How to Watch Old Matches

During this time when we’re not getting any live tennis on tv, we’re being gifted with replays of some of the best matches ever played. But because we already know the results of these matches, we can break them down in different ways that can allow us to learn new and fun things about our favorite champions.

My favorite way to watch old matches is to focus on one player at a time. So you have to stop watching the ball and you have to stop caring about the result of the point.

Instead, here are some things to notice while youre focused on just one player:

See how your favorite player finishes their stroke, where and how fast they recover, and how early they prepare for their next shot.

You’ll notice that players are recovering *towards* the middle (not always to the exact middle) as fast as they move to the ball.

You’ll notice that their rackets are back right around the time when you hear their opponent’s contact.

And you’ll also notice that they are taking big fast sprinting steps before *sometimes* taking a couple brake steps as they get ready to crush a groundstroke with balance and strength.

Hopefully it won’t be long before you can take the lessons from watching these great champions and apply them to your own game.

by jason fransen