The following five tactics should help you
focus your efforts when playing singles:

(1) Get the ball back into play. Somehow, someway, get every ball back over the net. Every time you return a ball you are giving your opponent an opportunity to miss it. Most tennis matches are lost, not won. Grace and style are not as important as the abiltiy to get the ball back.

(2) Hit the ball deep. A deep shot keeps the opponent pinned back of the base line where it is very difficult to hit winners. To hit deep make sure you aim your shots 4 feet over the net. This will also eliminate most errors, which are into the net.

(3) Hit to the opponent's weakness. Find out if your opponent has a weak backhand or forehand and hit most shots to this area.If both of their shots are weak you've got it made. If both are strong, keep the ball deep.

(4) Move the ball around. This is not nearly as importnat as the first 3 tips but against better opponents this can make the first 3 that much more effective. If the opponent tries to hide their backhand then hit to their forehand first. This will move them to the forehand side and open up the backhand. Making them move will also gradually tire them and cause more errors.

(5) Approach the net and put the ball away. Players that have a good serve and a good first volley should take advantage of it and approach the net after their first serves. Other players should use groundstrokes to force short returns from their opponents and take advantage of these and rush the net. Approaching the net and volleying is a very aggressive tactic and the purpose should be to apply pressure in an attempt to end the point.

Summary: The first 4 tactics are all designed to set up the point. It is very difficult to hit winners from the baseline. Players should be patient and try to apply pressure without trying to win too soon. The 5th tactic, approaching the net, is designed to apply additional pressure and end the point.

If you want to improve faster as a tennis player and get in better shape quicker, then play more singles. The biggest advantage to singles is you get to hit every ball that comes over the net. Because you have to cover the entire singles court by yourself you need to be alert to move sooner and faster. Singles is great for improving your ground strokes, serve and return-of-serve. You hit a lot more balls in a short period of time. Particulary with the ground strokes you get a chance to fix your mistakes because of the increased repetition of shots. You can play an entire singles match and never go to the net.