USTA 5.5 vs USTA 5.0 or UTR 12 vs UTR 10

Playing two tiebreaks to 11 one where I serve the whole time (red long sleeve USTA 5.5 or UTR 12) and one where my friend/opponent serves the whole time. Both of us "held" our serve as we supposed to but the second tiebreak was much closer.

[@viak7512]

Im questioning my existence after watching them play

[@andreysmirnov7461]

Nah tennis is a great sport! Get out there and hit some balls and get better! Its all about getting better than yourself the day before

[@mskcouric]

And don't forget: as good as Andrey is, the top 50 ATP players would lay a smackdown on him. It's pretty incredible how the skill ramps up above this level.

[@kevinchang8090]

what wonderful acoustics. that first serve sounds like a gunshot. beautiful technique too. everything looks clean and sounds clean. wonderful watch.

[@andreysmirnov7461]

Thanks a lot! Really looking forward to record some more videos soon

[@kevinchang8090]

@@andreysmirnov7461 you're doing good work. camera angle is perfect, court acoustics are perfect, and the tennis is truly of high enough quality to be worth showing. more videos would be appreciated :)

[@andreysmirnov7461]

haha thanks man! Really motivates me to get back in shape as i have not played for like 4 years until recently :)

[@joaojoseguimaraes9163]

That is some insane hitting, really nice! Couldn't help but to notice that you're using vcore pro 97 (with some visible lead at 3 and 9). Then, I soon found in the comment section that you have it customized with 8g at 3 and 9. Interesting information, since I also play with the 310g version (signum pro x perience at 52/50) and it felt to me that the stock frame really needed more plow through. I've been playing the best tennis of my life with 3g of lead at 12, but lately I felt the urge to get used to some lead at 3 and 9 (despite making it slower through the air, adds significantly improvement on stability and comfort, which makes life easier against heavy hitters). So, thanks for sharing the video and some informations about your setup.

[@andreysmirnov7461]

Thanks man! Yeah this rackets really needs a little bit of weight. I tried adding little bit of weight at 12 but found that it would negatively affect my spin but 3 and 9 definitely helps. I used to have 2g on each side (4g combined) and lately bumped it up to 8 as i started to play more often. Im still not sure if that was a good decision or not though

[@natestenniscomeback1486]

the amount of power you get on your serve with what looks like SUCH little effort is really impressive. What do you think they key is to your serve power??

[@andreysmirnov7461]

Thank you for the comment! Its an interesting question because it may look like it has little effort but i definitely applying quiet a bit of it. I think with my height (6'2) i am able to create a little extra pop with my wrist. Also timing is very important on the serve, from legs to upper body to arm. I recently started to work my legs more when serving and changed my leg positioning which also helped me a lot.

[@natestenniscomeback1486]

@@andreysmirnov7461 i noticed your leg positioning. What did you change? Why do you think it’s helping? And yes timing is huge and i did notice your timing seems to be spot on.

[@andreysmirnov7461]

@@natestenniscomeback1486 I used to keep my right leg much further forward when serving and found that if i place it back (like most pro players do) and have my toes point to the right net post, i get more stability and i am able to generate more power from legs. Also i still need to work on my timing :)

[@evancarney9463]

his forehand grip on it

[@matthardesty9363]

To many people are tight and rigid on their serves. Like robots. Same with their other strokes. Speed(mph) comes from being loose and generating racket head speed. You answered it yourself. Less effort and swinging looser or = more power. Go super loose and just swing free. On your serve and your other shots. Watch the power increase. Racket head speed and timing is probably 80% or more of a serve. For instance my 1st serves are like 110 give or take. I can hit a little harder but lose accuracy. I can hit 90 serving from my knees. There are some other cool videos about that as well and how its not to hard those are what helped me the most. Anyways sorry for the rant. I was guilty for a long while of thinking hit "harder" when in reality I added alot of mph all around when I just loosened up alot and thought swing "faster with solid contact".

[@TennisLifeTV]

Thanks for sharing. It was nice to see a 5.0 AND a 5.5 hitting against each other. you guys both have an awesome game. Your friend's shot was a little bit more surgical and consistent overall. Nice to see this overall gameplay in a court level view!

[@royc5974]

Would love to see you play Coach Chase!

[@jebbiethevoodoomaster2690]

Yeah this guy is in Washington and coach chase is in Irvine California I know cause he coached at my academy

[@shamirgarlandcpamba7697]

I second that

[@StepOver420]

amazing stuff. what strings and at what tension sdo you have ur raquet at Andrey?

[@StepOver420]

nvm! just read the comments!

[@nighttrain7404]

These guys are true 5.0 and 5.5 players. Really sharp tennis with no wasted motion or hitches.

[@andreysmirnov7461]

Thank you!

[@nighttrain7404]

@@andreysmirnov7461 I also like how you stay down and use your body weight to generate power and a clean swing plane. I tended to pop up and mess my swing plane up. I am staying down like you now. Huge difference

[@owencaii]

crazy level thanks for sharing

[@andreysmirnov7461]

Thank you!

[@peterbedford2610]

Very high level of play. Thanks. What is your racquet weight and balance?

[@andreysmirnov7461]

Thank you for the compliment! Im using Yonex VCORE Pro 97 310 and i added 4g of weight at 3 and 9 o'clock (8g total)

[@betalpha314]

Are you competing with Karue Sell for best BH on YT? Seriously good hitting. I know a kid interning for Amazon in Seattle this summer, was a UTR 11 in juniors, should be a good hit with u guys.

[@qornn]

Your serve is amazing

[@andreysmirnov7461]

Thank you! Wish it was higher first serve percentage though:)

[@jz77096]

Saw you clobber my friend 6061 at GLP lol. The shots are waaay faster in person. Especially the serve and forehand.

[@andreysmirnov7461]

Ha! I always look back at my videos and think: "damn im hitting the ball way too slow"

[@jgwil2]

Camera takes half the speed off the ball easy

[@caocaohehe]

Great tennis. However you lost that point catching the ball before it lands

[@JoxAtienza]

I see a couple of future 3.5 legends in the making here!

[@yakzivz1104]

I would actually like to see you play MEP from tennistroll. I know that you are ranked higher but it would still be fun to watch.

[@hsy2448]

I don’t think this guy would have any issue with MEP, he doesn’t miss and he could probably take some off and still be too strong for MEP to do anything, if you watched MEP vs Scott Broady I think it would be even faster match if this guy played MEP.

[@andreysmirnov7461]

I am up for it haha

[@IluvBTBAM]

He'd just blow MEP off the court.

[@ayokay123]

The mere fact that he tried to run that last one down is scary. :D

[@SpiritDonkey]

Great hitting guys

[@inyourphace1690]

Ain't you slightly below UTR11.0? Either way it's very high level tennis. Looks like you have a booming serve that's clearly better than your friend's.

[@andreysmirnov7461]

I think "officially" im rated somewhere around 11 but i only played like 3 matches. I had a long break after college and now getting back into it, however im pretty sure im somewhere in mid 12s because im consistently beating 12 UTR players.

[@hassanborhot7162]

5.5 for sure, 5.0 is a bit of a stretch for the other one

[@scbwbm00]

I know these courts.

[@taulantprenci2614]

You are a beast! 🔥

[@mingimoon2812]

Nice video. Your serve is massive!! and also your two-handed backhand looks really really comfortable even you swinging unbounced balls.

[@andreysmirnov7461]

Thanks a lot! My backhand needs some work on low balls that dont have pace but if the ball is coming at speed and above my knee, im eating those for lunch :)

[@cheerbust4888]

Shame. Hardly any rallies

[@2017Fed]

There's no question you can hit the ball but can you move forward into the court to take the ball early instead of waiting for it to come from you? Maybe you have been hitting with too many students casually and not looking to approach and move into the court whenever you can. To get past the 11/12 level you need to work on your movement forward, then we can challenge pro level!

[@mikelmeghoo7565]

I thoroughly enjoyed watching, especially your serve. However, did your opponent just break through to a 5.0…i ask because his serve return looked shaky, or perhaps your first serve just packs that much of a punch lol.

[@jackzhang4154]

Lmao is this the BHS court

[@marc-andregauthier5139]

Off the ground that other guy is a 4.0 or 4.5 at best. Great serve. Horrible ground strokes and footwork.

[@ericjung4991]

bro jesus christ these strikes are just so satisfying to watch. great video man.

[@andreysmirnov7461]

Thank you! Hopefully will do more of them soon

[@firestar928]

Less satisfying when on the other side of the net 🤣

[@핳하하-d8o]

너무 한명이 후드려패는거 아닌가ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ겁나 잘치네

[@t-bone7988]

Nice, high level! you serve like Dmitrov btw! very nice.

[@sayles7858]

Good playing guys! Where are you guys playing?

[@andreysmirnov7461]

This is taking place in Bellevue High-school (Bellevue, WA)

[@kingtrawal]

Half of this video is y’all chasing after a loose ball around the facility

[@clydewmorgan]

I don’t get it how many points do you have to have to win the first game?

[@Flstudiog-d]

Wow

[@softserveofvarun6809]

Haha, you can kind of see the disadvantages of the one-handed backhand when returning and maybe the high balls. Yet, there are so many amazing tennis players that are consistent with it in the craziest situations. Any advice on how to improve a one-handed backhand on high balls, maybe take it off the rise? Any advice on how to return serves better with it?

[@andreysmirnov7461]

High balls i would either try to step back or take it early. Also in my opinion, 1 handed backhand is better than 2 handed if you can execute it well. Howeer its harder to hit good 1 hander than 2 hander. And honestly on return of serve, one handed backhand gives you more reach which improves the return

[@olihe8381]

Damn good hitting, though it looks like it's prob black shirt UTR 12 and red shirt UTR 10

[@kanyewestlover69swag]

10 too generous, I think maybe 7

[@sayles7858]

@@kanyewestlover69swag go to the utr site. Andrey Smirnov is literally 10.8 right now... shows how much you know haha

[@bernardanderson8140]

@@sayles7858 the guy in the red I believe is the 12

[@sayles7858]

@@bernardanderson8140 I didn’t check his. But yeah I would believe it

[@kristiansneddon2712]

I swear though, this guy walks just like me when I play. We play to similarly.

[@TimeManInJail]

Random KZbin recommendation Love your backhand

[@riderone8552]

Like your 2 handed backhand. 👍

[@andreysmirnov7461]

Thank you!

[@sunritroykarmakar4406]

How to return these serves damnnn

[@bernardanderson8140]

Black shirt is Utr 10!!!??

[@robotennis61]

thats a real good match

[@andreysmirnov7461]

Thanks!

[@devouetedmedia2993]

Awesome video, what kind of camera set up do you use to film this?

[@andreysmirnov7461]

Thanks! I used my fujifilm xt-3 to film this

[@topspin1715]

Wow amazing hitting Andrey. Is this match taking place somewhere in Australia? I love the fluidity and relaxation of all your shots, effortless power at its finest.

[@andreysmirnov7461]

Thanks a lot for your comment! I wish i was in Australia right now but this is Seattle, WA :)

[@Flstudiog-d]

U should make some tutorial videos

[@andreysmirnov7461]

haha thanks for suggestion! Im not sure if i am good enough to do tutorial videos for people but i think soon i will put together a video of my favorite drills that i often do

[@sebaqe]

@@andreysmirnov7461 I agree with the first post. And I may have the perfect platform for you to showcase your tennis, launching in at most a month! I added you on Fb... let's chat!

[@adithyabellamkonda5739]

What strings do you use

[@andreysmirnov7461]

I use Yonex Ploy Tour Spin on mains at 53lbs and Yonex Ploy Tour Pro on the cross at 51lbs

[@TheJdaws87]

What are your racket specs? Tension and string brand etc? Thanks!

[@andreysmirnov7461]

Im using Yonex VCORE Pro 310 with 4 grams on each side at 3 and 9 o'clock. Main strings are Yonex PolyTour Spin and cross are Yonex PolyTour Pro. Tension is at 53/51 currently but going to step it down to 52/50 now that im starting to play more often. I tried every racket out there and this stick suits my game style perfectly. These strings were recommended to me by 300 ATP player and i absolutely love them, Tour Spin gives me that spin i need and Tour Pro on the cross gives me that power and control. Weight at 9 and 3 really improves the stability of the racket as well.

[@TheJdaws87]

@@andreysmirnov7461 Thanks man. What's your opinion on the Head Radical Pro 2021 version? I use Babolat RPM 17g strings at 55 lbs. I love your shots btw!

[@andreysmirnov7461]

@@TheJdaws87 Thanks a lot! Which head size of Radical are you looking at? I think it has couple of sizes. Also which Babolat RPM? I did not like RPM blast because its of a certain shape and after you play for a couple of hours, that shape wears out and strings no longer perform well. So with RPM Blast you need to change the strings before you break them if you want to have max feel and performance. Before having my Yonex combo i was playing with RPM Power and i actually liked it a lot however it would break super fast for me and once the string starts moving, control over the ball disappears. Those are the only two negatives for me. Also if using 18 main strings 55lbs sounds too tight in my opinion

[@ethanho5310]

@@andreysmirnov7461 Ruud also uses those strings :)

[@andreysmirnov7461]

@Dan B i have tried both of these rackets and i liked Vcore better because it has thinner beam which makes it easier to go through the air as well as it has less power than Blade V7. The latter was too powerful for me because i can generate my own power. Also i wanted 97 square inch frame with 16 main strings. V7 has 18 main strings and because my technique does not generate much topspin, 18 main strings is too much for me. But if try 16 main strings version of Blade V7, its virtually zero control. So my sweet spot is 16 main strings and 97 square inch frame to help with control

[@godsgamer7494]

That serve is insane😭

[@-Munditimum-]

Great video Andrey, keep it up! More please!

[@andreysmirnov7461]

Thanks for the comment! Definitely going to have more coming very soon!

[@-Munditimum-]

@@andreysmirnov7461 Cheers!

[@김도희-z5h]

what a serve

[@neelabhchoudhary2063]

Damn how can I serve like that?

[@andreysmirnov7461]

hehe, hit the gym and hits lots of serves :)

[@michaelha4228]

Just wondering, can you compete at the challenge tour at your level?

[@andreysmirnov7461]

No, i wish... this is nowhere close to a challanger level :)

[@gavinsmith8855]

@frank lapidus the serve is typically the closest thing most high level players have to pro guys, the speeds of first serve are more or less similar. The big difference is the fitness or consistency, combined with the shot making ability. Also most pros and guys on the challenger tour have 13 utr and higher, the gaps in “half points” (12 vs 12.5 vs 13 vs 13.5 and so on are very significant) are much larger than you’d think on paper.

[@alabasterch2]

So, by catching the ball with your racket while it's sailing out at the 1:00 mark, thats a loss of pint for you

[@andreysmirnov7461]

In a real match it would have been! You are absolutely correct there but since me and my friend know each other and its not a US Open, we let it slide :)

[@jeffhermida4788]

Chill alabas thats like calling 5 second violation on a pick up basketball game. U just dont do that.

[@tennisone6376]

are you stuppid??

[@rambo3870]

Awesome!

[@williamc4221]

Why didn't we get to see the entire 2nd tiebreak?

[@andreysmirnov7461]

Dont remember what happened there but this is my very first video i tried to upload for fun. Since views have exceeded all my expectations, i will be making another one very soon with some higher quality tennis!

[@williamc4221]

@@andreysmirnov7461 Nice. It was quality points.

[@danielwilschetz1490]

what rackets are those?

[@andreysmirnov7461]

Thats Yonex VCORE Pro 310

[@munmun597]

Camera which u use?

[@andreysmirnov7461]

Fujifilm XT-3 with standard zoom lens but just ordered an 18mm prime lens. Very exited to use to film

[@munmun597]

Nice thanks bro

[@ryanmullins7255]

Where did you play college at?

[@andreysmirnov7461]

Hey! I played at University of Missouri Kansas City (graduated 2016)

[@MrTablturnr]

Great hitting, Andrey! Curious if you have any tips on breaking through the 4.5 skill range? I’ve been using the wall a ton to develop consistency and it’s helped so much, but I’m curious if you’ve found certain drills/habits helpful to climb up to 5.0 and beyond?

[@andreysmirnov7461]

This is a very hard one to give advice on:) But in general terms, the biggest difference between 4.5 and 5.0 is that i notice a lot of 5.0 have one shot that is their “signature” shot that you can use to really pressure your opponent and win some points. Think about one thing that you do really well and try to develop it even stronger and think how to apply it to win points

[@yuliagonami8331]

Even my 8 yo nephew Plays better than black shirt...

[@sludge86]

You would think the guy in the long sleeve would know not to catch the ball in the air if it’s going out. A little thing, but I’ve seen people take a point for that.

[@IluvBTBAM]

It's a casual match between friends... what is wrong with you people.

[@nobogiedr]

Maybe one rally, bunch of double faults. 4.0 maybe 4.5....

[@kanyewestlover69swag]

you look more like a 4.0 than a 5.5. are you sure you rated yourself correctly? theres a big difference between 4.0 and 5.5

[@andreysmirnov7461]

lol thanks a lot for the first comment of my channel :)

[@jah9253]

@Jeffrey Li Is that a joke?

[@counterfeit25]

Hard to tell sarcasm over the Internet, if indeed that was sarcasm. Especially given that some people are truly out of touch.

[@adamromero]

No way, 3.0 is more likely... ...😏

[@aglom69]

@@andreysmirnov7461 good response.