Submit your questions to Bill Mountford here
Q: On my backhand, what should I do to make my shot go deeper?
Rohan - North Carolina
To hit with more depth, you have two options:
- Aim higher. If the ball clears the net by a greater margin, it will have a greater chance of landing deeper into the court.
- Hit harder. If the ball is hit with greater pace- and at the same height as a slower ball- it will travel further.
- Bill
Q: At what age do you recommend children ideally begin competing in USTA tennis tournaments?
Perrone - Boston, MA
As soon as they are ready.
Sorry for a seemingly inconclusive answer, but every child is different. If they enjoy the competition and look forward to the experience, then give them the opportunity. If they are lukewarm about it, then give them additional time (and find “back door” ways of motivating them, like bringing them to some big tournaments to watch).
Good luck… and be careful!
- Bill
Q: Hi Bill! I am 14 years old and I have been playing tennis for some time now. I have never played any tournaments and I do not have a ranking. My dream is to become a professional tennis player when I turn 18. I am afraid that I will not be able to do this because I don’t have a ranking. My question is do you have to be a junior player and have a ranking before you can become a professional tennis player?
Cecil - Silver Springs, MD
Nobody in professional tennis gives a damn what your junior rankings were. The only requirement is to be good enough to win matches so that you actually earn money.
However, it would be fairly unprecedented to arrive among the professional ranks without any competitive experience. I would urge you to begin competing to learn more about your strengths and weaknesses, about your “ceiling” and/or your limitations, and- ultimately- to determine if this is really something that you are willing to pour your heart and soul into. Good luck in the process.
- Bill
Q: How much time, after the official match time, should you allow your opponent before a default is declared?
Shawna - Tyler, TX
In a tournament, when the Referee “starts the clock,” the player(s) has fifteen minutes to arrive and be ready to play. If not, then the Referee may declare a default.
To be clear, it is not fifteen minutes after the scheduled start time, but fifteen minutes after the players’ names were officially called for the match. If one (or more) of the players is not available, then the Referee can/will use the official clock to determine when fifteen minutes expires.
- Bill
Q: How many bathroom breaks can a player take in a match? Is it OK to take bathroom breaks to irritate your opponent?
Hugh - Manchester, NH
There is one permissible trip to the toilet for the men, and two for the ladies.
If/when a player needs an additional bathroom break during a tournament match, then he/she may take it on a changeover- with the understanding that he/she has 90 seconds to get back on-court for the start of the next game or he/she is subject to a delay of game warning, and then a penalty point.
Leaving the court for a bathroom break should never be done to “irritate” your opponent. Doing this to gain a competitive advantage is a shameful example of gamesmanship.
- Bill
Q: All of my tennis days I have used the "Budge" backhand grip (thumb up the back) and it has limited me from hitting the heavier topspin in today’s game. How would Budge fare in today’s game? Would it be possible to always take these on the rise as he liked to? I don't think so. I am still playing about four times a week and am finally thinking about taking a whole winter to practice with a new grip as Bill Tilden once did in Providence RI. Can you teach an old dog new grips?
Mike - Holliston, MA
This is a funny question (or questions actually). I think that it is never too late to learn new “tricks.” Mal Washington reached the 1996 Wimbledon final on the strength of, among other things, his two-handed backhand. Long-since retired, but still playing exhibitions and charity events, Washington has decided to switch to a one-handed backhand. He sets a great example for all of us.
The Bill Tilden reference is interesting. Legend has it that Tilden spent an entire winter working on his backhand drive and physical strength. When he returned the following season, he had total confidence in his “weaker” shot.
How would Don Budge do today? Many all-time experts pegged Budge as having had the greatest one-handed backhand of them all, so I expect that with the current lighter racquets which have considerably more hitting area and the livelier strings he would have adjusted just fine. It is likely that with the modern surfaces (Budge grew up playing on slick cement courts and the biggest matches of his career were played on low-bouncing grass or, later as a pro, canvas-covered indoor courts), Budge would have modified his grip slightly to account for the higher bounces.
- Bill
Additional thoughts for the week…
- Congratulations to Italy, which won the 2006 Fed Cup final over Belgium this past weekend. The Italians won the tie in the fifth and deciding rubber when Justine Henin-Hardenne was forced to retire with a knee injury in Charleroi, Belgium. Each of the Italian victories during the year-long campaign was on foreign soil. For more information about this remarkable team effort, go to: www.FedCup.com.
- During the 2006 US Open, 75% of ALL the players used the same exact 16L gauge polyester string. I find this amazing, because it was not that long ago when virtually all professional players exclusively used natural gut. The times they are a-changin’. This polyester string allows players to haul off and nail balls as hard as they can without compromising control. Recreational players may struggle with the playability of this string because it feels “hard” on the arm and also continues to stretch over time (which is not an issue for full-time players who restring their racquets nearly everyday).