@@alwayscausingaracquet He really is! And is forehand is probably feels like a much bigger weapon in-person than on-camera. He hit quite a few winners and forced a lot of errors with it.
I can see Aravind doing well against MEP. He reminds me of "Boss of ATL" on tennis troll's channel, who routed MEP th-cam.com/video/sOLoAx98-Lo/w-d-xo.html. IMO Aravind has pretty solid movement, forehand, net game, and a good enough slice and drop-shot but his biggest strength is his tennis IQ, which I believe is also Boss of ATL's biggest strength. Neither have extremely technical strokes or 110 mph+ serves, but they know which shot to go for and can place the ball well.
I played Aravind once in USTA. And after the one and a half hour match I cramped up immediately afterwards 😂 IMO you gotta keep the ball deep at all times, be patient, and come to the net on your own terms, but it’s a lot easier said than done😢 it seems like he keeps targeting your backhand to force weak balls from you so that he can dictate. Keep up the good work! It’s tough but we have to beat guys like him to get to 5.0 🤣
Absolutely, looking back, I think I felt super rushed on my backhand whenever he sliced it causing even more errors. Didn’t help that during the tournament before, I think I was doing something wrong with my backhand and it carried over to this match too
Aravind plays a considerable amount of cat-and-mouse and can also rush the net. It can be tricky to play against since he works the entire court. There's usually a couple strategies that are good to employ against this type of player, but I think the one of controlled, patient aggression from the baseline to wear him down suits your game more. The other requires you to do a bit more damage on short balls he brings you in that aren't on your terms and finish at the net.
Look Aravind is just good. He's consistent and has great placement control. Hard to beat. Gotta keep your shots deep even if you loop them high (pusher) rather than drive them. He's Stefi Graf in that his BH is 100% slice and close to 100% slice cross court. That's his only weakness. Hit deep to his BH and come in behind it. Make him have to try to slice down the line. If he can execute that shot, you're done. If not, you can at least make him work harder. Loop your shots deep to his backhand and look to move in on any floating BH slices.
To me Aravind has a very regular style of play, yes he slices all the time on the backhand , but lots of one-handers do that, he forehand is a offensive weapon. The issue is not being able to deal with the slice. Yes it is a pain but when you 99% sure the backhand is coming as a slice you can more forward diagonally and take it in the air, now the slicer is under massive pressure. Let's look at 13:20 , we know it is going to be a floating slice, before it is struck, he could have moved forward and volleyed that in the air. He did not move forward at all, he may have moved back a little. Need a attack mindset like 14:15.
Aravind is basically MEPv2.0. So hard to play against this style as it requires great fitness and footwork and just encourages people to overhit and miss. May not look pretty but sure is effective!
@info781 agreed, his forehand is much more of a weapon compared to MEP but still his overall play style i.e. short slices with backhand and strategic drop shorts and overheads are definitely MEP like. Not dissing this play style one bit. It's extremely difficult to play against.
Defensive baselining with a strong short game is scary, he waits for you to get gassed then attacks one of your short balls. My strat against this would be to keep the baseline pressure high into the start of the rally and try to force errors out of defensive strikes. Players like this really test your shot quality and shot selection. Also your netgame needs some work.
Your biggest weakness in this match that you need to improve on is being able to close out points when you get weak balls at the net. There were so many on every game where you would come at the net and either miss, but even those you didn’t miss, they were very weak shots he just returned back. If you punished him every time he hit a weak shot just trying to keep the ball in play, even with all the long balls, you would’ve been in it
Did anyone notice how high Arvind holds the racquet at "all" times - not just serve but forehand, slices etc.? Can see almost 1/3 of the handle under the palm. This can give a lot of feel while sacrificing power. Great game though - contrasting styles with offensive volleying from Arvind (very different from MEP though)
To deal with a slice guy, you need develop slice skill. You don’t need to be as good as he is, but good enough to keep it going and wait for your attack opportunities.
Think you should've played to his forehand and tried to construct points that way. At a glance it looks like his weaker side is his backhand, but throughout the entire first set you can't make any headway trying to attack it. You expend a lot of energy trying to go inside out to his BH and you progressively lose court position, while not being able to generate any short balls. You can see that as the rallies get drawn out you try and hit bigger to try and break through, but end up hitting a lot of errors. You could also employ some more variety in your groundstrokes, you mostly seem to hit rally balls with medium clearance and your opponent is giving you no rhythm back. I don't think I saw any kind of variation or change of pace (i.e. high and loopy). It looks like every time you don't get that nice clean ball, you hit it short and your opponent comes in.
Thanks for the feedback, yeah im definitely trying to add more variety without tiring myself out or making many errors. A work in progress for sure, thanks for the feedback 🙏🙏
Def good opponnet...but after 50+ years of playing, I've had my share of days I want to quit the sport forever. Good on you for bouncing back since then. The mental game has always been the most challenging, and important to me....I'm always playing against two opponents...the actual opponent, and my own head...
Against people who come in a lot you really have to try and keep the ball deeper so they’re more hesitant to come in and not able to hit a solid approach shot to come into the net
Sure , but tennis is not about hanging out at the baseline with polyester strings, it is about attacking the net, intimidating your opponent, forcing errors, a slice is a great shot , but it floats and can be picked off.
Haha yeah mentally I was just drained from the tournament the other day before and I wanted to feel like i was making some minor tweaks to attack more but I just couldn’t feel it.
Cramping is tough, make sure to stay hydrated night before and get enough rest 2 straight nights before your match! Mustard works as a charm to get rid of matches if you needed to in a match setting
For sure, I had a hydration drink a couple of hours before my tournament, then a ton of coconut water during my two matches so I was surprised that I ended up cramping, especially when I won quickly in my first match but it was also a high of 87 degrees that day so not used to playing in the heat again.
Your opponent is a great pusher. He made you make some errors and next thing you know you feel like you need to hit towards the lines to win points forcing you to make more errors. I think you have to be more patient and really take advantage of his slice backhands. There were quite a few opportunities where you put pressure on his backhand and he put back a fluffy slice, unfortunately you were not at the net to put them away, instead you let them fall and let him recover. I think you said you hit one swing volley that match, you should be looking to position yourself to hit a lot more against opponents like him.
@@info781 I guess "pusher" has a lot of different definitions. I'll rephrase, the opponent is a great defensive player, he won't miss too much and he will make you play another shot.
Totally maddening opponent. Gross strokes, seemingly no weapons… but super effective and he knows how to win. A couple of questions: 1) could you have been more aggressive in attacking his serve? Even if it meant taking risk, I was wondering if you could attack the serve to his backhand and either follow it in or look for the short ball. 2) were there any 1-2 combinations on your serve that could have worked? I haven’t watched enough of your matches to know if you were serving well. 3) could you have constructed points by going forehand to forehand, then going backhand when you had a short ball? His backhand was gross but effective and high shot tolerance.
I think he has a lot of great weapons. He has great feel (touch volleys, lobs, low shots). It might not look great, but it’s very effective, especially because he plays way more doubles than singles. And happy to help answer questions, thank you for asking! 1. I should’ve been more aggressive, it’s tough when his serves don’t have any kick or jump so I felt like I was trying to get underneath the ball but couldn’t since it skids. 2. My volleys are probably my weakest game so trying to come in after return or being more aggressive to end the point was tough, especially he’s really good at just redirecting and not keeping me in the middle of the baseline 3. Yes I should’ve attacked more to his forehand because he slice was getting really effective on my backhand, made me felt rushed and causing errors. Something to work on for sure!!
@@alwayscausingaracquet good match to learn from. The crafty guys are hard because you think it is them, but it is really you. They just get your head turned around in circles. For example, on the backhands, it isn’t his shot. I am sure you can rip his balls in practice… but when they keep coming back, you put pressure on yourself. Trust your game. Find the pattern that works. I am a 4.5 in NorCal and I think we generally have a lot of strong 4.5s (high density of high level players in general) - you would be a high 4.5 here. Not sure if you would get bumped to 5.0 but you would do well.
@@nomadfromcincy yeah I was talking to my coach about that too. When I feel rushed or play against someone that just makes me uncomfortable, it makes me play even worst because I feel like I need to react to the rush but it makes me feel even more rushed. When I try to play a different strategy, such as volleys and drop shots, I try to overdo it since it’s not my strong suit which causes me to mess up even more and the. I try to go back to my usual game but then overdo it! Haha it’s a chaotic mess but that’s where I find the big difference between me and 5.0 player, they know how to switch up strategies and make players uncomfortable. I’m working on that
Aravind won a lot of points at the net. That style is hard to beat for rec players. Also, Tony doesn't hit the ball with enough pace so Aravind has enough time to dictate the game.
You hvae all the shots... good forehand, good bachand, great serve It's your footwork that needs improving. See how light he travels through the court and sets up perfectly for his shot. Look at how heavy and inefficient your foot work is, you put a lot energy into every step and you are not getting to the shot in time to set up for your shot. It's like you are trying to stand on one leg instead of two every time. Keep it light by doing very low split steps, after every shot get in the habit of staying straight up and getting right back into the middle.
Absolutely, my timing is always off looking back at the video. I was tired from my tournament but also I felt even more rushed when he’s coming up to net, moving me around, and slicing to my backhand. Things to work on for sure 👍🎾
Classic 4.5 pusher. Most shots have not much pace and usually high and very spinny. Very ugly to watch, and yet not easy to beat becos pushers are high percentage so they win by making you hit impatient unforced 😅 To win a pusher, you either need to be a better pusher or you gotta be able to finish points quickly
If you going to face a pusher you need to dictate the ball. The reason why you can't isbecause hes not scared of your FH. You rarely do split step to get to the ball and you don't engage in your leg to make the pace any faster than what hes uncomfortable with.
@@jamesball5743 well, we are computer rated 4.5…would you like to make a formal complaint to USTA? Camera slows down the ball but also 4.5 has a vast amount of different serves, ground strokes and more, just look at tennis troll. Again, can’t wait to see your videos to compare to your 4.5.
These comments aren’t giving Aravind enough credit. Quality opponent. Exceptional feel and great shot selection. People get way too hung up on style.
Aravind is a beast on court! Got destroyed in doubles against him too
@@alwayscausingaracquet He really is! And is forehand is probably feels like a much bigger weapon in-person than on-camera. He hit quite a few winners and forced a lot of errors with it.
We need a match up with Aravind vs MEP from Tennis Troll. Would feed millions 😮💨
I can see Aravind doing well against MEP. He reminds me of "Boss of ATL" on tennis troll's channel, who routed MEP th-cam.com/video/sOLoAx98-Lo/w-d-xo.html. IMO Aravind has pretty solid movement, forehand, net game, and a good enough slice and drop-shot but his biggest strength is his tennis IQ, which I believe is also Boss of ATL's biggest strength. Neither have extremely technical strokes or 110 mph+ serves, but they know which shot to go for and can place the ball well.
@@speedoflin3025 Ooh “Boss of Atlanta” would be a good match up too!
I played Aravind once in USTA. And after the one and a half hour match I cramped up immediately afterwards 😂 IMO you gotta keep the ball deep at all times, be patient, and come to the net on your own terms, but it’s a lot easier said than done😢 it seems like he keeps targeting your backhand to force weak balls from you so that he can dictate. Keep up the good work! It’s tough but we have to beat guys like him to get to 5.0 🤣
Absolutely, looking back, I think I felt super rushed on my backhand whenever he sliced it causing even more errors. Didn’t help that during the tournament before, I think I was doing something wrong with my backhand and it carried over to this match too
Aravind plays a considerable amount of cat-and-mouse and can also rush the net. It can be tricky to play against since he works the entire court. There's usually a couple strategies that are good to employ against this type of player, but I think the one of controlled, patient aggression from the baseline to wear him down suits your game more. The other requires you to do a bit more damage on short balls he brings you in that aren't on your terms and finish at the net.
Yeah I needed to hit some loopy higher balls to keep him back
Great match, Arvind looks tough. You need to dictate the point otherwise it's always tough to beat guys like this. Keep it up.
Look Aravind is just good. He's consistent and has great placement control. Hard to beat. Gotta keep your shots deep even if you loop them high (pusher) rather than drive them. He's Stefi Graf in that his BH is 100% slice and close to 100% slice cross court. That's his only weakness. Hit deep to his BH and come in behind it. Make him have to try to slice down the line. If he can execute that shot, you're done. If not, you can at least make him work harder. Loop your shots deep to his backhand and look to move in on any floating BH slices.
Great advice.
Thanks for the tip, will definitely give that a try next time 🎾🎾
To me Aravind has a very regular style of play, yes he slices all the time on the backhand , but lots of one-handers do that, he forehand is a offensive weapon. The issue is not being able to deal with the slice. Yes it is a pain but when you 99% sure the backhand is coming as a slice you can more forward diagonally and take it in the air, now the slicer is under massive pressure. Let's look at 13:20 , we know it is going to be a floating slice, before it is struck, he could have moved forward and volleyed that in the air. He did not move forward at all, he may have moved back a little. Need a attack mindset like 14:15.
Things to work on for sure! You’ll see it later in some of the next videos, stay tuned and thank you 🎾🎾
Tough unorthodox opponent. Think you can crush those second serve returns a bit more. Props to posting this!
Next time for sure!
I always struggle against unorthodox opponents
Aravind plays standard tennis, he slices a lot , but lots of people with one handed backhand slice all the time. Why would you describe him that way?
Aravind is basically MEPv2.0. So hard to play against this style as it requires great fitness and footwork and just encourages people to overhit and miss. May not look pretty but sure is effective!
Oh man I bet he would like that comment. We actually have our version of MEP here that I need to set up a match with.
No, MEP gotten best by a kid on tennis troll. Quality shot which most of us don't have the technique for.
Totally different from MEP. Aravind's forehand is an offensive weapon, not a push shot at all.
@info781 agreed, his forehand is much more of a weapon compared to MEP but still his overall play style i.e. short slices with backhand and strategic drop shorts and overheads are definitely MEP like. Not dissing this play style one bit. It's extremely difficult to play against.
Defensive baselining with a strong short game is scary, he waits for you to get gassed then attacks one of your short balls. My strat against this would be to keep the baseline pressure high into the start of the rally and try to force errors out of defensive strikes. Players like this really test your shot quality and shot selection. Also your netgame needs some work.
Your biggest weakness in this match that you need to improve on is being able to close out points when you get weak balls at the net. There were so many on every game where you would come at the net and either miss, but even those you didn’t miss, they were very weak shots he just returned back. If you punished him every time he hit a weak shot just trying to keep the ball in play, even with all the long balls, you would’ve been in it
For sure! I’ve been working on that with my coach recently, will post some videos of that soon! Thanks for the suggestions 🎾🎾
Did anyone notice how high Arvind holds the racquet at "all" times - not just serve but forehand, slices etc.? Can see almost 1/3 of the handle under the palm. This can give a lot of feel while sacrificing power.
Great game though - contrasting styles with offensive volleying from Arvind (very different from MEP though)
To deal with a slice guy, you need develop slice skill. You don’t need to be as good as he is, but good enough to keep it going and wait for your attack opportunities.
Think you should've played to his forehand and tried to construct points that way. At a glance it looks like his weaker side is his backhand, but throughout the entire first set you can't make any headway trying to attack it. You expend a lot of energy trying to go inside out to his BH and you progressively lose court position, while not being able to generate any short balls. You can see that as the rallies get drawn out you try and hit bigger to try and break through, but end up hitting a lot of errors.
You could also employ some more variety in your groundstrokes, you mostly seem to hit rally balls with medium clearance and your opponent is giving you no rhythm back. I don't think I saw any kind of variation or change of pace (i.e. high and loopy). It looks like every time you don't get that nice clean ball, you hit it short and your opponent comes in.
Thanks for the feedback, yeah im definitely trying to add more variety without tiring myself out or making many errors. A work in progress for sure, thanks for the feedback 🙏🙏
Def good opponnet...but after 50+ years of playing, I've had my share of days I want to quit the sport forever. Good on you for bouncing back since then. The mental game has always been the most challenging, and important to me....I'm always playing against two opponents...the actual opponent, and my own head...
Against people who come in a lot you really have to try and keep the ball deeper so they’re more hesitant to come in and not able to hit a solid approach shot to come into the net
Yeah, I needed to mix in more high loopy shots, would’ve Made it tougher to drop shot against me
16:50 Know the feeling..been there myself many times...
The voice in my head "do I really wanna waste another hour doing this shit" 😄
Sure , but tennis is not about hanging out at the baseline with polyester strings, it is about attacking the net, intimidating your opponent, forcing errors, a slice is a great shot , but it floats and can be picked off.
@@info781 yeah, on a perfect day. but some days all you have is 1-3 tools in your bag.
Haha yeah mentally I was just drained from the tournament the other day before and I wanted to feel like i was making some minor tweaks to attack more but I just couldn’t feel it.
Cramping is tough, make sure to stay hydrated night before and get enough rest 2 straight nights before your match! Mustard works as a charm to get rid of matches if you needed to in a match setting
For sure, I had a hydration drink a couple of hours before my tournament, then a ton of coconut water during my two matches so I was surprised that I ended up cramping, especially when I won quickly in my first match but it was also a high of 87 degrees that day so not used to playing in the heat again.
@@alwayscausingaracquet The heat does that to you man. I feel you it gets to like 90 degrees sometimes here in SoCal and it is brutal
Your opponent is a great pusher. He made you make some errors and next thing you know you feel like you need to hit towards the lines to win points forcing you to make more errors. I think you have to be more patient and really take advantage of his slice backhands. There were quite a few opportunities where you put pressure on his backhand and he put back a fluffy slice, unfortunately you were not at the net to put them away, instead you let them fall and let him recover. I think you said you hit one swing volley that match, you should be looking to position yourself to hit a lot more against opponents like him.
Agree with you but his forehand is a huge weapon, video slows things down a little, but he smoked a number of shots on that side, not a pusher.
@@info781 I guess "pusher" has a lot of different definitions. I'll rephrase, the opponent is a great defensive player, he won't miss too much and he will make you play another shot.
Darn I am going to be in tx if I am around definitely will hit you up
Totally maddening opponent. Gross strokes, seemingly no weapons… but super effective and he knows how to win.
A couple of questions:
1) could you have been more aggressive in attacking his serve? Even if it meant taking risk, I was wondering if you could attack the serve to his backhand and either follow it in or look for the short ball.
2) were there any 1-2 combinations on your serve that could have worked? I haven’t watched enough of your matches to know if you were serving well.
3) could you have constructed points by going forehand to forehand, then going backhand when you had a short ball? His backhand was gross but effective and high shot tolerance.
I think he has a lot of great weapons. He has great feel (touch volleys, lobs, low shots). It might not look great, but it’s very effective, especially because he plays way more doubles than singles. And happy to help answer questions, thank you for asking!
1. I should’ve been more aggressive, it’s tough when his serves don’t have any kick or jump so I felt like I was trying to get underneath the ball but couldn’t since it skids.
2. My volleys are probably my weakest game so trying to come in after return or being more aggressive to end the point was tough, especially he’s really good at just redirecting and not keeping me in the middle of the baseline
3. Yes I should’ve attacked more to his forehand because he slice was getting really effective on my backhand, made me felt rushed and causing errors. Something to work on for sure!!
@@alwayscausingaracquet good match to learn from. The crafty guys are hard because you think it is them, but it is really you. They just get your head turned around in circles. For example, on the backhands, it isn’t his shot. I am sure you can rip his balls in practice… but when they keep coming back, you put pressure on yourself. Trust your game. Find the pattern that works. I am a 4.5 in NorCal and I think we generally have a lot of strong 4.5s (high density of high level players in general) - you would be a high 4.5 here. Not sure if you would get bumped to 5.0 but you would do well.
@@nomadfromcincy yeah I was talking to my coach about that too. When I feel rushed or play against someone that just makes me uncomfortable, it makes me play even worst because I feel like I need to react to the rush but it makes me feel even more rushed. When I try to play a different strategy, such as volleys and drop shots, I try to overdo it since it’s not my strong suit which causes me to mess up even more and the. I try to go back to my usual game but then overdo it! Haha it’s a chaotic mess but that’s where I find the big difference between me and 5.0 player, they know how to switch up strategies and make players uncomfortable. I’m working on that
imo, Tony played fine. That guy is a nightmare for a standard style tennis player.
Aravind won a lot of points at the net. That style is hard to beat for rec players. Also, Tony doesn't hit the ball with enough pace so Aravind has enough time to dictate the game.
@@EdgewoodTennis I’m trying 🥹 haha it’s a work in progress, not one of my best matches but that’s why I post! Thanks for watching
GMU huh? I play there pretty often
Basically, he exploited those weaknesses of yours. On the bright side, atleast now you know where you can still improve.
Always things to improve for sure 🎾🎾
You hvae all the shots... good forehand, good bachand, great serve
It's your footwork that needs improving. See how light he travels through the court and sets up perfectly for his shot. Look at how heavy and inefficient your foot work is, you put a lot energy into every step and you are not getting to the shot in time to set up for your shot. It's like you are trying to stand on one leg instead of two every time.
Keep it light by doing very low split steps, after every shot get in the habit of staying straight up and getting right back into the middle.
Absolutely, my timing is always off looking back at the video. I was tired from my tournament but also I felt even more rushed when he’s coming up to net, moving me around, and slicing to my backhand. Things to work on for sure 👍🎾
Classic 4.5 pusher. Most shots have not much pace and usually high and very spinny. Very ugly to watch, and yet not easy to beat becos pushers are high percentage so they win by making you hit impatient unforced 😅 To win a pusher, you either need to be a better pusher or you gotta be able to finish points quickly
If you going to face a pusher you need to dictate the ball. The reason why you can't isbecause hes not scared of your FH. You rarely do split step to get to the ball and you don't engage in your leg to make the pace any faster than what hes uncomfortable with.
Thanks for the tip! Will work on that next time
This is a very typical old school tennis. If you can’t beat them there is no shame.
@@pencilcheck always good to play against different people and figure out how to get better 🎾
4.5? Wow
@@bmanbusee3812 thanks I think 😂🎾
Work on your point construction. Looked like you were just going with the wind.
I ended up getting “winded” out of you know what I mean. I was so dead 😂🎾
His racquet has to be strung at about 30 pounds
Haha i actually string his racquets. 54 lbs with isospeed baseline control 16g and syn gut 16g !
@@alwayscausingaracquet wow, what a weird sound it makes
if you're both 4.5. im 4.5...
@@MTechnikM congrats!! You’re a 4.5 lol
Your net game is trash. Both guys have weak serves. This is not 4.5 level play at all.
@@jamesball5743 well, we are computer rated 4.5…would you like to make a formal complaint to USTA? Camera slows down the ball but also 4.5 has a vast amount of different serves, ground strokes and more, just look at tennis troll. Again, can’t wait to see your videos to compare to your 4.5.