Three improvements that helped her win a first Grand Slam title.
1. Don’t Go to the Well Too Often
Mauresmo has one of the best backhands in women’s tennis. She can do anything with it—crush a drive, roll a loop, or carve a slice. Still, there have been times when she’s leaned too heavily on that shot. It’s so much better than her forehand that she would unload on every backhand that came her way. She would litter the stat sheet with lots of winners and errors off that side. Shoring up her forehand has allowed Mauresmo to be more selective about when she goes for her backhand. In turn, she has become more consistent. She hasn’t done anything different as far as technique on her forehand, but through practice it’s become a more reliable shot. If you’ve got a weapon such as a big forehand or first serve and you become too reliant on it, when it misfires so does your entire game. Taking the time to strengthen a weakness will put less pressure on you to constantly make an impact with your go-to shots.
2. Move Forward in the Court
Growing up on clay and possessing long, flashy strokes, Mauresmo has always preferred to play 8 to 10 feet behind the baseline. Although it’s an effective style, it’s made it more difficult for her to hit winners, and being far back in the court has limited her opportunities to get to net. That’s unfortunate, because she has solid volleys. But lately, Mauresmo is doing a nice job of playing closer to the baseline. This makes her shots more penetrating and cuts down on the amount of court she has to cover. It also gives her opportunities to get to net and play an all-court game. If you’re constantly hitting your ground strokes from way behind the baseline, you’re going to play a passive, reactive game. And when you have success with a certain style, it’s difficult to make changes. But having the ability to take the ball a little earlier once in a while will open up different hitting options for you and put added pressure on your opponents.
3. Believe in Yourself
For several years Mauresmo was labeled the best player never to win a Slam. Many people even called her a choker. But Mauresmo kept working on her game and continued to challenge for the biggest titles. That perseverance paid off when she won her first major at the 2006 Australian Open. Very few of us have so-called experts writing about our tennis and judging our mistakes every week, but the most important critic is the voice inside our heads. If you keep telling yourself that you’re not capable of beating a certain opponent or learning that new shot, you just might start to believe it. Instead, realize that the slightest improvement can make a big difference in your game. Being positive and tenacious will serve you well.