Making the transition from hard
courts to clay courts can be a challenge. Here are a few
simple rules to help you succeed quickly on clay.
You must get a
high percentage of first serves in.
Second serves are much easier to
take advantage of on this slower
surface. Use more of a kick serve or
a slice to help your percentage. See
previous tips
Kick(serve)
some Butt!/Kick(serve)
some Butt(2)!/
Always hit
behind your opponent in a ground
stroke rally. In other words, don't
hit to the open court unless you can
hit a winner. Also hit higher over
the net with topspin for
consistency. See tips Hit "de fence", stay on offense/One more ball
Lastly, once
you have control of a point and can
hit a winning volley, make sure you
move forward through the shot. On
clay, the ball doesn't penetrate
like it does on a hard court, so
it's important to keep you body
weight going forward to add power to
the shot.
