Summer Tennis Season

Summer Tennis Season

In a previous post I talked about what to watch out for in the Winter tennis season.  Similarly, the summer season brings different challenges as the weather gets hotter, or is supposed to at least!

The word for the hotter weather is 'Control'.

Generating power should be easier as the air gets thinner, the balls heat up more and therefore fly faster.  The best way to compensate for this is with your strings.

There are different options available, however the most common one is to increase the tension.  You would want to be at least increasing by 1 kilo or 2 pounds to notice a difference.

If you are unsure about which strings you are using and why, I will gladly help.  Contact me via email.

Here are some options to consider when looking to increase control:

• Like I mentioned above, increase tension
• If you are using a multifilament or nylon/synthetic gut string you may want to increase tension a bit more as these are power strings and really soft.
• You can change the thickness/gauge of your regular string.  Thicker strings offer more control, but it is worth noting thicker strings decrease spin potential.
• Change from softer strings to a hybrid setup.  A hybrid setup will add a polyester string (best for control) either in the mains or crosses.  Discuss the benefits of both setups with your stringer before changing.  Please note if you do make this change it can take a little longer to adjust to the feel, not a good idea to change just before or during a tournament.

All strings come in different thicknesses, so it is worth noting that within the same string make and model a 120 gauge will play very differently to a 130 gauge.

Here's a few other things that might help:

• Put on a fresh grip at the start of a match.
• Bring plenty of water and something for an energy boost
• A change of t-shirt and socks(you don't want blisters)
• A hat, the cooler your head the less likely you are to overheat

Let's hope we get the weather I'm expecting!