About 12 years ago I was hitting the ball with a pretty good player in Olympia, WA. He told me that I hit the ball well, but I did not watch the ball long enough. I thought what good would it do me to look at the ball too long; it would stop me from admiring my shot. I really didn't think that. I thought"he really doesn't know my game and I shook my head yes and did not change a thing. He was right! It is not important for me to admire my shot, let others do that. I could still look up on time to see the ball land in my opponents court. What is more important is that I see the exact spot that I want to hit ball on and the angle of the ball coming off of the racket.
Here an example: In pool (billiards), if you take your eye off of the cue ball, then you may not hit the target ball in the right place. If the target ball is hit wrong, it probably will not go in the pocket. Same with tennis, hit the ball wrong and it may go into the net or out of bounds. So remember this acronym W.I.L. (Watch It Leave) and you will get better.
You might be thinking: but if I look down that long, how will I know where my opponent is? To which I answer: it doesn't matter, because you are less likely to mishit, therefore less likely to commit errors, forced or unforced, your opponent is more likely to commit errors than you. Your opponent's errors will win you more matches than your winners!
Rodger Federer does this and how can you argue with his success!
Off the court, Keep your head up...on the court, keep your head down..at least for a couple of seconds.
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