won’t recognize if they are playing to their opponent’s strengths when there is a perfectly good weakness to attack.
The very best players have a razor sharp understanding of what is happening on both sides of the net and consistently make adjustments accordingly. If their opponent loses confidence in a stroke, they will feed them a steady diet of that until it is corrected. If the player on the other side of the net starts to cramp or suffer loss of condition, long points and drop shots will ensue.
These adjustments can be incredibly subtle. When I do the deep dive on this habit later in 2023, I have a very good example of a match between Shelly Works and Mariana Metola from the 2022 National Women’s Senior Clay Court Championships. Both players made highly dynamic adjustments throughout the course of that 5+ hour three set match.
10. Routines and Systems
The top senior players have routines and systems that support a consistent state of performance. The USTA Player Development Journal was produced by the organization as a turnkey system for collecting and analyzing information. In fact, the data collected by using that artifact drives some of the habits I have observed in the top senior players.
Other examples of systems include patterns of thoughts between points and during changeovers. I use a simple Past-Present-Future model. In other words after each point I think through what just happened and why. My thoughts then move to the score and current situation in the match. Finally I develop an intentional plan for the next point. That is but one of many potential systems that can be used.
There are a lot of systems and these vary between players. Some players have pre-match routines to help them start each match in the right mindset. I have also noticed that many players have a routine for deep breathing to settle their nerves.
The very best players have developed systems that support performance at their highest level. We should too.
11. Love the Game
It may seem obvious, but the people that have travelled a great distance to compete in a National Level tournament simply love tennis. If they get a bye or walkover, they still hang out at the courts that day. While some of this can be to scout prospective opponents, I have noticed that the best senior players watch competitive matches across all divisions.
When the top players are eliminated early, the very best usually stay for the remainder of the tournament watching the rest of the matches. They also come to the courts ready for tennis just in case anyone else needs a hit. These people live and breathe tennis.
12. Support the Tennis Ecosystem
The final common attribute that I have observed in the very best senior tennis players is that they don’t take anything for granted. They have a sharp awareness that the tennis ecosystem depends on everybody working together to make competition in the sport possible.
While there is a high degree of activism and advocacy in senior tennis, the best players also pay it forward by supporting quick start programs, working as officials, and getting involved with their local CTAs. They support tennis at the grassroots level doing whatever they can to help.
The very best tennis players understand that their involvement is needed to preserve the future of the sport.
Finishing Shots
This concludes my initial treatment of the 12 habits of highly successful tennis players. I plan to do a deep dive on each of these habits on the first Friday of each month in 2023.
The glorious thing about this list is that these are things that anybody can do. Consistently embracing and applying these habits will lead to a higher level of performance. Along the way, it will also make the tennis ecosystem a little better.
