Learn court positioning from televised matches

Tennis is an ideal television sport, since you can see the entire playing surface. Extensive coverage of US Open will be coming up shortly, and the attentive viewer can help his or her game watching it.

Former US champion Arthur Ashe, who does some TV commentary these days, suggests learning from the top players' court positioning.

He points out that John McEnroe will stand well to the side of the center mark when serving, to open up a greater variety of angles. French Open champion Ivan Lendl, during rallies, will shade toward his backhand, inviting opponents to hit to his powerful forehand. Jimmy Connors, a great returner of serve, will creep in to take a second serve because he knows the ball won't be hit as hard.

The primary camera view from the end of the court gives you a particularly revealing look at court positioning. Notice where the good players stand in different situations, and apply their positioning strategy to your own game where it makes sense.