Winners in the Warm-Up

Yesterday, I shared how one of the more entertaining parts of writing this blog is the stories that readers share. This is our second post of this weekend that was sparked by one of those. Last weekend, a comment on this blog’s Facebook page described an opponent who decided to “win the warm-up” by hitting nothing but winners. In this case, the reader confronted the player by basically throwing up her hands and insisting they start the match. It is a reasonable response to a warm-up that is shaping up to be a complete waste of time.

I have personally experienced this phenomenon and have also observed it a few times when my daughter was playing junior tennis. While it is easy to assume poor intent and conclude that the purpose is intimidation, in many cases, it could also be a sign that the other player lacks very good control over their shots. However, in the case of the story I was relayed in this instance, her over-aggressive opponent responded back with the idea that you warm up the way you play.

No, you don’t. The principle she was probably thinking of is that you play like you practice. However, the cooperative tennis warm-up is not a practice. The etiquette and behavioral code of the sport is that the prelude to the match is for both players to gently get into the flow of the physical movements before the competition officially begins. Any player who thinks that it is a chance for them to practice their best shots doesn’t understand the unwritten rules of tennis.

In addition to poor sportsmanship, I also think that playing your best shots during the warm-up is dumb. If my opponent wants to show me their A-game before the match begins, they’re giving me an early look at exactly what their real shots look like. That is essentially the same thing as handing me a scouting report before the first point. If they have any quirks or tells that give away the upcoming location of their ball, I have a chance to spot that sooner. If they favor certain locations, I’ll pick that up too. A cooperative warm-up that turns into a highlight reel can reveal a lot of helpful information.

In college tennis, players hitting nothing but winners in the warm-up became such a rampant problem that the ITA eventually eliminated the practice altogether. Rather than the charade of a cooperative session, those players warm up exclusively with their own team, as athletes do in every other college sport. When players walk onto the court for a college tennis match, they execute the toss to decide who serves and which side, and then immediately begin.

For the rest of us, the standard in tennis is a cooperative warmup. Intentionally hitting winners in that setting is considered rude and a breach of etiquette. If excessive winners are taken, at least there is the solace of knowing exactly what kind of person you’re facing. Sometimes it’s better to learn early that your opponent is a… (well, I’ll let you supply your own word here) as early as possible. It eliminates later misunderstandings.