In the first 4 weeks, I’ve found the most useful early signals are first-serve in percentage, unforced errors per 20 points, and average rally length; for anyone starting now, are you tracking these, and which one moved first for you? I’m testing a simple phone timer and tally sheet at public courts in Austin and want to compare notes on what predicts faster improvement.
I like your ‘first‑serve in %’ and UE tally; the stat that moved first for me was deep ball %, meaning how often my rally shots landed past the service line — average rally length felt noisy on pusher days. Easy step: drop two small markers a racket‑length inside each baseline and tick a mark whenever your rally ball clears them; in your Austin notes, does second‑serve return depth predict gains faster than rally length, or am I just checking tire pressure before speed?
Return-in rate moved first for me. Use your tally sheet to slash returns attempted vs. in and keep a separate column for second‑serve returns. Your “first‑serve in %” is solid, but cap the routine with the phone timer at about 5 seconds and watch double faults and second‑serve points won shift fast.