The Summer Hard-Court Grind

By the time August arrives, tennis players know exactly what they are dealing with. The courts are hot and humid, and sometimes simply walking onto the court feels like a challenge.  It doesn’t matter whether you are playing on the professional tour or getting ready for your Saturday morning league match. Summer hard courts will test you.

Professional players spend this part of the season moving through the North American hard-court tournaments preparing for the US Open. They have trainers, coaches, recovery teams, ice baths, and everything else designed to help their bodies survive the grind. But once they walk onto the court, they still have to deal with the same things you do.

Heat. Humidity. Fatigue. And an opponent who probably does not care how tired you are.  The biggest difference between winning and losing may be how quickly the heat starts changing how you play.

Early in a match, your feet are moving, and you are getting into position. You are willing to play the extra ball.

An hour later, things can look very different.  Your legs get a little slower. Your preparation gets a little later. Instead of getting behind the ball, you start reaching for it. That easy forehand you were hitting early in the match suddenly becomes much more labored.

Professional players deal with the same things.  Watch a summer match, and you can see the change. Players shorten points. They take more chances on second serves. They hit closer to the lines than they need to. Sometimes it’s a strategy.  Sometimes it’s simply about survival.

This is where summer hard-court tennis becomes as much about managing your body as it is about hitting the ball.

For the recreational player, maybe there is no ball person waiting with an ice towel during the changeover. You might have a cooler with ice water, a couple of bottles of energy drinks, and whatever shade you can find beside the court.

But the decisions are very similar.  When conditions are tough, the most important thing you can do is to stay mentally engaged when your body starts telling you that it’s hot.

Hard courts already demand a lot from your legs and feet. Add summer temperatures and humidity, and every long rally takes something away from you. That is the grind.

The professionals are playing for ranking points, and prize money leading into New York. You are playing for a league win, a club championship, or just bragging rights.  The levels are be different, but the challenge is the same.

When summer hard-court tennis gets uncomfortable, the player who manages the conditions usually gives themselves the best chance to be playing their best tennis before the US Open.

Because in August, sometimes the opponent across the net is not the only opponent you’ll be playing in the summer.