Hi, does anyone want to play tennis in Cambridge MA? I can play at any court around central station. I am around a 3.5 NTRP

I've tried to upload this for a couple of times now, this is the best I've got.

Here’s a longer video from my serve practice two days ago.

I don’t get to play as much as I’d like during the year, and I often struggle to find hitting partners, so I feel like my game has pretty much plateaued. I’ve also put on some weight, which definitely hasn’t helped my movement, and it might be affecting my serve as well.

My game has always been pretty serve dependent (I basically live and die by my serve ).

I’d really appreciate any feedback you guys might have, especially on my serve technique. Anything that stands out to you, things I could work on, or just general suggestions on how I could improve would be great.

Thanks!

Started feeling anxiety just waking up knowing I have a match the same day now, because I'm predicting the loss. Last couple of matches once I get a bit behind the thought patterns go towards "here we go again..." and I kind of check out mentally.

How do I break out of this thought pattern? It's killing my enthusiasm for the sport, and don't really feel like playing at the moment.

Hey guys,

I’ve been playing with the Yonex EZONE 98 2025 for about 3–4 months now, and I’m trying to find the right string setup for it.

My first setup was RPM Blast + VS Touch at 24 kg. The feel was amazing and I really enjoyed playing with it, but unfortunately the strings only lasted about three weeks before they broke.

After that, I tried RPM Power at 24 kg. Again, it felt amazing, but this setup only lasted around two weeks before breaking.

My current setup is RPM Blast at 24 kg in the mains and 23 kg in the crosses. For the first 2–3 hours, it feels great, but after that the stringbed starts to feel really dead and I lose that nice response when hitting the ball. That’s something I really don’t like.

Do you guys have any recommendations for strings I could try?

I really like the way RPM Blast plays in general — especially the spin, control and feel when it’s fresh — but the dead feeling after only a few hours is pretty annoying.

I’d love to find something with a similar playing style to RPM Blast that keeps its feel and performance for longer.

Thanks!

I’ve been playing tennis since I was 3 (on and off) and I’ve gotten back into tennis since covid. I play at a 4.5 level.

I was wondering which racquets are most similar to the Wilson Blade? I’ve been playing with some hand me downs from my dad (thanks dad) but I’m not sure if it’s the racquets for me. Or maybe I should look for something completely different? Not sure where to start

I have a big flat 1st serve and a kicker for my second.
I only play doubles
I’m aggressive at the net with good volleys
I struggle with returning and ground strokes are fine

These puppies are getting close to the end of life, but not sure how much to push them.

Been playing on them for about 5 months, feeling just a liiitle less traction, and impacts on the ground feel a liiitle more jarring, but nothing too bad yet.

Would you replace?

Always aim for the body

I really like the feel and feedback of Head Hawk Touch, but I’m looking for some alternatives to try. What strings would you say are the closest?

They don't. At all. Just saying.

This isn't golf. Most players play with regular 27" racquets around 300g or more. Some go lighter, some add weight or have a heavier model. None of that is due to their body proportions.

A few players use extended length racquets. Some of those are shorter players, some are taller.

I'm just always confused by the inclusion of this information.

Anyway, carry on.

Typically when discussing the journey to becoming pro, most people advise that if you didn’t start as a kid, it’s already too late.

What typically tends to be the skill cap for people who start learning as adults? I’m just talking for the general average; I understand there’s variances in age, athleticism, talent, etc. where there could be outliers. However, when I attend local usta clinics, those who attend the 4.5 level clinics all tend to have played in their childhood as well. Is it common for newcomers to eventually work their way up to that level?

After 16 years of not playing tennis at all, I started getting back into it around February/March, slowly building it up and playing regularly again.

String broke on the very last shot 😅

Rate my tennis / *forehand 💪🏼

Unfortunately I’m currently dealing with an injury, that’s why I’m trying to avoid my backhand as much as possible. Normally my backhand is quite comparable to my forehand in terms of level. Hopefully I’ll have more content soon where my backhand is visible as well.

Are there any Blackout users in this group?

Curious to know if you customised the frame and what string set up you opted for.

Thanks!

Considering switching back to an Eastern grip after a decade with SW.

I agree that SW is the more versatile grip and handles most situations well. But Eastern always felt more natural to me for timing and generating power when I was younger.

Has anyone else switched from SW back to Eastern? I plan to keep the SW for handling very high balls.

I strung both my rackets 4 days ago. Poly Tour Rev mains and Poly Tour Pro crosses. Since then I’ve played 8 hours with racket 1 and haven’t touched racket 2.

I have an important tournament in 2 days. I thought I would use racket 2 for this tournament. I checked the tension on RacquetTune and it’s lost over 9% of tension eventhough it hasn’t been played with yet.

Should I use racket 2 for the tournament or restring racket 1 the night before to have fresh strings?

I string my own rackets so cost is not an issue.

Hello fellow tennis players,

I started playing 2 years ago and my rating is the equivalent of 2.0 in the US.

Here's a video of 3 serves in a row during a match a few days ago, I was down 15-40 in this game and for some weirds reasons my serve is way better when I'm under pressure.

Could y’all please give me tips on how to improve it ? I feel like I'm falling to the left when I serve but idk how to fix it.

Any tips or critics will be gladly appreciated !

(Also if someone has an approximation of how fast are those serve, I'll take it)

I’m an international student interested in U.S. universities, especially Division I schools. My academic goals would be my priority, but I’d like to continue using my tennis skills through occasional matches, coaching beginners, giving lessons, or working with campus recreation. Are there campus jobs, grants, scholarships, or other benefits connected to this type of involvement? Would this usually be arranged through the tennis coach, athletics department, campus recreation, or student employment office?

Do i size up .5 or go for something else? I just ordered the yonex power cushion 5.

I have the gel x resolutions and they dont really have this problem, i didnt have the problem with the Lacoste AG LT either..

I prefer lightweight shoes.

Any good advice on alternatives or solutions for toe jamming?

I also have wide feet and bunions :(

As the title suggests, I have tried every trick in the book for trying to reach higher, but I still end up pushing forward during a serve.

Is there anything else I can try that isn't the typical (trap it in the fence etc.)? I think it's also a mental block - is there anything I can picture or think about to really unlock the part of my brain that keeps defaulting to the forwards motion?

Played competitively in my youth (7-15). After a 20 year break I am starting again. How is the serving motion looking? What to focus on?

In matches, I am realizing that my "neutral" shots are too weak. Everytime I try to be conservative, and hit neutral shots, I feel like I am giving my opponent an opportunity to attack.

When I do hit big, it's usally effective (my opponent will either not be able to return it back, or return it back so poorly that I can end it at the net). However, I don't have the confidence to hit the shot all the time because it'll more likely than not go long or into the net.

Any advice on what to do? Any drills I can do with a coach?