Craig O'Shannessy, Author at Brain Game Tennis

Novak’s Forehand Is Being Put To Sleep

Saturday, 18 November 2023 by Craig O'Shannessy

NEW Webinar: Tuesday, November 21: 1.00 pm US Central / 8.00 pm CET Webinar 35: The Backhand Cage G’day From Torino, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer have won the year-end ATP Finals six times. Djokovic could very well be sitting alone at the top of the mountain after the dust has settled in Torino this

Published in ATP Finals, Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev, Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic, Webinars

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Sinner d Djokovic in ATP Finals. 5 Things To Know Why

Wednesday, 15 November 2023 by Craig O'Shannessy

G’day From Torino, I had the privilege of sitting in the front row to watch Jannik Sinner vs. Novak Djokovic at the ATP Finals last night. What a high-energy, high-level match! Sinner prevailed 7-5, 6-7(5), 7-6 (2) in three hours and nine minutes of scintillating tennis. The crowd was going ape droppings for Sinner, and

Published in ATP Finals, ATP Tour, Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic

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The Key Stat To Break Serve More Often

Tuesday, 14 November 2023 by Craig O'Shannessy

G’day from Torino, Through the first four matches here at the 2023 ATP Finals, there have been 16 breaks of serve from 102 service games. That means players are holding 84% of the time. That’s a very solid number. As a comparison, the men held serve 78% at the US Open this year. One factor

Published in ATP Finals, Serving

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When Is The Right Time To Approach?

Monday, 13 November 2023 by Craig O'Shannessy

G’day from Torino, Novak Djokovic and Holger Rune combined to come to the net an eye-opening 56 times in their ATP Finals match last night. Djokovic defeated Rune 7-6(4), 6-7(1), 6-3 in three hours and four minutes. It was a very entertaining match, with Rune trying to throw the proverbial kitchen sink at Djokovic to

Published in ATP Finals, Novak Djokovic

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Carlos Alcaraz Has 10 Red Flags

Wednesday, 18 October 2023 by Craig O'Shannessy

Is Carlos Alcaraz in a post-Wimbledon slump? After winning both Queens and Wimbledon this year, the 20-year-old Spaniard has competed in Toronto, Cincinnati, the US Open, Beijing, and Shanghai. He failed to win any of those five events and only made one final (Cincy). So what gives? Let’s put the magnifying glass over his two

Published in ATP Tour, Carlos Alcaraz

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How Coco Gauff Won The US Open Final

Saturday, 09 September 2023 by Craig O'Shannessy

G’day from New York! Defense defeated offense. Speed of foot defeated speed of racket. Coco Gauff defeated Aryna Sabalenka. Gauff defeated Sabalenka 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 in a remarkable display of courage, determination, positive match rituals, defensive prowess, and a single-minded between-point routine that never changed, no matter if she won or lost the point. Everything

Published in Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff, US Open

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2023 US Open Djokovic d Shelton. How It Went Down.

Saturday, 09 September 2023 by Craig O'Shannessy

To Read The Match Preview, Click HERE 2023 US OPEN: MATCH REVIEW N. Djokovic def. B. Shelton 6-3, 6-2, 7-6(4) This match promised so much but, unfortunately, didn’t deliver on the hype. I watched it courtside and spent most of the match underwhelmed with the one-sided nature of the contest. I thought Ben played strategically

Published in Ben Shelton, Novak Djokovic, US Open

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2023 US Open Semi Djokovic v Shelton. The Only 5 Things That Matter

Friday, 08 September 2023 by Craig O'Shannessy

Let’s say for a moment that Ben Shelton somehow finds a way to defeat Novak Djokovic in their US Open semi-final this afternoon (3:00 pm start). How would it happen? How in the world would he pull it off? There are five distinct pathways to victory that all need to merge to spawn such a

Published in Ben Shelton, Novak Djokovic, Rally Length

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The First Point Of The Match Was An Ambush

Wednesday, 06 September 2023 by Craig O'Shannessy

G’day From New York, It was the first point of the match. Frances Tiafoe hit his first serve wide, and Ben Shelton took up a regular return position for the 2nd serve. It was your average, standard, run-of-the-mill start of the match. Until it wasn’t. Shelton waited until the toss went up so Tiafoe couldn’t

Published in Ben Shelton, Strategy Courses, Strategy Products, US Open

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Ben Shelton’s Super Power Is?

Tuesday, 05 September 2023 by Craig O'Shannessy

Gday from New York. UPDATE: BOTTOM OF THE PAGE QUARTER-FINAL – SHELTON DEF. TIAFOE 6-2, 3-6, 7-6(7), 6-2 Ben Shelton has blasted his way to the quarter-finals of the 2023 US Open and plays Frances Tiafoe tonight on Arthur Ashe. The 20-year-old is the youngest American player to reach the quarters since Andy Roddick in

Published in 0-4 Shots, Ben Shelton, US Open

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2023 US Open Round: 16 Men. Who Is Crushing So Far?

Sunday, 03 September 2023 by Craig O'Shannessy

G’day from New York! We are down to the last 16 players at the US Open, so let’s check in and see who has been excelling when serving, returning, rallying and getting to the net. These are the men’s match-ups for the Rd of 16. Carlos Alcaraz v Matteo Arnaldi Alexander Zverev v Jannik Sinner

Published in Alex De Minaur, Andrey Rublev, Ben Shelton, Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev, Matteo Arnaldi, Novak Djokovic, US Open

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Can You Slow-Ball Novak Djokovic?

Saturday, 02 September 2023 by Craig O'Shannessy

G’day From New York On one hand, you could say that Novak Djokovic came out passive. On the other hand, you can certainly identify that it was Djere’s intention to play a passive game style to blunt Djokovic’s aggression. For two sets, Djere’s counter-intuitive plan worked perfectly. And then he got a little fatigued and

Published in Novak Djokovic, US Open

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Carlos Alcaraz Has A Hole In His Game

Monday, 28 August 2023 by Craig O'Shannessy

G’day from New York, Carlos Alcaraz wants everyone to believe that all is good in his world coming into the 2023 US Open, where he is the defending champion. He has actually gone a step further by announcing in a pre-tournament press conference that he has improved since taking the title last year. “I feel

Published in Carlos Alcaraz, US Open

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The Best Way To Improve – And It’s Not How You Think.

Monday, 24 July 2023 by Craig O'Shannessy

G’day, Improvement is an elusive dynamic. In all areas of our life, we look to get better day by day. We seek to elevate our best and reach new heights. But making your best better is not always the optimal way. What about eliminating the lowest-performing areas you are trying to improve? Improving your best

Published in Improvement, Webinars

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2023 Wimbledon Final – Alcaraz First Serve Lesson

Sunday, 23 July 2023 by Craig O'Shannessy

Alcaraz: Wimbledon Final 1st Serve Lesson Carlos Alcaraz stunned Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon final a week ago in a thrilling five-set final. Next Thursday’s webinar will focus on learning the patterns of play and momentum swings of the final and how you can directly improve your game by studying the best two players in

Published in Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, Serving, Wimbledon

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2023 Wimbledon: Where Djokovic Serves On Break Points

Sunday, 16 July 2023 by Craig O'Shannessy

Gday from Wimbledon. Novak Djokovic takes on Carlos Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final later this afternoon in a blockbuster match-up for the ages. Djokovic is playing for history. If he wins, he ties Roger Federer with eight Wimbledon titles. He would have also won the Australian Open, Roland Garros, and now Wimbledon. Only the US

Published in Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, Wimbledon

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The practice court is clearly broken. Here’s the proof.

Points are "front loaded". By far the majority of the action, and the winning, takes place in THE FIRST 4 SHOTS. The practice court is full of long rallies. Matches are dominated by short rallies. There is a massive disconnect occurring.

We spend too much time grinding, banging balls up and down the middle of the court – that have no real benefit to winning tennis matches.

There are 3 specific rally lengths in tennis. Here is their percentage breakdown of total points.

0-4 Shots = 70%
5-8 Shots = 20%
9+ Shots = 10%

The First 4 Shots is specifically the serve, return, Serve +1 groundstroke and Return +1 groundstroke. Those are normally the shots that get practiced the least, but matter the most to winning tennis matches.

The net is an extremely high percentage place to be!

If you love playing tennis for fun, spend as much time at the baseline as you like. But if you compete – if the score matters – then you must turn your attention to the net to maximize your potential.

The “herd mentality” in tennis thinks it’s too tough to approach the net in today’s game. The conversation starts with improved string technology, more powerful rackets, and finishes with stronger, faster athletes. The herd think approaching is a relic of the past. The herd is WRONG!

AVERAGE WIN %
Baseline = 46%
Net = 66%

Data from ALL Grand Slams provides the facts about approach and volley, and the data is crystal clear – it’s immensely better than staying back at the baseline, grinding for a living.

The baseline is a tough place to create separation. Here's how to do it.

At the 2012 US Open, only 7 men and 14 women had a winning percentage from the baseline. At Wimbledon 2016, Andy Murray won the title only winning 52% of his baseline points - and he is one of the very best at it in the world!

Num3ers deeply explores the data that rules points, especially from the back of the court. Take a "deep dive" into all three rally lengths (0-4, 5-8, 9+), and winner and errors totals from the elite level of our game. The numbers will shock you!

All 4 Grand Slams

Forcing Errors = 41% Men / 37% Women
Winners = 32% Men / 29% Women
Unforced Errors = 27% Men / 34% Women

Num3ers is very much like putting a jigsaw puzzle together. It's about bringing together different data sets together to create the big picture.

Every recorded match from the 2015 Australian Open - Rd2 to the final.

There is a lot happening on a doubles court. Situations and strategies are constantly being adjusted to create mis-matches with court position. It's hard to keep track of - until now. Dou8les Num3ers is the most comprehensive analysis of doubles data in our sport. The focus is on how a point ends, and it's broken down eight ways to Sunday. Specifically, you find critical information on:

Winners rise to the #1 way a point ends (over forced & unforced errors)

- The last shot of the rally is overwhelmingly struck at the net.
- Center Window: the most important part of a doubles court to control.
- Stephen Huss: an in-depth interview on Wimbledon's Centre Court with the 2005 Wimbledon Doubles Champion.

Dou8les Num3ers leaves no stone unturned. Percentage breakdowns of how often the server or receiver hits the last shot highlight the dramatic influence of the serve. The last shot of the rally is significant, and is broken down into the following categories: volleys, overheads, passing shots, lobs and groundstrokes.

When you play a match, you actually play two matches.

When you walk out onto a tennis court, there are two matches that you are about to play. The first is during the point - a part of the match that you have spent a lot of time preparing for on the practice court. But there is a second match, that takes place in the 20 seconds between the points. This is where the mental and emotional aspects of our sport kick in.

Let's face it, there will be adversity in almost every tennis match that you play. The storm clouds are coming. How bug they are, and how long they last for, are up to you.

Between the points is very tennis specific. It provides a roadmap for the 20 seconds between the points, teaching how to handle the adversity that will surely come, and how to build on the successes that will also be present. Your mind is your biggest asset in a match, and Between the Points takes your hand off the self destruct button and stops you beating yourself.

You don't have to be good at everything, but you have got to be good at something.

You can break tennis down into four key elements - serving, returning, rallying and approaching. Each part has specific patterns of play that consistently deliver higher winning percentages than the others. No more guessing. No more opinions. All facets of our sport are covered in this exceptional product, clearly outlining what patterns to gravitate to, and how to best construct the practice court. Data comes primarily from the 2015 Australian Open.

Building Blocks

MEN = 70% errors / 30% winners
WOMEN = 74% errors / 26% winners

Forcing errors is the best way to construct a point.
You can simply break tennis down into primary and secondary patterns of play - and they are all covered here. Primary patterns include serve and return direction, forehands v backhands, and the best way to approach the net. Secondary patterns include drop shots, serve & volley and 1st volley options. If you play tournaments, this product will greatly help you simplify the singles court.

The conversation starts & ends with the Center Window.

The doubles court is like an hourglass. There are two big ends, but a small neck in the middle where all the action happens. Once you learn the power of the Center Window, where you stand to start the point will take on a lot more significance.

Doubles is a lot more about situations, with four people on the court all "dancing" with one another. Learn all the best doubles patterns, broken down for the server, returner, server's partner and the returner's partner.

Doubles Situations

The "J" - the most ideal movement for the returner's partner to attack the net.

The "V" - a better way of understanding where the server's partner should move to.

Volley Targets - there are four main areas to attack. Know which ones are higher percentage. Beach Volleyball - the idea of a "setter" and "spiker" is ideal for the doubles court.

There are certain parts of the court that the ball travels to a lot, and other low percentage areas that you really don't want to cover at all - like the alley! In general, the serving team wants to keep the ball in the middle of the court as much as possible (to help the server's partner), while the returning team benefits from hitting wider and creating more chaos in the point.

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