I was at Wimbledon for a few days and saw some great matches (more on that later). I was reminded that tennis is a game where adding up a number of relatively small improvements or tweaks can lead to big pay-offs. Once you have a consistent serve, and can rally well, a world of different shot options opens up.

After watching hours of elite tennis this week, I actually have a fairly straightforward tip for you take into your next session on the court. And it’s one that most recreational players either don’t know about, or observe inconsistently.

Simply put: during a rally, prioritise hitting the ball cross-court. Here’s why.

^{1. Cheat by playing on a bigger court}

So this isn’t actually cheating but consider the following: From corner to corner on a tennis court, the straight length (i.e. down the line) is 78 feet, whereas the diagonal length (i.e. cross court) is 82 ½ feet for singles and 86 feet for doubles. That’s an extra distance cross-court of 4 ½ feet or 8 feet respectively.

So while your opponent is hitting the ball down the line and taking on the higher-risk shot (effectively by playing on a shorter court), you should prioritise going cross-court when you can and stay in the point for longer.

2. You’ll be hitting over the lowest part of the net

The middle of the net is half a foot lower (3ft high) than the ends of the net (3.5ft). By hitting cross court, you increase the likelihood of your shot avoiding the net. And who doesn’t want that?