Clijsters Puts on a Clinic at Acura Classic

Monty Basnyat

Click photo to hear Kim Clijsters talk about her game.

On Thursday afternoon, I had the opportunity to watch Kim Clijsters demolish Marion Bartoli at the Acura Classic. Another ho hum 6-1, 6-1 drubbing in a match that lasted less than an hour. Clijsters is one of the few players on the WTA who seems to be really enjoying herself on the court. I guess that enjoyment comes with winning and Clijsters is doing a lot of that these days.

Clijsters has improved her ranking every year she’s been on the tour and now, at twenty years old, she’s poised to take over the number one spot for the first time (although Serena Williams still has something to say regarding that).

When you watch Clijsters play you can’t help but marvel at her sheer athleticism. She seemingly runs down every ball with ease and can pound out winners from just about anywhere on the court.

Her serve is rock solid, routinely clocking in just shy of 110 mph and she also owns a wicked kicker, and a deceptive slider too.

Clijster’s is a very aggressive baseliner who takes the ball early and, unlike so many girls on the tour, she’ll take the net if she has her opponent at a disadvantage.

Serving and backing away may win you matches on clay and maybe a few on the hard courts also, but you have to work very hard to pull out matches. And when you have to grind out 4 or five matches over the course of a tournament, that can eventually take its toll.

Clijsters' powerful first serves allow her to dictate with her groundstrokes.

Too many parents get caught up in the rush of seeing their juniors doing well in tournaments but the skills necessary to succeed as a junior do not guarantee success later on. Repeatedly hitting high, loopy balls over the net from well beyond the baseline may get you a high ranking in the 12’s but as you get older, this advantage will slip away.

On the pro circuit, the players who can back up a solid serve by playing on or inside the baseline can put there opponents on the defensive and take control of the point. This is what Clijsters and a handful of other women of the WTA do so well and it’s one of the things that separate them from the rest of the pack.

But there’s a lot more to Clijster’s game than her offensive arsenal. Clijsters is also a tenacious defensive player. Next time you get an opportunity, watch her closely - don’t follow the ball back and fourth. Notice where she positions herself on the court and how quickly and powerfully she moves around. See how she transitions from offense to defense, ready to track down any ball, always trying to take back the neutral or the offense position again. Her speed bails her out of a lot of situations. Very rarely does she look sloppy on the dead run.

So what can we mere mortals learn from Kim Clijsters?

Court positioning. Know and understand the three zones - offense, neutral, and defense. Offense is on top or inside the baseline or moving foreword towards the net, neutral is 3-4 steps behind the baseline and defense is 5-8 steps behind the baseline.

Clijsters can take her forehand anywhere she wants to.

The key is to be aware of what position you are hitting the ball from. Then, as the ball is traveling towards the opposites side, recovering quickly to the correct position. A position that bisects your opponent’s possible angles of play.

Lets say from an offensive position (just on top of the baseline) you hit a neutral ball back to your opponent (neutral ball is where both players are in a rally situation no one is in trouble) you then must return back to the neutral position. Once you are aware of yourself and aware of what type of ball you hit back to your opponent you are well on your way in learning how to becoming a better offensive player.

Take the ball on the rise. The best way to practice this is to have your partner feed you balls from the net while you stand about a foot inside the baseline. Try rallying back and fourth. Focus on reloading quickly after each hit.

Work on your footwork. A jump rope is your best friend. Work the rope 3-10 minutes almost everyday skipping, not jumping on both feet.
Practice serving. Take advantage of a good serve. The idea is to land on your front foot, just inside the baseline, then reload and stay low while taking the return on the rise. Then, depending on your shot, either retreat to a neutral position or stay on the offensive .

The key is be light footed and reload quickly. Be prepared to take a quick step backwards after the serve if your opponent hits an aggressive return. Remember, just like Clijsters you need to get a solid first serve to make life a little easier.

Good luck and see you at courtside!

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