Racquet Director’s Diary
It is great to see that some of Roehampton Club’s grass courts are now in play. Courts 26 to 28 opened on Tuesday and the rest of the grass courts are due to open on the 1st June. The grass courts will be bookable at 8am for the following day’s play. All tennis courts are in high demand, especially over the weekends therefore I ask Members to make sure they turn up and check-in for their bookings. Check-in can be done at the Security Gatehouse, by calling Reception or by using the GPS check-in on your smart phone. If you need to cancel a booking, please do this as soon as you can so the court can be rebooked.
Below is a reminder of the current booking rules:
♦ Members may only book 90 minutes of court time per day
♦ Members are initially limited to three tennis visits per week. If Members would like to play more often, they may, but the court must be booked on the same day they wish to play.
♦ Grass courts will open at 11am each day (weather permitting)
♦ All tennis courts (including grass courts) are bookable from 8am for the following day.
♦ When booking any court both player names must appear on the booking (LTA Covid-19 guidelines)
♦ Members must not book a grass court and another surface on the same day as back up.
I know a lot of Members are looking forward to playing doubles again. However, as play is restricted to singles only now, I have put together a few drills that will keep your practice sessions focused and purposeful.
Half Court Tennis Drills
Decision making
1. Start by rallying cross court on the F/H side.
2. Once the rally has passed 5 shots players can choose to hit down the line.
3. When a player hits down the line the point is played out on the full court.
4. Look for shorter, slower balls that will make it easier to change the direction of the ball.
5. Then try on the B/H side – now the ball you choose to change direction can be a F/H or B/H down the line.
Consistency
1. Start by rallying cross court on the F/H side
2. See how many cross-court balls you can hit with each other in 1 minute
3. Focus on a good rally tempo, breathing in as you take the racket back and breathing out on contact.
4. Focus on keeping the ball deep:
a. All balls must bounce past the service line.
b. All balls must be rising as they pass the baseline.
5. Try the drill on the B/H side.
Approach and first volley
1. Using down the line half court. Player 1 starts halfway between the baseline and the service line, with player 2 standing behind the baseline.
2. Player 1 feeds the ball and approaches the net.
3. Player 2 returns the ball to player 1 so they can play the first volley.
4. Then the point is played out in the half court.
Read here how Grand Slam Champion Joe Salisbury is preparing for the season re-start
Dan Lott | Racquets Director | dan.lott@roehamptonclub.co.uk