Thinking about ‘Panova tennis’ lately. Not that I’m anywhere near her level, obviously. But I hit a wall with my doubles game, specifically my net play. It was just… bad. Really bad. My partner was getting pretty fed up, and honestly, so was I. We were just making a mess out on the court.
We’d tried a whole bunch of stuff. Watched some videos, tried these complicated poaching systems, signals that we’d forget mid-point. It felt like we were trying to run before we could walk. The result? We mostly just got in each other’s way. My volleys were either flying out or dribbling into the net. It was frustrating, to say the least. Just a total scramble with no real plan.
So, I actually sat down and watched some of Alexandra Panova’s doubles matches. I wasn’t looking for some magic bullet, just wanted to see how a solid pro handles the net. What struck me wasn’t anything super flashy. It was her consistency and her positioning. She always seemed to be in the right place, ready. Her volleys were controlled, placed, not just wild smashes. It looked so… sensible.
I decided my next practice had to be different. I told my partner, ‘Okay, forget all that fancy stuff for a bit. I’m going to try and channel some of that Panova approach. Just focus on being solid at the net, basics first.’ He was probably relieved we weren’t trying another ‘genius’ tactic that would blow up in our faces.
So, I got on court. First thing, I really focused on my split step. Every single time the opponent was about to hit. Sounds simple, but I realized I was being lazy about it. Then, with the volleys, I stopped trying to hit winners every time. I just concentrated on making contact, getting the racket face square, and trying to direct the ball. I tried to watch the opponent’s setup more, to anticipate. Thinking, ‘What would Panova do here?’ – probably not panic, for a start.
- Really drilled that split step.
- Kept my volley motion short and simple.
- Tried to read the play instead of just reacting late.
- Communicated more, even if it was just ‘Yours!’ or ‘Mine!’.
And guess what? It wasn’t a miracle transformation. I’m not suddenly a net maestro. But it was definitely better. We started winning a few more of those net exchanges. I felt more confident up there, less like a deer in headlights. I even pulled off a couple of decent block volleys that Panova herself might have given a nod to. Okay, maybe a very small nod. From very far away.
It’s funny, isn’t it? You see these pros, and sometimes it’s not the spectacular shots that are most useful to copy, but the steady, smart stuff. That ‘Panova tennis’ idea, for me, isn’t about hitting crazy angles. It’s about building that solid foundation. We actually ended that practice feeling a bit more positive. Still got a mountain to climb, but at least it feels like we’re looking at the right map now, instead of just wandering around in circles. Definitely gonna keep this approach for a while.
