Tip of the Day: How to best develop your changeover routine

In tennis, players have up to 90 seconds between odd-numbered games, and two minutes between sets, to recompose and hydrate during what are called changeovers. But any competitor knows that there’s a lot more to a changeover than meets the eye.

Just as players can use the 20 seconds between points to release, recover and refocus, changeovers allow for a deeper mental and physical recharge during a match.

A changeover routine follows the same idea—release the last couple of games, recover with deep breaths to relieve the muscles, and refocus by thinking ahead—on a deeper level as the allotted time provides more critical-thinking opportunities.

Read more: When hitting a low point during a match, changing focus can support a momentum shift

Early in a set, it can be easy for players to let their guard down and lose focus: It's easy to think that the high stakes haven’t been met yet and the score is relatively even. But once the first point is played, the match is on, the stakes are up for the taking, and it’s up to the players to decide how long until someone calls “game, set, match.”

For the player leading in the match, keeping the momentum is the biggest task at hand. They do so by analyzing what strategy is going well, where they are giving points away, and thinking about how they want to play the next two games before doing it all again.

This may sound like 90 seconds of running thoughts, but for a player in a clear head space who’s playing well enough to lead the score, this won’t be a 90-second overload.

The player on the losing end, however, is more susceptible to getting overwhelmed, and it is imperative they don’t—a very difficult line to teeter at any level of the game. Thinking about the opponent’s strategies and weakness is always a great use of time during changeovers, but it’s also important to self-reflect: What is working that can be used to go on the attack?

Perhaps up until this point in the match, the serves feel off and the backhand down the line isn’t placing well. Backing off on the serve and going for better placement is one place to start. Being aware of the backhand during points would help a player make sure that a shot down-the-line is only played when there is a big enough target to hit.

Thinking critically and looking for mini-solves, such as playing more patient points or coming into the net more, are great ways for a player keep the mind active during the changeover. (As Troy Bolton would say? 'Keep your head in the game!')

At most, the changeover allows for brief awareness of a player’s match position, and an opportunity to do something about it. Focusing on the match at hand, and limiting trailing thoughts, can allow a player to take advantage of the 90-second opportunity to break apart the match into two games at a time.