The Original Grand Slam Tennis FAQ & Strategy Guide  
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All content found on the "Original Top Spin FAQ & Strategy Guides," (aka The Original Top Spin Superguides) including the Virtua Tennis and Grand Slam Tennis sections, is completely original work by the noted author(s).  Content is owned by TheXBFL.com and protected by copyright law.  It is not to be reproduced or redistrihuted in part or in whole without the expressed written consent of the XBFL.  The information and opinions expressed in this here Grand Slam Tennis Superguide are not endorsed or approved by EA Sports, Electronic Arts, Nintendo of Japan, or Nintendo of America.  For all intents and purposes, this Superguide is to be considered "unofficial."

 

Intro:

It is no surprise that EA Sports finally entered a console-based tennis game into the marketplace, though what is  eyebrow raising is how long it took them to do so.  Furthermore, one would think that they'd take more of a hard-core simulation approach with GST when considering their other titles such as Madden, FIFA, and NHL Hockey --- all of which are part of that sim-based classification.  Instead, EA chose the Wii with it's last gen graphics (but innovative gameplay) for GST's first platform, and at a time when Nintendo's motion sensing technology has taken a step forward with the introduction of  Wii MotionPlus.

EA's propensity to throw cash around in order to obtain exclusive licenses is well known throughout the industry and gaming community, and no exception has been made with their first entry for console-based racquet sports: Grand Slam Tennis.   EA acquired the exclusive rights to the Wimbledon venue, and further complimented the pro-tour with the inclusion of the official Australian Open, French Open, and U.S. Open.   Current pros and legends of the game also appear in Grand Slam Tennis which for an old-school tennis fan like myself, was a very welcome feature.

So, is Grand Slam Tennis worthy of the pro tour?  Or should it remain on the challenger circuit and fall into obscurity?  In this Superguide, I will address all aspects of Grand Slam Tennis, concluding with my opinion of the game.  I will cover custom player creation, training issues, tips on maximizing the efficiency of Wii Motion Plus, advanced control techniques, Career Mode, Training Mode, online play, and much more!  

All three of my Top Spin guides and Virtua Tennis 3 guide proved to be extremely popular with the gaming community; referrals from gaming forums, online leagues, tennis forums, acknowledgements by developers and thousands of individual fans across the globe.  I am hoping to achieve the same success with this here Grand Slam Tennis Superguide. Because this game is drastically different from the other titles I've reviewed, I felt a slightly different format was required - and hopefully will be well received. Furthermore, I've taken a bit more of a "basic approach" with regard to instruction on how to succeed at this game, since a younger audience (and possibly an audience new to tennis or videogames in general) will likely be playing Grand Slam Tennis in addition to the hard-core or mainstream gamers.

Please note that all instructional material below applies to the Wii version of Grand Slam Tennis, and played at the Medium Difficulty setting.  Should you follow my exact steps during Grand Slam mode, you are likely to have a similar (but not necessarily exact) experience.  


Table of Contents:  *Chapter headings are linked to the corresponding topics on this Web page.  Click to advance.

I -  Special Notice Key
II - Court Basics
A - Wii MotionPlus vs. Wii-Mote
     A1: Wii MotionPlus Tips
     A2: Wii-Mote Tips
     A3: Wii-Mote w/ Nunchuk Tips
B - Basic Controls & Advanced Controls
      B1: Groundstrokes
      B2: Aiming Your Groundstrokes
      B3: Serving
      B4: Advanced Techniques!
C - Getting Started!
      C1: Practice Makes Near Perfect!
D - Creating a Custom Player
      D1: Appearance
      D2: Clothing!
      D3: Equipment!
      D4: Attributes
E - Grand Slam Mode
     E1: Australian Open and Related Events
     E2: French Open and Related Events
     E3: Wimbledon and Related Events
     E4: U.S. Open and Related Events
     E5: Season 2 Summary and Highlights
     E6: Season 3 Summary and Comments
     E7: Male Player Introductions
     E8: Female Player Introductions
F - Offline Strategies
     F1: General Game Styles
     F2: Beating Pro Players
G - Training Mode (Get Fit!)
H - Party Mode (Party Games)
I - Calorie Counter
J - Wii Wi-Fi Network (Online Play)
K - Online Strategies
     K1 - Suggestions for Character Setup
     K2 - Strategies for Playing Various Gamestyles
     K3 - Dealing with Cheesy Gamers
     K4 - The Do's and Don'ts of GST Online
L - FAQs
M - Game Glitches
N - Reality Flaws In GST
O - Game Review
P - Improvement Suggestions for EA Sports
Q - Wrap Up (conclusion)
R - Miscellaneous Links
      R1 - Tennis-Related Links
      R2 - Gaming-Related Links
S - The Author (and acknowledgements)
T - Gamer Log - Final Post: 8/1


 

I - Special Notice Key:

- Pro Tactic: a technique I developed to improve a scenario found in the game, or, an alternative (and original) way of winning points.
- Pro Strategy: strategy I developed to increase the chances of winning a point.
- Pro Insight: further elaboration on a given subject matter to help clarify a point I am trying to make.
- Pro Tip: a method of using Wii MotionPlus that improves the level of consistency with your shot making.
- Glitch! an in-game glitch or anomaly that I discovered during my experience with Grand Slam Tennis.
- Fun Fact:  an identified part of the game that really holds no perceived value, but is entertaining/amusing nonetheless.

II - Court Basics:

Throughout this Guide, I will use terms like deuce court, ad-court, baseline, etc.  These terms may or may not be familiar to everyone. Below are simple illustrations depicting these areas of the court.

Court Basics: Details various parts of a tennis court: baseline, singles and doubles lines, service boxes, and doubles alley.
Court Basics 2: Illustrates the ad and deuce courts as well as "no man's land."  The term "deuce court" refers to the left service box (and right baseline area when serving).  The term "ad court" refers to the right service box (and left baseline area when serving).

 

A - Wii MotionPlus vs Wii-Mote:
A1 - Wii MotionPlus Tips
A2 - Wii-Mote Tips
A3 - Wii-Mote w/ Nunchuk Tips

Contrary to all the marketing hype by Nintendo and popular belief by those who have yet to try MotionPlus, it is not a flawless system, and there is absolutely no merit to EA Sports' claim of "total racquet control" with Grand Slam Tennis.  As IGN pointed out in their review of Grand Slam Tennis (GST), the game does not provide a 1:1 experience as one would hope for.  I have unfortunately experienced countless motion "errors" when playing both offline and online where my swings didn't register correctly by MotionPlus.  A few examples are as follows:

-- When playing as Rafa in an offline exhibition match, I was trying to pin my opponent to the corner of the court with top spin shots.  Instead, Nadal was hitting slice.  For seven consecutive swings, I began to exaggerate the top spin motion (low to high) more and more on each subsequent swing to the point I was looking and feeling ridiculous, and Rafa STILL continued to hit with slice on each and every shot

-- On serves both online and offline, my overhead service motion would sometimes result in a soft, second serve being hit despite the very same motion and timing being performed to pull off hard, flat first serves.

--  During a rather intense online match with a former top 50 player (I knocked him out of the top 50 ;-), he hit a shot to me right down the middle of the court.  Despite the swinging of my Wii-Mote with MotionPlus, my character, Andy Roddick, just stood there and let the ball pass him.  A game later, the very same thing happened to my opponent;  I hit a ball down the middle of the court, and his Roger Federer just stood there and let it go by.

So, this begs the question: Wii-Mote, or Wii-Mote with MotionPlus?  Which should you use?   Well, there are pros and cons to using each, and I've highlighted the most important differences between the two:

MotionPlus:

Wii-Mote (no MotionPlus):

So, if you are wondering whether or not to use MotionPlus, my answer is this:

MotionPlus is not needed to enjoy this game; a standard Wii-Mote should be fine. MotionPlus will admittedly enhance the experience a bit, but with that additional playability, there is an infinite amount of frustration associated with it.  Undoubtedly, these problems will cause some hardcore gamers to pack this game away.  So, is an extra $20 for MotionPlus worth it to you?  That's up for you to decide.  For me, I am glad I tried MotionPlus, but for online gaming, I will never use it again when playing GST.


A1 - MotionPlus Tips:

As frustrating as the aforementioned issues are, I suppose they are to be expected with a first-gen Wii MotionPlus game.  You might be wondering, "Is there anything I can do to minimize glitches like this?"  Well, there are a few things that I came up with on my own that work for me, and hopefully they will work for you too.  Please note that these aren't fail-proof suggestions - - they may only slightly improve any issues you are having with MotionPlus.

To hit flat, simply swing your Wii-Mote parallel to the ground and across the mid-section of your body (maybe slightly above your waistline).  For top spin, start the Wii-Mote a little lower than usual just before you begin the forward swing, swing to the side of your hip, and then up across and finish the follow-through over your shoulder.  You can also add some wrist rotation for extra spin.  For slice, raise the Wii-Mote above waist level and then make a high to low slashing motion, or, allow yourself to be a bit more lazy and just bring the Wii-Mote across your body to the front of one of your knees.  Always remember that the SIDE of your Wii-Mote represents the string bed of your "virtual racquet."

 This works very well for me, and if you are having trouble with your existing form, my personal technique will hopefully work for you too.  Give it a try!


A2 - Wii-Mote Tips:

The Wii-Mote is much less sensitive to movement than the MotionPlus sensor, which proves to be advantageous in many scenarios.  First and foremost, you can pretty much stop worrying about swings not registering on-screen.  However, the drawback is that you will need to perfect your timing in order to place your shots into the opposite court or down the line depending on which side you are hitting from.

Unlike the MotionPlus sensor, I would suggest you take a more casual approach to GST if you use just the Wii-Mote, similar to how you probably played Wii Tennis (Wii Sports).  You can take small swings or even flicks or your wrist and get similar results to a full "MotionPlus-like swing" in terms of power.  That being said, you will need to be careful because you may not execute the shot-type you were hoping for.

For top spin, you may want to actually swing the WiiMote a little; starting from a low position and finishing high.  For added spin, try rotating your wrist as described in section B1.  If you compare the motions and results of using both the Wii-Mote with MotionPlus and without,  you will observe a significant difference in the amount of spin you can put on the ball, as well as with consistency in pulling it off.  MotionPlus allows you to hit with much more spin and with much less effort.

For slices, a simple downward flick of the wrist always works.   For flat shots, a level side-ways flick is worth practicing until it becomes perfectly executed on-screen.  Hitting flat shots without MotionPlus is significantly easier to perform.

- Pro Tactic: Volleys are the toughest shot to place using the Wii-Mote early on in your custom-player's career because more often than not, balls are hit straight ahead and not at extreme angles.  Because of this, I would recommend using "B" when you are at the net so that you can execute an angled drop volley.  Simply press "B" at the time you are flicking your wrist (or swinging) to execute this effective short volley!


A3 - Wii-Mote w/Nunchuk:

As you will read in further along in section B4, I would highly advise not using the Wii Nunchuk due to the limited cord length as well as the speed of the game being considerably faster than Wii Tennis.

That being said, if you are playing doubles of any kind, having a Nunchuk for character movement puts you at a significant advantage due to your increased net coverage.  If the CPU controls your net movement during doubles, you will undoubtedly stay in the same position unless a ball is hit near you and you attempt to volley it.   With a Nunchuk in your hand, you will be able to gain more court coverage, and intelligently cut off attempted passing shots.  

- Pro Strategy: Since most people online play using CPU assisted movement, playing doubles with the Nunchuk enabled will give your team the upper hand.  So many players go for cross court winners (because they are easier to hit than down the line shots).  Using the Nunchuk, you can easily cut off those opposing cross court forehands and backhands and hit a volley winner to the open court!



B - Basic Controls:
B1 - Groundstrokes
B2 - Aiming Your Groundstrokes
B3 - Serving
B4 - Advanced Techniques

Unlike previously released tennis titles like Top Spin and Virtua Tennis, you can expect a bit less precision with Grand Slam Tennis since ball trajectory and pace will be dependent on your timing and swing speed, and not movement of an analog stick and button pressing.  Furthermore, there will also be a margin of error with your actual motion and MotionPlus's interpretation of your movement.  Assuming you will be using MotionPlus controls for this game, here are the basics:


B1 - Groundstrokes:

Top Spin:   Using Wii MotionPlus, swing low to high to perform a top spin shot.  You may want to try starting a swing with your Wii-mote hand about waist high, at your side, and swinging up in a true follow through form to pull off this shot with some degree of consistency.  Depending on your height, some modifications may be needed with your back and forward swings until you get the desired results on-screen.  Always follow through with the Wii-Mote to where you want the ball to go.  In other words, if you want the ball to go cross-court, make sure you swing early and finish your swing across your body with the Wii-Mote pointing to the corner of the court you are aiming for. 

- Pro Insight:  What is top spin? Top spin is a shot where a player brushes the racquet head across the ball from low to high very quickly on the forehand or backhand side.  When watching tennis on TV, you may notice that some players (most commonly the Spaniards and clay court "specialists") hit the ball with extreme top spin where their racquet head starts at their knees and they finish their swing with a lot of wrist flexing up around the opposite shoulder or head; they often play well behind the baseline too since the ball bounces so high.  This motion (whether traditional or extreme) puts a forward spin on the ball so that after it clears the net, preferably at the apex of the arc, and it dives down to the opposite court and rebounds with a higher bounce than a "flat" hit would provide.  Because of the forward spin imparted on the ball, it will kick up with some speed.  More top spin is required to obtain a more extreme angle.   It is important to note that top spin groundstrokes are not as fast as "flat" groundstrokes.  Typically when pro players go for a winner, they level out their swing to hit a line-drive shot.

Most every pro player hits with some degree of top spin unless they flatten out their groundstroke for an inside-out forehand or a crushing winner.  The only pro player in somewhat recent history to have truly flat groundstrokes was Jimmy Connors, where almost no spin was placed on the ball, especially on his forehand side.

Top spin is particularly effective when trying to create angles to expose an open court on the other side of the net.  For instance, a player on the right side of the court may attempt a top spin cross court shot (to the left) that will bounce shallow (in the service box) and "kick-out" beyond the doubles lane.  This would force his opponent to chase the ball down leaving most of the court exposed for a clean winner should the ball even be returned. You will most likely see heavy top spin used by pros when they are trying to hit from corner to corner (and where the ball bounces close to the service line).  Rafael Nadal has some of the most wicked top spin I've ever seen - - and I've seen an awful lot of tennis over the past 20+ years both in person and on TV.

Top spin shots provide a great change of pace to simply thumping flat forehands and backhands which takes more energy.  Top spin is also effective in lobbing - and if done so effectively, would clear an opponent's outstretched racquet, bounce in-bounds deep in the back court, and kick-up with speed towards the back wall making it very difficult (if not impossible) for your opponent to chase down.  This is referred to as a "top spin lob."

Slice Shot:  This is the easiest shot to execute using Wii MotionPlus.  To hit a slice shot, swing your Wii-mote high to low.  You can either use very good "tennis form" or a simple chopping motion and get nearly the same results.  In Grand Slam Tennis, you will notice that the slice you deliver on-screen has a sideways curve to it, very reminiscent of the very first Top Spin game for the original Xbox.  In real life, slice shots typically have straight flight path over the net.

- Pro Insight:  What is a slice shot?   Slice is a very underrated ground stroke both in real life and in tennis videogames.  Slice is a shot that counters your opponents power, and returns a slower ball that has reverse spin, resulting in a very low bounce (or a skid on some surfaces).  Patrick Rafter and Steffi Graf were two pros that were well known for their slice backhands.  Slice is particularly effective when returning serves from a powerful player, or as an approach shot when attempting to rush the net for a volley.  When used as a service return, it takes some of the power off your opponent's ball and reduces the risk of  you hitting the ball out of bounds.  Any time Roger Federer plays Andy Roddick, you will likely see Roger slice back Andy's big serve to start the exchange of groundstrokes --  this is particularly true when Andy serves to Roger's backhand.  Patrick Rafter was an excellent serve and volley player, and would attack the net after a well placed slice backhand deep near the baseline which would make it difficult for his opponents to get a good swipe at the ball in an attempt for a passing shot.



Lob Shot:  A lob is nothing more then executing a forward swing as you are pressing and holding the "A" button.  Depending on the proximity of your opponent to the net, you can either attempt a high, deep lob (upward swing while pressing "A"), or a lob with a bit more top spin (very fast upward swing with some wrist-roll while pressing "A").

- Pro Insight:  What is a lob shot?  A lob is a forehand or backhand that hits the ball very high into the air, and hopefully deep into your opponent's side of the court.  Lobs are effective in two situations:  1) when an opponent is close to the net and attempting to volley, and 2) when you are on the run chasing down balls, and need a moment to recover - - a lob is effective in buying you time to recover decent defensive court positioning.



Drop Shot:  A drop shot is performed with a forward swing as you are pressing the "B" button.  

- Pro Insight:  What is a drop shot?  A drop shot takes all of the pace off an opponent's ball, adding a little bit of backwards spin, and hit softly enough so that it just clears the net and bounces very short (and sometimes even backwards too) on your opponent's side of the court.  This is very effective as a change of pace in the midst of a rally, and when an opponent is hitting shots from well behind the baseline.  Drop shots are most effective if you hit one from around service line.  Not only does this reduce your risk in attempting a drop shot, but it also takes less time for it to clear the net, making it difficult for your opponent to identify and react to this type of shot.



Volley:  A volley is performed by a quick stab forward with the Wii-Mote to either the forehand or backhand sides.  Depending on your preparation, swing time, and player attributes, your volley may be successful in terms of both speed and angle.  To hit a volley in GST, you can either use a motion similar to proper tennis form, or, what most people will likely do, just flick your wrist in the direction you want the ball to go.  Just make sure your Wii-Mote is out in front of you when attempting a volley.

- Pro Insight:  What is a volley? A volley is nothing more than making contact with the ball before its initial bounce.  Volleys are almost always hit from inside the service line, such as when approaching the net during a rally.  It is always best to attempt a volley when your opponent is chasing down a ball and playing defensively, or after a big serve you just hit so that your opponent's return is likely to be weak, ineffective and PREDICTABLE.  



Overhead Smash: An overhead smash is performed by using the same motion as when serving (see below).

- Pro Insight:  What is a smash? A smash is simply hitting a lob out of the air and above the player's head - very similar to that of a service motion.  Overheads can be hit either before the first bounce, or after the first bounce.  The execution of the smash is an attempt to either hit the ball to the opponent's court so hard that it cannot be returned, or to hit to a vacant spot in the backcourt.  There are advantages and disadvantages to hitting the ball short or deep into an opponent's court, though almost all overhead smashes are hit very hard to prevent any sort of return.


B2 - Aiming Your Groundstrokes:

The following examples are for a right-handed person hitting a forehand.  Being successful in Grand Slam Tennis requires a high level of skill in placing your shots, and in order to obtain that skill, you will need to practice your timing.  To hit a ball to the left of the court, you must make contact with the ball early; when the ball is out in front of you.  Your follow through must be out in front to where your swing ends with your Wii-Mote pointing to the side of the court you are trying to hit (i.e. slightly across the front of your body).   To hit it straight ahead, you must time your swing perfectly so that you hit the ball when its slightly out in front of your player with your forward swing ending right in front of you (Wii-Mote pointing directly at the center of your TV).  To hit the ball to the right side of the court, your swing must be a little late so that you make contact with the ball when it's almost by your side.  Your forward swing should end prematurely so that you have your Wii-Mote pointing towards the right side of your TV.   Again, please note that these tips assume your player is right-handed and using MotionPlus.  If you are using a lefty, reverse the suggestions above except the straight-ahead shot.  If you are not using MotionPlus, you can use a much less exaggerated motion (i.e. being "flicky") and focus simply on your timing.


B3 - Serving:

Just prior to serving the ball, I would recommend that you always take two seconds to calibrate your Wii-Mote with MotionPlus.  Simply hold it level in front of you (completely still), and close to your body.  In similar fashion to Wii Tennis, lift your arm above your head for your player to toss the ball, and at the apex of the toss, swing downwards to strike the ball.  I personally add a little bit of wrist-snap in a downward motion in hopes of adding a few more mph to the ball.  You may wish to try this too.  While a hard swing will add some power to your serve, there is actually a limit where any extra effort on your behalf is not necessary.  The maximum service speed in Grand Slam Tennis is 100 mph (160.93 kph). So, learn how much effort is required to fire off serves at this speed, and don't over exert yourself.  This will help prevent injury during gameplay.

- Pro Insight:  What is a serve? A serve is the action that begins each and every point in the game of tennis.  A player stands behind the baseline in either the ad or deuce court, tosses the ball, and hits with an overhead swing in hopes of getting their shot into the service box on the other side of the net.   Most pro-players' first serves are hard, flat serves that have a lot of power and little spin.  Second serves in the pro-ranks are typically hit with spin to reduce the risk of hitting a ball long or wide.  In Grand Slam Tennis, Andy Roddick and Pete Sampras have the best serves.


B4 - Advanced Techniques:

Movement -

Initially one would think that using the Nunchuk for player movement would provide the best control over a player, especially since character movement in Wii Tennis was terrible.  However, Grand Slam Tennis plays at 3x the speed of Wii Tennis and with non-precise control (i.e. swinging a Wii-Mote versus using an Xbox 360 analog controller).  Because of this, proper manual character movement using the Nunchuk is particularly difficult.  Furthermore, many gamers may find that the cord connecting the Nunchuk to the Wii-Mote to be about 12 inches too short.  If you swing the Wii-Mote with your right arm in a backswing, you may pull the Nunchuk from your left hand causing your left arm to move suddenly too.

At least very early on in your experiences with GST, focus on proper form and ball placement, and leave character movement to the CPU.  Unlike movement in Wii Tennis (where it was so slow, you wish you could move your Mii), movement in GST is a lot better, and in my opinion, does not detract at all from the game being fun.

Despite saying all that above, I will highly recommend you manually override default positioning and movement in three specific scenarios:

1) Serving:  When serving, you can use the D-Pad on the Wii-Mote to slide your player to the left or the right in order to increase your chances at hitting better angles.

As soon as the ball is tossed, press left or right on the Wii-Mote D-Pad to direct your serve to that location in the service box.  I would like to also point out that unlike Top Spin 3, you can hit the center service line in Grand Slam Tennis.

2) Returning:  When returning a serve, some players may serve right at you - - or, are consistent with hitting the ball to an area of the service box.  Use the D-Pad on the Wii-Mote to slide your person left or right to be in better position to hit an effective return of serve shot.

3) Approaching the Net:  If you have your opponent on the run chasing down deep groundstrokes, you can override the CPU assisted movement by pressing up on the Wii-Mote D-Pad.  You can cancel that motion if your opponent lobs by simply pressing back on the D-Pad.  At that time, the CPU assisted movement may or may not return  your character to the baseline (if it doesn't, it will make your player continue on to the net).  If you change your mind and don't want to charge the net after initiating that action, press down on the D-Pad once to cancel the forward progress, and down again to retreat to the baseline.

Groundstrokes -

Top Spin - Rafa Style:  Want to hit wicked top spin like Nadal?  Then add a lot of wrist rotation on your up-swing.  Simply drop your Wii-Mote back at a lower than waist position and quickly swing forward in an upward motion.  Near the top of your swing, rotate your wrist very quickly counter-clockwise (assuming you are a righty).  Keep practicing until you get the desired results.  Remember though, the more top spin you hit, the slower the ball will be was well as having a landing point much more shallow than a flat groundstroke.   I would only advise hitting a high level of top spin only if you are aiming for extreme angles to the corners of the opposing court.  If you hit heavy top spin so that it bounces near the service line, your opponent will have time to chase it down and hit an effective counter-shot.

Top Spin Lobs - Agassi Style:  Unlike the Top Spin and Virtua Tennis games, you can somewhat choose between two types of lobs to execute in a time of need.  One is a defensive lob which is performed by swinging your Wii-Mote low-to-high and holding down the "A" button.  Then there is the top spin lob - which you can do with the same motion as a defensive lob, but with a faster swing rate and with heavy wrist rotation near the top of your swing (the same as what was described in #4 above).  In GST, top spin lobs generally land short, and well inside the baseline, so only choose this shot if you need to hit a lob from one side of the court to the other (cross-court) or if your opponent is standing right next to the net.  If your opponent is not quite on top of the net, I would suggest you hit a defensive lob, or a lob with less top spin.

Drop Volleys: To execute a drop volley, press "B" when at the net and use your typical flicky motion or whatever form you use when volleying at the net.



C - Getting Started
C1 - Practice Makes Near Perfect

When booting up Grand Slam Tennis, you will be presented with a few options from the main menu.  They are as follows:

- Practice: I can't recommend highly enough that you start with this.  See my comments in section C1 for more on this particular mode.
- Play Now: Enter in a quick match of either singles or doubles.
- Grand Slam: GST's career mode that puts your custom character through a number of challenges in addition to competing in major tournaments across the globe.
- Online: Play GST over the Wii Wi-Fi Network against players from all over the world.  
- My Tennis: This is where you access your custom-player's locker room to change equipment, clothing, and attributes.  You can also modify game settings here.
- Get Fit: Simple yet fun games designed to give you a light workout.  You can monitor your caloric burn-rate in this mode, as well as the competition modes.
- Tennis Party:  Fun multiplayer mini-games.

C1 - Practice Makes Near Perfect:  Almost everyone wants to just dive into a new game and start playing in either offline or online competition.  When you first boot up Grand Slam Tennis, you have the option to participate in a practice session with a ball machine.  I cannot emphasize enough how important it is that you spend a little bit of quality time practicing the nuances of the game, learning how your swing-types translate into the actual game, proper player positioning for an incoming ball, etc.  

Practice hitting slice, flat, and top spin groundstrokes off the forehand and backhand sides.  When you master those, try hitting MORE top spin from both sides as described in section B4.  When you get your groundstrokes down, try placing them to the corners of the court, and then down the middle. You will find a lot of opponents online who do nothing but hit from corner to corner (or serve and drop volley).  While hitting the corners is important, it's not nearly as important as learning to hit straight ahead to execute effective passing shot winners.  If you are in a cross-court rally, a simple shot up the line will end the point very quickly in your favor.  Learn to hit straight, and you will find yourself winning a lot of points both offline and online.  A good strategy is to get someone pinned to a corner in a cross-court exchange, and then blast the ball up the line you are standing on.  Practicing this also makes your life a lot easier when playing against serve and volleyers too.  If you can hit up the line, you can pass them almost every time!

After you master all aspects of ball placement with groundstrokes, work on your serve.  Learn to hit flat or with spin, and practice hitting the ball at the highest point of your player's toss.  Doing so should translate into a hard, fast first serve.  I use the word "should"  because MotionPlus is subject to mis-reads on serves from time to time.  I have found that the regular Wii-Mote (no MotionPlus) is more consistent with the timing of hard, flat serves.

Volleys are nothing more than short swings, punches, or flicks of the Wii-Mote, and those can be practiced during actual gameplay.  In GST, its difficult to screw up a volley.

Your patience in learning the basics of GST will provide a huge pay-off when you enter Grand Slam mode or engage in online competition.


D - Creating a Custom Player
D1 - Appearance
D2 - Clothing
D3 - Equipment
D4 - Attributes

D1 - Appearance:  Unlike games such as Virtua Tennis and Top Spin that offer a plethora of variables to fine tune the look of your custom-made tennis player, GST is very limited with regard to customizable options.  After giving your custom-character a first and last  name, you will indicate the gender of your player, and designate which will be the dominant side (right or left).  The overall look of your character can be made by visiting the following menu options:

- Appearance:  Choose a general look from a list of available templates.
- Complexion: Choose a skin tone from a variety of colors and shades.
- Headshape:  Here, you can choose the shape of your player's head; from fat and skinny, to round or chiseled.  It's all here.
- Hair style:  Choose the style of hair you wish your player to have.  This can be changed later in the game if you choose to do so.
- Facial hair: For the men, you can choose from a variety of facial hair sculpts.  Like the hair style, this too is not permanent and can be changed later in the game.
- Eye color:  Because of the lack of HD output on the Wii, eye color is difficult to see, especially when assigning various shades of browns to your custom character. 

D2 - Clothing:  The next phase of creating your character is dressing him/her.  In the beginning, you will have limited options to the stockrooms of the various manufacturers.  Once you progress through Grand Slam mode, you will unlock additional outfits that are initially designated with a padlock.  The clothing categories in GST are shirts, hats/bandanas, tennis shoes and wristbands.  

The manufacturers present are:

D3 - Equipment:  The final phase in creating your custom-character is assigning them a tennis racquet.  

The manufacturers represented in GST are:

Note that there are some racquets that are locked at the beginning of the game.  Some of these racquets provide "power-ups" if acquired and equipped to your player.  Make note of these as they will be beneficial to your overall performance when made available.

D4 - Attributes:  In your first venue (Australian Open), take note of the challenges you will be facing leading up to each Grand Slam event, and the rewards that come with each.  Some rewards pertain to fitness, others improve mobility, and some enhance a specific stroke such as a forehand or serve.  Depending on what kind of player you wish to develop, you should pay close attention to the offerings, and decide which one would best suit your player.  The four general player types are as follows:

- Offensive Baseliner:  Has powerful groundstrokes, but sacrifices some degree of accuracy.
- Defensive Baseliner: Has a high level of stamina, speed, and accuracy, but lacks powerful strokes.  Defensive players do best on slower surfaces like clay.
- Serve & Volleyer: Has fast reflexes, strong volley skills, and typically a very effective serve, sometimes at the expense of weaker groundstrokes.  Serve and volleyers tend to thrive on grass-court surfaces.
- All-Court Player: Has no real weaknesses, but also no outstanding strengths either except for maybe one particular stroke whether it be a serve or a groundstroke on one side.

Throughout Grand Slam mode, you will face opportunities to acquire new skills based on specific pro-player's strengths.  Through your acquisition of stars (gained from experience/success), you can apply additional skills, up to a maximum of three.  These skills are as follows:

There are 23 abilities in all.  During the early challenges prior to the Australian Open, you will have the opportunity to acquire a bronze level skill.  You will not be able to apply a second skill until you have unlocked two full stars which will come later in the first season.  To have access to the third skill, you will need to have four stars.


E - Grand Slam (Career) Mode
E1: Australian Open and Related Events
E2: French Open and Related Events
E3: Wimbledon and Related Events
E4: U.S. Open and Related Events
E5: Season 2 Summary & Highlights
E6: Season 3 Summary & Comments
E7: Male Player Introductions - in progress 
E8: Female Player Introductions - in progress

Grand Slam mode is GST's version of the standard Career Mode that every tennis game seems to have.  In GST, you will begin your career in the outer courts of the Australian Open.  You will also be given the option to adjust the CPU difficulty level before beginning.  I would suggest starting with Easy or Medium for your first time through so that you can learn proper technique with your swinging.  Everything outlined below is based on my experience through Grand Slam mode on Medium difficulty.

While I haven't confirmed any advantages/disadvantages to playing on Easy or Medium, I've noticed that the challenges/rewards change slightly based on the difficulty level during my initial two passes through the first part of the game.  Some rewards also change even if you stay on the same difficulty level and pass through it twice.  

A few important final notes:  

** Should you lose at a specific tournament, you will not be able to replay your match.  You will have to wait until the following calendar year to try again (that is, unless you power-off early enough so that the loss doesn't get recorded - haha).  Also, the second and fourth exhibition matches listed in the outline below will vary depending on your choices.  If you choose the route I did throughout the game, you may experience a similar pattern of who becomes available.

** Decide what kind of player you wish to create before your first tournament.  If you want to have a big top spin forehand like Rafa Nadal, you will need to plan accordingly.  The only way you can get the opportunity to acquire gold-level skills is to successfully earn the bronze and silver versions first.  For instance, in order to obtain Rafa's gold top spin forehand, you will have to successfully defeat Serena Williams (bronze forehand) and Novak Djokovic (silver forehand) in exhibition matches.  Only after defeating those two during exhibition challenges will the opportunity arise to acquire Nadal's gold top spin forehand.  These "skill-challenge exhibitions" are always the second and fourth matches that take place on the outer courts before the actual Grand Slam tournaments begin.  

** When you acquire a new skill and your skill spots are already occupied, you should receive an on-screen prompt asking if  you wish to replace an existing skill. However, when you have an available space and acquire a new skill you wish to add, you will need to back out of Grand Slam mode to the Main Menu.  From there, go to "My Tennis" - "Locker Room" and edit your player's abilities by adding a new skill that's been unlocked.

** Always be sure to add new swag to your character if it provides a boost to certain aspects of your character's abilities.  For example, some racquets add boosts to flat groundstroke power, top spin, or service speed.  Some shoes will increase your hustle or foot speed.  Be on the lookout for when these become available, and always be sure to back out to the main menu and visit "My Tennis" -- "Locker Room" -- "Dressing Room" to equip them so that they may be used during Grand Slam (Career) mode.


E1 - Australian Open: .  As one would expect, the Australian Open is your first venue in Grand Slam Tennis, however you don't jump into the big event right away.  First, you will face three challenges on the outer courts, and a FOURTH challenge should you win the first three.  You cannot choose the order of these courts, but must play them in order of when they appear.

If you think you  may have difficulty during your first run through at the Australian Open, be sure to check out my Offline Strategy tips.

After you complete the outer court challenges, you will be applied to the main draw at the Australian Open.  Your progress will begin in the round of 32 (i.e. 3rd round).  All matches are a best-of three game format, with a tie-breaker if the score reaches 4-4.  Since this is basically the introductory tournament of GST and Career Mode, the difficulty is not very intense.  That being said, you should expect to see a boost in CPU competitiveness if you are ahead in the score of a particular game, especially if you are about to break an opponent's serve.  Also, there are marginal increases in difficulty as you progress through the tournament.  In my first time through, I faced Roddick, Borg, Hewitt, Djokovic, and Edberg - in that order.  Djokovic was the most challenging of the five players I faced, though any time I had Edberg behind in the score, he would become more aggressive (see Section F2).

After defeating my semifinal opponent, I acquired the second half of my first star, so that it was now complete.

After winning the Australian Open, you will acquire the trophy, additional clothes, and a summary of your matches played, matches won, and how much sponsor swag you acquired.  If you won all 9 matches (including the pre-tournament bonus match), you will have unlocked 18 articles of clothing (called "sponsor swag").  Here is a brief breakdown of what I received over the course of my tournament wins:

My Player Summary:  1 star.  Serena's bronze forehand skill.


E2 - French Open:

The famed terre battu is your second stop on the Grand Slam tour.  Much like the Australian Open, you will have three exhibition matches prior to the main draw.  Should you successfully complete the three challenges, you will earn the right to participate in an extra singles match to acquire an additional ability before the tournament.  Drop shots are a bit more effective here at the French Open, though not as much as you would probably think.  CPU movement is very quick to the ball, especially vertical movement.  Here is the outline of my pre-tournament activities:

CPU difficulty really doesn't ramp up at the French Open, so if you had little trouble winning at the Australian Open, you should have no problems winning here on clay.  That being said, the only challenge may come from an opponent's gamestyle depending on the draw you face.  In my first time through at the French, I faced MacEnroe, Becker, Nishikori, Hewitt, and Borg respectively.  MacEnroe provided the biggest challenge of the five players, but was still relatively easy to defeat.  If you are having difficulty playing against any of these opponents, check out Section F2 for tips on beating them.

Continue to use the serve and volley method as often as you can get away with it.  Players like Becker will some times return serves down the line from the deuce court.  If that is the case (and you are using the Nunchuk), cover the down-the-line shot as you approach the net.  If you are using CPU-assisted movement (i.e. no Nunchuk), be wary of the possibility of being beat down the line, or, simply do not attack the net when serving on the deuce side.

During my fourth round match, I acquired another half-star to where I had a total of 1.5 at this stage in the game.  If you successfully complete the tournament, you will have earned the French Open trophy, and a summary of your acquired swag will appear.  Below is a summary of what I earned throughout the tournament.

Special Note:  Be sure to equip your custom player with any attribute enhancing racquets or clothing prior to playing the first exhibition at Wimbledon.  Doing so will undoubtedly make your journey to the finals much easier.  To change your player's items, back out of Grand Slam (Career) mode to the main menu and choose My Tennis then Locker Room and finally, Dressing Room.

My Player Summary:  1.5 stars, Djokovic's silver forehand, Prince (purple/pink) racquet with power-boost.


E3 - Wimbledon:

Wimbledon is the third stop on the Grand Slam Tennis career tour, and is to be considered the pinnacle of professional tennis.  Legends are made on the grass of the All England Club, and you should expect a very slight increase in difficulty as you enter this event.

First things first though, the outer-court exhibitions:

Unlike the previous two Grand Slams, you should have noticed an increase in difficulty, likely brought about by the number of serve and volleyers you faced during the draw.  In my first run through, I faced the following players in order: Kei Nishikori (who began to serve and volley!), Andy Murray, Pat Cash, Boris Becker, and Roger Federer.  Roger played at a much faster pace than any of my previous competition, but he was not much more difficult at this point.  I felt that Becker was the most difficult opponent in this particular draw.  What I found most surprising is that Nishikori changed his gameplay drastically during this tournament as he served and volleyed quite a few times!  |

During my time at Wimbledon, I acquired a few bonuses: the second half of my second star (semifinal) and new EA Sports shoes to boost my character's ability to hustle.  I added the bronze backhand immediately following the semifinal match so that I could use it during the final.  In order to accomplish this, I had to exit out of Grand Slam mode to the Main Menu.  From there, I went to "My Tennis" and made the appropriate change.  Below are all of the items I unlocked/earned during my five rounds and victory at Wimbledon.

Special Note: Assuming you had the same success as me thus far, be sure to back out to the main menu prior to entering the U.S. Open.  Go to your dressing room (from the main menu) and add a new ability to your custom player.  You may also want to add any new equipment that can boost the abilities of your player.  The difficulty of your opponents in the U.S. Open will be even more challenging, and the advantages/boosted items you've earned thus far will help make your season Grand Slam achievement much more easy.

My Player Summary:  2 stars, Djokovic's silver forehand, Sharapova's bronze backhand, Prince (purple/pink) racquet with power-boost, EA Sports shoes (white with green trim) with hustle-boost.


E4 - U.S. Open:


Flushing Meadow, NY is the final stop on your Grand Slam tour for this first season.  All of the matches here are played during the evening hours under stadium lights. Many pros have said that the U.S. Open is the toughest place to win, while others would prefer no other stage in which to perform.  You should expect the diffiiculty of your A.I. opponents to be ramped up considerably at this tournament, so make sure you've added any boosted equipment or accessories to improve your player's performance.  Additionally, make sure you've added a second skill to your player if you've acquired two full stars at this point in the game.   

- Pro Insight:  Just prior to my first exhibition match, I set up my custom player to have Djokavic's silver forehand, Sharapova's bronze backhand, a Prince racquet that boosted power, and EA Sports shoes that increased my player's ability to hustle.

The difficulty and speed of the game definitely picks up during the five rounds of the U.S. Open tournament, and it was no surprise to face Sampras in the final.  It was particularly satisfying to beat him with my custom Andre Agassi character who was still using the flat forehand boosted Prince racquet, EA sneakers with hustle boost, and a silver level forehand and backhand.  My opponents were as follows:  Nishikori, Djokovic, Becker, Hewitt and Sampras.  Both Becker and Sampras drove me to a tie-breaker as I failed to break their serve on my first two cracks at it, but won fairly easily in the tie-break.  If you find that you are having trouble beating Pete in the final, check out section F1 for some ways to win easy points against him.   After winning this fourth major tournament, I was awarded not only the U.S. Open trophy, but also the Grand Slam Trophy and Career Grand Slam trophy; three in all.  After the trophies are awarded and swag unlocked, you will see a summary of your achievements along with a brief glimpse of your overall record (mine was 36-0).  Immediately following, you fly back to Austrralia to begin the process all over again, but this time, with more difficult opponents including the generic players.

Items awarded for the first U.S. Open were as follows:

* Awarded if you won all four majors this season.

My Player Summary:  2.5 stars, Djokovic's silver forehand, Murray's silver backhand, Prince (purple/pink) racquet with power-boost, EA Sports shoes (white with green trim) with hustle-boost.


E5 - Season 2 Summary & Highlights

If all went well with you during your first season, you should begin Season 2 with 2.5 stars.  Expect both pro and generic opponents' difficulty levels to increase substantially over Season 1.  For me personally, I enjoyed the competition of Season 2 much more as the speed was closer to "real tennis."  As a reminder, if you are looking for certain gold skills, you will first need to defeat the players who possess the bronze and silver levels!  This can only be done in the second and bonus fourth exhibition matches prior to the actual tournaments.

Australian Open

My Player Summary:  3 stars, Djokovic's silver forehand, Murray's silver backhand, Prince (purple/pink) racquet with power-boost, EA Sports shoes (white with green trim) with hustle-boost.


French Open

My Player Summary:  3.5 stars, Djokovic's silver forehand, Murray's silver backhand, Prince (purple/pink) racquet with power-boost, EA Sports shoes (white with green trim) with hustle-boost.


Wimbledon

My Player Summary:  4 stars, Djokovic's silver forehand, Murray's silver backhand, Stich's silver serve, Prince (purple/pink) racquet with power-boost, EA Sports shoes (white with green trim) with hustle-boost.


U.S. Open

My Player Summary:   4.5 stars, Djokovic's silver forehand, Murray's silver backhand, Stich's silver serve, Babolat racquet (yellow/red) with flat groundstroke boost, EA Sports shoes (white with green trim) with hustle-boost.


E6 - Season 3 Highlights and Comments

If you have the same sort of success I've had throughout the first two seasons, you should be only a half-star short of maxing out your custom player.  To get this final half-star, you must complete the Australian Open.

** In my opinion, there is really no need to continue any further in Grand Slam mode unless you are a completist and feel the need to acquire all of the remaining pro player skills you don't currently have - which won't be very many.  All of the unlockable clothing and equipment items will have been obtained by this time.

** If you are obsessed with collecting ALL of the pro-player skills left remaining, and you have won every match thus far (as outlined above), you will need to successfully complete the two skill exhibition matches at both the French Open and Wimbledon, and finally the 2nd exhibition match at the U.S. Open.  That's where you will get your 23rd and final skill!

** A maxed out custom player was all I wanted to achieve and likely the goal of many gamers such as yourself, therefore this concludes my detailed walkthrough of Grand Slam mode.  

- Pro Insight: There is absolutely no need to create a second character from scratch if that is what you are planning to do (that is, unless you are sharing your system with a sibling or roommate).  After you acquire all of the skills you want, simply go back to the Main Menu/My Tennis/Locker Room and not only edit your player's abilities, but also their appearance too.  You can go from a likeness of yourself with a baseline game to a completely different looking player with strengths in the areas of serving and volleying!  Save yourself 4 or 5 hours by skipping Grand Slam mode and simply re-editing your existing player!

* Please note that in the above Grand Slam mode walkthrough, I did not record the acquisitions of either the Adidas net volley boosting racquet or the Head serve boosting racquet.  They must have been awarded at some point prior to season 3 (since I noticed on-screen that they were already unlocked), but failed to record them.



E7 - Male Player Introductions

E8 - Female Player Introductions

F - Offline Strategies
F1 - General Game Styles & Tips
F2 - Beating Pro Players


F1 - General Game Styles & Tips

Every tennis game I've ever played has either exhibited specific behaviors in certain situations (aka "patterns"), or, had a glaring flaw where one strategy provided a sufficient amount of success throughout most of the levels.  In the case of Grand Slam Tennis, this sort of programming weakness can be found with the serve and volley strategy.

If you are finding difficulty winning points from the baseline, I cannot recommend more highly that you trade in your forehands and backhands and become a force at the net.  Regardless of whether or not you are creating a version of yourself or a baseline legend like Andre Agassi or Jim Courier, you will make your progression through Grand Slam mode substantially easier, and quicker if you serve and volley.

Serve & Volley:

When on offense:

- Pro Tactic:  In the early stages of the game (Season 1), your custom player will lack speed, power and overall performance.  Forget trying to hit the big serve and starting the point from there.  Simply hit the weakest serve you can and as soon as your Wii-Mote is moving forward to execute the swing, press up on the D-Pad so that your player charges the net.  Nearly 99% of the time, your opponent will return your serve right up the middle, and right to you.  If you are using MotionPlus, it is very easy to deflect the ball to the open court for a winner.  With just the Wii-Mote, it may take a few volleys to punch through a winner.

To add an extra element to your new style of play, try serving out wide to the corners.  In the first season of GST, you can get away with this (you won't have to worry about too many service returns down the line except from a player like Boris Becker).  Serving out wide will enable you to have more open court to where you can volley the return.  Just be sure to serve from the default position, and as you are swinging, press right or left on the D-Pad once the ball is tossed, and immediately press forward to charge the net after you make contact with the ball.

A lot of Websites have recommended my plan of action here - - because it works!

If you want to see a little higher quality of serve and volley tennis, go to the Play Now option on the main menu and choose Stefan Edberg as your player and Boris Becker as your opponent (or the other way around).  Classic serve and volley tennis doesn't get any better than that!


When on defense:

- Pro Tactic:  I've emphasized quite a bit in this guide that the down the line return is the most effective way in beating a serve and volley player, but I will admit, it isn't always easy, especially if your opponent is hitting to the outside corners of the court.  The following tactic is something I discovered on my own that should INCREASE the likelihood of your right-handed opponent hitting down the center from the ad-court- -  thus making it substanially easier to hit a return down the line!  

Prior to your opponent's serve, move to the outside two full steps and wait a second.  Then, move in one step before your opponent begins his service motion.  As soon as your opponent begins his service motion, move in back to your ORIGINAL default position at the baseline.  More likely than not, you will have "baited" your opponent to hit down the line, thus making it much easier for you to swing early and put your return of serve down the line!!


Drop Shots:

When on offense:

- Pro Strategy:  Never hit a drop shot from behind the baseline.  More often than not, your shot will result in a high, slow floating ball that can be read from a mile away.  Always attempt drop shots from no further away from the net than the service line.  The closer you are to the net, the more effective your drop shots will be.

When on defense:

- Pro Strategy:  You will witness quite a few drop shots by your opponents throughout your matches, most of which are attempted from behind the baseline.  As a result, many will fall short and land on their side.  However, in the U.S. Open (season 1) and throughout season 2, many will find their way to your side of the net.  Depending on your opponent, you should be able to get away with a drop shot of your own (Nishikori is the biggest sucker for this move).  As soon as you see your opponent float a drop shot from behind the baseline, the A.I. should move you in position to hit it.  If your opponent is way behind the baseline, drop shot the ball with some angle so that it bounces away from your opponent.

 If you observe that your opponents are successfully chasing down your counter-drop shots (such as Andy Murray), then don't attempt it again.  If they can reach it once, they'll reach it almost every time!  In this case, chase down their drop shot and be prepared to thump a hard, flat forehand or backhand to the open court!


Baseline Game:

- Pro Strategy:  You will observe that a number of players like to engage in cross-court rallies.  Many times, you can keep feeding them cross-court shots to where they sometimes just camp out in the corner versus being prepared for a mid-court or down-the-line shot.  Lleyton Hewitt is one of the bigger offenders of this during Season 1.  Simply feed a player some cross court shots to keep them at bay, and then blast one down the line.  You should win a number of easy points doing this.


Lobs:

- Pro Insight:  You may wonder why your lobs are almost always returned by your opponents.  The reason is that they weren't fully set at the net.  If you play an opponent like Boris Becker, he will usually take his first volley just inside the service line, and another a few steps away from the net.  If you pay careful attention, you can sometimes actually see your net-attacking opponent "set" himself at the net.  Sometimes this happens just before the third volley - but not always.  When you observe your opponent being settled in at the net, THAT is your opportunity to hit a DEEP lob that should clear their outstretched racquet.  Always remember that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line, therefore if you are at a corner of the court, it would be best to hit your lob down the line as it would be more difficult to chase down.


Top Spin

Be wary of using too much top spin.  Top spin is best utilized for hitting angles.  If you use top spin as a normal ground stroke, you are cheating yourself of speed and power.  If you hit a top spin shot down the line, you are actually giving your opponent more time to react and reach the ball you just hit as opposed to if you hit a hard, flat shot.


Serving

If you are looking to ace your A.I. opponent, you will find most success serving down the center "T."  From the default service location on the baseline, it is near impossible to hit an ace when serving out wide.  That being said, serving out wide does have its advantages.
  


F2 - Beating Pro Players

Men 

Women 

 G - Training Mode (Get Fit!)

Get Fit! is a simple charting function within GST that keeps track of the calories you burned during match play with your custom character; pro player usage cannot be tracked.  If you are new to the game and anticipate playing a lot of GST, it would be a good idea to visit Get Fit! once you've created your own player and before you begin the Grand Slam mode.  All you need to do is set up a personal goal of calories you want to burn before a specified period of time.  With modest gameplay, you should be able to easily beat 1,000-1,500 calories every two weeks.

You can navigate from the main Fitness Center screen by using the + and - buttons on the Wii-Mote.  Doing so will cycle you through the Calendar, Awards, Calories, and Goals screens

Calendar: The calendar screen is set up like any typical calendar, but details the days you've spent playing GST with your custom character, showing your caloric burn count and any awards that were obtained.

Awards:  Awards can earned on a daily, weekly and monthly basis.  Furthermore, you can earn an award for achieving your established goal.  Awards can be given for new records that you have sent in terms of the number of calories burned over a specified period of time or any streaks that you've started and maintained.

Calories:  Here, you can view the calories you've  burned in a line-graph format.  You can view the calories burned over the course of a week, month or even year.

Goals: This is a summary page that shows you where you stand with your daily goal as well as your end goal that you established when setting up your fitness profile.


 H - Party Games

Party Games is a collection of games designed for multiplayer use (though you can play solo too) that are also found in the Grand Slam mode exhibitions.  These are:

Triplets: 2 players versus 1 (three game set)
Australian Doubles: 2 players versus 1 where teams change after every point.  First to three points wins.
King of the Court: Earn the right to be king.  Only the king can win points.  First to five points wins.
King of the Court (Timed): Whoever has the most points at the end of two minutes wins.  Clock only runs when the ball is in play.
Timed Champs: Very similar to King of the Court, though points aren't recorded and the winner is the "king" when time expires.
Tag Team Points: It's two versus two.  After a player hits the ball, they tag out to their teammate.  Traditional tennis scoring is maintained.
Tag Team Timed: Again, two versus two, though the winners are the team with the most points when time expires (two minutes).
Net Masters Singles: Traditional tennis scoring with the exception that volley winners count for two points.  All other winners count as one.
Net Masters Doubles:  Again, traditional tennis scoring except that volley winners count as two points instead of one.
Drop/Lob Singles:  Traditional tennis scoring applies with the exception of drop shot winners and lob winners count for two points.
Drop/Lob Doubles:  Again, traditional tennis scoring will apply except that drop shot winners and lob winners count for two points.
Singles: Play a traditional tennis match with the default being a single 3 game set.
Doubles:  Play traditional doubles with the default setting being a single 3 game set.


I - Calorie Counter

As everyone seems to becoming more health conscious these days, and the Wii perceived as a potential vehicle for better health, EA Sports equipped Grand Slam Tennis with a Calorie Counter.  After playing any match, whether it be a "quick play" type game or a match within Grand Slam (career) mode, the option to view your calorie consumption is available at the bottom of the screen.  Utilizing the "Training Mode" option, you can set personal goals for daily calorie burn on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis.  That being said, you will need to use a single custom-made player in order to track your progress over time with a trending line (see section G).

Now you may think this is a great idea and perhaps even justify the cost of purchasing the game because of this feature, but hold on!  While I am sure EA Sports had the best intentions behind this calorie counter, it is in fact fatally flawed.

I tested the calorie counter numerous times in near-identical challenges using quick-play matches - and all came up with the same results.  In my last case-study, I chose my custom player to take on Andy Roddick at the U.S. Open.  Our match was a close one, and lasted about 5 minutes.  I stood up and swung the Wii-Mote as if it were a real tennis racquet, and moved my arms, hips and legs too -- just as if I were really playing tennis.  The calorie counter recorded that I burned about 27 calories.  

I chose to have a rematch, however this time I sat on the couch and simply flicked my wrist around to play the game.  The match scoring was near identical as previous game, and the time playing it was about the same too.  The calorie counter showed that once again, I burned about 27 calories.  Apparently, the Wii (or software) could not make any sort of determination of whether I was standing, sitting, moving forwards or backwards or anything else that would indicate whether or not I was an actively involved gamer, or a couch potato who wasn't moving at all.  I can only conclude that the software assumes you will be playing it standing up and moving all around, and does some sort of calculation based on the number of swings your player made, and the duration of your match.

So, my advice to you is this:  If you intend to use the calorie counter and fitness portion of the game, don't cheat yourself by making minimal effort.  Really try to play this game as if you were out on a real tennis court.  Move around, bend your knees and when you swing, turn your hips and shoulders too.  This is the only way you will benefit from monitoring your caloric burn-rate while playing Grand Slam Tennis.



 J- Wii Wi-Fi Network (Online Play)

If you find that the offline A.I. is becoming too predictable as you play through career mode, then it might be time to step up to the big leagues and take on living opponents from around the globe.

Online play with GST is simple and straight forward in terms of getting set up and playing in under five minutes if you are just beginning for the first time.  Initially, you will be obligated to create an account with EA Sportsworld if you don't have one already.  This entails inputting a little bit of information about yourself (e.g. email address) and creating a GST username.   If you do already have an EA Sportsworld account, simply enter the email address associated with the account and the existing username you used, and you will be prompted to create a new username to be used just with Grand Slam Tennis.

Once you are registered, you will not have to deal with those screens again.  Future log-in attempts will have you select one of the usernames (if you use more than one) you've registered with GST before you can begin play.  This takes no more than a few seconds.

There are a few options when viewing the main online menu.  You can view the leaderboard, engage in online play in both singles and doubles, and either in exhibition or ranked match formats.  Exhibition matches are no more than online games that do not count towards the leaderboard.   All games are composed of a single three game set where at 4-4, you play a standard tennis tie-breaker (first to 7 points with a 2 point lead).  When you select a match type (exhibition or ranked), the server will pair you to a random opponent.  Not much detail can be seen during the pre-match screen other than a picture of the player and their best ability.  It is also important to note that only the person who begins serving first can fast forward through the intro/warm-up scenes prior to the first point being initiated.  So, if you are the impatient type who likes to get right down to business, you better hope you are serving first.

At the conclusion of your matches, you will have the option to challenge your opponent to a rematch, or back out of that particular screen, and return to the main online menu.  Furthermore, you can add GST friends to your list with ease (once you've played them), as well as send them messages using pre-canned statements that can be paired to make more complete phrases or sentences.  For instance, you can choose the word "Yes" from one string of choices, and pair it with "Good Game" so that a reply to your opponent's complementary message reads, "Yes, Good Game."

All in all, the interface for setting up and playing matches should be very easy for both the casual gamer as well as the seasoned pro.


K - Online Strategy
K1 - Suggestions for Character Setup
K2 - Strategies for Playing Various Gamestyles & General Tips
K3 - Dealing with Cheesy Gamers
K4 - The Do's and Don'ts of GST Online Play

Grand Slam Tennis is like no other tennis game available, where unlike games like Top Spin and Virtua Tennis, there aren't huge exploits that the majority of the community take advantage of, and where actual strategy and hands-on "execution" dictates who wins and loses.  In my time so far with GST, I've played against the good, the bad, and the ugly.  It took nearly three weeks since the game's release before playing styles were clearly defined; some prefer to thump it from the baseline, while the majority of the top players prefer to serve and volley - - something you'd rarely if ever see in Top Spin 2 and 3, and Virtua Tennis 3.  


K1 - Suggestions for Character Setup

In similar respects to the Top Spin series, you are best off creating a custom player and competing with him (or her) online rather than use a pre-existing professional player.  This way, you have experience with your player, and he (or she) should be customized to suit your style of play, rather than adjusting your style to accommodate a pro-player's strengths and weaknesses. Also, you should never take your custom player online until you have acquired all five stars and three skill sets that best suit your game.

While there is no 'one-suggestion fits all' style that I can post here, I can offer you a few options, including my personal choice:

 

K2 - Strategies for Playing Various Gamestyles & General Tips

Below are a few gaming styles that I've observed when playing online, and some tips on how to increase your odds at beating them.  Good luck!

Baseliners:
Baseliners prefer to simply thump it out with forehands and backhands trying to hit a winner or at least a shot that forces you to mis-hit a ball resulting in an unforced error.  The one thing you never want to do is hit up the line unless you are absolutely positive your opponent will not reach it.  Often times, I've seen players try to get into a cross-court rally and one person will prematurely hit a ball down the line, and that gets torched for a cross court top spin winner.  

Pro Strategy:  The best strategy to beating a baseliner is to be patient with them, because I can assure you, most of them will try for winners when the point looks to be a stalemate - and you will win the point off an unforced error of theirs.   

Pro Strategy: Another thing you can do is to alter the pace of your shots.  So many times, two players will  find a rhythm where you brain almost turns off and you begin to just swing on a timing pattern.  If you can lull your opponent into this sort of mentality, and then switch up a shot here and there with either top spin or slice, you may cause him to swing to early and hit the ball wide!|

Serve & Volley Players:
In my opinion, serve and volley players are among the most difficult to defeat in GST, especially if they have a fast serve.  The idea is to win a point in no more than three shots against a volleyer.

Pro Strategy: Most serve and volley players hit their serves out wide.  If you have a particularly strong side for groundstrokes, make note of this.  Do your best to hit a flat return down the line.  If you struggle with flat strokes, then try slice down the line.  A slice will at the very least neutralize any offensive volley that they may try to hit.

Pro Strategy: As mentioned above, your mission is to win a point in three shots or less.  If you return a serve and your opponent gets it, try one more attempt at passing; this may "lock" them into a close proximity to the net on their second volley.  If you are fortunate enough to reach that second volley and are in good position, lob the ball over their head.  Be sure to use very little top spin so that it floats to the back of the court near the baseline.  If you are both on the same sideline, you may want to try to lob deep cross-court (something I normally don't recommend).  This way, if he does reach it, it will most likely be blocked back towards the middle of the court allowing you to hit a ground stroke to the open court for a winner.

Pro Strategy: Never try a drop shot if you are on the run at the baseline and your opponent is at the net.  You will float up a short lob that is guaranteed to get smacked for a winner.

Pro Strategy:  When engaged in a cross-court rally from the baseline, don't let the ball go back and forth more than a few times.  Players like Becker and Edberg  like to rush the net, cutting off your cross-court shots with a volley.  Simply break up the rally by hitting down the line after your third cross-court shot.  There's a good chance you'll catch your opponent trying to move in, and he'll be way out of position to make any move to the ball..


People Who Serve Out Wide Exclusively
In Top Spin 2 and 3, this tactic was often abused by the majority of online gamers because with the right mixture of skills (and some unsportsmanlike gaming), it could really put the returner at a serious disadvantage.  In GST however, this tactic isn't really all that advantageous to the server.  

Pro Strategy: If you are on the receiving end of someone who serves out wide all the time, try to hit the ball down the line or as close to it as possible.  Should your opponent move his player to the singles line, he's just inviting you to hit one up the line - - though you would then have more margin for error.

Pro Strategy: If you aren't skilled enough to time  your return so that it goes down the line, your goal would be to then slice the ball cross-court.  Doing so accomplishes two things:  1) it slows the ball down enough so that you can recover to a more defensive position on the baseline, and 2) if your opponent attempts to charge the net, the slice will be low and at an angle thus slightly increasing the difficulty of a successful volley.


Observe Whether Your Opponents Are Using Motion Plus
In many cases, but not all, you can be tipped off as to whether or not your opponent is using MotionPlus by the way their character is standing when ready to return a serve.  If they are not in a neutral position with their racquet out in front (i.e. they would have their racquet arm out to the side or across their body), they are definitely using MotionPlus, and having calibration problems.  If you see their player always holding their racquet in a ready position, maybe even twirling it a bit - you can be fairly certain that they are using just the Wii-Mote minus the MotionPlus accessory.  

How does this knowledge help you?  1) If they are using MotionPlus, you may see less flat shots.  You may also see much more top spin.   2) They will likely encounter calibration and response issues using MotionPlus, which unfortunately for them will be an advantage to you.

Always Watch the Color Trail Your Opponent's Shot Leaves
You've probably always have heard, "Keep your eye on the ball."  While that's quite true in tennis, in GST, I suggest you keep an eye on the ball's color trail.  Yellow means flat, green means slice, and red means top spin.  Sometimes it's hard to judge the speed and trajectory of just the incoming ball during an intense rally -- you merely anticipate.  Keeping an eye on the ball's color trail will help you better prepare the timing of your swing.  

I once played a very good player who would drill flat shot after flat shot at me, almost as if trying to get me in a rhythm and then out of nowhere, he'd sneak in an off-speed slice.  The first two times he did that, he caught me off guard and I swung early (anticipating the high-speed flat shot), resulting in an unforced error with my shots going out wide.  He didn't fool me in any more after that, as I started watching the color trails from his shots!  Keep this in mind, it very well could help you too!



K3 - Dealing with Cheesy Gamers

 Just like with all online games these days, you will undoubtedly experience moments where you play against someone who doesn't quite abide by "normal" or expected codes of conduct.  They may try to exploit a glitch or reality flaw in a certain game to gain the upper-hand, or simply play in a manner that is considered by most to be "unsportsmanlike."   There are tens of thousands of gamers who try to cheat or resort to unsportsmanlike gameplay in an effort to win games, and there is no doubt you will face people like this during your time with GST.  In similar fashion to my previous guides, I will address specific issues known to occur in Grand Slam Tennis when playing over the Wii Wi-Fi Network, and how to successfully alter your gameplan to counter this "cheesy gameplay."

Issue #1: Dealing with Gamers Who Lob All of Their Shots:  As pathetic as this sounds, there are already countless gamers online playing GST who hit nothing but lobs.  For a beginning player, this can pose a bit of a challenge as your timing may be off slightly, causing your on-screen player to swing and miss, thus losing the point.  

When you face an opponent who does nothing but lob, change the grip on your Wii-Mote so that you have access to the D-Pad (+ button) with your thumb.  As soon as you hit a shot, whether it be a serve, return, or groundstroke, press UP once on the D-Pad to move your player forward into the court.  If your opponent lobs the ball, the A.I. should direct your player to where the ball will land - allowing you to hit an overhead smash to the open court.

That being said, it is important that you remain right around "no-man's land" (refer to Court Basics above if needed), and some manual fine-tuning may be necessary.  In otherwords, if you serve a slow ball and push UP to move forward, your character may move too far towards the net before your opponent makes contact with the ball.  In this case, quickly tap DOWN on the D-Pad and try to defend no-man's land - - the area that most lobs will land.  If you are too close to the net, you risk a lob going over your head for a winner.  If you are too far back, you risk mis-timing your shot as the lob is about to land in front of you.  Ideally, you want to take that lob out of the air with an overhead smash before it bounces.  If you can successfully pull this strategy off, you will have little difficulty in defeating your opponents who abuse this shot.

Issue #2: Dealing with Gamers Who Drop Shots Their Serve:  This is yet another annoying tactic most unskilled gamers rely on in hopes of getting some free points.  As I've recommended in the past for Top Spin gamers who deal with this, the best counter-move for a drop serve is a drop shot.  If your opponent executes a drop serve/underhand serve, run up to the ball (either manually with the Nunchuk, D-Pad on the Wii-Mote, or let the A.I. move you automatically), and drop shot the ball back by lightly flicking the Wii-Mote downwards and pressing "B."  This will force your opponent to rush forward in an attempt to get your ball.  Sometimes they will, sometimes they won't.  Either way, it will certainly catch them by surprise.  Just be sure that as soon as you hit the drop shot that you either fully commit to rushing the net from your initial point of contact, or, backpedal quickly and cover the middle of the baseline (to cut off any potential angles).


K4 - The Do's and Don't's of Online Gaming

The Wii is considered by many to be a "late bloomer" when it comes to online gaming, largely in part due to Nintendo's philosophy and long-time belief that gamers haven't been demanding remote multiplayer action (whatever).  Only recently have we been seeing some decent online games other than Mario Kart Wii, such as The Conduit and Tiger Woods 10.  Online gaming can be very exciting and equally rewarding.  It can also end up turning into an experience so rotten, you may never want to play an online game again.  For every one good gamer you come across, you'll likely encounter three or four losers in terms of sportsmanship.  On Xbox Live, the ratio of deadbeat gamer to good gamers is like 10:1.  If you are new to online gaming, or new to online gaming over the Wii Wi-Fi Network, do your part to make the online community a better place, not only with Grand Slam Tennis, but with all games for the Wii.   When playing GST online, please adhere to the following codes of conduct:

- Play tennis as it was meant to be played.  Don't lob all of your shots back.  If this is how you play, you should have never have purchased the game to begin with.
- Do not underhand serve the ball more than a time or two during a match.  Doing this is considered unsporting and is a real sign of cheesy gameplay, regardless of whether you are good at it or not.  Ideally, an underhand serve should never be hit to begin with.
- Do not disconnect if you are losing a match.  A *REAL* gamer doesn't disconnect prior to the conclusion of a match, instead, they try to learn what their opponent is doing right, and what they are doing wrong or could be doing better.  Sometimes losing is the best lesson in learning.
- Do not exploit a glitch in order to win games, instead, report it to EA Sports or Nintendo.
- Remember, there are countless gaming forums out there in Cyberspace.  Bad gaming behavior by individuals often gets posted, and at times, may get them blacklisted from organized league play.

- Do praise your opponents if you find a match particularly competitive.  
- Do invite quality/sportsmanlike opponents to be your friend.  The more you surround  yourself with quality gamers, the less dependent you'll be on playing "open matches" where you are exposed to the deadbeats of the gaming world.
- Do play within the realm of how tennis is to be played, and be an accepting winner or a gracious loser at the conclusion of a quality match.
- Do report cheesy gamers to the larger, more reputable gaming forums and include details from your experience(s).  Stay within the truth and don't exaggerate.

The gaming community will only be as good as the people who are part of it.  If each of us take responsibility for ourselves, we should all be able to enjoy quality online play at any given time.  Do your part.  I promise to do mine!



L - FAQs

When creating a [custom player], how do I give him have a two-handed backhand?

All created players begin with a single-handed backhand until you add the backhand skill of a pro player who utilizes two hands.  So, if you create a player like Andre Agassi or Jim Courier, you will need to add the backhand skills of either Maria Sharapova or Andy Murray.

Why do my lobs always bounce short, or always get hit back by my opponent?

First and foremost, be sure that you are in good position to hit a lob.  In otherwords, if you are on the run chasing down a ball, your lob will be weaker than if your player has his feet set and not exerting him/herself.  Be sure to use a forceful upward swing or "punch" when pressing the "A" button to execute the lob.

A few other items that may help:  If you are using MotionPlus, try not to hit with too much top spin when pressing "A."  Also, make sure that as you are winding up, you are pressing and holding "A" through the entire swing.  If you are just tapping "A," your lob might land short.  The same applies to if you are just using the Wii-Mote: press and hold "A" throughout your entire swing.  Furthermore, make a very quick motion up and out (or just up) to really "hit" that ball deep.  If you just casually hit the ball, it will likely be returned by your opponent via overhead smash.  This may not be a proven remedy, but for me, I've noticed better and deeper lobs when I've held down the "A" button as opposed to just tapping it, and making a forceful gesture with the Wii-Mote.  Also, do not rotate your wrist - - doing so adds top spin which may cause the ball to descend quicker than you'd like.

How do I add speed to my serve?  Everyone online seems to be serving much harder than I do.

Four things can greatly affect your serve: 1) the timing of when your racquet makes contact with the ball, 2) the number of stars your player has, 3) whether or not you have a serve boost skill, 4) whether or not you have a serve boost racquet.

When you initiate the service toss, do not wait until the ball is at its highest point before you swing -- you need to have your forward swing already in motion so that you make contact with the ball at it's apex.  If you are a tennis player (in real life), your initial timing may be a bit off when playing this game.  Most people familiar with the sport throw their toss higher than what's illustrated in the game, and they time their swing so that they connect with the ball at their highest stretching point as the ball's descending.  In GST, if you wait for the ball to descend, you will cheat yourself out of considerable power to your serve.  Instead, you have to hit the ball at it's highest point on the way UP. The game would be greatly improved had the character's toss been a little higher so that you could either hit the ball at your stretch limit on the way up, or on the way down.  

Pro Tip: If you use Andy Roddick's gold serve ability, you should note that the ball pauses for a brief second before descending (in my opinion, moreso than with other players). To get the most effective serve, strike the ball as soon as the ball pauses!

With regard to the stars, a player who has two stars will have a serve far weaker than a player who has five stars.  Additionally, the service skills of Michael Stich and Andy Roddick will help improve service speeds as well.

Also, always remember to equip your custom player with the best racquets, too.  Adding racquets that boost various abilities can only improve your gameplay!

What is the fastest serve you can hit in GST?.

I believe the top speed is 100mph.  I could be wrong, but I've never seen anything higher on the Hard Difficulty (offline) or online.  You can reach 100mph with a five star rating and Andy Roddick's serve boost skill.

What happens after you get five stars and all of the skills?

In my experience, I went undefeated on Medium Difficulty and acquired my last skill in the first exhibition match of the U.S Open in season 3.  I successfully finished my third season and the game just continued on as if no milestone was achieved.  I flew back to the Australian Open and began the whole seasonal process over again.  You will still face pros to challenge them for their skills in exhibition matches; but the outcome is unimportant because you will have already acquired those skills in earlier meetings with them.  So, you are essentially playing with no purpose. 


M - Reality Flaws in GST

Because GST isn't really a "simulation" tennis game, I have to grant it some leeway (as opposed to a game like Top Spin).

Really, my only three gripes with this game pertain to the following issues:

1) Players have the ability to dive, and then recover too quickly.  I've lost track of the number of times a player like Pat Cash or Boris Becker have made a diving stretch volley, only to recover in time to hit my next shot.  In one instance, Cash was on the ground after making a volley.  I returned his volley with a lob (just to be safe) and he somehow managed to get up from off the grass and sprinted to my lob where he was able to hit an overhead.  There is just no way something like that could happen in real life - especially given the proximity of where he was and the positioning of my player.

2) You can call this a glitch or a reality flaw, your choice -- but my second issue pertains to the "speed boosting" that some players exhibit when playing at the net.  Speed boosting is a term I came up with for Madden 2009 when linebackers would seemingly be out of position, your quarterback would make a pass, and segments of animation would be missing to the linebackers so that they could literally move up to 2X faster to the ball - often resulting in a defensive play that should have never taken place.  In Grand Slam Tennis, I've hit shots that should have been clean passes, but somehow, the players at the net would get a speed boost to the ball with incomplete animations to hit a volley.  Had they performed their full animation, they would not have been able to make a play on the ball.

3)  Serve speeds appear to be good for what GST is about, however, the radar gun results appear to be innaccurate.  On difficulty, Roddick's top end speed (at the end of season 2) is only 98 miles per hour, yet it feels more like 115 - 120 in some cases.  Also, the vast majority of serves in GST are under 100 mph.  At the pro-level, any male player would get creamed hitting a sub 100 mph first serve.



N - Game Glitches

After spending a considerable amount of time playing GST, I have identified only a few game glitches worth noting:

** If you create a player with no hair (i.e. bald), certain cinematic replays will show what appears to be broken pixels, or a tiny strip of hair down a portion of the middle of their head.

** Shots are some times incorrectly called out when they hit square on the line.  Conversely, there are shots that are obviously out, but no call is made.  In one online game, my opponent hit two shots right in the middle of the doubles alley, and no call was made.

** Shots hit into the net are sometimes scored incorrectly, where the point is awarded to the person who hit the unforced error.

** About 70% of the balls that clip the net cord and barely bounce over are scored in favor of the person hitting the ball, even if the opposing player reaches the ball in time before the second bounce.

** Speed boosting (i.e. an unnatural increase in frame rate/movement) sometimes occurs when an A.I. opponent is at the net and just out of reach of a passing shot.  This artificial boost reduces the natural animation/frame rate thus allowing the player to reach a shot with less motion than normal, and at 2X the speed.

** Players like Becker, Edberg, Cash, MacEnroe and Sampras often become non-reactive when approaching the net from a baseline corner and a ball his hit right back to them.  In otherwords, if you are engaged in a cross-court rally and an A.I. player (serve and volley player) decides to rush the net at an angle -- they will completely ignore your shot that's aimed right back at them from your existing cross-court position.  In some instances, they will have a delayed reaction after the ball passes by where they will simulate a half-hearted swing and stumble.  I would think that the players would at least attempt a half volley from their position if the ball lands near their feet, but they simply choose to let the ball pass by.



O - Game Review

Overview: When Grand Slam Tennis was first announced, it received very mixed reactions from the gaming community.  Some were very interested in the playability (using the then rumored "MotionPlus" sensor), while others dismissed it as being too cartoon-like, and not a serious tennis game.  For me, I kept an open mind, and was very interested in what the final product would be like.  My only reservation prior to hands-on experience was the fact that EA was the developer, and if you know me, you should be well aware that I am not a big fan of EA Sports.

So, how accurate were Peter Moore's 2009 E3 comments with regard to Grand Slam Tennis?  Does this game provide "total racquet control" to the end-user?  Is it the "ultimate tennis experience" for a videogame?  Read on to find out:

Graphics:  Many people will have opposing viewpoints on the graphics.  Yes, they are not up to spec with that of Top Spin or Virtua Tennis, however they are not meant to be, and to be quite honest, after a little bit of game time with GST, I did not find caricature-like player models distracting in the least.  In fact, I will go on record here and state they are perfect for what Grand Slam Tennis is trying to represent:  an inviting tennis game for gamers of all ages and all levels of experience.

Admittedly, when I first booted up GST, I was a little taken aback by the cartoon-nature of the in-game pros, but after 20 minutes of gameplay, I became more focused on the gameplay and not the apparent lack of realistic visuals.  After about an hour, I actually became to like imagery, especially when characters expressed emotion after certain points.  I appreciate the enhanced size of the tennis ball too, considering the speed of the game and the inputs required to be successful during play.  The various court surfaces are about as expected, though the crowd and ball kids are noticeably wooden and un-involved.

Character animation is pretty fluid, with pro players showing some of their trademarked forms when serving or hitting the ball from either the forehand or backhand sides.  I did however notice some "frame boosting" when players were at the net, and needing to reach a nearby shot.  They would gain an abnormal speed burst to the ball when it initially appeared to be out of reach.  Something to note:  this was a complaint in EA Sports' Madden 2009 as well - - primarily associated with linebackers.  

All in all, animation is good, and the graphics suit their purpose well for this type of game.

Score: 7.0
Pros: Cartoon nature is inviting to all gamer types.  
Cons: Animation cut-scenes are very repetitive and could have used some additional variations.  Crowd is nothing more than a colorful backdrop.  


Sound: The sound is adequate, though there could have been a few more enhancements such additional sneaker squeaks on the hard courts, muffled thumping of sneakers on the grass, and different tones from the ball making contact with the racquet strings.  The racquet-based sound effects produced in the game sound like a wooden paddle striking a ball as opposed to the 'pop' sound that tennis strings produce when making contact with a tennis ball.

The cheers from the crowd and ambient noise are excellent and definitely create a sense of actually being involved in a tennis game that matters.  While the crowd noises are pre-canned like all other tennis games, their responsiveness to exciting points seems much more realistic than that of GST's competitors.  Player sounds such as their actual recorded grunts were a very welcome surprise, and add an element of realism to this game.

To my surprise, there is quite a bit of voice work from former-player-turned-announcer Pat Cash.  Other than Fred Stolle and Cliff Drysdale, I don't know who else I would have chosen to fill this role as an announcer for GST.  His lines are enjoyable early on, but after a tournament or two, his commentary becomes somewhat annoying due to its repetitiveness.   If I hear one more comment about an "air swing".....

Fun Fact:   When serving, just let your player stand around a while without moving him (or her).  You will hear whistles and new sound effects from the crowd.

Fun Fact:   One of the rarest animations in Grand Slam Tennis is where your custom player will raise his hand indicating a request for a brief time out, and he will bend over and tie his shoe.  

Score: 7.5
Pros: Standard sounds of tennis done well, but like Top Spin 3, there are many opportunities for improvement.  The crowd's interactive sounds are some of the best yet.
Cons: Pat Cash's commentary needs more lines of dialogue as it becomes very repetitive early on in the game.   A second announcer would have been a great addition to this game.
 

Controls: I imagine that the EA Sports team took a feast or famine approach to their control design with Grand Slam Tennis.  Either it would be a big hit, or a gigantic miss.  That being said, I honestly do not understand how this game reached store shelves before all of the motion glitches had been worked out. 

There was enormous potential from Grand Slam Tennis, and in my first 30 to 60 minutes playing it, was absolutely thrilled with my experience; so much so that I now realize I was blinded by the newness of the game, and the novelty of being able to vary the degree of top spin on my shots.  Sure, I noticed some glitches early on, but I now admit that I was guilty of overlooking them.  It wasn't until I really sat down with this game and tested all aspects of it did I realize just how flawed it truly is.

This game was advertised as having "total racquet control," and also compared to playing real  tennis in some marketing pieces directed at end-consumers.  This is hardly the case.  How can there be "total racquet control" when I am swinging my Wii-Mote and my character just stands still like an idiot as the ball passes him by?  Or, how can it be like real tennis when my player is about to return a serve and his arm is held out wide to the side instead of a ready position due to faulty MotionPlus calibration?  I could cite several other examples, but it comes down to this:  There is an enormous control issue with GST, and so much so that it essentially ruins what could have otherwise been a fantastic game.

I should have been skeptical a week prior to the game's release when I saw Peter Moore and his associate on stage at the 2009 E3 convention.  Mr. Moore and his colleague were having noticeable issues (if you paid attention) serving and hitting the ball where they wanted to.  Later, as Moore was still playing and hyping up MotionPlus, Pete Sampras joined them and played out a few points.  Unlike Moore who was awkward with his arm swings, Sampras was using mostly wrist movements in a very nonchalant sort of way.  One of his points resulted in an ace....with hardly any effort on his behalf.  Really?  This is what MotionPlus is all about?  And this game takes advantage of MotionPlus technology?  And this clumsy exhibition was meant to be  a selling point?

Because this game can be played both with and without MotionPlus, I am offering two sets of scores below:

MotionPlus Score: 5.0
Pros: Impressive ability to control the amount of top spin on a shot (when it works).  Improves the ability to direct shots to various parts of the court (when it works).
Cons: Inconsistent responsiveness, that of which can essentially influence the outcome of a game regardless of a gamer's skill level.

Wii-Mote Score: 8.0
Pros: Consistent response from controller.  Save yourself $20-$25 by not buying MotionPlus!
Cons: Timing of swing to place shots is more critical without MotionPlus, not to mention more challenging.  The inability to direct volleys as desired is significantly more difficult without MotionPlus.  The ability to put different spins on the ball (and the varying degrees of spin) without MotionPlus is much more challenging.  Being "flicky" can yield the same results than full swing motions (if not better).


Playability Offline:  Grand Slam Tennis offers one of the more shallow offline career modes that I've experienced in a game.  As the title suggests, this game is all about performing in the Grand Slams.  Nowhere to be found are the Masters events or smaller venues.  Everything surrounds the 4 major tournaments which you must play through and win in order to max out your custom-player with five stars and three attributes.  Gaining experience through Grand Slam mode enables you to add three of 23 skillsets available, thus customizing your player to your preferred style of play.

 EA Sports attempts to lengthen each season by providing exhibition matches outside of the Center Courts, though for me, didn't feel like enough of an effort to make each pseudo-season feel very engaging.  Some of the exhibition contests are reasonably fun, while others (like Champs) can be frustrating.  Should you win all three skill challenges preceding each tournament, you will have the opportunity to participate in an exhibition match in an attempt to acquire a new skill.

One of the unique offerings in GST is the ability to define and re-define your character by swapping out earned abilities after defeating opposing pro players.  In otherwords, you can change your custom player's top spin forehand, slice backhand, and fast serve skills to something completely different, thus enabling you to fine-tune your player to a style that suits you best.  In GST, you aren't locked in to any existing design as you would be with other tennis games.

Prior to entering Grand Slam Mode, you are required to design your own unique player.  Unfortunately, create-a-player mode is too simplistic. I found that there weren't enough customization options to create a decent cartoon version of myself or former tennis heroes of mine.  Head shape, eye color (which is almost not even noticeable once applied), skin tone, facial hair and hair styles are the five primary areas used to customize your player.  You can't choose a serve style, nor can you select a single-handed backhand or two-handed backhand to begin your pro-career.  Equipment manufacturers are well represented with most of the major contributors being present.  racquet models and clothing styles are mostly generic, and don't reflect anything currently used on the pro-tour

Get Fit is a nice option for individuals who like to count their Wii gaming as exercise time, or at least want to believe there is some benefit in doing so.  After each match, you can view the calories burned, though you must use the aforementioned custom-created player in order to monitor your progress over the course of a given time period.  Your level of activity cannot be measured in Get Fit if you use a pro in an exhibition match.

The Party Games are fun, especially with friends or family, and offer just enough variety to extend the replayability of this game.

The CPU A.I. in Grand Slam Tennis is about what I expected it to be.  Opponent's respond in predictable patterns which is commonplace to simplified tennis games.  At the time of my writing this review, I can't recall ever being surprised by A.I. shot making.

All in all, offline play in GST is just "okay."  I wasn't blown away with the offline modes, particularly with Grand Slam where the seasons were too short and seemingly too repetitive.  Unlike Top Spin and Virtua Tennis, Grand Slam Tennis' campaign was very short , and a custom player could be maxed out from start to finish in substantially less time.

Score: 5.0
Pros: Creative exhibition matches prior to each tournament offer the potential to strengthen your character before the big event.  Party games can be fun in family/friend gatherings
Cons: Grand Slam mode is ridiculously shallow.  Offline career mode has about two seasons worth of enjoyment (two and a quarter are needed to max out your player).


Online Playability:  One of the strongest points of GST is the ability to connect to the Nintendo Wii Wi-Fi Network and engage in online competition both quickly and easily.  

Prior to any online competition taking place, you must first register with EA Sportsworld by creating a new login ID and password.  If you have a pre-existing account (e.g. through other Xbox 360, PS3, or Wii EA Sports games), you can apply your information towards GST.  From there, you can create a new identity just for Grand Slam Tennis.

 During the first two weeks from the initial launch date, lag was something of an uncommon occurrence, though it has definitely settled in since more people have purchased this game.  At times, lag can be so bad that it can negatively affect the outcome of a match.  

The pre-canned comments you can send to your previous opponents are reasonably generous, and you can string words together to actually create short sentences.  Adding a "friend" to your GST friends list is a huge plus too, and is easy to accomplish.

Unfortunately, that's where my praises of online gameplay end.  Using MotionPlus, you will undoubtedly experience non-responsiveness from your controller (i.e. you swing, but your character won't), calibration issues (most noticeable just prior to receiving a serve), and glitches (where your opponent will hit a shot out,  but it will be called "good").  It's unfortunate, but the outcomes of matches can literally be decided by MotionPlus glitches.  Sure, you can forego MotionPlus and just use the Wii-Mote, but while you will gain better consistency with your swings registering, you will be sacrificing precision when trying to place your shots, or, getting the desired outcome from your selected shots.  There are significant trade-offs for whatever you decide to do; use MotionPlus or no MotionPlus.

Because of the glitches when using MotionPlus (which this game is specifically designed to take advantage of), I can't really endorse the game for online play.  Quite simply, the game is "broken."  That being said, for the casual gamer, or the gamer who really enjoyed the original Wii Tennis - - Grand Slam Tennis is a huge upgrade.  If you have friends who play this game and you can compete with them online, this game will still be tremendous amounts of fun online.  However, if you are a tennis-fan or a hardcore gamer who takes online gaming seriously - - the bad experiences will far outweigh the good ones, thus making Grand Slam Tennis more frustrating than it's worth.

Score: 5.0
Pros: Simplistic log-in and set-up.  Messaging and buddy lists are easy to utilize.   World Challenge option is a pretty cool and innovative idea.
Cons: Inconsistencies with MotionPlus essentially ruin online gaming.  Glitches present where shots hit wide counted as being in-bounds, or shots hit into the net scored incorrectly.  If these issues were  a non-factor, online play would easily earn an 8.0 or better.
 
 
Overall Conclusion:  Grand Slam Tennis has some shining aspects to it, including the roster of both current pros and legends from the past, as well as the improved online interface.  However, the control scheme with MotionPlus is too inconsistent for GST to be enjoyable from beginning to end, both online and offline.  Essentially, the control flaws make this a "broken game."  

The offline campaign mode is very short, and can easily be played through with a net-attacking style to beat most of the in-game players.  The party games are reasonably fun and the fitness option is a plus, but those add-up to mere afterthoughts when looking at the overall experience that GST provides.

Despite my somewhat negative focus on Grand Slam Tennis, I can leave you with this:  If you were a fan of the original Wii Tennis, or are a casual gamer, you will likely enjoy Grand Slam Tennis quite a bit.  If you are a die-hard fan of tennis, a fan of the Top Spin or Virtua Tennis series of games, or a  hard core gamer in general -- this game is likely not for you, and would only be worth picking up as a rental, or perhaps at a discounted (e.g. pre-owned) price.  

I had high hopes for Grand Slam Tennis, but my expectations weren't unreasonable.  Had this game actually have functional MotionPlus controls, I would rate Grand Slam Tennis a 7 or 7.5 - right up there with the big boys of tennis games.  Let's hope that EA Sports pays close attention to consumer (and critic) response regarding GST, and takes the proper course of action for improvement.  I hope that a GST 2 is in the works, and that the controls will be thoroughly repaired.  As for Grand Slam Tennis as it stands now, it's a solid foundation for what COULD BE an exciting future for the franchise.  

Overall Score: 6.0

Pros:
- Offers an exciting and innovative way to play videogame tennis.  
- Great selection of pros from the past and present.  
- Ease of logging in for online play.  
- Inviting graphics and a control scheme that had good intentions behind it.

Cons:
- Control scheme and responsiveness of MotionPlus detract from what otherwise could have been a solid tennis title.  
- Super short and shallow career mode diminishes replay value.  
- Create-a-player mode is light on options, cannot create a reasonable likeness of self or former pro players.  
- Questionable inclusion of some pros in the game (i.e. Nishikori).  
- Questionable omission of legendary pro-players: Yannick Noah, Mats Wilander, Ivan Lendl, Jim Courier,  Michael Chang,  Patrick Rafter,  Jimmy Connors, and Andre Agassi?  On the women's side:  Steffi Graf, Monica Seles, Gabriella Sabatini, and Billy Jean King.
- Online scoring glitches negatively affect gaming over the Wii Wi-Fi Network.

EA flaunts their money quite often when it comes to license acquisitions, so there shouldn't have been a problem getting a few more of these legends.

Final Word:  Had it not been for the broken control scheme, this game would have easily scored a 7.0 or 7.5.  With an improved campaign mode and slightly smarter A.I. too, I'd consider giving it an 8.0 or higher!  Also, kudos to EA Sports for not implementing an unrealistic "risk shot" option like the developers of Top Spin refuse to get rid of, though, abuse of the drop shot when online creates a whole other problem.



P - Improvement Suggestions for EA Sports

-- Improve the A.I.  Too many offine matches play out the same way each and every time.  The events that I experience with each serve and volley player are exact mirors of each other.  I have the exact same strategies, and the points are all played out the same.   The same applies to the baseliners too.  All of my points are essentially played out the same way.  With only four tournaments and 23 players, the game becomes excruciatingly repetitive by the half-way point in the second season.

-- Correct the noted glitches in Section N.

-- Add more tournaments, such as the Masters Series events.  Maybe start with a Challenger Circuit that can work a player up to minor tournaments, and with a few successes, qualify them for a wildcard at a Masters event and eventually a Grand Slam tournament.

-- Add more pro players and legends.  As noted in my review, there were a few head-scratching ommissions to the list of current and former touring professionals.

-- Remote online doubles: Add the ability for four players to connect remotely to play in an online doubles match.

-- Fix Wii MotionPlus:  MotionPlus is almost useless in anything other than a casual offline match.  This problem needs to be addressed if there is a GST 2 to be made.  There should be nothing short of precision with MotionPlus for GST2.

-- Add the defensive lob to the list of shot options.  Every tennis game thus far  focuses on a variation of the offensive lob, but no one has yet to allow a defensive lob.

-- Improve player movement.  EWhen using the automated player movement option, players rushing forward to hit a short ball always backpedal back to the baseline.  In real tennis, players continue towards the net as they know playing at or near "no man's land" will lower their chance of success considerably.

Furthermore, because GST requires a player to swing late in order to hit down the line, precious seconds are wasted when trying to attempt a passing shot (such as if an opponent is on the ground after diving).  This could be fixed if the automated player movement scheme correctly moves the player forwards a bit enabling him to be in better position to hit a down the line shot much more quickly.

For online play, add the ability to challenge gamers that are close to your own ranking level/ability.

-- Add more customization options in create-a-player mode (facial features, hair, etc.).

-- Add real equipment to the player options - not the generic racquet and clothing designs (by real manufacturers) found in the game.

-- Improve the impact sound of a racquet striking a tennis ball.

-- Add additional commentary, or perhaps a second commentator.

-- Add more post-point animations, such as a player asking for a towel, or more common cut-scenes that would be seen in a normal tennis match.

-- A little more animation with the crowd, ball kids, and line judges would be a huge improvement and make the setting more realistic.



Q - Wrap Up (Conclusion & Afterthoughts)

(July 21, 2009) This was my very last section to address in order to wrap up this here Grand Slam Tennis Superguide, and as I reflect on all that's been written, there is a decent amount here - all of which was posted in record time.  GST is admittedly light in terms of gameplay, so I had to stretch out the content to make it engaging to both a relative newcomer to gaming as well as the hardcore enthusiast.  Hopefully, I succeeded in doing so.  I knew that several portions would not be of interest to the established gamer, but with this game being for the Wii, I felt obligated to take a more elementary approach to a number of topics - namely the swing styles and issues of using MotionPlus.

Over the course of my writing this Superguide, and throughout my experiences with Grand Slam Tennis, I must admit that my opinions of the game changed numerous times.  Initially, it was enamored by the new control scheme and how much better it was than Wii Tennis - - even with the automated player movement.  Then the frustrations of a poor control scheme with MotionPlus ruined my perception of the game.  After spending countless hours trying to work out the bugs of MotionPlus, I finally gave up.  During my second season with just the Wii-Mote, I started to find that fun-factor again and my views of the game improved, but as I progressed, I began to realize that my matches with the serve and volley players were being played out almost exactly the same, regardless of who my opponent was.  The same applied to the basliners.  With the exception of certain players having different strengths, they all appeared almost identical with regard to their behaviors.  All of my points were won the same way no matter who I played.  I started playing on the hardest difficulty and all that did was prolong my matches, but I still won.   I found that on Easy, I could win in two minutes or less.  On medium, my average win time was about 4 or 5 minutes.  On hard, an average of 15 minutes was needed to win depending on whether my opponent was a serve and volley player or a baseliner.  

When friends and acquaintences were asking for my recommendation of GST, the answer they received was dependent on where I was in the game.  My initial impression was a very good one, then it was bad, then okay, then bad, then not bad, then okay.  Right now, I stand firm that GST is a decent game, but one that could have been so much better.  I feel that my review of GST is a very fair one too.  Prior to my purchasing GST, the only review I read was IGNs which rated it very highly (I think an 8.0).  In my opinion, that score was way too high.  Conversely, I've seen a few reviews that were way too low (like in the 5 range).  Adam Sessler of G4's X-Play scored it a 4 out of 5 despite criticizing it's difficulty which I don't fully understand.  In my opinion, GST is reasonably approachable game, yet with it's inherent flaws should get only a 3 or 3.5 out of 5 at the very highest.

With regard to the other in-game options, you have Party games and online play, but even those get stale after a while.  If you have a big family or friends that visit frequently, the party games may prove to be worthwhile.  But really, how often will they get played?   Online play is fun but only for a while.  From my experience, there are only a few types of game styles that people have adopted online --- and they begin to feel like playing campaign mode on Hard....where points are played out the same way each and every time.  Serve and volleyers get beat by returns down the line, baseliners look to win points off of unforced errors or wait for their opponent to hit down the line so that they can whack it cross-court.  Then there are the deadbeat gamers, but I won't bother going into those experiences.

All in all, GST is not a bad game.  It's actually pretty fun at times.  Though for the $50 price tag, there isn't much replay value.  After you max out your first custom-player, you'll know what I mean.  Creating a second player from scratch and playing him through can be downright painful to do.  Had this game been $40, I may have been more forgiving of a few things - but not after the way this game was hyped up through marketing bits and the E3 presentation.

So, should you get this game?  If you are a Wii owner and a die-hard tennis fan, sure - - how could you forgive yourself for not trying it out?   If you are a casual gamer and really enjoyed Wii Tennis (Wii Sports), this game is an enormous improvement.  If you are a dedicated Top Spin fan or a hard-core gamer..........maybe you should hold-off a little while until you can get this at a decent price (like in the $30-$35 range).  To me that would be a fair price point for this game.

Anyway, that's all I have to say, and I hope you enjoyed this Superguide for Grand Slam Tennis.  As with my other guides, I'll maintain this one throughout the rest of this year so if any new questions come in, I'll do my best to answer them in a timely manner.  If I get reoccurring questions, I'll post them to the FAQ section.  



R - Web Links
R1 - Tennis-Related Web Links
R2 - Gaming Related Web Links   

Below you will find links to Websites of establishments, products, gaming leagues or news sources that I personally endorse - all of which pertain to either the sport of tennis, or videogames in general.   Please do not email me requesting that your site or gaming league be posted here.  I've only endorsed products/services/Websites that I personally have had experience with, and that have consistently provided quality material either through their products, services, or general content through their respective Websites.


R1 - Tennis-Related Web Links

ATP Tennis: The official site for men's tennis.  Features profiles, schedules, results, etc.

Tennis Warehouse: One of the best places to buy the latest and greatest in tennis attire and equipment.  I buy my tennis clothing from here.  Consumer reviews can be helpful if you are ever indecisive on purchasing anything from racquets and strings to tennis shoes, etc.  Reasonable shipping rates are a plus too!

Mid-West Sports Supply:  It's ironic that I purchased my first Donnay Pro-One back in 1990 through Mid-West when I lived on the East Coast, and now I live within reasonable driving distance from them. Excellent service for mail orders, though I choose to buy my equipment and supplies directly from their store to save on shipping.

Fran Johnson's Nevada Bobs: Back when I lived in the East Coast, this was the place I visited several times a month in hopes of scoring the latest and greatest Agassi/Nike Challenge Court items.  A professional and helpful staff made this place a great place to shop and/or ask questions.  They also have a great selection for golf equipment as well.  I miss shopping here.

Tennis Legend On DVD: Are you a fan of Andre Agassi?  Do you wish you could see (or see again) some of his classic matches dating back to early in his career?  If so, this is the Website to visit.  Probably featuring one of the largest 1st generation Agassi libraries in the world, Tennis Legend offers classic Agassi matches at very reasonable prices, and typically of better quality than most of what you'd find elsewhere with VHS to DVD transfers.  Available matches go as far back as 1988, and are as current as Andre's latest televised exhibition matches.  Agassi-related clothing, equipment and artwork can also be found here from time to time.  Due to the 2007-2008 USTA crackdown on non-authorized recordings of U.S. Open events, Tennis Legend on DVD proactively removed its U.S. Open listing of Agassi matches.

Sports Tutor:  The Tennis Tutor is my ball machine of choice due to its portability, ease of use, and performance.  I received exceptional customer service when debating on which model to buy, as well as during the purchase process.  After owning one since 2003, I have no regrets. 


R2 - Gaming-Related Web Links

1Up:   Run by Ziff Davis, publisher of a multitude of gaming and PC magazines.  EGM (the best console gaming magazine in my opinion) used to be a part of 1Up.com before it ended circulation last year (2008) due to the poor economy.

EA Sports:  The publisher of Grand Slam Tennis

EB Games/Gamestop: One of the better gaming retail outlets.  Often publishes updated release schedules and announcements for pre-orders.

Gamespot: Another one of the better gaming websites, and features HD video content. 

IGN: A very good source for gaming news, previews, and reviews.  Their coverage of gaming news tends to be more comprehensive than most others.  This has quickly become my favorite site for gaming news, previews, and reviews.

SecretIdentityPodcast.com:  There are undoubtedly hundreds of podcasts discussing the world of comics, movies, TV, and games - - but none can compare to the wealth of information that Secret Identity provides on a weekly basis.  Join Matman and Brian twice a week as they discuss and share their opinions on the latest comic releases, movie and TV news, RPGs, and videogames.  They have an impressive network of contacts in the industry, which translates to timely and accurate information. Additionally, they have an excellent community found on their message boards.  Do you have a love for the aforementioned subjects but are tired of all the flaming and immature behavior found on other boards?  If so, then look no further than Secret Identity!  Their podcast can be downloaded directly from their Website, or through I-Tunes. 

TheXBFL:  One of the longest running (if not the longest) online sim-football leagues on Xbox Live!  The XBFL serves as the "home" for the Top Spin FAQ & Strategy Guides.  Formerly a strong supporter of the 2K Football franchise, the XBFL now runs Madden leagues exclusively. The league's focus is primarily on quality sim-gaming, sportsmanlike competition, and a community-based environment made up of passionate football fans. 

Xbox Live!: Check out game-specific forums and learn what other people are saying about your favorite (or not-so-favorite) games.  You will need to log-in with a .Net username and password to gain access to the forum area.

XMG 360: Formerly XMG (Xbox Mature Gamers). I was introduced to this exclusive group of gamers back in 2003 during my initial writing of The Original Top Spin FAQ & Strategy Guide (TS1).  XMG features an excellent community of informed gamers who share tips, reviews, and general gaming news (amongst other things).   They also set up weekly events and tournaments spanning all gaming genres.  XMG 360 is the ideal place to join for those who are tired of all the nonsense and immaturity found on Xbox Live. 



S - The Author & Acknowledgements

Unlike my previous guides where I received some assistance from friends of mine, this was a completely solo project.  Thanks to those of you who wrote in (and continue to write in) with your questions, and to all of you who support my work by visiting this page, making small donations to lessen the expense of keeping these guides online, and for referring others to my work.  I really do appreciate the support.

 I will continue to maintain this Grand Slam Tennis Superguide through 'till the end of the year (2009).

Take care, and happy gaming!

Mr Fett



T - Gamerlog

August 8, 2009:  My copy of GST has been sold - - probably my quickest tenure with a tennis game since Virtua Tennis 3.  It's too bad that GST didn't have a lot to offer, and that the online competition became so one-dimensional.  At least I cracked the Top 50 despite not playing the game very much.  As far as updates go, I don't really intend to add anything more to this guide except for maybe some video should I find the time.  I will still continue to answer emails so please don't hesitate to ask any questions if you have them.  I'll do my best to help.  Heck, I still get a ton of questions on Top Spin 2 and Virtua Tennis 3 after all these years!

Anyway, this is my final posting to the "Gamerlog" section.  Thanks again for checking out my Grand Slam Tennis guide, and I hope it helps improve your gaming experience!

P.S.  I couldn't stand it any longer, so I went back and re-changed "racket" back to "racquet."  (see July 16th posting below).
 

July 25, 2009:  Well, I am done with GST and will be selling it off this coming week.  I've had the game now for about a month and a half and I am seeing no replay value with it whatsoever.  I've played a handful of online matches this past week and the lag has become too much to ignore.  I played at a time when there were about 338 people online at the time, and against foreign gamers, the lag was tremendous.  All of them were serve and volley players, and I had no idea where they actually were at the net because they'd be in one area one second, and when I'd hit a shot, they'd "warp" to another area in the blink of an eye.  My only choice was to either hit lobs or aim down the line because I really had no idea where to hit the ball.  When I played a fellow American, we didn't have warping issues, but we did experience a lot of slowdown.  Actually, our whole match seemed to be in slow motion.   To really top things off, my fellow American hit a shot into the net and it scored him the point.  I was serving at 30-40 and had him on the run all over the place.  I hustled to the net and hit a drop shot which he barely got to, and he shovled it into the bottom part of the net.  The next thing I knew, he was serving and was up 1-0 in the match.  ?!?!?  His ball hit the bottom of the net!  It should have been deuce!  Anyway, I broke him back, held serve, and then broke him at love to take the match 3-1.  Between this incident and the scoring glitches involving line calls......GST is really turning out to be a flawed game!

Additionally, I am seeing a developing trend with online gamers these days:  most have become drop/lobbers.  The serve and volley people serve, and try to drop volley.  When they are on the receiving end of a serve, they will hit a drop shot to pull you in, and then try to lob over your head.  The drop shot abuse is pretty much becoming the standard, and hardly real tennis.  I played one guy who hit something close to 25 drop shots in our match.  You wouldn't see a number that high in a best of five set match at the real-life pro level!  It's pretty ridiculous, and while I beat this joker, it wasn't fun at all.  I can see this becoming an established gamestyle, corrupting all of the new gamers who are just getting started.  They won't be able to compete unless they do the same thing.  I don't want any part in that, and will continue to play my way - - and just try to pass them so they never get their racquet on a volley.   But like I said earlier, I am done with GST and will be selling it in a few days.  In the limited amount of time I spent online, at least I was able to crack the Top 50.

July 21, 2009:  I buckled down and finished the guide early, 19 days early actually.  Between now and the end of the year, I'll try to find some time to add some video clips to section E7.  Other than that, this guide is now pretty much completed.  I'll come back in a week and re-review everything for grammar and spelling, tweak a few things, and maybe make some small adjustments.  Right now I need a break.

July 20, 2009:  I finally got around to completing sections E7 and E8.  At some point, I would like to add video to some of the legendary players that many readers of this guide may not have seen in action during their prime.  I also added a great tip on beating A.I. serve and volley players.  Had I discovered this trick when I first started playing GST, my extended matches with the likes of Becker and Cash would have ended in my favor much sooner!  My trick occurred to me when I was actually playing a tennis match against a friend.  I was baiting him to serve to my better side by positioning myself at the baseline, and when he'd start his service motion and take his eyes off of me, I'd move to where I knew he's serve the ball.  After a few points, my mind wandered and I began to think, "Hmm, I wonder if this will work in GST."  I tested it over the course of three matches, and it did about 90% of the time!!

I played my first online match since mid-June the other night, this time with my latest custom-created character.  As I anticipated, my ranking plummeted due to not playing online for so long.  I played a guy much higher up the leaderboard than I was.  First off, there was a bit of lag in the game (he was from Germany) which threw me off because so many times I thought I hit a winner only to see his character blink out from one part of the court and appear at another to hit the ball back.  What compounded the problem was that he was a serve and volley player - - so with the lag, I really didn't know where he actually was around the net.  I figured him to have Becker's hustle, Sampras' volley, and perhaps either a ground stroke boost or a speed boost.  I couldn't determine his third skill, but what I did notice was that as soon as he served the ball, his guy was already inside the service box ready to hit a volley.  It took only a few points to figure out that he plays points the same way every time too.  On the ad-side, he looked for a cross-court shot and would drop volley the ball to the right side of the court (my right side) for a clean winner.  So, on the serves he hit out wide to my backhand, I started to intentionally hit my cross court shots wider than normal, where by instinct, he'd volley it (despite the fact that it was clearly going out).  He in turn hit a drop volley wide.  This must have spooked him because on the next serve to the ad-side, he hit up the center line which I easily hit back down the sideline for a clean passing shot.  I eventually beat him 3-1.  With GST being so different than Top Spin, I really didn't think I'd come across someone who would be so stuck in their game style that they couldn't adjust under certain conditions..........but I was proven wrong with this guy.  My previous experience with GST online opponents involved people trying to hit powerful serves and groundstrokes in an attempt to overwhelm me - - no real strategy or gamestyle was present.  This guy was bent on serve and volleying despite getting beat at it pretty badly.  Granted, he went up 40-0 in the first game, and eventually held after I narrowed the gap at 40-30, but I went on a tear with my service games, losing only one point.  In his second service game, I got him down 0-40 and he still kept coming to the net despite missed volleys and getting passed.

July 16, 2009:  I went back and changed my spelling of "racquet" to "racket" in this guide so that it is consistent with the GST manual as well as all of EA's marketing materials.  It drives me crazy to see it spelled like that.  To be honest, I haven't seen it spelled like "r-a-c-k-e-t" since...............well, I don't ever recall seeing it spelled that way.  "Racquet" is the appropriate spelling of the word.  Don't believe me?  Pick up a Tennis Magazine.

July 13, 2009:  It's been a while since I've made a posting here.  I am hoping to have this GST Superguide completed no later than July 24.  I am actually ahead of schedule at this point in time.  If I do wrap this up before the start of August ('09),  I may try to add some "bells and whistles" to this page in terms of video highlights of the legends featured in this game.  I was checking out a forum relating to GST and someone made the comment of not knowing who Boris Becker was.  To me, that was shocking.  So, I may try to put a small video clip together for each player once the rest of this guide is done.   I've had high hopes of doing this in my previous guides but I just never had the time.  I am  hoping I will for this one.

Sadly, I haven't had any time to play online in the past two or three weeks.  I'll probably get my rear-end handed to me as I am sure there are so many polished gamers who play this game non-stop.  When I was playing it early on, I did reasonably well - cracking the Top 50.  I'd be surprised if I was in the Top 1,000 now (I haven't checked). .

June 17, 2009:  Played a few more matches online, and suffered my second loss due to bogus online glitches.  At break point, I was engaged in a very long rally with a guy using Federer.  He hit a backhand that landed well into the doubles alley and I fully expected the delayed "OUT" call, but it never came, I had already put my controller down for a brief second thinking I won the game.....well, actually KNOWING I won the game.  But the point continued and though I was quick enough to recover for the next shot, he eventually won the point.  I was pretty ticked off about that incident.  He eventually won that game, and a few points later when it was 3-3, the very same thing happened.  He hit a shot completely wide of the singles sideline and it was never called out.  A few points later the ball landed in, and it was called out.  ?!?!?  This happened several more times including in our tie-breaker when he won 7-5, and again, one of his shots landed out but was never called.  ?!?   To add insult to injury, a few online matches later, my online record became corrupted some how.  A few losses were applied that never existed.  One minute it was correct, then after a match, it wasn't.  ?!?!?  What's going on here?  One of them was eventually corrected a few matches later............  ?!?

I played another online match that was again, completely bogus.  On game point, my opponent hit a shot right to my forehand.  I swing my Wii-Mote only to see my player hold his racket up in the air as if he was going to swing, but he never did.  He just stood there.  ?!?!?  Is this a MotionPlus issue or an issue with the software?  I've seen similar instances happen with other people so I am beginning to wonder.  Regardless, I am returning my MotionPlus sensor either tomorrow or Friday.  So far, I am seeing absolutely no benefit or increased control using this add-on.  Maybe mine's defective?  I have no idea.

Because of issues such as what I've just described, I really am getting to the point to where I can't endorse this game.  As excited as I was in the beginning, I am seeing more and more evidence of control issues essentially "breaking" Grand Slam Tennis.  I just got an email from Gamespot a short while ago announcing their review of GST.  I can't wait to read it.  If they put in a fraction of the time I've invested already, I am sure it will highlight many of the issues I've experienced and described here.  Already, I am thinking that IGN's scores are inflated, and not enough online playtesting was done before their final scoring.  I believe that their score of 8.5 is too high.  My review of GST will be posted around the middle of next week.

June 11, 2009:  Played a handful of games tonight, and in my first match alone, I recognized that my MotionPlus was not responding as it had the other night.  Too many times had I initiated a swing only for my player to just stand there and let the ball pass him by.  Furthermore, a dozen or more serves ended up being weak floaters despite my form being perfect enough to initiate what should have been a hard first serve.  This "glitch" caused me to lose for the first time.  The guy was undoubtedly good, but he was given three consecutive winners due to the crappy second serve my player was giving him. The third point broke my service game.  I have no doubt that had my serves been hard shots (as they should have been based on my movements), I would have likely won.  So far after three days, I am not very impressed with Wii MotionPlus.  A friend of mine tried GST with the MotionPlus and without, and came to the conclusion that for simple gameplay, the difference is negligible.  Perhaps my MotionPlus add-on is defective?? The delivery and execution using MotionPlus is not consistent enough for me to get excited about based on my experiences thus far.  Maybe with a slower-paced game like Tiger Woods 2009, it would be as good as it's hyped up to be.  Right now, for me it's like playing the game, swinging the Wii-Mote, and HOPING that the shot will register correctly with MotionPlus.  When technology limitations can affect the outcome of a game - - that's simply not good, and can easily ruin a gaming experience.  

Last night, I also experienced my first bout of unsporting behavior......in four out of my first five matches!  The first guy I played went by the name of Nike23.  I broke him on his first service game with relative ease, and on his second opportunity, he began underhand serving.  Out of instinct (from my experience with Top Spins 1-3 and Virtua Tennis), I immediately dropped shot his underhand serve.  He was not prepared for that sort of response, and I was winning points fairly easily with that tactic.  That being said, he got lucky on his third try which gave him some sort of false confidence to continue hitting all of his serves underhand.  ?

My next match was against a gamer who went by the name Ttojr21.  Wow - what can I say other than he lobbed every shot back to me.  I'd serve, he'd return it with a lob.  I'd hit a ground stroke, and he'd return it with a lob.  I had to take manual control of my player to position him in no-man's land so that I could hit overhead smashes or high volleys.  Despite his losing lots of points with the lob tactic, he stayed with it throughout the entire match.  I mean seriously, if you are going to play like that, why even bother?  Why even buy the game?

I played another guy who after he was broken in his first service attempt, began lobbing all the time too.  He went by the 'tag of Huddman.  Seriously guys - - why do you even bother playing tennis?  It would be like me buying Forza 3 only to race backwards on the track, ruining the experience of everyone else.  

The last match I played was against a guy who started resorting to unsportsmanlike gameplay (underhand serves, and some unnecessary lobs) -  but he was beaten down fairly easily, and I don't recall his name.  He was from another country - - so I was able to contribute some points to Team America.  Go USA!

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