Brain Game Tennis Blog
Learn tennis strategy, read analysis of pro matches, and more from the Brain Game Tennis blog. All posts are written by ATP tennis strategy coach & analyst, Craig O'Shannessy.
Does “Peak Novak” Hit More Winners Or Less?
Thursday, 18 February 2021
G’day, Novak Djokovic is peaking. 🏔 Just. At. The. Right. Time. 🦘🏆 After defeating Aslan Karatsev 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 in the semi-finals of the 2021 Australian Open, Novak said in his post-match press conference “I feel as best as I felt so far in the tournament. Physically and mentally as well. I was hitting the
- Published in Australian Open
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Serena v Osaka – Where Will They Serve?
Wednesday, 17 February 2021
G’day, The blockbuster Australian Open semi-final between Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka will be starting shortly. In case you hitched a ride to Mars on the Perseverance rover and missed the lead up to this match, I have got both Serena’s and Naomi’s serve location through their first five matches. This will give you something
- Published in Australian Open
Scouting Report: Aslan Karatsev vs. Novak Djokovic
Wednesday, 17 February 2021
2021 Australian Open – Aslan Karatsev Road To The Semi-Finals Qualifying Rd 1 def. Brandon Nakashima 6-2, 6-7(4), 6-2 Rd 2 def. Max Purcell 6-1, 6-2 Rd 3 def. Alexandre Muller 6-2, 6-1 Main Draw Rd 1 def. Gianluca Mager 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 Rd 2 def Egor Gerasimov 6-0. 6-1, 6-0 Rd 3 def Diego
- Published in Australian Open
Novak Djokovic: The Smart Way To Approach The Net
Tuesday, 16 February 2021
G’day, Novak Djokovic is into the semi-finals of the 2021 Australian Open. The train is rolling. Was there any ever doubt? I just started watching Novak’s quarter-final victory over Alexander Zverev and got to 30-30 in the opening game and came across an absolute gem of an approach point from Novak. I have got to share
- Published in Australian Open
Nadal’s Serve +1 Hammer
Monday, 15 February 2021
G’day, Serve +1. Rafael Nadal hits a serve. Then the party begins. The +1 is the very next shot after the serve, and through his first four matches at the 2021 Australian Open, that shot has been a forehand more than three out of four times. It’s not what opponents want. It’s a pattern of
- Published in Australian Open
Djokovic v Zverev #AusOpen: 5 Keys
Sunday, 14 February 2021
G’day, It was just over a week ago when Novak Djokovic defeated Alexander Zverev 6-7(3), 6-2, 7-5 in the ATP Cup on Rod Laver Arena. Tight match! Now the pair face off in a blockbuster Aussie Open quarter-final on Tuesday on the same court. It has history written all over it. Zverev is in very
- Published in Australian Open
Australian Open Rd16 Men: Holding & Breaking Serve
Saturday, 13 February 2021
G’day, Three matches down. Four to go. Making it to the fourth round of a Grand Slam is an outstanding achievement. We have some fresh faces as well as two perennial favorites – Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal – still left in the draw. The focus here is simply holding and breaking serve and identifying who
- Published in Australian Open
Rafael Nadal: Ad Court Serve Secrets Exposed
Thursday, 11 February 2021
The microcosm of first and second serves hit only in the Ad court by Rafael Nadal is a fascinating piece of tennis analysis in its own right. At the 2021 Australian Open through the first two rounds, Rafa has once again provided some spellbinding strategy in this specific part of his game. Match 1: Rafael
- Published in Australian Open
2021 Australian Open: Serve Leaders After Two Rounds
Thursday, 11 February 2021
G’day, We started on Monday with 128 players holding big dreams of being the last one standing in Melbourne this year. Ninety-six have already packed their bags after four days of play, leaving just 32 players still alive in the singles draw. Of the players that are left, let’s take a look at who has
- Published in Australian Open
The Knockout B-A Return Of Serve Combo
Saturday, 30 January 2021
G’day, You are returning serve and you need a plan to start the point. Some factors to consider are: Is your opponent hitting a first or second serve? What’s the point score? Does the moment call for being aggressive or be patient and build? Where does your opponent expect you to return? Where is your
- Published in Australian Open
2015 Australian Open Rewind: 22 Slow-Mo Practice Videos
Wednesday, 27 January 2021
G’day! Here’s a little flashback to the Australian Open in 2015. I was walking around the courts one morning and decided to take some slow-mo footage of different players. Below are 22 short clips from practice. The players are: Roberto Bautista Agut Dominika Cibulkova Julien Benneteau Kei Nishikori Dudi Sela Martin Klizan Lucas Rosol Alize
- Published in Australian Open
Candiss – How To Practice For 4.0 Success
Tuesday, 26 January 2021
On Friday, January 15, 2021, Candiss George from Vancouver, Canada, purchased The 25 Golden Rules of Singles Strategy and The First 4 Shots. She was hungry to succeed in 4.0 singles and her coach had recommended these courses to help her understand the strategy required to succeed at that level. It was later in the afternoon
- Published in Tennis
Has My Backhand Improved?
Saturday, 23 January 2021
Is My Backhand Getting Better? I posted a blog in August 2020 about my goal to come out on the other side of the pandemic with a better topspin backhand. I videoed it back in August and asked people what they thought of it, and what coaching tips they had for me. I received 111
- Published in Tennis
My Favorite Day In Tennis… Ever!
Friday, 22 January 2021
2015 Wimbledon: Dustin Brown def. Rafael Nadal 7-5, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 I first started playing tennis when I was around 12 years old in my hometown of Albury, Australia. I was instantly hooked. I played a bucket load of junior tennis. I then traveled to the U.S. to play collegiate tennis and became an All-American
- Published in Wimbledon, Wimbledon Channel
Australian Open: 50 Panoramas
Friday, 15 January 2021
G’day! The 2021 Australian Open is just three weeks away. To help you gear up for the “Happy Slam”, here are 50 panoramas I took with my iPhone in recent years. Enjoy! 😀🇦🇺🎾
- Published in Australian Open
One-Minute Clinic: Focus On The First 4 Shots In Practice
Thursday, 31 December 2020
You probably need to be practicing more serves & returns. The traditional tennis lesson is 50 minutes of grinding from the back of the court, hitting forehands & backhands ad nauseam. Then the last 10 minutes contain a few serves or returns or maybe some volleys sprinkled in at the end. Not any more. When
- Published in One Minute Clinic
One-Minute Clinic: The 2-1 Pattern
Tuesday, 29 December 2020
The 2-1 Pattern The baseline is a tough place to forge an advantage. One of the best patterns of play from the back of the court is the “2-1 Pattern”. This three-shot combo is broken down as follows: Shot 1 = Play deep to your opponent’s backhand to Position C to push them back. Get them
- Published in One Minute Clinic
One-Minute Clinic: Click It & Stick It
Tuesday, 29 December 2020
Improve Your Volleys The last thing you want when hitting volleys is to be really tight in your hand and wrist. Tightness takes away the all-important “feel” for the volleys. Having a “relaxed” grip is ideal, as it will help you absorb and redirect the power of the passing shot. When you volley with
- Published in One Minute Clinic
One-Minute Clinic: Catch The Volley
Tuesday, 29 December 2020
Catch The Volley You have probably heard the phrase “punch the volley.” It’s not bad from an energy standpoint, but we can do better. The problem with the “punch” analogy is that energy is delivered to whatever is being punched, AND the energy keeps driving through as the punch is delivered. If you take that
- Published in One Minute Clinic
Do match winners go to the net more than match losers?
Friday, 18 December 2020
G’day! You can’t go to the net in today’s game, right? The conversation typically goes like this… The racquets are more powerful than they used to be. Much easier to rip passing shots past the player who is approaching the net. The latest strings generate massive amounts of topspin, which enables passing shots to get up
- Published in Approach & Volley, Strategy Courses