AboutChris Lewis Expertise I can answer questions related to tennis development -- both junior and senior -- including advice on various approaches to coaching, training and competition. I can also offer advice on the technical, tactical, mental and physical aspects of your tennis game, from beginner level through to aspiring professional.
I am able to give you advice on your tennis equipment; e.g., how to choose a tennis racquet best suited for your game, what to consider when purchasing a pair of tennis shoes, or what types of strings are most appropriate for your stage of development or your level of play.
As a former professional player, I can also offer practical advice on anything related to tennis as a potential career.
Experience
Playing Experience:
Former tour professional (1975 - 1986)
Ranked number 1 junior player in the world (1975)
Wimbledon Finalist, 1983 (losing to John McEnroe)
Coached By:
Harry Hopman - Legendary Australian Coach with the best Davis Cup winning record in history.
Tony Roche - Former World number 2, and former coach of Ivan Lendl, Pat Rafter, & Roger Federer. Current coach of Lleyton Hewitt.
Coaching Experience:
Coach of Carl-Uwe Steeb (1989-90) - World number 14
Coach of Ivan Lendl (1991-93)
Coach/Manager of Auckland Tennis Inc's Junior Development Program (1997-2005), which produced players who won US Open Junior, Orange Bowl and Australian Open Junior titles
Currently coaching some of the US's most promising young junior players (at the Woodbridge Tennis Academy in Irvine, Southern California)
Administrative Experience:
Chairman of Tennis New Zealand's (TNZ) High Performance Board 2000-2002
TNZ board member 2000-2002.
Business Experience:
Owner of Tennis-Experts, the online tennis equipment specialists.
Publications:
Regular columnist for New Zealand Herald (Highest circulation New Zealand newspaper)
Expert: Chris Lewis Date: 6/19/2008 Subject: power
Question hi chris, i want to increase my serve power but i just cant...i think i am in the right technique can you recommend some exercise to make my stroke explosive?
thank you for your time
Answer Hi Rayadi,
One exercise that I've found extremely effective in increasing service power is the following:
After fully warming up your serve, take up a service stance well behind the baseline, ideally 15-18 feet, and then serve as hard as you can into the fence (on the full) at the opposite end of the court.
Try not to serve upwards; instead, try and serve a ball that travels in a direct line parallel to the ground immediately after contact. Serve between 50 and 100 balls in this fashion, monitoring where each ball lands. If you do this every second day for a few weeks, I can guarantee that your power will improve.
Two words of caution, though. First, don't practice this way within a week of playing a tournament or any sort of competition. It takes a couple of days to adjust to the regular range of serving into the service box as the ball tends to go long prior to full adjustment.
Second, don't ignore any discomfort in the shoulder or arm as practicing your serve like this is very physically demanding. If you feel any soreness whatsoever, make sure your arm is fully recovered before attempting the exercise again.
