Play the Score To Win More Matches

Risk and reward.  Most people look at the former statement and think "the more risk, the greater opportunity for reward."  I, on the other hand, look at the same statement and think "reduce risk and gain more rewards."  I also think "it's easier to take risks when you have a lot of extra money to spare."

Playing the score is crucial when you are doing your risk assessments, and determining what serves, what returns of serve, and what types of shots should be attempted.  Not all scores are equal.  Returning serve at 0-40, is much different than returning serve at 30-30.  The same can be said for the server.

Aggression on any shot is MORE risky the closer the score is - both within the game, and within the set.  In doubles, going for a big first serve becomes increasingly risky as the set draws to a close - an example would be serving at 4-5 in the first set.  If you then add in the score of the game, going for a big first serve at 4-5 0-30 is not the smartest play you could make.  Why?  As pressure increases, percentages decrease.  You will miss more first serves as the pressure increases.  This means your opponents will see more second serves.  In previous blogs, I have detailed that the returners of serve have a distinct advantage on second serves - they will usually win 50% or more of points started with a second serve.  A smarter play would be to serve 3/4 pace first serves or hit your second serve a little harder.  That way you increase your chances of getting the first serve in under the most pressure, and increase your likelihood of winning the point altogether.

Returning serve should be treated with the same tactical scrutiny.  When your team is ahead 5-1, 0-40, blasting a down the line return of serve becomes less risky to the goal of winning the set.  You have established cushion - margin for error.  However, if the score was 5-4, 30-40, attempting the lowest percentage return on the court becomes too risky to possibly waste your set point opportunity.  At this juncture, a cross court return would be very wise and the least risky proposition.

In any match, reducing risk is essential to the goal of reducing errors.  Reducing errors is the most important aspect of winning any tennis match.  Shot selection and playing the score are crucial factors into determining the level of risk.

In tennis regardless of singles or doubles, the cross court return of serve is the highest percentage return.  Down the line is always the lower percentage return.  When serving, Serving in the middle of the box is the highest percentage serve in terms of consistency.  Serving down the T is a higher percentage serve than serving out wide to either side because when serving to the T you benefit from the lowest part of the net, and reduce your opponents angles for the return.

The score determines your margin for error and whether not a risk is worth taking.  The greater the disparity in score in your favor, the less risky low percentage shots become.  The closer the score, the more risky they become.  I'm not advocating never taking risks, in fact I am advocating taking intelligent risks - risks that won't hurt you in the long run.  That way you benefit from their success and aren't hurt by their failure.