How to Start Playing Tennis Tournaments (A Simple Guide)

Why is it Important to Learn How to Play Tennis Tournaments

Some recreational players just like to enjoy tennis with their friends as a part-time hobby. After all, there are a number of physical and mental health benefits associated with playing tennis, which is just one of the reasons why it is such a popular sport. 

However, having a clear goal to aim towards can really help give players direction in their tennis development. That’s where tournaments come in. 

Playing tennis tournaments not only gives you the opportunity to win trophies, but it is a very important part of improving your game as a tennis player. Playing tennis matches is such a key part of developing your game because it tests all aspects of your ability to see if you can overcome your opponent. 

Not only do you have to have enough technical ability to keep the ball in the court at the desired level of intensity, but also being fit enough to maintain a good level over a long period of time is essential too. What’s more, dealing with the nerves, pressure, and excitement of playing a tennis match makes it a completely different ball game than just practicing with your friends!

Develop Your Game

Playing tennis tournaments is the perfect way to develop your game for a number of reasons. First of all, you’ll have something to aim for in your practice sessions. If one shot in your game, for example, your backhand, broke down under pressure, at least you now have a focus for your next training session. 

Second, you’ll come up against many different players in tournament play. This will help you use different tactics to deal with different game styles and improve your understanding of the sport overall. 

And thirdly, entering tennis tournaments will give you a sense of progress and accomplishment that is simply not achievable by playing just for fun. Overcoming your nerves and closing out a match (even if you don’t go on to win the tournament overall), provides a great sense of satisfaction and personal achievement.

How to Start Playing Tennis Tournaments

So, now that we understand the importance of playing tennis tournaments and how they can help make you a better tennis player, let’s take a closer look at how you can start playing more tennis matches today.

Step 1: Search In Your Local Community 

The first step towards playing more tennis tournaments is to simply search for them in your local community. This may sound straightforward, but it is so often the case that tournament organizers don’t put enough effort into promoting their events! 

Use your country’s governing body website to find areas in your location, search social media sites and even go down to local tennis clubs and find out if they have any tournaments running soon. 

Taking these steps will help you understand what local clubs have to offer, so you can decide whether it is right for you. Any form of tennis competition, such as a box league, ladder, club tournament, or FAST 4 event will be a great place to start.

Step 2: Find Players Near You

The next important step to take when you are thinking about entering tennis tournaments is to find local players to compete with. This can be in the form of opponents if you are playing singles, along with a doubles partner if that is more your thing. 

This is also a great way to build up a bit of friendly rivalry, and tennis is always more enjoyable when you are playing against friends! Again, by reaching out to clubs in your local area, going and meeting members, and even simply by entering local competitions, you’ll soon build up a list of contacts to play with.

Step 3: Learn the Rules of Tennis! 

Next, in order to play in tournaments you’ll, of course, have to learn the rules of tennis. Now, if you have already been playing recreational tennis for a while you may already know most of the rules, but there are a number of scoring systems out there that you may not be familiar with. 

Therefore, it is important to read up on the format that your tournament will be using, as there’s nothing more embarrassing than thinking you’ve won a match but you’ve actually got the score wrong! 

Also, if you are entering doubles tournaments, you may want to brush up on the rules of doubles tennis too.

Step 4: Understand Your Game Style

Once you have a clear understanding of the rules of tennis, the next thing to do is understand your own game style. It is worth taking some time to take stock and appreciate what your own strengths and weaknesses are as a tennis player, so you can use these to your advantage. 

For example, if you are a tall tennis player with a big serve, you may find that playing an aggressive baseline game style would best suit your frame. Also, you may find it more difficult to run around the court and stay low, making it more difficult to defend. 

In contrast, if you are a shorter tennis player, your agility may be a strength. Using your hands and creativity to win points may come more naturally to you, so a counter-punching game style would suit you best. 

The point here is to think about your own game and understand what you do well, and what you don’t do so well. This will help you play to your strengths more and find ways to not allow an opponent to exploit your weaknesses very often.

Step 5: Look at The Tennis Bros Tactics Online Courses

Another smart move to make before you start playing tennis tournaments is to check out the tennis bros online courses for singles and doubles tactics. It is of course important to understand your own strengths and weaknesses, but also learning how to identify those in your opponent is key to winning more matches. 

We help you take your tactical approach to the next level, offering a wider range of replicable patterns of play that will help simplify the game of tennis and make your life easier on the court. 

We have worked with Ex ATP Professional turned master tennis coach Dave Ireland, to bring a new layer of tactical awareness to your game. 

We’ll help you outsmart your opponent, learn how to force your opponent into errors, and implement great tactics wherever you find yourself on the court. 

We have dedicated courses to both singles and doubles tennis, so no matter what format of the game you are playing, we’ve got you covered. 

So, what are you waiting for? Check out our singles tactics and doubles tactics courses today!

Step 6: Set Your Expectations

Once you have a good understanding of the tactics you are going to use to win some matches in the heat of battle, it is time to set realistic expectations. It’s important to remember that playing under match conditions is very different from playing for fun. 

When you are playing a match and every point counts, many players tend to tighten up and hit more passively than in practice. Remember that this is completely normal and part of the game, so don’t be surprised when it happens to you! 

Don’t expect to go into a tournament and beat every player you face, but don’t also go into it thinking you are destined to lose 6-0 6-0! 

Both of these extremes will give you the wrong mindset going into the match, making you wildly overconfident or underconfident. This in turn will impact your performance on the court and potentially leave you with a worse result than you may have been expecting. 

Therefore, looking at the rating or ranking of the players you may come up against, the grading of the tournament, and how much tennis you have actually been playing leading up to the tournament will all factor into setting realistic expectations before you step onto court.

Step 7: Find Your Level

Finally, it is important to find your level and play to that when you first start entering tennis tournaments. This is a really crucial step to stop you from becoming discouraged early in your tennis match play journey. 

If you start playing tennis tournaments that are way too challenging for your level of experience, this will knock your confidence and leave you feeling helpless on the court. The result of this will be a lack of appetite to go out there and try again, as you recover from that traumatic experience! 

On the other hand, entering tournaments where you are by far and away the best player is no fun either. Whilst it may be nice to win a trophy, doing so without challenging yourself or improving your game is not particularly satisfying or useful. 

Therefore, entering a tennis tournament that is pitched roughly at your level, if not slightly higher to make it challenging, is a great way to make the most of the playing experience. 

You’ll have to enter and play a few different levels of tennis before you find your level, so be patient and trust the process.

Once You’ve Learned How to Play in a Tournament, the Next Step is to Work on Your Serve and Return! 

As many tennis players who compete regularly will know, the serve and return are the two most important shots in the game.

This is because every single point in a match starts with either a serve or return. So, if you can’t get either of those shots into the court consistently, effectively, and aggressively, you may well struggle to win any tennis matches.

Here at the tennis bros we understand this, which is why we have put together a wide range of courses to help you take your game to the next level. 

Our Secrets of the Serve and Return of Serve online courses are the perfect way to improve the two cornerstones of your tennis game. These resources have been expertly created to help you unlock a new level to both your serve and return. 

Simple Guide to Playing Tennis Tournaments

Overall, playing tennis tournaments is a great way to improve your competitive awareness, tactics, and mental approach to tennis. Understanding and analyzing where you may have made mistakes that cost you vital points in a match is a great way to identify areas for improvement. 

This can help guide what techniques you need to work on, as well as give you motivation to practice harder with a proper direction. 

So, use this simple guide to start playing tennis tournaments to get the competitive juices flowing and step onto the match court today. 

Want more free resources to help you improve your game?

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