# Scouting an Opponent · Tennis Level 6: Advanced

Tennis · Level 6: Advanced · Insporta Book (https://book.insporta.app/tennis/level-6/scouting-an-opponent/)

Scouting an Opponent in Tennis (Level 6: Advanced) on Insporta: 40 sourced facts behind 4 tests. Covers: what the warm-up shows; reading the serve; and more.

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.

## Test 1: What the warm-up shows

- The warm-up is a free chance to test a shot that is often weak. (Source: General coaching reference (scouting))
- Uneasy overheads in the warm-up suggest that lobs may pay off in the match. (Source: General coaching reference (scouting))
- A player who avoids the topspin backhand even when relaxed may not trust it. (Source: General coaching reference (scouting))
- Slow first steps to one side or forward point to where they can be moved. (Source: General coaching reference (scouting))
- The warm-up serves show the serve they trust and whether the toss is reliable. (Source: General coaching reference (scouting))
- Relaxed warm-up strokes can hide what happens under match pressure, so the first games must confirm the read. (Source: General coaching reference (scouting))
- A player who skips volleys may not like being drawn forward. (Source: General coaching reference (scouting))
- What is seen becomes a target, and the first games check whether the read was right. (Source: General coaching reference (scouting))
- A clear, repeated weakness is the most useful clue; a social habit tells little. (Source: General coaching reference (scouting))
- The backhand broke down far more often, so it is the first wing to test. (Source: General coaching reference (scouting))

## Test 2: Reading the serve

- Under pressure players fall back on the serve they trust, so the big points reveal it. (Source: General coaching reference (scouting))
- Counting targets per side shows the server's habit, deuce and ad separately. (Source: General coaching reference (scouting))
- 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))
- The second serve is the server's safest delivery, and knowing it lets the returner prepare to attack it. (Source: General coaching reference (scouting))
- A visible shift towards the favourite target can push the server into a less trusted serve. (Source: General coaching reference (scouting))
- A guess becomes useful once a count over several games confirms it. (Source: General coaching reference (scouting))
- Every tiebreak point is important, so the server's favourite serve is likely to appear. (Source: General coaching reference (scouting))
- Observation builds up a picture that ends in a change of position. (Source: General coaching reference (scouting))
- The more pressure on the point, the more the server relies on the serve they trust. (Source: General coaching reference (scouting))
- Most of the dots sit at the T, so the returner can shade that way. (Source: General coaching reference (scouting))

## Test 3: Habits under pressure

- Pressure exposes habits: the shot a player trusts most appears when the point matters. (Source: General coaching reference (scouting))
- A predictable reply can be covered early, turning their defence into the player's attack. (Source: General coaching reference (scouting))
- A player who hurries after a lost rally can be made to play one more ball. (Source: General coaching reference (scouting))
- A tell might be a different toss, a grip change or a stance that shows what is coming. (Source: General coaching reference (scouting))
- A low slice tends to land shorter and stay low, so the player can step in on it. (Source: General coaching reference (scouting))
- Knowing whether the opponent cracks or grows in a bad run tells the player how hard to press. (Source: General coaching reference (scouting))
- Net errors usually come from a low path or late contact; a deep, heavy ball can make that worse. (Source: General coaching reference (scouting))
- A habit is only a habit once the same choice is seen more than once. (Source: General coaching reference (scouting))
- Serving to stay in the match carries the most pressure; a big lead carries the least. (Source: General coaching reference (scouting))
- Most of the winners follow the same cross-court path from the forehand corner. (Source: General coaching reference (scouting))

## Test 4: From scouting to a game plan

- A plan must be short enough to remember under pressure and match what the player can do. (Source: General coaching reference (scouting))
- Good opponents adjust, so a second plan saves time when the first stops working. (Source: General coaching reference (scouting))
- A plan is judged over several games, not one or two points. (Source: General coaching reference (scouting))
- Attacking a weakness with a shot the player does not own gives the points away. (Source: General coaching reference (scouting))
- Getting the big serve back deep neutralises it, and the rally then goes to the weak wing. (Source: General coaching reference (scouting))
- Deciding beforehand removes doubt at the moment it would hurt most. (Source: General coaching reference (scouting))
- Several matches show habits in many situations, including big points. (Source: General coaching reference (scouting))
- The plan grows from the notes, through the weaknesses and the player's own strengths, to two written plans. (Source: General coaching reference (scouting))
- The more specific an aim, the easier it is to carry out and to check. (Source: General coaching reference (scouting))
- Plan A worked until the opponent adapted; a full set lost says it is time for plan B. (Source: General coaching reference (scouting))

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.

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