From the June issue of TENNIS.
By Stephen Tignor

Not many guys who are 6-foot-5 are known for their speed -- including Max Mirnyi, the Belarussian serve-and-volleyer. But the defending U.S. Open doubles champion (with Lleyton Hewitt) is quick for someone so tall, according to his trainer, Anthony Blair of A4 Footwork and Fitness in Palmetto, Fla.

'Max has speed,' Blair says, 'but as a serve-and-volleyer he needs to work on his quick steps and acceleration.
The key to rushing the net is to get your feet in position for the first volley as efficiently as possible.
'Toward that end, Blair, a former world-class sprinter at the University of Tennessee, puts Mirnyi through a series of on-court running drills. 'Like anyone else, speed drills need to be designed for a specific player,' he says.

'For Max, we work on making his first step quicker, getting him to recover faster after a shot, and conditioning him to keep his speed up throughout a point.
'Two of these drills call for Mirnyi to sprint through a series of cones.

Out of the Gate Blair sets up cones (from seven to 24, depending on the workout) across the baseline.
Moving from left to right, one cone is placed on the baseline and the next about 20 inches inside the line and to the right (they alternate in this manner all the way across). From the left corner of the doubles alley, Mirnyi moves as quickly as he can around each cone.
He runs up to the first, shuffle-steps around it, then backpedals around the next cone on the baseline.
'We try to get him across the baseline in 10 to 11 seconds seven to 10 times,' Blair says.
'For conditioning, he's got to make it back across just as fast. And he can't touch any of the cones, which helps with balance.'

Your turn: Using cans of tennis balls if you don't have cones, mimic Mirnyi's pattern.
Begin with seven cans spaced 2 feet apart and work your way up so you're moving across the entire baseline.
Time yourself:

Try to go back and forth without any loss in speed. In Recovery Mirnyi also runs around cones spaced farther apart.
'To improve his lateral movement and ability to recover quickly, we spread seven cones 10 feet apart,' Blair says.
'Max swings at an imaginary ball, then quickly runs around the cone.
He sprints toward the next cone, swings, and takes quick steps around it.
This gets him to focus on his movement right after the swing.

'Your turn: Spread cones or cans of balls at different points on the court.
With racquet in hand, run to each cone, stop and swing, then use short, quick steps to get around the cone.
This puts the emphasis on your first step, which is crucial for quickness on the court.