{"id":1829,"date":"2020-06-15T08:42:33","date_gmt":"2020-06-15T08:42:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.globalagenttennis.com\/how-to-play-with-the-wind\/"},"modified":"2022-12-06T07:11:46","modified_gmt":"2022-12-06T07:11:46","slug":"how-to-play-with-the-wind","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.globalagenttennis.com\/en\/how-to-play-with-the-wind\/","title":{"rendered":"How to play with the wind"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Wind is an almost permanent aspect on a tennis court. Most of the year we play outdoors, especially in countries like Spain, and that forces us to take into account the weather aspects, which affect the game to a greater or lesser degree. How to play with the wind is one of the issues that we must address with special attention, since it can serve as a powerful ally for the game. There are multiple details to take into account and we will try to analyze them individually, but we will start with the most important: the Mental Aspect.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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How to mentally face the wind<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Turn the wind into your ally<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Our predisposition to accept the wind when entering a tennis court is of great importance. We must be clear that there are events that do not depend on us, which we cannot change, and we have to work with (NOT AGAINST) them. This same issue is the Achilles\u2019 heel of many players who enter the court and start a battle from which no winners can emerge, a battle against the wind. But turning the idea around, the fact that this happens may be a weapon to use against our opponents. If you accept the wind and make it your ally, you will have a great advantage over the player who does not. You can use the wind to win the game while your opponent is busy and distracted by the wind, without realizing what is happening on the court.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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So on the windy day, accept the fact that it\u2019s not in your hands to change it and the adaptation work begins. Be flexible and emotionally open to accept the challenge and, instead of perceiving it as an obstacle, try to see it as a springboard to become a more effective and dangerous player.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Accept that your shots are not going to be smooth<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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With the wind, your fluid game (if it was before) will no longer be the same. It is similar to traveling by plane: there are areas of smooth flight and others of turbulence. The player who suits best will have the most advantage. And here is one of the most important mental aspects, what I call \u201cthe Wax Statue\u201d. I have commented sometime, I think in the article \u201cLetters to a Player<\/a>\u201c, that you should never have a predetermined image of your level of play; You must accept yourself with all the diversity that this implies: from the worst to the best of your level, in all that range of possibilities there is, it is you. Be flexible in seeing yourself. Do not build fixed ideas of your shots. As a child I was taught to see my level through my worst day; It is hard to accept it mentally, but it is very effective if you succeed, since everything that can come supposes a sum and that includes that you will always see yourself constructively.<\/p>\n

Thus, in relation to the wind, accept the fact that the quality of the shots (yours and also those of your opponent) will decrease. Do not try to find that precision you have on windless days. Don\u2019t try to find the player you imagine you to be. Adapt and accept the ugly face of your game and work with it. Otherwise, when you don\u2019t see yourself as you imagine, you are going to reject yourself, and that supposes what we call \u201cthrowing a game\u201d. So get to work, take on the dirty work and start building with what you have in your hands. Remember that even the most beautiful buildings are built in mud.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Different types of wind<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Front wind<\/h5>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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We will concisely describe the types of wind you can find on the tennis court. Those that suppose an easier adaptation are the\u00a0frontal winds<\/b>\u00a0that blow continuously. In this case, from the beginning, you can see which side the viewer blows at, at what speed and thus adapt your shots.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Crosswind<\/h5>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Then there is the\u00a0diagonal or lateral wind<\/strong>. This type of wind involves a double adaptation: on the baseline (check where you are for and where you are against the wind) and lateral (see where the ball is easier to open and go out and where the wind forces the ball back to the court).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Gusty wind, gusts, eddies …<\/h5>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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The most complicated are\u00a0gusty winds, which blow with gusts and eddies<\/strong>. In these cases, you must be very attentive, since its speed changes constantly and that will require you to seek adaptation in each shot. In addition to specifying the speed and placement of the shot, you will have to play with greater mobility, which should already be high in any type of wind.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Wind speeds<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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The speeds with which the wind usually blows will not be defined by km\/hour, but through concepts directly linked to our performance on the court:<\/p>\n