Game situations are the conditions that exist in a particular game such as the score, is the player is serving or receiving, is the player winning or not, environmental conditions (sun, wind, etc.). They will often dictate the kind of strategy employed and tactics for a specific game or point. Successfully handling different game situations means adjusting the tactics (while keeping to the overall strategy) given the different scenarios above and knowing how to play the important points.
For example, if a player is serving down 15-40 while against the wind and looking into the sun, he should play the point more cautiously, especially at the beginning. Therefore, he should hit his highest percentage serve while avoiding an early ball error and capitalizing on his strengths and exploiting the opponent’s weaknesses in order to increase his chances of winning the point and holding serve. This may mean hitting a shot sequence that has proven to work consistently throughout the match or one that has been used infrequently. If, however, the player is up 40-15, he can afford to be more aggressive and risk a little bit more by hitting lower percentage shots, going for something that he may not otherwise have tried in another situation. |
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