Sometimes all a professional tennis player needs is that one defining match or tournament that launches an ascent into the elite ranks. Robby Ginepri has had some significant wins, but he’s still seeking the big moment that will push him over the edge. With help from his coach of three years, Steve DeVries, Ginepri is hoping to become a consistent threat to win each tournament he enters by improving his attacking game and using his big forehand more selectively.
FOREHAND CONSISTENCY
It’s a slippery slope when you try to reign in a player’s offensive nature. “Robby plays an aggressive style and he’s going to make mistakes sometimes,” DeVries says, “and I don’t want him to be afraid to do so.” But DeVries believes that Ginepri can improve on his already fierce forehand by being more selective about when he lets it loose. So he’ll feed Ginepri a series of forehands that he can attack, followed by a series that forces him to be more conservative. And when Ginepri plays practice points, DeVries likes to be positive by pointing out the smart decisions that Ginepri makes with his forehand rather than harping on the errors.
YOUR TURN:
Take a playing lesson. Find a coach who will play a set against you or arrange for you to play a partner, so he can analyze your strategy and let you know if you’re picking the right moments to be aggressive. Having a detached, knowledgeable observer scrutinize your tactics can be beneficial to your game.
FORWARD PROGRESS
Ginepri is always going to earn his paycheck from the baseline, but he needs to be more confident attacking the net. “The fact that he won Newport [on grass courts in 2003] shows he’s capable of coming forward,” DeVries says. To make Ginepri comfortable in transition, DeVries will feed a rally ball that Ginepri hits with a ground stroke, followed by a short ball for an approach, and finish with a volley. The idea is to do it perfectly five to 10 times in a row so Ginepri leaves the court feeling positive about his transition game.
YOUR TURN:
Give yourself an incentive to come to the net. Play a game with a partner where if you win a point from the baseline you get one point, if you win a point while transitioning to net you score two points, and if you win the point with a volley you get three. Play the game to 15.