Pure Drive Purist

The Australian Open Men’s singles semifinals begin tonight with some exciting matchups. Alcaraz, Djokovic, Sinner, and Zverev are showing why they have consistently been the best in the world. Yes, there has been some luck involved for everyone here, but it should not be a surprise that these four are battling to win the title. Here’s what each player has done well so far, and what they will need to do to win in Australia. Carlos Alcaraz Alcaraz is exciting! His shot-making is absurd, and he is consistently one of the last guys standing in big tournaments. Even without Ferrero in his box, he has continued to show us all just how good he is. How he will win: Alcaraz has played many different styles of opponents so far, and his game has adjusted to those unique matchups. He came to the net 50 times against Moutet, as opposed to the 20-25 times in other matches. He has adjusted to matchups and styles well and will likely continue, especially since he knows the game styles of the other thr...

Pure Drive Purist is a tennis blog for players, parents, coaches, and gear junkies who care less about hype and more about what actually works on court. Built from years inside the lines—as a competitive player and full-time coach—this site dives into racquets, strings, equipment, training habits, and player development with a practical, no-nonsense lens. The focus is simple: cut through marketing noise and share honest insights that help players improve, compete, and enjoy the game longer. Whether it’s breaking down why certain gear fits certain playing styles, implementing effective strategies, or sharing coaching lessons learned the hard way, Pure Drive Purist exists for people who love tennis and want real answers—not feel-good fluff. If you’re a junior or parent of a junior chasing improvement, a coach building better players, or an adult competitor who still cares deeply about their setup, you’re in the right place. Play smarter. Choose better. Boost your game.

Tonight is the start of the Australian Open semifinals. There have been some exciting matchups so far and I’ll be looking forward to the final 6 matches in the Men’s and Women’s singles draws. I’ll go in-depth to break down what each player will need to do to take home the title down under! Aryna Sabalenka If you could name only one player to pick to win pretty much any tournament she’s entered in over the past few years, it’s got to be Aryna Sabalenka. She’s been so dominant on all surfaces, but especially hard courts where her footing is solid and the bounce is predictable. She is always tough to beat, especially late in a slam. Through her first five matches, Sabalenka has both cruised to decisive wins, but she’s also been pushed to two tiebreakers by Potapova. Sabalenka has yet to drop a set at this year’s AO though.  How she will win: If I simplify the data to one key area for Sabalenka, winning the tournament will come down to her ability to get opportunities on her opponent’...

The kick serve, one of the most difficult shots to master in tennis. While it is difficult, there are common myths about the kick serve that are actually resulting in less "kick," not more. Let's start by quickly defining what a kick serve is. "Kick" refers to the type of spin that the ball has and the outcome of that spin when it lands in the service box. A kick serve has a combination of topspin and slice (side spin) which make it hit the court and jump up and out the opposite direction. When looking at the trajectory of a kick serve, the ball will typically travel high over the net and rush down into the court due to the topspin. An effective kick serve has a combines pace with spin. Unfortunately, there are a few things that are often incorrect when learning to hit an effective kick serve... Myth 1: Toss the ball behind your head. Tossing the ball behind your head does not create kick. It just makes you off balance. Instead of tossing behind your head, the ...

Winning matches often comes down to breaking serve. There are of course the rare exceptions where a match is determined with no breaks and ends 7-6, 7-6, or something along those lines. For the majority of matches played, there will be at least one break of serve. If you can find a way to break more often, you will also find yourself winning more matches.  Breaking serve can sometimes be out of your control. The server has complete control over the serve and if he/she can hit spots well for a game, it may not be possible to break, no matter how good of a returner you may be. But I have good news, you may just need one break to win a set! Here are a few pieces of advice I have picked up over the years to help improve your return game and win more matches! 1. Take a lesson from the best returners in the world. What makes pro players the best returners in the world... well, they're professionals. And the ones that are exceptional on the return are typically the ones who go far in tour...

One of the best tips that I received came in one sentence from a former pro. As a junior, I had a solid game, but lacked a true weapon. I was relatively quick and anticipated well. My volleys were decent from a lot of doubles matches growing up. I could hit a pretty heavy forehand and had a solid, consistent backhand. I could hit my spots well on the serve with the three main spins: slice, kick, flat. But what one coach told me when I was 16 years old changed the way I approached my service games, resulting in more matches won. He said... If you're not getting at least two free points from your serve each game, you're not doing your job. No longer is a serve just a point starter. Now there is intentionality and purpose behind it. Two points per game on average is a huge advantage. Two free points does not need to be two aces. It could be unreturned serves or just a weak ball that results in an opportunity to finish with a +1. For me, that looked like adding a little more pace t...

Today is the day so many Djokovic and Sinner fans have been waiting for... The official release date of the new 2026 Speed line . The Speed racket line is among Head's best-selling rackets due to their access to power without sacrificing control. The 2026 updates should be a nice refresh of the previous models.  Head has introduced "Hy-Bor" technology, which is supposed to improve stability and provide a more connected feel at contact. While I have not yet tested these rackets, I would be surprised if they play much differently from the previous model. Perhaps the biggest update to the line is the addition of the Speed Tour. Featuring a 97 in² head size and 16x19 string pattern, this new model will be ideal for advanced players who have long, fast swings with little to moderate spin.  Try your new Speed today !

The 2025 Wilson Ultra 99 Pro , not to be confused with the old Wilson Steam. Same mold, new technology and color scheme.  At first glance, this racket will grab your attention with it's glossy blue paint. It's bold, fresh, and exciting, but will it play as good as it looks? Let's dive in... The Ultra 99 Pro is by no means a racket only for pros. With a weight of 305g and swingweight of 330, it is a maneuverable racket for intermediate to advanced players. The 16x18 string pattern creates a high launch angle and access to excessive amounts of spin. If you can handle the spring of the ball off the stringbed, this can be a beneficial racket to hurt your opponents with heavy topspin groundstrokes.  With the open string pattern, you will go through strings pretty quickly in this racket if you're swinging fast and producing spin.  The racket, likely from the open string pattern, has a soft feel at contact. Similar to many other Wilson rackets, the feel is pretty muted or damp...

This may not come as a total shock, but I have some preferences when it comes to rackets. While the Pure Drive may be my personal racket of choice, that doesn't mean that it's the only option out there. Today, we will get into some of my personal recommendations for junior rackets. If you're looking for more detailed information about junior rackets in general, check out this post .  Babolat Ballfighter 17   This is my go-to racket for 2 and 3 year old kids. I love that it is light, easy to swing, and the grip is small. The other feature that stands out is the two-tone grip, making it easy to coach children and remind them that their dominant hand needs to hold the bottom of the grip. Love this racket for young beginners. Yonex 19 Coral Orange   Yonex has done a great job with its junior rackets. I love this 19-inch frame because the string pattern is not as tight as some other brands. For rackets that are primarily used with red balls and foam balls, a wider string patte...

As the title suggests, this post is covering details and info about junior rackets. This is more of an informative post. As you will see, the options  can be overwhelming, and hopefully this info helps steer you in the right direction when considering junior rackets.  I have a separate link with my current recommendations for junior rackets that you can check out here . Junior rackets are designed to be lighter and easier to use for younger players. There are a variety of sizes for the growing tennis players. If your child is under 10 years old, a junior racket is a need. Additionally, some of the larger (26 inch) junior rackets could still be the best option for 11 and 12 year olds, depending on their size and strength. Starting from the smallest and working our way up, here is some helpful information on junior rackets. 17-inch rackets Racket manufacturers typically will make rackets as small as 17 inches in length. These smaller rackets are great for children 2-5 years old....

Rock, Paper, Scissors. The classic game that everyone seems to know. While it may be helpful for deciding who serves first, or who needs to bring a can of balls, does it really have a place in tennis strategy?? Yes, but not the way you may think. Let's dive in... Rock, paper, scissors... shoot. We all know what wins in each scenario. Now let's simplify tennis into these three categories too. We will turn this childhood decision-tool into a way to win more matches.  Rock = counter-puncher. Defender, counter-puncher, moonballer, pusher. Whatever you call it, this style of player is solid as a ROCK. They'll never miss and just wait for you to make the error. Paper = all-courter. This person wants to finish points at net after setting things up with solid groundstrokes. They won't be risky from behind the baseline, but rather look to finish things off by getting to the net. Scissors = aggressive-baseliner. This type of player is swinging out and going for their shots on gro...

If you're new to the USTA tournament scene, or just wanting additional info about when to transition to a new level, consider this your go-to guide. USTA tournaments have 7 different levels within each age group. Once into "yellow ball," the age groups are u18, u16, u14, and u12. Players are able to play up an age group, but not down. For example, a 13 year old could play u16 or u18 tournaments but not u12. The specific levels of tournaments range from L1 at the highest level to L7 at the lowest. Let's get into more detail. L7 tournaments: Consider L7 events as entry-level tournaments. There is no ranking requirement for entry into the event, though they could cap entries at a certain number of participants. L7 events will typically be one or two day events, and could have abbreviated formats to ensure a certain number of matches. L7 tournaments are great for entry-level players who are just starting to compete in USTA tournaments. Likewise, L7s would be a great oppor...

Want to improve your serve? Of course you do, we all do. A good serve wins points, but a great serve turns matches in your favor. While it's difficult to get all aspects of the serve to work together in time, improving the toss location is a good starting point to leveling up your serve.  That's too high. No, that's too low. Toss it behind your head. Toss it to your right... Has your coach said this, maybe even all in the same lesson?   The list goes on and on and on. The truth is, we overcomplicate the toss. Often, we overcomplicate it by tossing the ball way too high. What if instead of calling it a toss, which implies adding force, we called it a lift instead. Lifting the ball into position instead of tossing it. The truth is, the ball does not need to be higher than our arm and racket lifted above our head. That's likely somewhere between 4 and 6 feet depending on your height and arm length. It does not take much effort at all to lift a 2-ounce tennis ball into the ...

Want to improve your serve? Of course you do, we all do. A good serve wins points, but a great serve turns matches in your favor. There are many important factors for a quality serve, and much like the other strokes in tennis, it comes from the ground up.  Leg drive directly impacts the speed at which the racket can accelerate through contact. The quicker the leg drive, the quicker the racket moves because the arm and racket act as whip by lagging behind as the body moves and rotates. A deeper knee bend or higher jump do not necessarily result in a faster serve.  Instead, think about your legs working in two distinct ways. Your back leg (dominant leg) will push you forward into the court. Your front leg (non-dominant leg) will push you up. When utilizing these in combination, you will result in explosiveness up to the point of contact and through contact by driving up and into the court. It does not matter if you are in pinpoint stance or platform, the legs can work together w...