5 ways to avoid the ‘slow start’ in every tennis match you play

We’ve teamed up with the world’s best tennis tactics and strategy analyst, Craig O’Shannessy, to find out how he uses statistics to help improve the games of both top professionals and amateur players alike. Craig has now agreed to give tennishead readers this expert guidance on how to harness the power of statistics to win more matches.

You need to have an urgency to get off to a fast start at the beginning of matches.

Too many players describe themselves as “slow starters” when a match commences as nerves tighten muscles and a winning game plan has not yet been devised against a new opponent. So we sort of accept that a slow start is okay and we will get that break of serve back eventually.

Players on the ATP Tour only come back to win a three-set match after dropping the opening set approximately one out of five times (21.7%). In a professional match where the two competitors are typically quite even, winning the first set provides a huge advantage to the player that gets off to a fast start.

The three best performers since 1991, where official tennis statistics were first recorded are:

1. Pete Sampras = 41.33%

2. Novak Djokovic = 41.30%

3. Roger Federer = 40.17%

These three legends of our sport managed to win right at four out of 10 matches after dropping set one in a three-set match, while the tour average is just two out of ten. A fast start needs to be a priority for players at all levels so you make the scoreboard your friend as the match progresses.

Here are five ways to make that happen.

1. Warm-Up: Make sure you warm-up for around 30 minutes before the match begins. So if your match is at 3.00pm, have a solid hit-out from 2.00pm to 2.30pm, including serves and returns. You want to start the match still “warm” from your extra warm-up.

2. Study The Opponent: Use the official 5 minute pre-match warm-up with your opponent to scout their tendencies.

3. Be The First To Break: Have a specific goal to be the first player to break serve in the match.

4: Break Early: Break your opponent in one of their first two service games. Just simply having this awareness creates an urgency to get ahead and makes it more likely to happen.

5: Big Shots To Big Targets: Combat early nerves in the match by playing your powerful shots right down the middle of the court. Take the lines out of play until you get your strokes successfully dialed in.

Become a fast-starter in matches. Play from ahead by winning the first point of the game, being the first to break, and winning the opening set. Use momentum and analytics to make your improvement curve a lot steeper.