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How To Beat An Experienced (Older) Tennis Player?Hi, I've been having problems with a older guy at my tennis club. I'm a 13 year old junior 3.5-4.0 player. He's about 55 or older and a 4.0 player. He's been eating me every time we play. Like 6-2 6-2 for example. I was wondering if you could give me some instruction on how to beat this guy. I would really appreaciate it. Thanks! Here's how older guys beat you most of the times: 1. They play high percentage tennis, make very few mistakes and wait for you to make them. 2. They play shots that you are not used to from your typical practice with your peers. 13 year old boys like to hit the ball hard with topspin – so every ball that comes to you is very similar; same speed, same height, and same spin. An experienced, good tennis player can mix speeds and spins and if you don't read his shot well – which means that you are aware of the speed and spin of the ball – you will probably mistime it and play a short ball or even make a mistake. 3. They identify your weakness quickly and keep going for it. Could be your backhand, low balls, cross court shots, … 4. They are aware of their weaknesses and their abilities and do not attempt the shots that they feel are low percentage. This is probably the key difference between young and old players. Young players still want to experiment (which is good) and do not accept their limitations (which is good also). But that also produces errors in this stage. There are many more tips and tricks that these older guys do. But the main reason why you lose is not because they beat you but because you beat yourself. If we are talking about a good experienced player, he will NOT beat himself. So how can you win? Here are some short pointers so that you won't over think in the match: 1. Play within your limits. Decide that if you have to lose, he will have to beat you. Don't beat yourself. 2. Play long rallies with many short cross court shots. That way you'll make him run. If he is 55 or more he is probably not the fittest guy. The longer you are on court, the better your chances. 3. Identify his strengths. And stay away from them. If he likes to come to the net, play deep top spin shots. If he likes his forehand, play to backhand. Keep it simple. 4. Identify his weaknesses. Go for them. Here is secret that many players do not consider. If he is 55 years old, he probably (99%) learned a continental forehand. That was some time in the 1970's. Continental forehands suck. You might think that all players have better forehands, but with older players it's exactly the opposite. In 20 years that I have been playing tennis, I have never played a guy with a good continental forehand. ;) They did have good backhands though. A high top spin ball to that forehand will give you a short ball in 2 or 3 shots. 5. Stick to the game plan. If he gets in trouble, he will try all sorts of tricks that you've never seen before. Stay calm and remember your game plan – points 1. and 2. above. One more suggestion – appreciate his skills and knowledge. Take every match as a learning experience. You are a lucky person to learn from an experienced player. If you were playing your 13 year old peers all the time, you wouldn't learn much. Here is a video of such an old, experienced player. See how that younger player has much better technique and yet he lost this set 6-1. I was watching and smiling. ;)
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