Ever wondered how to master those nerve-wracking tiebreakers in tennis? Join us as we welcome Karen Rembert, a teaching pro with over 30 years of coaching experience.
Karen was a National USTA Finalist in 45 Doubles, a two-time NC State 25 Doubles Champion, and ranked #11 nationally in NAIA Doubles. Karen is a USTA High-Performance Coach, USPTA Elite Professional, and a USPTA Certified Pickleball Professional.
Whether you’re just picking up a racket or you’re a seasoned competitor, this episode is brimming with insights that will enhance your game and keep you cool in those decisive moments.
Learn More About Karen’s Tennis Camp
If you would like to learn more about her camp please check out her facebook page at Costa Rica All Inclusive Tennis Vacations, email her at kr.crdg@gmail.com, or listen to our episode: The Ultimate Tennis Vacation.
Here’s a Transcript of our Conversation with Karen About Her Tiebreaker Strategy
Carolyn: 0:07
Hi, this is Carolyn and I’m here with Erin and we are excited Karen Rembert is here with us. Karen has been a teaching pro for over 30 years, played in college and is the owner of Costa Rica all inclusive tennis vacations. Aaron and I were discussing how difficult tiebreakers are and Erin said we had to have Karen on the podcast to discuss this. So, Erin, can you start us off with the first question?
Erin: 0:30
Hey Karen, can you tell us your philosophy on your tiebreaker? It’s philosophy slash strategy, really on tiebreakers. I learned this from you in Costa Rica and I think about it often. Although I told Carolyn right before we started recording that I played a tiebreaker this weekend, I totally forgot to integrate it. Instead I just went into the tiebreaker really mad. That does not work for tiebreakers.
Karen: 0:55
No, I recommend going in mad, and that is part of my tiebreak philosophy is that you’re dead. Even it’s a wash right. It’s basically a brand new match set game. However you want to look at it, and you have to have that mindset that, all right, and if you’re in a tiebreaker, you’re probably playing somebody that’s pretty close to your ability. So you’re not going to go out and win that tiebreaker 7-0 or 10-0. It’s going to be a battle and it’s going to be a lot of switches in momentum, up and down. You’re going your way really well for a while and then not going your way, and you have to hang in there.
Karen: 1:34
So one thing that I’ve been doing for years is I take that tiebreaker as mini games. So every two service points is a game and what I’m trying to do is I’m trying to win the very first point of that mini game. So if I win that very first point, then the second point is a bonus point. Right, if I don’t win that, no worries, I’m going to try and win the second point, so I’m fine. So if I take that philosophy the whole way, and if I don’t win either of them, it’s like, no worries, I’m going to. I’m going to go back to that same philosophy. If I’m now returning serve, we’re going to try and win that first point. We don’t win that first point, no biggie, we’re going to try and win the second. If we do, we can play loose. We’ve got a bonus point. So, and that way I’m not going.
Karen: 2:26
Oh, my goodness, it’s eight, seven, and I’m nervous. And if I get this point I’m up nine, seven, and then I’m going to congratulate him when I win 10, seven. And then all of a sudden it doesn’t go that way. That’s what I do, and that goes kind of into my second part, and I do this a lot in the matches. When I feel myself getting nervous towards the end of that breaker is, I’ll lie to myself about the score. You know, if I’m up 9-6, it’s 3-5. Come on, bear down, it’s 3-5. And then I’m almost a little bit surprised when I win the match because I’m like oh, I thought it was 3-5. So that keeps me very much grounded and in the present, so I explained it to Carolyn incorrectly.
Erin: 3:10
So I actually said when you’re serving, obviously you want to hold your serve, even if that’s for one point, like if I’m the first server in a tiebreaker, my first thought is hold my serve right. So if I hold my serve and then my opponents serve, I’m trying to at least just get one of their points right.
Karen: 3:29
That is, that is absolutely, that’s absolutely correct. What I’ve found is in women’s doubles holding serve and breaking serve are not as big of a factor, as in a men’s match. So I’ve kind of I’ve kind of moved a little bit away from the holding serve breaking serve for women’s doubles. You know, we’re not six foot eight, we’re not you know, hitting a bomb for serves and getting those free points.
Karen: 3:55
So I watched. I just got back from the Southern Cup the Senior Southern Cup in Alabama, and watched a lot of matches, and especially in the women’s and these are the best women in the South and some of them are the best women in the nation and some of them have even won world. So we’re talking about the highest caliber ladies tennis and this holding of the serve is not as big of a factor. Yeah.
Erin: 4:25
Even in pro matches. There was one I just told someone this the other day they each got broken 10 times in the match. It was like neither one could hold. And I’ve been in matches like that where it’s like the first one to hold is the one like you think 6-4 is only a single break, right? You’re like oh, I won the first set 6-4. And that’s like that could be one break, but actually it was like four breaks on each side Right right, there were no holds.
Karen: 4:54
There break, but actually it was like four breaks on each side. Right, there were no holds. There were no holds. Yeah, it was like someone finally actually held and I think I think that’s a factor of the ground strokes being better and us not working on the volleys enough.
Erin: 4:59
Yes, we’re going to talk about volleys. Yeah, that’s a whole conversation so you’re.
Karen: 5:04
So you are actually a hundred percent correct in the men’s. In the men’s double it’s hold your serve and then try and get one of the one of the two return points.
Erin: 5:13
And I said that to Carolyn, like I said, before we started recording. So I said you know, if I hold and then my opponent serve, I try to get one of theirs, and if I get one of theirs then it’s a bonus, right? Then I’m like I’m ahead, and then you just try to hold, serve and, and then I said to her. I said and then you just have to break their serve basically twice if you want to win. I mean it would be nice to win easier than 10-8 or 7-5 or whatever.
Karen: 5:36
Right, you don’t want to play, you know 12 to 19 points or whatever, but the reality is that’s going to happen.
Erin: 5:41
Yeah, a lot, but then I said that to her and she was like wait what I said you only have to break them twice and you have to hold serve every time.
Carolyn: 5:48
And she was like I was like, wait, does the math add up?
Erin: 5:51
Is what I was thinking, because and even with the way Isn’t it just one break if you’re serving first? Well, but you have to win by two? Well, that’s true. If you serve first, you’re right.
Carolyn: 6:04
It’s only cause. That’s what I was saying, I to think each two points as okay. I want to win one of these. If I win the next, it’s extra Correct, no matter if I’m serving, no matter if I’m receiving, and I think that helps keep you from going into a mental slide too, Right?
Karen: 6:23
And if I turn to my partner and I say, okay, let’s get the first one right here Instead of I’m not thinking about that easy forehand volley you just put in the net I’m thinking about the next one.
Erin: 6:35
Because that’s going to happen multiple times. Don’t think about it that time, because that’s going to happen again.
Karen: 6:39
Correct Exactly, exactly.
Carolyn: 6:42
Well, I have a question then, because I’m thinking about I never think about it this way. Instead, I normally go to a bad place.
Erin: 6:48
Yes, she does.
Carolyn: 6:49
When I’m down like I’m down nine to two, I’m just going to hit it as hard as I can until you know, I usually say I can’t believe I’m in a tiebreaker, the whole tiebreaker.
Karen: 6:59
We shouldn’t even be here. We should be at the bar.
Erin: 7:02
Why am I here?
Karen: 7:06
Yes, I should have won this when I was at 5’2″. We have this saying and it’s anything can happen, your opponent can get tight, they’re up big. I saw it. We have a lady in the 65s she was probably number two in the nation playing the number one girl in the nation and she was up 6’3 in the breaker and she got tight and the other girl didn’t go away. She hung tough. The girl that was ahead 6-3 had a double fault and when I see that I’m like all right, that’s tight. She hadn’t double faulted all match and she just double faulted at one of the most important, if not the most important point of the match. She’s feeling the nerves. So as long as I’m going, I’m not going away. I’m still here. We say anything can happen and that’s the great thing about tennis is you have those comebacks and you have those matches that you shouldn’t win. But if you go away mentally, it’s probably not going to happen. You’re probably going to fall short of your goals.
Carolyn: 8:10
Yeah, I do have just one quick question. I may not even include this in the podcast, but, karen, when we as women, okay for the women’s game, where you’re just supposed to try to win one point, take them at two points at a time for the tiebreak is how you should think about it. Like, I want to win one point, then I, you know, the extra point, how do you then also keep track of score? Like that’s the part that I’ve had issues with in tiebreaks is that we’ve tried. You know, I’ve sometimes got to even flip the score in my head, but then I’m like oh, but I still need to keep track of the score. So that, do you know what I’m talking about?
Karen: 8:49
Like how do you?
Karen: 8:50
keep this all in your head, I think there’s like a before a point thought and an after a point thought. So, as I’m getting ready to serve or getting’re getting ready to return, one Okay, first point, let’s get this first point Point finishes in my head. I go, okay, we’re up, three, two, and then I’m getting ready to return, okay, second point, let’s go you know what. So so it’s a before before the point thought and then an after the point thought, and then I’m hoping somebody else is keeping up with it too and then if we’re playing Komen, I’m using the score markers for that reason, so at least we’re not going to get too far off base. But that’s a good question. I think that I definitely.
Karen: 9:41
I mean, I wonder how many thoughts we actually have between points, cause I’m sure there’s a bunch of them, but but for me it’s it’s all right Right before I strike the ball and then right after I hit the ball, so so it’s like a, like a business management, you know, keeping up with the points, right, and then it’s an emotional. Okay, I’m trying to get one of these two, so I’m present and not going. Why am I in this tiebreaker?
Erin: 10:10
Look at that, aaron, comma, aaron, no, I think that’s a good question too, because I’ve actually done just what you were saying, and when someone was serving I would think, oh, if I get their point, you know, if I get this point, then I’m at this score, and then maybe I haven’t, and so then sometimes I’ll get the score wrong because I made an assumption that was going to happen before it. Actually, happened.
Karen: 10:33
Right, right, yeah, yeah, that’s that’s, that’s, that is dangerous.
Erin: 10:37
Yes.
Karen: 10:38
Thinking like oh, if I get this, I’m up 5-2.
Erin: 10:41
And then they’re like no, you weren’t, we’re only at 5-4.
Karen: 10:45
But in my head I was so that should be enough, Right? Doesn’t that count?
Carolyn: 10:49
That’s what I was ahead. I’m pretty sure.
Erin: 10:51
I thought I was ahead.
Karen: 10:52
I don’t even know I’m in this breaker.
Erin: 10:56
I already won the breaker In my mind, in my mind.
Carolyn: 11:02
Exactly In my mind. In my mind, exactly. Thanks very much to Karen for coming on the podcast. We have another episode with Karen where she will give us mental tips for tiebreakers, which I definitely need. We’ve included more information in our show notes about her tennis camp. Thanks so much for listening and hope to see you on the court soon.