This is more or less how I played tennis in high school. I never had the best skills, but my doubles partner and I were great at getting under the skin of our

This is more or less how I played tennis in high school. I never had the best skills, but my doubles partner and I were great at getting under the skin of our opponents—essentially making them play down to us. The whole purpose of drilling—in whatever field of life, whether sports, academics, military, etc—is to get you to stop thinking about what you're doing. In tennis, if you're thinking about how to hit the ball you're going to mess up your shot. You need to get your brain out of the game and rely on muscle memory: footwork, positioning, grip, bend your knees, brush up stroke, eye on the ball, follow through. Once you frustrate your opponent and get them thinking about their game their technical advantage has been mitigated. Smile at them, talk a bit of trash, ask them questions, position yourself aggressively to signal that you don't rate their shots/serves highly, lob the ball, hit volleys at their feet, etc. Not the most noble way to play, but a sure way to keep yourself in the game if you never had the money for private lessons.