1. Maintain discretion
I worked with Pierce back in 1996, and her most glaring weakness then, as it still is today, was her movement. She tries to take this limitation out of the equation by being very offensive. When Pierce controls the action, it’s her opponents who are doing the running. The problem is that sometimes she’s too aggressive and goes for winners on just about every shot. While she often gets hot and blows her opponent away, when she misfires, it’s ugly.
Pierce always plays her best when she brings a sensible game to the court. She stays aggressive, but on the defensive she doesn’t go for too much; she’s patient and waits for a ball in her strike zone before pulling the trigger. Even great offensive players need to discriminate. If you play an all-or-nothing style, it’ll be difficult for you to maintain consistency.
2. Raise your fitness level
By pro tennis standards, being over 30 years old makes Pierce ancient. And after more than 15 years on tour, it’s tough for her to adopt new habits. But like Andre Agassi, at a late stage in her career Pierce has dedicated herself to getting into excellent condition, which has improved her court coverage and given her the endurance to stay in points longer. She’s never going to cover the court the way Kim Clijsters does, but with her style she doesn’t need to. And for a player who’s prone to injuries, improving her fitness has kept Pierce healthier. No matter what your age or ability level, if you want to play well, you’ve got to spend some time off the court getting in shape. Not only will it help your performance when you play, it will also help keep you from getting hurt.
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3. Play at your own pace*
Much has been made of Pierce’s various quirks during a match, particularly the extensive time she takes between points. Is she doing it to get under her opponent’s skin? Possibly. But as I said, I’ve worked with her, and one thing Pierce knows is how she likes to play. She never allows herself to feel rushed. She likes to strategize and regroup between points, which isn’t a bad thing. If this upsets her opponent, Pierce is oblivious. She’s busy focusing on herself. Too many times players lose a point, get frustrated, and rush right into another one. One lost point can quickly turn into a string of them, and before long you’ve handed away a couple of games. I’m not saying you should stall, but good players know how to manage a match. If you’re playing well and your opponent is reeling, you might want to speed things up. Other times, when you’re the one in trouble, you’re better off slowing things down and regrouping.