Okay, so I’ve been meaning to get back into tennis, and I kept seeing the name “Taylor Townsend” pop up. I figured, “Why not give her style a shot?” I mean, I’m no pro, but I like to think I can hold my own on the court.
First things first, I watched a bunch of her matches online. Just to get a feel for her game, you know? I noticed she’s a lefty, which is cool, and she’s super aggressive at the net. I’m more of a baseline player, usually, but I was ready to try something different.
Getting Started with Serve and Volley
So, I went to the court with my buddy, Mark. We warmed up a bit, the usual groundstrokes and stuff. Then I told him, “Alright, I’m gonna try to play like Taylor Townsend.” He just laughed, but he was game.
- Serve: I started with my serve. I tried to get some good placement, aiming for the corners. It wasn’t about power, more about setting myself up. Some were good, some… not so much.
- Approach: Immediately after the serve, I tried rushing to the net. This felt SO weird at first. I’m used to hanging back, waiting for the return. It felt super exposed, you know, just being that close.
- Volley: If he did not hit an easy one, I tried to punch the volleys, aiming deep, or go the short angles. I kept getting lobbed over my head, but after a few I read that and was able to get to it.
I did this for a few and I felt like it was going to be a disaster but decided to keep at it. I did this over and over, serve, rush the net, volley. Mark was giving me a good workout, mixing up his returns. I whiffed a few, got passed a bunch of times, but slowly, I started to get the hang of it.
Tweaking and keep practicing
After practicing for an hour, I wanted to see if I could use this style in a game.
I completely got destroyed, I was double faulting, my volleys were going into the net, and I was losing badly. I was like, “Forget this, I’m going back to my old style.”
But then I thought, “No, stick with it, I’ll keep on going”. I kept telling myself to get to the net, be aggressive, and finish the point quickly. It was tough, but I started to win a few points here and there. I still lost the match, badly, but I felt like I was onto something.
It’s definitely a work in progress. My volleys need a lot of work, and my serve could be better. But it was fun! It’s a totally different way of playing, and it makes you think on your feet. I’m definitely going to keep practicing this. Who knows, maybe I’ll even surprise myself (and Mark) someday!
