Tip of the Week: Follow Through the Same Way Every Time…Again

September 14, 2021 | By Steve Annacone
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Photo Credit: Manuela Davies/USTA

 

I have written about this before but after watching the 2021 U..S Open, I felt the need to repeat. Novak Djokovic was always the poster boy for my idea about following through the same way, regardless of how your opponent hits their shot.

However, Danil Medvedev beat Novak at his own game in the finals.

He was great at defending, he was aggressive when he needed to be, and his follow throughs on both forehand and backhand groundstrokes were flawless. Regardless of how quickly the ball came back, how much he had to run, or how well Novak hit his shot, Medvedev calmly used the same swing on almost every single ball. It rarely looked like he was rushed and even after missing a shot, he would repeat the same swing the next time the ball was hit to him.

There were many reasons why he was able to keep Djokovic from winning the first Men’s Grand Slam since 1969, but I believe his consistency with the follow through may have been the biggest obstacle that he threw at Novak in the final. His ability to repeat the swing under pressure was amazing.

Practice following through the same way on all of your groundstrokes, and then repeat the idea, regardless of the outcome of the last point. This will give you the best chance of making the shot even when you are in a difficult position or on the dead run.

 


Steve Annacone
Steve Annacone, USPTA Elite Pro, is the Director of Annacone Tennis, www.annaconetennis.com and MyHamptonsPro, www.myhamptonspro.com throughout the Hamptons, NY. In addition, Steve, Phil Lepisto, and Amanda Reller run the ACT (Advanced Competition Team) program at the Tucson Jewish Community Center (Tucson, AZ) for high level players ages 8-18. Please contact Steve at info@annaconetennis.com
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