Warming Up Your Opponent Prior to a Tennis Match
Philip F. George, Jr., provides the Akron, Ohio, area with a variety of quality entertainment services, including digital jukeboxes with online capabilities. Away from his activities at the George Music Company, Philip F. George, Jr., enjoys staying fit through tennis. Virtually all sports are comprised of official rules that dictate play and, ultimately, determine how one player or team can achieve victory. However, many sports have also developed unspoken rules that are equally important to competitors. Tennis is one such sport. For example, tennis matches at all levels begin with two, or four players in the case of doubles, warming up their opponents. This practice is unusual compared to most sports and can sometimes lead to controversy. When hitting balls with an opponent prior to a match, individuals must remember that a warm up serves as preparation for a match, not a practice session. Players should not be hitting at full power, or even 75 percent. Instead, they should accommodate their opponent in any way possible. This includes feeding the opponent overheads and directing ground strokes to either their forehand or backhand side as requested. The warm up is also meant to ease individuals into a comfortable hitting rhythm. With this in mind, players should not apologize if they hit a shot into the net or make some other error. Instead, they should simply take a ball from their pocket and put it back in play. Finally, players generally practice their serves at the same time during a warm up. However, if an individual opts to return an opponent’s serve, he or she should not attempt to return the ball up the line or cross-court. Instead, players should simply chip the ball back over the net or out of play so the opponent can continue serving without interruption.