How to Play a Match When You Haven’t Played in a While

Megan Fernandez

Every match tells a story. My first singles match of the USTA fall league season was a lesson in how to play when you’re rusty.

I won the 4.0 singles match after coming off an eight-week break. I wasn’t expecting much, but I went in with a strategy and positive mindset anyway, and lo and behold, it was enough to be competitive. So if you’re worried about shaking off some racquet rust, here are 10 takeaways.

1. Practice at least once. 

Tennis uses different muscles than other sports or workouts. You don’t want to reactivate them under the stress of competition. A practice session will do the trick. Plus, you’ll get a sense of your level so you have reasonable expectations for the match. I played a lot worse in my practice session than I had expected. My timing was dreadful and my movement was beyond sluggish. If I had discovered this in the match, I would have had no confidence. Instead, I prepared accordingly.

2. Warm up your body.

One teaching pro told me that if he had only 10 minutes to warm up before a match, he’d just get his heart rate going, not hit a ball. Everyone at the club level is too self-conscious to do it, but I suck it up and jog a few laps around the court before every match or clinic, and finish with side shuffles. Then I hold on to the net post and do these leg swings to loosen the hips. I get the shoulders and back, too. Do this and you’ll play better from the first ball and won’t feel as rusty. 

3. Wear a cute, comfortable outfit.

If you don’t have peak confidence, just dress like you do. You’ll project self-assurance and might even trick yourself. A little psychological edge can’t hurt. Navy and white always makes me feel like a classic tennis player. Bright colors radiate confidence. For this match, I went with all black to put myself in an aggressive mindset because that’s my game.

4. Forget about winning. 

Literally, don’t think about it. This goes for any match, but make an extra effort to banish those thoughts when you’re getting back into the swing. The big problem with focusing on whether you’ll win the match is that it makes you think about the whole match at once. That’s overwhelming. It’s like trying to eat a meal in one bite. You can’t. You have to focus on little morsels of the match—the next point, the next ball. 

I used to obsess about whether I’d win or lose the match, starting in the warmup. I practiced stashing those thoughts away for years. My mind still wanders, but my ability to refocus faster and concentrate was a factor in this match. 

5. Focus on footwork and high-percentage shots.

You know how to swing the racket. It will happen, so don’t think about your technique. Focus instead on your feet. My only goals for the match were to move up to the ball, stay on my toes, and split-step. 

Also, take only percentage shots—crosscourt or down the middle. Make shot selection brainless until you regain some feel. During my match, I was disciplined about hitting returns crosscourt even though I love to rip the ball down the line. Only when I was deep in a rally did I let instinct take over and go for some inside-out forehands, my favorite shot.

6. Hustle.

Make up for your subpar form with grit and guts. Hustle your heinie off and run for every ball. It always scores you some free points in the match. It also puts pressure on your opponent. They might miss an easy shot if they see you running to cover the open court. This is a big area of opportunity when you’re rusty.

In my match, my opponent’s slice drove me nuts. She sliced off both wings, short and angled, almost a drop shot. I had to run up to it and get low, over and over. I hate playing that style—it takes me out of my power baseline game. But she would often miss it or the next shot, so I kept anticipating that shot and scraping it off the court, content to track down the ball until she missed one. If she popped the ball up, then I would pounce. Otherwise, I didn’t try to hit winners off those low slices, and I didn’t grumble about them in my head.

7. Trust yourself.

Hustling doesn’t mean you’re going to play defensive tennis if that’s not your style. It means you’ll play defense every time you have to. Otherwise, don’t be timid just because you’re rusty. Some of your best stuff will come back, and you might play your way into competitive form. That’s all you need, a competitive chance. So keep swinging. Make smart choices. If you get an  open court and a nice mid-court sitter, step up and hit to a corner.

8. Remember, your opponent isn’t perfect.

A club player is bound to have ups and downs during a match. Most of us aren’t good enough to play our best for two hours straight. My opponent was a strong player, but she missed a lot of balls, and to my surprise, I raced out to 5–1 in the first set. Then she cleaned it up and closed it to 5–4 before I served it out. Her level kept improving in the second set and she won 6–1. But I reset mentally in the tiebreak while she got nervous. 

If your opponent is red-lining, just keep playing your game because theirs will likely drop. Be ready by staying positive and being willing to take your chances. 

9. Have a good attitude.

After I led 5-1 in the first set, my opponent won nine of the next 11 games. Scoring seemed easy for her with those deadly slices she could hit at will, while I had to work my tail off on every ball. It didn’t seem fair, and my irritation boiled over midway through the second set, when I yelled after slamming a down-the-line forehand well wide. 

But I stopped and had a little talk with myself. The forehand wasn’t the right shot. I lost the point because I made a dumb, tired decision, not because “everything was going her way.” I changed my attitude and played better. I still lost the set 6–1, but I wasn’t falling apart—she was just playing great. So I went into the match tiebreak feeling good, ready to hustle. I pulled it out because I tried harder at the end, physically and mentally. If I had pouted about losing five games in a row in the second set, I would have lost the match tiebreak.

10. Relax, this is fun.

At 1–3 of the second set, I had a good chance to get back on serve for 2–3 and I was playing with a lot of intensity, but the game went her way and it was 1–4 instead. It was a big swing and easy to feel frustrated. But I reminded myself that this is supposed to be fun. As I waited to receive serve, I took a deep breath and checked my perspective. I remembered that I was lucky to know how to play tennis and to be put in a USTA lineup and enjoy a high-quality match. I had already won a set and gotten some exercise. Win or lose, it was a great way to spend an evening. 

Yes, it stings to play poorly. But you can control that part, even if the score doesn’t reflect it. Focus on making good decisions with footwork and shot selection, give a full effort, be a good sport, and accept the outcome. Competing with heart is all your team can ask of you.

If it makes you feel better, sure, hit a crazy shot. Rush the net. Smile. You’re playing tennis.