I love books. All kinds of books. In fact, I just dressed up as Tiny Tim for my book club's reading of “A Christmas Carol.” That's how much I love books. And I especially love tennis books. I have lots and lots of them and there are a special few of them that I read again and again to help improve my game. In this episode, I'll tell you about one of my favorites – Arthur Ashe On Tennis. You can listen to this episode by clicking on the media player above or by listening in with your favorite podcast app. You can also subscribe in iTunes by clicking on this link: tennisfixation.com/itunes.
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If you become the least bit interested in tennis, you'll soon come across Arthur Ashe. If you watch any of the U.S. Open each year, you hear his name repeatedly since the main stadium for the U.S. Open is (you guessed it) Arthur Ashe Stadium. You may know that Arthur Ashe died in 1993 at the age of 49 from AIDS-related complications. He had an illustrious tennis career, winning 3 Grand Slam titles – the 1968 U.S. Open, the 1970 Australian Open, and Wimbledon in 1975. And he did more to break down the race barriers in professional tennis than any player of his time.
It wasn't too long after I took up tennis that I picked up Arthur Ashe's book, Arthur Ashe On Tennis: Strokes, Strategy, Traditions, Players, Psychology, and Wisdom. His book was published in 1995, after his death. So Ashe was not around to see all of the changes we see on the pro circuit today – powerful racquets, indestructible strings, open-stance strokes, exaggerated grips. But you and I aren't playing on the pro circuit (at least I don't think we are), so a lot of the points he makes in his book are still valid for recreational players like us, out to have fun and play some competitive tennis. His book is wonderful and so easy to read. In it, he gives lots and lots of bullet-point tips on strokes and strategy. Here's an example, a short but incredibly valuable and right-to-the-point list of tips that Ashe gives to immediately improve your game:
Keys to Better Play – Here are eight suggestions on how you can improve your game almost immediately:
- Play with a decisive attitude. Make up your mind where you want to hit the ball and hit it there, without worrying about your opponent. It is critical to do that on passing shots.
- Mix up your shots. Be unpredictable to keep your opponent off balance.
- Have a plan on break point. It can be as simple as trying to get the ball in play. Against a net-rusher, hit the ball cross-court over the lower part of the net, giving you a better angle for putting the ball at his feet. Against a baseliner, return deep, preferably to his weaker ground stroke so he cannot hurt you with his big shot. If you return short, he may hit a winner.
- Lob when you're in trouble. It is almost always a safer option that a passing shot when you are pulled out of court.
- Hit approach shots down the line. . . .
- Cover the open angles at the net. That means moving in the direction of your preceding shot. . . .
- Get moving after you hit the ball. You don't have time to stand there admiring your shot.
- Practice with a purpose. Use a lot of balls, divide your practice time into segments during which you practice only one things, and finish your session [by playing out points].
But more than these insights, what I really like about Ashe's book is the chapters on tennis traditions and wisdom. He spends a whole page talking about the wearing of tennis whites and the somewhat controversial move to colored apparel. He even points out that in 1969, he was among a group of players that broke the color-clothing barrier in the U.S. Open by wearing pastel-colored shirts. Gasp!
Ashe has several great recommendations for playing doubles, which I like as many books, magazine articles and websites fail to recognize that that's what a whole lot of us are playing.
This book is a quick and easy read and, because it's an older book, you can find it pretty cheaply on-line.
What are your favorite tennis books and why? I'd love to know. Just leave me a comment below.
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Thanks so much for listening and, as always, Happy Tennis!
© Kim Selzman 2014-2020 All Rights Reserved
No Ad Disclosure – The items I mention in this post are not items that I sponsor or for which I receive any income or other benefit. My opinion on these items is just that – my opinion. I always tell the absolute truth about every item that I recommend and/or review. I usually do not review items, and I never recommend items, that I don’t like.