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I was talking with a fellow tennis pro last week. In the course of our conversation he had a little chuckle about the condition of his courts and his efforts to maintain them during the rainy season.

The gully washing rains we get in the summer on Marco take the top dressing off the courts and redistribute it to the low end of the bank of courts on an almost daily basis.

After one gusher a few days ago he noticed that his courts had bird baths (that is an area of the court where the water pools after a heavy rain) about three feet inside the baseline, which is indicative of heavy traffic in that area.

He mentioned, with a laugh, that the area behind the baseline was perfectly smooth and level as if no one had ever walked on it.

His observation was pointed to the fact that no man’s land seemed to get more traffic than the comfortable and more productive rallying zone that advanced level players patrol just a bit.

Any players’ ability to sustain a rally is directly related to their relationship to the bounce of the ball, be they a novice player or a wily tournament veteran.

Playing the ball successfully on the rise from the bounce, although constantly touted by television announcers, is very difficult to do on anything resembling a consistent basis.

The general population of tennis players would be much better off — and play a more consistent game — if only they were far enough away from the bounce of the ball to adapt to any unusual bounces caused by a foot print, a slide make on the court, the ball nicking the tape or some devilish spin put on the ball by their opponent.

I’m quite sure you would never stand inside the service box to which your opponent was serving, because to do so would almost certainly make even the most benign serve quite difficult to return.

When you are involved in a baseline rally with your opponent you must be ever vigilant of reacting to a shallow ball when they inadvertently or purposefully produce one, but don’t get caught in the bird bath.

Howie Burnett is a member of the United States Professional Tennis Association and tennis director at the Island Country Club on Marco Island. Burnett welcomes questions on strokes, tactics or etiquette. To reach him, call the tennis shop at 394-4464 or e-mail him at islandclubtennis@hotmail.com.