Top tennis players have training routines — things they do at almost every practice session. Their routine drills are a big reason they climb into the top rankings. I did the same drills at every practice session for five consecutive years. My routines established the foundation of my practice sessions -- my coach would then fit in non-routine drills to help me develop a more complex game and to teach me to handle complex players. I believe this training structure made me a top-ranked junior tennis player, nationally I was number 2. I had a solid set of skills that rarely failed. For example, I had an advantage over players that engaged in long rallies against me because I was very consistent. I spent the first 15 to 20 minutes of each practice session running through consistency rallies. I often hit my first 240 shots without missing. But it was not until I stopped sticking with routine fundamentals that I realized how important they are. My dominance on the tennis court became less common because I didn't have a strong belief in my skills on days I was not feeling confident. So, I highly recommend you create routine drills that strengthen the fundamental aspects of your game.

Here are a few:

Serve at least 100 balls every day. Mark Keil, a former top 50 ATP doubles player, trained me for a few months while we lived in Hawaii. His number one rule was to hit 100 serves at each practice. Mark's insistence on hitting a minimum amount of serves each day helped me develop more speed and accuracy. This routine also helped me build enough confidence to trust my ability to serve under pressure. When you practice your serves, make sure to take your time and focus between each serve. Pretend you’re serving a match point every time.

Practice consistency drills with movement. There are consistency drills where you try to hit 50 balls down the center of the court without missing. These are helpful but do not cover the reality of a tennis match. In a tennis match, your opponent will move you all over the court and you will need to move them. So, design your consistency drills to include the elements involving movement and varying the placement of your shots.

Drill attacking short shots. An underrated but highly important training fundamental is the practice of attacking balls that land short. Short balls land closer to the service line and are short enough for you to step inside the baseline. Most players are not confident with their attacking game because it is one of the most neglected shots in training. Coaches often make their students drill from the baseline, play lots of points, practice situations, and do everything else but attack short balls. Spend 15 to 20 minutes aggressively hitting balls that land short. The repetition is crucial because you want to rip the balls that land short and make it without thinking twice.