Hey Tennis Freaks!

Madrid has been loud this week.

Big hitting. Fast conditions.
And… snapped racquets.

Baptiste broke one over her knee mid-match.
Djokovic has done it. Plenty of others too.

Some bounce back instantly after it.
Others spiral for the next 5 games.

Same action. Very different outcome.

That’s the theme this week.

Not control.
Regaining control.

Let’s get into it.

Most players think losing it is the problem.

It’s not.

The problem is how long you stay there.

You miss a ball.
You get a bad call.
You feel tension build.

Now you’ve got a choice:

Release it… or carry it.

Baptiste snapped the racquet.
Next question is the only one that matters:
Did she reset or not?

Djokovic has made a career of this.
Emotional spike → fast reset → back to work.

Club players do the opposite.
They hold onto it. Talk about it. Replay it.
And now one moment becomes three games.

This week in practice:

Give yourself a 10-second rule.

Something goes wrong → you get 10 seconds to react however you want.
Then it’s done. We recommend not breaking your racquet.

Walk to the line. New point.

Train the reset. Not the reaction.

Let’s stir it up.

Underarm serve.

Smart… or soft?

At the pro level — it’s a weapon.
If someone is standing 12 feet back, it’s just solving the problem.

At the club level… different story.
You’re not getting paid.
There’s a line between winning and how you win.

We want your take on it.

👉 Vote here.

Now tactically, here’s how to handle it (from Ace):

If you lose that point, it’s not on them.
It’s on your awareness.

Comeback announcement.

New racquet. New setup.

Here’s what most players won’t see:

There will be a stretch where it doesn’t feel right.

Timing off. Misses. Doubt.

That’s where matches are decided.

Not when things feel good.
When things feel off and you still commit.

Same with emotions.
Same with tactics.

You don’t need perfect.
You need control of the moment you’re in.

Outdoor season is close.

And it’s going to test your patience fast.

Wind. Sun. Bad bounces.

You’re going to feel that same frustration as Madrid.

Good.

Don’t avoid it. Train it.

Your edge this season won’t be your forehand.
It’ll be how fast you reset when things get weird.

Let’s make this real.

Next time you feel it…
Missed ball. Bad call. Underarm serve. Whatever.

Don’t fight the reaction.
Just shorten it.

Here’s your rule:
Feel it → Reset → Play

That’s it.

If you want something concrete, try this between points:
• Turn your back to the court
• One deep breath
• Say your cue word
• Walk back in ready

No overthinking. No dragging it.

And one more thing…

Go vote on the underarm serve poll on our YouTube.
We want to see where you stand on it.

Then ask yourself:
If it helps you win… are you using it?

That answer tells you a lot about your game.

See ya next Friday,
Cade & Chris

Premier racquet stringers, official stringers at the National Bank Open. Your go-to online tennis store for top gear in tennis, badminton, table tennis, squash, and pickleball. Use "MPTENNIS10" for 10% off.