In this video clip George Bastl (who beat Sampras in his last Wimbledon) wrong foots MCTA Player Ilija Vucic twice in a row. This happens because Ilija is recovering and looking towards moving to the open court. Observe, especially in the second point how George does not even hit the ball hard to put Ilija in trouble. It is always a good idea to test your opponent by serving and then placing the ball back to the side that you have served to, as many players make the error that Ilija has made, looking to cover the open court rather than balancing properly to be ready to move either way.

The second tip relates to the timing of Ilija’s split step in the first point played in this video clip, where he splits after George has made contact with the ball. In the second point can you notice in the slow motion Ilija having to double split to gather his balance in order to change direction and pick up the wrong foot shot.

Recommendations

1. Test your opponent’s ability to time their split step and read direction by hitting back behind them early in the match.

2. Practice the timing of your split step initially by trying to split as the ball bounces on your opponent’s side of the net. Although this is a little early, it’s a good way to learn not to guess and begin to read where your opponent is going to hit the ball. Very quickly you will learn to time your split closer to the moment when your opponent has made contact with the ball.

3. Guessing and splitting late will make it difficult to move effectively to the next ball (see how Ilija was unable to reach the ball in the first point and could not get behind the ball properly in the second point).

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