June 2025
Quotes per day and their meanings
June 2 – “Slice is nice, but topspin wins.” - Curly Davis
Slice is crucial in tennis but requires finesse rather than power. On the other hand, topspin can be hit with more power to create winning shots.
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June 3 – “Slice kills power.” - Curly Davis
One of the many benefits of using a slice shot is that it reduces the power of your opponent's ball, giving you more time to prepare for your next shot.
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June 4 - “It’s not “No Man’s Land” it’s the “Land of Opportunity.”
Often, we are advised to avoid no man's land. However, I see it as a realm of opportunity—a chance to seize control of the situation.
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June 5- “Topspin- low to high swing to the sky.” - John Nigro
The proper swing path to create topspin on your stroke involves starting the racket below the intended contact, making contact right behind the ball, and brushing up on the ball.
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June 6 – “Spins- move to them and hit through them.” - Curly Davis
When facing an opponent who has put spin on their ball, you counter the spin by moving to the ball before the spin moves the ball too much and then swinging through the contact point.
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June 9- "Height over the net; 3 to 5 to stay alive." - Curly Davis
When hitting a rally ball (a ball intending to get it back in play), it should be aimed 3 to 5 feet above the net to keep the point alive.
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June 10 – “Never over, never in, never in, never win.”
If the ball doesn't cross the net, it can't land in the opponent's court, and if it doesn't land in the court, you won't win the match.
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June 11 – “Spins- less is more.” - Curly Davis
To generate spin on your shot, you need to strike the ball to create a glancing blow, which imparts more spin to the shot.
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June 12- "Topspin changes the game's geometry."- John Newcombe
Topspin gets the ball up and down quickly. This enables the player to get the ball over the net and back into the court at a severe angle.
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June 13– "If you have to back up, then you must aim up."
When forced to back away from the baseline, the ball has a greater distance to travel before it clears the net, so it would be best to aim higher to clear the net.
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June 16 – "Slice, Down equals up.”- Curly Davis
By hitting down the back side, the ball causes the front side of the ball to rotate up. This will increase the ball's frontal rotation, which is why the slice rises.
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June 17- "Defensive shots are always directed cross-court."
When hitting a defensive shot, you should direct it cross-court because it takes longer to get cross-court, which will afford you time to recover. Plus, the open court you have left available to the opponent is the low-percentage shot down the line.
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June 18 – “Cross-court shots are high percentage.”
When hitting the ball cross-court, the court measures 84 ½ feet, compared to the 78 feet for a down-the-line shot. Additionally, hitting cross-court will cause your ball to go over the lower net in the middle, giving you a better chance to get the ball into play.
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June 19 – "Mishits can be winners." - Curly Davis
When mishits happen, realize they are both dangerous because nobody knows where they will go, and they could end up as winners.
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June 20- "See small, then see big." - Curly Davis
When the ball comes towards you, you should see nothing but the ball (small). When the ball is going away from you, see BIG. This big view gives you clues about what to anticipate, where the adversary may hit the ball, and what spin they will place on it.
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June 23 – "Front shoulder tells you where racket tells you what." - Curly Davis
When observing your opponent, look at two items: the front shoulder tells you where your adversary will hit the ball. The racket preparation informs you what spin they are placing on the ball.
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June 24 – "You counter a spin with a spin." Curly Davis
When your opponent delivers a "heavy" spinning ball, you respond with your spin. For instance, if they hit a heavy topspin, you counter with a slice directed back at them. This is effective because the topspin causes the ball's front to rotate downwards. By slicing, you are not reversing the ball's rotation but complementing it, which adds a slice to your return.
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June 25- "Big shots win points, good shots win matches."
Players will try to hit a big (more aggressive) shot when trying to win a point. That more aggressive shot will win the point but will not win the match because you cannot expect to hit winner after winner.
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June 26- "See but Sense." - Curly Davis
You must see the ball when playing. However, to know where to hit the ball, you need to sense where your opponent is, know where you are, and know if you are on balance.
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June 27 - "Anticipation… Ball, Opponent, Pattern."
When trying to anticipate, the 3 "clues" you receive are the ball height over the net, the opponent's body language, and the patterns the adversary shows you.
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June 30- "You get what you give." - Curly Davis
If you hit the opponent an angle shot, you must concern yourself with the angle coming back from the opponent. You should anticipate a lob returning if you give your opponent a lob.
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