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Brain Game Tennis

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    • 1: Winning Singles Strategy
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    • The First 4 Shots
      • The Mode = 1
      • Men: 2015/16 Australian Open Round by Round
      • Men: 2015/16 Australian Open Average Rally Length
      • Women: 2015/16 Australian Open Round by Round
      • Women: 2015/16 Australian Open Average Rally Length
      • 2015/16 Australian Open: Bullseye = 3 Shots
      • 2015/16 Australian Open: 1-7 Shots Breakdown
      • 2015/16 Australian Open: Shorter > Longer
      • Men 2015/16 Australian Open: Champion Analysis
      • North Carolina High School Tennis
      • The Serve Shockwave
      • Everyone’s Game Style = First Strike
      • Where Players Lose
      • Junior to Pro First Strike Pathway
      • Men’s College Tennis
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      • Boy’s 12’s
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    • Short Ball Hunter
      • Baseline v Net
      • Wimbledon Approaching 2002 – 2015
      • 2015 US Open: 2nd Week
      • 2015 US Open: Approach To The Backhand
      • 2015 US Open: Approach To The Forehand
      • Junior & College Data
      • Roger Federer Prowling
      • Roger Federer: Hitting A FH v BH Approach
      • Roger Federer: Approach to Forehand v Backhand
      • Roger Federer: Approach Situations
      • Roger Federer: SABR
      • 2015 Australian Open Men: Best Time To Approach
      • 2015 Australian Open Women: Best Time To Approach
      • 2015 Australian Open Juniors: Best Time To Approach
      • 50-50 Ball
      • Approach Middle
      • Half Court Players
      • Court Position & Time
    • 25 GR Singles
      • Foundations
      • #1 Eight Serve Locations
      • #2 Eight Serve Factors
      • #3 Serve + 1
      • #4 Serve & Volley Part 1
      • #4 Serve & Volley Part 2
      • #5 Serve Situations
      • #6 First Serves
      • #7 Second Serves
      • #8 Return Situations
      • #9 Returning 1st Serves
      • #10 Returning 2nd Serves
      • #11 Break Points
      • #12 Return Approach
      • #13 Return Winner
      • #14 A B C D
      • #15 Rally Percentages
      • #16 Sword & Shield
      • #17 Run Around Forehand
      • #18 The 2-1
      • #19 Climbing The Ladder
      • #20 Backhand Cage
      • #21 Backhand Line
      • #22 Drop Shots
      • #23 Approaching
      • #24 1st Volley Behind
      • #25 Pass Cross
    • 25 GR Doubles
      • #1 Center Window
      • #2 Where To Stand
      • #3 Forget The Lines
      • #4 Don’t Follow The Ball
      • #5 Don’t Change Directions
      • #6 Don’t Cover The Line
      • #7 Best Serve Locations
      • #8 Best Return Locations
      • #9 The J
      • #10 The V
      • #11 Volley Targets
      • #12 Two Back
      • #13 Lob Returns
      • #14 Lobbing
      • #15 Serve Formations
      • #16 Low Middle
      • #17 Assign The Middle
      • #18 Power Play
      • #19 Home Base
      • #20 Three Feet
      • #21 R. Partner Neutral
      • #22 Fake & Bake
      • #23 Beach Volleyball
      • #24 Not Hitting = Moving
      • #25 Communicate
    • Num3ers
      • 3 Types of Points – Men
      • 3 Types of Points – Women
      • Average Rally Length
      • Ideal Point
      • Be A High % Player
      • Faster Future
      • Grinding
      • Long Rallies Don’t Matter
      • The Bottom Line: Women
      • The Bottom Line: Men
    • Dou8les Num3ers
      • Building Blocks
      • 3 Types of Points – Men
      • 3 Types of Points – Women
      • Average Rally Length
      • Last Shot: Net v Baseline
      • Last Shot: Server v Returner
      • Last Shot: Winner v Error
      • Last Shot: Serving Team
      • Last Shot: Returning Team
      • 1st Serves
      • 2nd Serves
      • Unreturned Serves
      • Return Winners
      • Groundstroke Winners
      • Stephen Huss – 2005 Wimbledon Champion
    • Between The Points
      • Introduction
      • Two Matches
      • 5 Step Routine
      • 3 Opponents
      • Strings
      • Voices In My Head
      • 55%
      • Leaking Cup
      • Storm Cloud
      • Finish Line
      • Getting Tight: Sample Page
      • Federico Coria: Fear
      • Andre Agassi: Shower
      • Djokovic 2014 Wimbledon
    • Million Pts College Tennis
      • Points Won/Lost
      • Total Net Points
      • Net Points Won
      • Serve +1 FH / BH
      • Serve +1 Errors
      • Serve +1 Winners
      • Serve +1: 3 Outcomes
      • Return +1 FH / BH
      • Return +1 Winners
      • Return +1 Errors
      • Return +1: 3 Outcomes
      • 1st Serve Percentage
      • 1st Serve Points Won
      • 1st Serves Deuce Court
      • 1st Serves Ad Court
      • 2nd Serve Points Won
      • 2nd Serves Deuce Court
      • 2nd Serves Ad Court
      • Deuce Court Aces
      • Ad Court Aces
      • Double Faults / 2nd Serves Lost
      • Deuce Court Double Faults
      • Ad Court Double Faults
      • Serving: Deuce & Ad Combined
      • Return Errors
      • Return Errors – Deuce Ct
      • Return Errors – Ad Court
      • Return Errors vs 1st Serves
      • Return Errors vs 2nd Serves
      • Return Winners
      • Deuce Ct: 1st Serve Returns
      • Deuce Ct: 2nd Serve Returns
      • Ad Ct: 1st Serve Returns
      • Ad Ct: 2nd Serve Returns
    • Getting Tight
      • Getting Tight – Introduction
      • Getting Hijacked
      • Permission To Miss
      • Pre-Match 1 – Expectations
      • Pre-Match 2 – Visualize
      • Pre-Match 3 – Filters
      • Pre-Match 4 – Arousal
      • Set 1 – Adrenalin
      • Set 1 – Internally Focused
      • Set 1 Permission Slips
      • Sets 2&3 – Exhausted
      • Sets 2&3 – Survival Mode
      • Sets 2&3 – Backhand Permission
      • Match Analytics 1
      • Match Analytics 2
      • Match Analytics 3
      • Match Analytics 4
      • Match Analytics 5
      • On Court – Drop Shot
      • On Court – Backhand Line
      • On Court – Return Of Serve
      • Francisco Clavet – 1
      • Francisco Clavet – 2
      • Francisco Clavet – 3
      • Review 1
      • Review 2
      • Review 3
      • Match: Jeff 1st Serves
      • Match: Jeff 2nd Serves
      • Match: Francisco 1st Serves
      • Match: Francisco’s 2nd Serves
      • Match Intelligence 1
      • Match Intelligence 2
      • Match Intelligence 3
    • GamePlan
      • Welcome To GAMEPLAN
      • 1st Serve Percentage
      • 1st Serve Points Won
      • First Point Serving
      • The 43% Upgrade
      • 2nd Serve Points Won
      • Break Points
      • Returns: Forehand v Backhand
      • Returns: Made/Winners/Errors
      • Returns: Deuce Court
      • Returns: Ad Court
      • Double Faults
      • The First 4 Shots: Murray v Nishikori
      • Strategy Analysis 1 – Becoming No. 1 In The World
      • Strategy Analysis 2 – Climbing The Rankings
    • Dirtballer
      • START HERE — Introduction
      • Men Rally Length: 2017 RG vs US Open
      • Women Rally Length: 2017 RG vs. US Open
      • 2016 RG vs 2017 Australian Open
      • Nadal Dominance On Clay
      • Nadal Career Stats – Clay vs Hard
      • Rafael Nadal: 23 Masters 1000 Matches
      • More Lessons
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  • Archive from category "Uncategorized"

70%+ Serves Are Returned. What’s Your Serve +1 Plan?

Friday, 17 February 2023 by Craig O'Shannessy
G’day. You bounce the ball and look over the net at your opponent. You are serving in the Deuce court, and right now, serving out wide seems like a good idea. You toss the ball up nice and high and hit the serve well, slicing it off the court. Your opponent reaches wide and hits
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2022 Australian Open: Alexei Popyrin Preparation

Sunday, 16 January 2022 by Craig O'Shannessy
G’day, There is a lot that goes on behind the scenes in the lead-up to a Grand Slam event. The Australian Open had a film crew shadowing Alexei Popyrin and I during the Melbourne 1 event to kick off the year. Here are the five videos. Part 1: The Build-Up Part 2: Match Day Part
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Sand + fuzzy balls = backhands

Saturday, 16 October 2021 by Craig O'Shannessy
The courts are slow. The balls are slow. Welcome to Indian Wells in October. Daniil Medvedev said, “this court is more like clay, it is so slow, and I hate clay” after squandering a set and two-break lead against Grigor Dimitrov. Well, there you have it… Players have been complaining all tournament that it is
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It’s time to fix my backhand. Your thoughts?

Wednesday, 29 July 2020 by Craig O'Shannessy
G’day, I grew up playing on the amazing grasscourts in Albury, Australia as a junior. That’s a pic below. 👇 To succeed on these courts you need a decent serve, solid volleys, a penetrating forehand, and a wicked backhand slice. A topspin backhand really was not required, therefore coming over my backhand has always been
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Roger Federer’s Forehand Return vs Forehand Groundie

Sunday, 29 March 2020 by Craig O'Shannessy
G’day! Think about all the lessons taken by players all over the world every day. What’s the primary focus? Forehands and backhands ad nauseam… What is the LEAST practiced shot? It’s, without doubt, the return of serve… Now. Answer this question. What’s the most common rally length (the mode) in our sport? It’s a ONE
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Hi Brayden Schnur! The Entourage Tennis Interview

Wednesday, 25 March 2020 by Craig O'Shannessy
G’day, Just over a year ago I was in Long Island, NY, coaching at a Tennis Congress event. Devin Nerenberg and Gustavo Sanchez, from Entourage Tennis, were also coaching there as well. The Tennis Congress was organized in conjunction with the New York Open, and the players were able to be on court all day
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2019 Wimbledon Countdown: Learn Doubles From A Wimbledon Champion

Sunday, 30 June 2019 by Craig O'Shannessy
G’day! Just 1️⃣ more sleep until The Championships – 2019 edition! 🍓 I have had so much fun the past couple of weeks bringing you highlights from my work at the Wimbledon Channel. We finish up the series today with a doubles interview with the 2012 Wimbledon Doubles champion, Frederik Nielsen. Frederik partnered with Jonathan
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2019 Wimbledon Countdown: Anderson’s Epic Semi Final Victory

Friday, 28 June 2019 by Craig O'Shannessy
G’day from London, Only 3️⃣ sleeps until Wimbledon begins! 🌱🎾 I arrived into London this morning and went to watch good mate, Dustin Brown, play an exhibtion match at The Roehampton Club against Christian Garin. I will post some pics and video of that for you tomorrow. Today’s video focuses on the thrilling 7-6(6), 6-7(5),
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2019 Wimbledon Countdown: 5 Layers Of Match Strategy

Thursday, 27 June 2019 by Craig O'Shannessy
G’day! Four more sleeps. That’s it! Then the greatest show on Earth begins! 🌏🌱☘️ Today’s video brings you five different aspects of match strategy from the 2018 Wimebledon Women’s Quarter-Final between Julie Goerges & Kiki Bertens. I want to identify these layers for you, so that you can better understand match strategy at Wimbledon this
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2019 Wimbledon Countdown: Barbara Styrcova Interview

Sunday, 23 June 2019 by Craig O'Shannessy
G’day! Some people are just down right fun to interview. One such person is Barbara Strycova! 😀 The following interview was on the Wimbledon Channel in 2018, where we had a blast talking net strategy and her impressive prowess serving and volleying. In the interview we watch several of her points and pause them mid-point to
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2019 Wimbledon Countdown: Serena v Giorgi Preview

Saturday, 22 June 2019 by Craig O'Shannessy
G’day! We are down to single digits!!! Only nine more sleeps until Wimbledon 2019! 🌱💚 Today’s video is a preview of the blockbuster 2018 women’s quarter-final between Serena Williams and Camilla Giorgi. Serena got into all sorts of trouble early on, but finally triumphed 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 in a wildly entertaining match.  My preview focuses
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2019 Wimbledon Countdown: Your Return Lesson

Friday, 21 June 2019 by Craig O'Shannessy
G’day! It’s only 10 more sleeps until Wimbledon begins, but who’s counting? 🍓🙋‍♂️ Think about all the lessons taken by players all over the world every day. What’s the main focus? Forehands and backhands ad nauseam… What is the LEAST practiced shot? It’s without doubt the return of serve… Now. Answer this question. What’s the
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2019 Wimbledon Countdown: Serena v Angie 2018 Final Preview

Thursday, 20 June 2019 by Craig O'Shannessy
G’day! Only 11 more sleeps until Wimbledon 2019 kicks off!! 🥳 Let’s go back 12 months and take a look at the preview of the women’s final between Serena Williams and Angelique Kerber. The German shocked the American 6-3, 6-3 in a rivetting encounter. I want to take you through my pre-match analysis, focused on
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2019 Wimbledon Countdown: Mansour Bahrami Interview

Wednesday, 19 June 2019 by Craig O'Shannessy
G’day! Just 12 sleeps until Wimbledon 2019!!! 🍓 One of the really fun parts of working as the tennis strategy analyst for the Wimbledon Channel is to interview all kinds of amazing people. Today I want to share with you a 10 minute interview with legend, Mansour Bahrami, from 2017. Mansour, from Iran, made his
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Halep v Stephens: Here’s who will win today

Saturday, 09 June 2018 by Craig O'Shannessy
clay tennis court
For a deeper analysis of the massive impact the length of the rally has on winning a match, I highly recommend THE FIRST 4 SHOTS. Click HERE for more information about this tennis strategy product, focused on the importance of the start of the rally. For a 20% discount, enter coupon code RG2018 at checkout. It’s
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The Wawrinka Blueprint to Defeat Nadal

Sunday, 11 June 2017 by Craig O'Shannessy
Can Stan possibly defeat Rafa today? Stan beat Novak here in 2015. There’s your huckleberry… G’day from Roland Garros! In order to “flash forward” to figure out who is going to win today’s Roland Garros men’s final between Rafael Nadal and Stan Wawrinka, we need to “flash back” to remind ourselves what is possible for Stan
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The #1 Tennis Strategy Newsletter

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Ten Tennis Strategy Products

Brain Game Tennis is the world leader researching and teaching strategy in tennis. Below are ten products to choose from to remove the guesswork and opinion from your game.

THE FIRST 4 SHOTS

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.

Short Ball Hunter

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.

Num3ers

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.

Dou8les Num3ers

Doubles Numbers

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.

between the points

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.

25 golden rules of singles strategy

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.

25 golden rules of doubles

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.

Dirtballer

Dirtballer clay court tennis course

Getting Tight

Getting Tight tennis strategy course

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