If you want to improve your tennis game, learn to watch the ball. Don’t be distracted by the movements of the player beyond the net, don’t worry about what they’re doing that might indicate how they plan to deliver their next swing. And don’t look at their side of the court to decide where you want to send the ball back to them. Focus on the ball itself so you don’t lose sight of it once it passes the net, as most players do. Practice with a friend or a machine so you can return several balls without pause and practice watching the ball until it hits your tennis racket. If you take your eyes off the ball too soon, it’s going to be difficult to make sure it hits the center of your tennis racket, which is a clean hit in tennis and the most desirable way to return a ball.
Watching the ball can prevent hits that go off in unexpected directions because your tennis racquet has turned in your hand. It’s often not a grip problem (though this can be an issue, too) but because you’re not focused on the ball, you can’t tilt the tennis racquet properly to ensure that the ball hits in the center and that the tennis racquet is angled properly. If you’re looking at the ball just before it hits the tennis racquet, you can quickly changed the tilt of the racquet to make the shot you intended.
The more you learn to watch the ball, the better you’ll be able to return it from the center of the tennis racquet. You’ll also find you’re a much better judge of the speed and likely drop spot of the ball if you watch it until it hits the racket, rather than taking your eyes off it feet before it reaches you.
Unless your opponent is up close to the net as well, don’t return the ball too close to the net. If you do and they return from the back of the court, the ball will likely sail past your outstretched tennis racquet because you’ve had no time to move back into position to return it. If they’re close, though, it’s a great opportunity to do that to them.
Concentrate on staying in the center of the court. This is the best position to be in to quickly reach almost any ball. And don’t get so caught up in watching your return ball fly that you’re caught off guard by your opponent’s next move.
Study your mistakes and learn from them. If you’re always hitting the ball out of bounds, practice reigning in your swing. If the ball constantly ends up in the net, adjust the angle of your tennis racket and your swing to get it over the net more often. Letting yourself get frustrated over these errors will only cause you to make other small miscalculations. Look at them as opportunities to improve your tennis game and have even more fun.