How To Play Tennis Like Pete Sampras

With 14 Grand Slams under his belt, Pete Sampras will go down in history as one of the best to ever pick up a racket. He was truly tennis royalty. Even if you don't have the strokes that Sampras has, you can still emulate his playing style to suit your needs. Having a Sampras Style game isn't too far off if you use these few tips.

Develop and Use Your Serve as a Weapon

They didn't call him Pistol Pete for nothin'. The name Sampras is almost synonymous with serving power. Pete could bring the heat on the first serve, but most will say that his biggest weapon was his second serve. Pete's second serve routinely hovered around the 110mph mark. Try facing that on Centre Court Wimbledon.

Even if you don't serve 20 aces a match, you can still use the serve to your benefit. Remember, the serve is the one stroke in tennis that you initiate. You have total control of how the shot is made. One underestimated weapon when it comes to serving is getting the first serve in. This protects you from having to make too many second serves, which are more easily attacked.

Also, consistency in serving gets into the head of your opponent. If you get first serves in the box, you'll hold serve more easily. This does two things. First, it boosts your confidence in your entire game, enabling you to play better. Second, it puts the pressure on your opponent to do the same. If it's 4-4, and you've been holding serve easily, your opponent will be all the more cautious.

Serving isn't just about power; it's about placement as well. As heavy as Sampras' serve was, he could hit a serve right on the T at will. In most club matches, it won't be the more powerful server that wins the day, but the one that can hit various areas in the box. Learn to move your serve around so that your opponent can't guess what's coming next. If you want to be really Sampras-like, try to hit different serves from the same ball toss. That will really throw a wrench in the other player's return game.

Play To Your Strengths