How Not To Overestimate Your Ability in Tennis: A Primer for Club Players and Online Trolls

Like you, I am staying at home, trying to avoid catching the virus. An opportunity to do work, I tell myself.

To pass the time, I often watch a lot of tennis online (old tennis, that is, since there are no active tour matches being televised right now).

To a tennis fan, it’s fun watching Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal hit winners.

I find that one of the less amusing aspects of watching tennis videos online is if I end up reading the comments section.

While I am all for the democratizing spirit of the internet, I am always irritated by the sheer stupidity and unbridled arrogance of the numerous self-proclaimed expert commentators online.

Recently, I was watching a video of tennis legend Stefan Edberg hitting with Federer at Indian Wells. The video is from 2014 when Edberg was coaching Federer.

During this practice session, the two greats were just massaging the ball, the way pros do in order to warm up and fine-tune their games.

As a retired legend, Edberg was playing the part of hitting partner and mentor, not competitive adversary.

Despite this context, some of the commentators were saying that they could beat Edberg, presumably because he plays old-school tennis.

Come again?

First, we had to contend with false expertise. Now, we have to deal with false ability?

You can beat Edberg?!

Then, pray tell us, why didn’t you win Wimbledon?

Of course, anybody with a deeper understanding of the game knows that the odds of any online troll, or superb club player for that matter, beating Stefan Edberg are horrific.

There is a better chance of an alien from Mars showing up and having dinner with any one of us tomorrow night.

Unless you’re an active, in-form professional tennis player successfully competing in Challengers or higher up-ATP events (250s and above), you’re going to get reamed by a retired Edberg.

Stefan Edberg during his peak years at the US Open (Source: usopen.org)

Even if he shows up totally out of shape, he will figure out a way to beat you.

If he gets in shape over a two-week period, he is going to win.

If this was just a problem with trolls, it wouldn’t deserve an entire article. But it’s not.

Club players almost always over-estimate their levels in men’s tennis, where ego and ability frequently do not align.

So, if you’re a men’s tennis club player, how do you correctly assess your level in tennis?

1. If you live in the United States, you have probably already gotten an NTRP rating through your local club coach or by playing in local USTA leagues and tournaments. You can also get a Universal Tennis Rating (UTR) anywhere in the world by signing up online. In addition, many countries, clubs, locales, etc., have their own ranking systems, ladders and so on.
2. To really gauge your level relative to professional players, however, it’s no use just playing against the locals at your level and assume you’re playing anywhere near a pro level. We all think we look like the players we watch on TV when we rip a forehand.
3. On that latter note, video does not lie. Record yourself hitting and watch yourself and your opponents. It will seem like slow motion compared to ATP players. And do this playing better players to see how you measure up. It’s harder to hit winners when your opponent has more skill and better understanding of court geometry.
4. Another indicator about the quality of your opponents is this: generally speaking, if you’re not competing at tournaments where there is prize money involved, you’re not close. Sorry. There are exceptions such as ITF junior events, some European club leagues, and NCAA college division I competition (but for the latter not all teams and players are competing at an elite international level, only the very best are).
5. You have to play up against better players to see where you truly stand. So say you are a USTA NTRP 4.5 player at your local club and you’re winning a lot of matches at your level. It does not necessarily mean that you’re a good player. You heard (read) right. It just means that you’re better than the existing competition you’re playing against. So play up.
6. In the U.S., anybody can register for USTA Men’s Open tournaments, where there is some limited prize money. See how you fare in those, not just the NTRPs. If you can, try to register for the qualies of an ITF World Tour Event (better known by their old name Futures). Those will give you a good idea as well. Most club players at the 4.0 or 4.5 levels will not be able to get more than 1 or 2 games in an ITF Futures event, even in qualifying.

So before you say (or even think) that you can beat a legendary champion like Edberg, a former World Number 1 and all-time great, try your luck in the minor leagues of tennis first.

I believe it is useful to think of tennis levels in terms of a pyramidal hierarchy in which it is easier for the casual player or fan to identify differences between players at lower levels.

But differentiating between advanced players is a lot more challenging. It’s quite often that casual observers are not able to tell slight differences that separate good players.

In addition, sometimes what we see with our eyes can be deceptive. Many players can hit hard and look good doing so, but that does not really tell you a lot about their actual level in competition.

A good Davis Cup or ITF-level player can easily neutralize a flashy hard-hitter by pushing him to the back of the court, moving him side-ways, bringing him up to the middle of the court and back, picking on weaknesses, playing better when it matters, and so on.

Take a look at Gilles Simon as an example. He would kill 99.9 percent of all club and NCAA players, but if you just watch him you wouldn’t know it. He’s scrawny and does not hit really hard on every shot, except when he wants to do so.

But the depth and placement of his shots, mental toughness, physical endurance and tactical awareness are way better than most professional players. And, of course, his skills are superior to those of any amateur.

In short, let’s all enjoy the game at our own modest levels and please don’t say you can beat Edberg or that you have a better forehand.

If you did, you would be on TV.