Craig O'Shannessy, Author at Brain Game Tennis

2014 Shanghai Semi: Federer Stuns Djokovic 64 64 – 48 Times At Net

Monday, 06 October 2025 by Craig O'Shannessy

Roger Federer has once again got the ball on a string. Federer is back to his magical best, moving through to the Shanghai Masters 1000 final with a scintillating 6-4, 6-4 victory over world number one, Novak Djokovic. The reason for the Renaissance is simple. Federer is attacking the net at will, making opponents have

Published in Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Serve And Volley, Shanghai Masters 1000

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What Exactly Is Serve +2?

Friday, 12 September 2025 by Craig O'Shannessy

Click HERE to register for the Serve +2 webinar on Wednesday Sep 17 G’day, In 2013 I created my first online strategy course called The 25 Golden Rules of Singles Strategy. Rule number three is called Serve +1, which focuses on the connection between the serve and the first shot after the serve. It became

Published in Serve +2, US Open

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Sinner’s Wide 1st Serves Vanished In The US Open Final vs. Alcaraz

Monday, 08 September 2025 by Craig O'Shannessy

G’day, Several fascinating storylines percolated in importance as Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner battled it out in the 2025 US Open men’s final yesterday. The Spaniard won 6-2, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4, dominating in all facets of the game. Was it all about the forehands? Or the serve? Or the lack of first serves? Or simply

Published in Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, US Open

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Five Stats That Pinpoint Novak’s Decline

Saturday, 06 September 2025 by Craig O'Shannessy

G’day, Novak Djokovic is currently the third-best player on the planet. Father time has caught up with him, and by his own admission, the brutal physicality of battling Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner over five sets has become an overwhelming obstacle. Here are five key stats that Djokovic used to dominate his opponents. Now, they

Published in 0-4 Shots, Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic, US Open

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Pegula v Krejcikova. 7 Things That Matter In Their US Open Qtr Final

Monday, 01 September 2025 by Craig O'Shannessy

G’day! Jessica Pegula is the No. 4 seed and has only dropped 16 games in eight sets leading into the quarterfinal. En fuego! Barbora Krejcikova has just won back-to-back three-set battles, including saving eight match points yesterday against Taylor Townsend. This US Open quarter-final is going to be a good one. Both players are rock-solid

Published in US Open

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What Has Happened To Novak Djokovic’s 2nd Serve?

Sunday, 31 August 2025 by Craig O'Shannessy

G’day, Novak Djokovic last won the US Open in 2023, defeating Daniil Medvedev 6-3, 7-6(5), 6-3 in the final. This was the last Grand Slam trophy Djokovic has held. He won six of his seven matches in 2023 in straight sets. He went down two sets to love against Laslo Djere in the third round

Published in Novak Djokovic, US Open

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This Specific Tactic Wins 81% Of The Time At The 2025 US Open

Friday, 29 August 2025 by Craig O'Shannessy

G’day, What does dominance really look like on a tennis court? Well, when you win a set 6-0, you typically win right around 70% of points in that set. For example, Carlos Alcaraz defeated Mattia Bellucci 6-1, 6-0, 6-3 in the US Open second round a couple of days ago. In set two, which Alcaraz

Published in Serve And Volley, US Open

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How Rafa Builds For US Open Glory

Wednesday, 20 August 2025 by Craig O'Shannessy

Getting to break point against Rafael Nadal is one thing. Good luck converting it. It will feel as though you are playing an entirely different sport. Nadal defeated John Isner 7-6 (8), 7-6 (3) in the 2013 Cincinnati Masters 1000 final by saving all three break points he faced. It was the first time in

Published in Cincinnati Masters, John Isner

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Tennis is a game of combinations. Here’s a beauty!

Friday, 15 August 2025 by Craig O'Shannessy

G’day, The typical way to think about a point in tennis is that it is filled with “one-way” exchanges. For example, you hit a forehand cross-court, not exactly knowing where your opponent will direct their shot back to you. So, you tend to focus just on your shot rather than where it will most likely

Published in Uncategorized

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Ben Shelton Is Raising His Tennis IQ – And ATP Masters 1000 Trophies

Thursday, 14 August 2025 by Craig O'Shannessy

G’day, Ben Shelton broke through for his maiden Masters 1000 title in Toronto last week, winning three matches in a tie-break in the third set to take the title. That also included the final against Karen Khachanov. Ben Shelton: 2025 Toronto In Shelton’s post-match press conference, he opened up about improving by playing better players

Published in Ben Shelton, Canadian Masters, Mental / Emotional

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Improve Your 1st Serve With This Smart Drill

Monday, 11 August 2025 by Craig O'Shannessy

G’day, I have been back on court a lot lately, working with players at Roland Garros, Wimbledon, and also the US national junior hardcourts in Kalamazoo. I want to share with you a first serve drill that I have done at all events that helps players get more first serves in and win more service

Published in Australian Open, Roland Garros, Serving, US Open, Wimbledon

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2025 Wimbledon Men’s Final. Five Keys To The Final

Sunday, 13 July 2025 by Craig O'Shannessy

G’day From Wimbledon Carlos Alcaraz vs. Jannik Sinner. This feels like a Djokovic/Federer/Nadal heavyweight fight all over again. Here are five things to consider when watching the final. 1) HEAD-TO-HEAD Alcaraz leads the head-to-head 8-4 and has won five straight in 2024 and 2025. Sinner has not beaten Alcaraz since September 2023. This is the

Published in Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Wimbledon

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Wimbledon Preview. Swiatek v Anisimova. The Only 3 Things That Matter.

Saturday, 12 July 2025 by Craig O'Shannessy

G’day from Wimbledon, Iga Swiatek has had a dream run to the Wimbledon women’s final, dropping only one set along the way. Of the 12 sets she has won, seven of them have been 6-2 or better. She soundly defeated Belinda Bencic 6-2, 6-0 in the semi-final, putting 90% of returns in play, winning all

Published in Amanda Anisimova, Iga Świątek, Wimbledon

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The Wimbledon Baseline Hides A Dark Secret

Friday, 11 July 2025 by Craig O'Shannessy

G’day from Wimbledon, When you step onto any tennis court, you automatically walk to the baseline and start trading shots back and forth with the person on the other side of the net. The baseline is your happy place. It’s where you feel comfortable on the court, having more preparation time than at the net

Published in Carlos Alcaraz, Court Position, Jannik Sinner, Jenson Brooksby, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Wimbledon

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Gauff’s mind was her biggest weapon

Sunday, 08 June 2025 by Craig O'Shannessy

Coco Gauff had two question marks coming into the 2025 Roland Garros women’s singles final against Aryna Sabalenka. Would she serve too many double faults? Would her forehand break down? These were both problems during her 2024 US OPEN campaign. Not in Paris. Not this time. Gauff defeated Sabalenka 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-4 Saturday to win

Published in Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff, Roland Garros

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2025 Roland Garros Final Alcaraz vs. Sinner. Five Things To Look For.

Sunday, 08 June 2025 by Craig O'Shannessy

G’day From Paris, Borg vs. McEnroe. Sampras vs. Agassi. Edberg vs. Lendl. Djokovic vs. Federer. Nadal vs. Federer. Alcaraz vs. Sinner. This is the next iteration of the heavyweights in our sport. The top two seeds will be crushing the ball on the crushed red earth at Roland Garros this afternoon. Overall, Alcaraz leads the

Published in Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Roland Garros

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The practice court is clearly broken. Here’s the proof.

Points are "front loaded". By far the majority of the action, and the winning, takes place in THE FIRST 4 SHOTS. The practice court is full of long rallies. Matches are dominated by short rallies. There is a massive disconnect occurring.

We spend too much time grinding, banging balls up and down the middle of the court – that have no real benefit to winning tennis matches.

There are 3 specific rally lengths in tennis. Here is their percentage breakdown of total points.

0-4 Shots = 70%
5-8 Shots = 20%
9+ Shots = 10%

The First 4 Shots is specifically the serve, return, Serve +1 groundstroke and Return +1 groundstroke. Those are normally the shots that get practiced the least, but matter the most to winning tennis matches.

The net is an extremely high percentage place to be!

If you love playing tennis for fun, spend as much time at the baseline as you like. But if you compete – if the score matters – then you must turn your attention to the net to maximize your potential.

The “herd mentality” in tennis thinks it’s too tough to approach the net in today’s game. The conversation starts with improved string technology, more powerful rackets, and finishes with stronger, faster athletes. The herd think approaching is a relic of the past. The herd is WRONG!

AVERAGE WIN %
Baseline = 46%
Net = 66%

Data from ALL Grand Slams provides the facts about approach and volley, and the data is crystal clear – it’s immensely better than staying back at the baseline, grinding for a living.

The baseline is a tough place to create separation. Here's how to do it.

At the 2012 US Open, only 7 men and 14 women had a winning percentage from the baseline. At Wimbledon 2016, Andy Murray won the title only winning 52% of his baseline points - and he is one of the very best at it in the world!

Num3ers deeply explores the data that rules points, especially from the back of the court. Take a "deep dive" into all three rally lengths (0-4, 5-8, 9+), and winner and errors totals from the elite level of our game. The numbers will shock you!

All 4 Grand Slams

Forcing Errors = 41% Men / 37% Women
Winners = 32% Men / 29% Women
Unforced Errors = 27% Men / 34% Women

Num3ers is very much like putting a jigsaw puzzle together. It's about bringing together different data sets together to create the big picture.

Every recorded match from the 2015 Australian Open - Rd2 to the final.

There is a lot happening on a doubles court. Situations and strategies are constantly being adjusted to create mis-matches with court position. It's hard to keep track of - until now. Dou8les Num3ers is the most comprehensive analysis of doubles data in our sport. The focus is on how a point ends, and it's broken down eight ways to Sunday. Specifically, you find critical information on:

Winners rise to the #1 way a point ends (over forced & unforced errors)

- The last shot of the rally is overwhelmingly struck at the net.
- Center Window: the most important part of a doubles court to control.
- Stephen Huss: an in-depth interview on Wimbledon's Centre Court with the 2005 Wimbledon Doubles Champion.

Dou8les Num3ers leaves no stone unturned. Percentage breakdowns of how often the server or receiver hits the last shot highlight the dramatic influence of the serve. The last shot of the rally is significant, and is broken down into the following categories: volleys, overheads, passing shots, lobs and groundstrokes.

When you play a match, you actually play two matches.

When you walk out onto a tennis court, there are two matches that you are about to play. The first is during the point - a part of the match that you have spent a lot of time preparing for on the practice court. But there is a second match, that takes place in the 20 seconds between the points. This is where the mental and emotional aspects of our sport kick in.

Let's face it, there will be adversity in almost every tennis match that you play. The storm clouds are coming. How bug they are, and how long they last for, are up to you.

Between the points is very tennis specific. It provides a roadmap for the 20 seconds between the points, teaching how to handle the adversity that will surely come, and how to build on the successes that will also be present. Your mind is your biggest asset in a match, and Between the Points takes your hand off the self destruct button and stops you beating yourself.

You don't have to be good at everything, but you have got to be good at something.

You can break tennis down into four key elements - serving, returning, rallying and approaching. Each part has specific patterns of play that consistently deliver higher winning percentages than the others. No more guessing. No more opinions. All facets of our sport are covered in this exceptional product, clearly outlining what patterns to gravitate to, and how to best construct the practice court. Data comes primarily from the 2015 Australian Open.

Building Blocks

MEN = 70% errors / 30% winners
WOMEN = 74% errors / 26% winners

Forcing errors is the best way to construct a point.
You can simply break tennis down into primary and secondary patterns of play - and they are all covered here. Primary patterns include serve and return direction, forehands v backhands, and the best way to approach the net. Secondary patterns include drop shots, serve & volley and 1st volley options. If you play tournaments, this product will greatly help you simplify the singles court.

The conversation starts & ends with the Center Window.

The doubles court is like an hourglass. There are two big ends, but a small neck in the middle where all the action happens. Once you learn the power of the Center Window, where you stand to start the point will take on a lot more significance.

Doubles is a lot more about situations, with four people on the court all "dancing" with one another. Learn all the best doubles patterns, broken down for the server, returner, server's partner and the returner's partner.

Doubles Situations

The "J" - the most ideal movement for the returner's partner to attack the net.

The "V" - a better way of understanding where the server's partner should move to.

Volley Targets - there are four main areas to attack. Know which ones are higher percentage. Beach Volleyball - the idea of a "setter" and "spiker" is ideal for the doubles court.

There are certain parts of the court that the ball travels to a lot, and other low percentage areas that you really don't want to cover at all - like the alley! In general, the serving team wants to keep the ball in the middle of the court as much as possible (to help the server's partner), while the returning team benefits from hitting wider and creating more chaos in the point.