Playing in Cold Weather

Around here, all of the public courts take their nets down around the end of October. After all, who's going to play tennis outdoors when it's 35 degrees?

That's why I keep a net in my car.

I would much rather play tennis at 35 degrees than at 75. 45 is just about perfect. In the cool air, I can run all day. It's a triple reward: I run down more balls, I get more exercise, and I get warm. Plus, it's too cold for bugs.

The best way to dress for a 35-degree day is to wear several thin layers. I wear a polo-type tennis shirt, covered by a long-sleeve flannel, then a sweatshirt that zips all the way up the neck, then a nylon windbreaker, all of them loose-fitting. In a good, tough singles match, I'll almost always eventually peel off at least two of the layers.

Your body won't loosen up as quickly in the cold, so it's important to warm up gradually. Don't chase the barely reachable balls until you're fully warm and loose.

Below 40 degrees, I often warm up with gloves on. The work gloves with tiny rubber knobs all over the front hold onto the racquet quite well, although sometimes my sense of the racquet angle is slightly off, causing errors. Once I get going, my playing hand is busy enough to keep itself warm without a glove. The other hand, which does little more than toss for serves, usually keeps its glove. If I were a two-hander, both hands would probably stay warm enough.

You'll often want sunglasses and/or a cap or visor when you're looking toward the low winter sun in the south sky.

The biggest difference in the game itself is the cold's effect on the ball. A tennis ball is not designed for playing in the cold, and the height of its bounce decreases in proportion to the decrease in temperature. This is caused by the drop in air pressure inside the ball and by stiffening of the ball's rubber. If you want to have fun with the opposite effect sometime, put a few balls in front of a heater for 20 minutes, then play with them while they're hot. They'll bounce like Superballs for a few games or so. Unfortunately, they'll then go deader than they were before you heated them.

Taking advantage of the cold essentially boils down to taking advantage of low bounces. Just practice the following tips, and you'll be ready for Wimbledon's grass:

• Remember to get your racquet lower, especially in preparation for hitting topspin. Without this adjustment, you'll hit into the net much more than usual, both because you don't get enough lift on the ball and because its rebound off your racquet is reduced. Not only is the ball less lively--so are your strings.

   

• Hit harder and aim deeper, again because of the less lively ball and strings.

   

• Slice like crazy, both serves and groundstrokes. A good slice will practically roll on your opponent's side.

   

• Use your drop shot. Any conditions that reduce bounce (e.g. grass) favor drop shots.

   

• Attack the net. A low bounce on your opponent's side will make it much harder for him to hit a topspin passing shot. Without the dipping effect of topspin on his shots, your opponent will give you more high volleys, and volleys are generally easier to hit from above the net than from below.

   

• Topspin applied to groundstrokes and serves will still help the ball drop into the court and accelerate forward on its bounce, but if you're used to kicking the ball above your opponent's comfort zone, you might be disappointed. A kick serve that would, on a 75-degree day, jump above your opponent's head, will, on a 35-degree day, sit right in his "wheelhouse" (power zone). Don't abandon your topspin, but use it for purposes other than creating a high bounce. At the very least, mix it in with your slices just to keep your opponent from getting used to what you're doing.

   

• Here's a tennis tip you don't hear too often: Watch out for ice! Even small patches of slight wetness can become major hazards as the temperature drops. A damp spot that's pretty harmless at 3:00 can send you to the hospital at 4:45 when the evening temperatures have turned it to ice. (I suppose it's possible that a few of you might decide it's too cold by then.)