In the women’s final of the BNP Paribas on Sunday March 20, two of the WTA’s best duked it out (…each dominating each of the first two sets), but the careful and crafty Caroline Wozniacki ended up with the final point of the match and the victory.

It was quite an exciting match. 17th ranked Marion Bartoli, after coming alive in the second set, looked as if she could make a strong run in the third to perhaps overthrow the heavily favored champion from Denmark.  But Caroline had other plans.  She really tightened up her game and roared to the finish line.

How’d she do it? How did Wozniacki get it done and snatch up the 14th title of her career?  Although there were a ton of tennis strategies used, here are the ones that made the most impact.

3 Tennis Strategies Wozniacki Used To Wallop Bartoli

1.    Great Footwork And Court Coverage: Though very athletic, Wozniacki didn’t get in great position after great position and execute an outstanding ground game by using only her speed.  She anticipated Bartoli’s movement and shots ahead of time.  By analyzing her opponent’s tendencies, her shot selection as well as the shot’s trajectory, Caroline was able to capitalize on it by beating the ball to its spot and thus took away Bartoli’s reaction time.

2. Carefully Constructed Points (…and minimized her unforced errors): She was very strategic and meticulous in building her points.  She didn’t repeatedly blast balls with all her might or look to kill it on every shot. In other words, she didn’t try to knock her out.  She “boxed” Bartoli – like she was related to Filipino champ Manny Pacquiao.

She mixed things up well, not giving her opponent the same look too often. This helped her to both create angles and cut off those angles well. She worked her laterally and got her going side to side (…with long tiresome rallies) and even snuck in a few drop shots for some extra variety.  Then when she saw an opening (…and had Marion on the ropes), she put the ball away safely and firmly into the open court. *(cut down a lot in the unforced error department)*

3.    Superior Serve Percentage: At one point, Wozniacki was pumping out a 1st serve percentage close to a mind-blowing 86%! Though many didn’t fall into the ace department, by not having to rely on too many second serves, Wozniacki was able to start out a large number of points in the drivers seat.

As a result, Wozniacki was able to control much of the match’s tempo in her favor and didn’t allow Bartoli (…a player widely known for her incredibly strong return of serve game) to get many opportunities for easy replies.  Caroline kept her honest and didn’t open the door for her to step into the ball.  She was forced to stay put (…in a defensive or neutral position).

Valuable Lesson Learned (When you’re down, BRING IT!): Now, just because the Dane was the winner, it doesn’t mean that’s all we should look at or be concerned about.  If we look passed the results or final score, we can actually learn something incredibly valuable. When Bartoli was practically steam-rolled in the first set 6-1, she didn’t go back into her shell like a lot of players would and let that put out her competitive fire. In fact, it ignited it even more so. In that next set, she really turned up the heat.

She became much more aggressive in the 2nd. Her head was held high, and she was even more alert than she was in the opening set.  She was hitting flat and hard, but wasn’t going crazy with it.

Wozniacki’s Opponent Chimes In, Big Reason For Loss…

And it was working!  Her opponent took immediate notice.  “She just went for her shots. She started to hit even harder,” Wozniacki said. “I didn’t feel I played badly. I thought actually I played pretty good, but she was very steady, keeping the pressure.”

So, this is a great example of what you should do when you’re down.  Bring it! If she started to feel sorry for herself and not play as hard, there would’ve been no chance of getting to that 3rd set and potential $700,000 purse. (Visit this page to learn more on this tennis strategy)

All in all, because the match was so relatively clean (…meaning the number of self-induced unforced errors were so low), this match actually could have gone either way.  Serving was also a big key.

It seemed as though whoever was serving the best and holding their serve, controlled the match (…which is usually the case).  But, nonetheless it was some high level tennis. Great job ladies. Way to bring it!

Have a great day and an even better game!

P.S. Click here for 19 hours of kick but tennis strategies…

POOOOOOWER… Sorry if I offended anyone ::wink: In tennis, power can be seen as a 4-letter word sometimes.  That’s the way we players sometimes feel our coaches think at least.

Doesn’t it always seem that every time you want to add some fire, your instructor gives you the “tone it down” signal?

Yea, bummer right. They’re always saying “that’s not the right play” or “widen your margin for error,” right?

Well, I’ve got good news for you. You’re both right. Sorry fellas, but your coaches do have a point here. You don’t want to literally tee-off on every single ball that comes your way.

But wait, there’s more!  Guys and Girls, power actually CAN be a great addition to your game. So, point for you .  But the only way it’s going to do you any good is if it’s used properly and in the right situations.

The problem is that too many players are confused as to when to unleash the power and when to keep it in the holster and often unload on it at the most inappropriate time.

The truth is it can get pretty confusing and nerve racking when you never feel quite sure. This leads to becoming a step slow on many points. Why? Because you’re constantly involved in a mental tugg-o-war… should I go for it or play it safe…which one…which one.  And by the time you make a decision, the ball has already blown passed you.

Relax, I’ve got you covered.  Give your brain a chance to breathe while I give you a clear-cut answer on how power will help you prevail in 2 key live-game situations with 100% certainty. See the examples below:

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Now granted, the probability that your shot will go in decreases as the amount of power you use goes up, but I’m giving you total and complete freedom to “up the ante”  and “pick up the pace” on the 2 previous situations we talked about. Give it a try the next time you find yourself in either one of these situations, and you should really see a pretty descent improvement!

All the best,

Brian Hall, Your Tennis Mind Coach
TennisMindCamp
webmaster@tennismindcamp.com

P.S. I got some emails asking about that secret project I’m working on. But unfortunately, I can’t  spill the beans just yet.  All I can say right now is I’ve just been really working hard on something for you that’s going to be pretty amazing once it’s completed! I’ll shed so more light on it in the upcoming weeks.

…I think (…no I know) you’re really going to love it!

REMEMBER: I’m here for you if you have any questions about any of these tennis strategies or anything that you think would help put you over the hump. Simply hit reply in the email program you use or post it down below this post.