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Tennis · Level 6: Advanced · Sub-level 6.5

Scouting an Opponent

4 tests · 40 facts · updated 12 October 2026 · markdown

Reading an opponent before and during a match: what the warm-up shows, their serve tendencies, their habits under pressure, and how the read becomes a game plan.

Each test below is ten questions on Insporta. The list under a test is what the questions check: one fact per question, with the source it was written from. Read it before the test, or come back from a wrong answer.

Test 1What the warm-up showsTake a test

  1. The warm-up is a free chance to test a shot that is often weak.

    Source: General coaching reference (scouting) · recall

  2. Uneasy overheads in the warm-up suggest that lobs may pay off in the match.

    Source: General coaching reference (scouting) · recall

  3. A player who avoids the topspin backhand even when relaxed may not trust it.

    Source: General coaching reference (scouting) · applied

  4. Slow first steps to one side or forward point to where they can be moved.

    Source: General coaching reference (scouting) · recall

  5. The warm-up serves show the serve they trust and whether the toss is reliable.

    Source: General coaching reference (scouting) · recall

  6. Relaxed warm-up strokes can hide what happens under match pressure, so the first games must confirm the read.

    Source: General coaching reference (scouting) · recall

  7. A player who skips volleys may not like being drawn forward.

    Source: General coaching reference (scouting) · applied

  8. What is seen becomes a target, and the first games check whether the read was right.

    Source: General coaching reference (scouting) · recall

  9. A clear, repeated weakness is the most useful clue; a social habit tells little.

    Source: General coaching reference (scouting) · applied

  10. The backhand broke down far more often, so it is the first wing to test.

    Source: General coaching reference (scouting) · applied

Test 2Reading the serveTake a test

  1. Under pressure players fall back on the serve they trust, so the big points reveal it.

    Source: General coaching reference (scouting) · recall

  2. Counting targets per side shows the server's habit, deuce and ad separately.

    Source: General coaching reference (scouting) · recall

  3. A left-hander's slice curves away to the right of the server, which in the ad court is wide to a right-hander's backhand.

    Source: General coaching reference (scouting) · applied

  4. The second serve is the server's safest delivery, and knowing it lets the returner prepare to attack it.

    Source: General coaching reference (scouting) · recall

  5. A visible shift towards the favourite target can push the server into a less trusted serve.

    Source: General coaching reference (scouting) · recall

  6. A guess becomes useful once a count over several games confirms it.

    Source: General coaching reference (scouting) · recall

  7. Every tiebreak point is important, so the server's favourite serve is likely to appear.

    Source: General coaching reference (scouting) · recall

  8. Observation builds up a picture that ends in a change of position.

    Source: General coaching reference (scouting) · recall

  9. The more pressure on the point, the more the server relies on the serve they trust.

    Source: General coaching reference (scouting) · applied

  10. Most of the dots sit at the T, so the returner can shade that way.

    Source: General coaching reference (scouting) · applied

Test 3Habits under pressureTake a test

  1. Pressure exposes habits: the shot a player trusts most appears when the point matters.

    Source: General coaching reference (scouting) · recall

  2. A predictable reply can be covered early, turning their defence into the player's attack.

    Source: General coaching reference (scouting) · applied

  3. A player who hurries after a lost rally can be made to play one more ball.

    Source: General coaching reference (scouting) · recall

  4. A tell might be a different toss, a grip change or a stance that shows what is coming.

    Source: General coaching reference (scouting) · recall

  5. A low slice tends to land shorter and stay low, so the player can step in on it.

    Source: General coaching reference (scouting) · applied

  6. Knowing whether the opponent cracks or grows in a bad run tells the player how hard to press.

    Source: General coaching reference (scouting) · recall

  7. Net errors usually come from a low path or late contact; a deep, heavy ball can make that worse.

    Source: General coaching reference (scouting) · recall

  8. A habit is only a habit once the same choice is seen more than once.

    Source: General coaching reference (scouting) · recall

  9. Serving to stay in the match carries the most pressure; a big lead carries the least.

    Source: General coaching reference (scouting) · applied

  10. Most of the winners follow the same cross-court path from the forehand corner.

    Source: General coaching reference (scouting) · applied

Test 4From scouting to a game planTake a test

  1. A plan must be short enough to remember under pressure and match what the player can do.

    Source: General coaching reference (scouting) · recall

  2. Good opponents adjust, so a second plan saves time when the first stops working.

    Source: General coaching reference (scouting) · recall

  3. A plan is judged over several games, not one or two points.

    Source: General coaching reference (scouting) · recall

  4. Attacking a weakness with a shot the player does not own gives the points away.

    Source: General coaching reference (scouting) · recall

  5. Getting the big serve back deep neutralises it, and the rally then goes to the weak wing.

    Source: General coaching reference (scouting) · applied

  6. Deciding beforehand removes doubt at the moment it would hurt most.

    Source: General coaching reference (scouting) · recall

  7. Several matches show habits in many situations, including big points.

    Source: General coaching reference (scouting) · recall

  8. The plan grows from the notes, through the weaknesses and the player's own strengths, to two written plans.

    Source: General coaching reference (scouting) · recall

  9. The more specific an aim, the easier it is to carry out and to check.

    Source: General coaching reference (scouting) · applied

  10. Plan A worked until the opponent adapted; a full set lost says it is time for plan B.

    Source: General coaching reference (scouting) · applied

Sources

ITF coach-education materials, ITF Coaching & Sport Science Review, federation curricula, general coaching references; original questions authored, nothing reproduced. Numbered ITF rules belong to the Rules category.

  • General coaching reference (scouting)40