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Tennis strategy
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Tennis strategy
Players use different strategies while playing tennis to enhance their own strengths and exploit their opponent's weaknesses in order to gain the advantage and win more points.
Players typically specialize or naturally play in a certain way, based on what they can do best. Based on their style, players generally fit into one of three types: baseliners, volleyers, or all-court players. Many players have attributes of all three categories but, at times, may also focus on just one style based on the surface, or on the condition, or on the opponent.
A baseliner plays from the back of the tennis court, around/behind/within the baseline, preferring to hit groundstrokes, thereby allowing themselves more time to react to their opponent's shots, rather than to come up to the net (except in certain situations). Many modern professional players employ this style most of the time.
A volleyer plays nearer towards the net, preferring to hit volleys, whereby providing their opponent less time to react to their shots, rather than to stay/play from further back on the tennis court (except in certain situations). Many classic traditional players employed this style the best in the past.
All-court players fall somewhere in between, employing both baseliner strategies and volleyer strategies depending on the situations.
A player's weaknesses may also determine strategy. For example, most players typically have a stronger forehand shot and will therefore favor the forehand and often re-balance their posture and re-adjust their position by "running around" a more logical backhand cross-court to enable them to hit an inside-out forehand instead. Conversely, some players with a more dominant backhand shot will switch their stance, change their hand grip, and with "quick footwork" hit a backhand down-the-line instead of a more convenient inside-in forehand.
An offensive or aggressive baseliner tries to control and dictate play by hitting powerful groundstrokes for winners usually from the area of the baseline or behind it. An effective offensive baseliner can overpower many opponents; however, when going for winners, they can also produce many errors since they have to repeatedly and correctly execute some difficult strokes, such as down-the-line winners landing near the corner. Fatigue, loss of focus, mis-hitting the ball, and hesitating are some reasons for errors. Two great old-time players, R. Norris Williams and Ellsworth Vines, were famous for being unbeatable when their strokes were "on". However, they played with such little margin for error in making their strokes that when they were making more mistakes they could be beaten by other players. Another advantage of this strategy is that the player can weaken his opponent's confidence by successfully landing difficult shots which in turn may increase his own confidence.
Hard courts are generally considered to be the best surface for an offensive baseliner who often hit higher risk shots. However, offensive baseliners can often excel on both grass and clay courts as well. On grass, they can execute their "winners" and the fast, low bounce makes it harder for opponents to retrieve; whereas on clay courts, some offensive baseliners might like the slow and high bounce because it gives them a longer time to change their grip and foot-positions in order to set up for an offensive shot or winner. Offensive baseliners with height especially have an advantage on clay courts because the high bounces land in their hitting zones, allowing them to strike the ball cleanly and more powerfully such as Ana Ivanović. At 6 ft 0 in (183 cm), she took advantage of the high bounces on the clay courts that led to back-to-back French Open finals in 2007, and a crown in 2008. Maria Sharapova, who is 6 ft 2 in (188 cm), had the hardest hit backhand at the women's 2013 French Open, when she punished a first serve from Jelena Janković, producing a backhand return winner.
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Tennis strategy
Players use different strategies while playing tennis to enhance their own strengths and exploit their opponent's weaknesses in order to gain the advantage and win more points.
Players typically specialize or naturally play in a certain way, based on what they can do best. Based on their style, players generally fit into one of three types: baseliners, volleyers, or all-court players. Many players have attributes of all three categories but, at times, may also focus on just one style based on the surface, or on the condition, or on the opponent.
A baseliner plays from the back of the tennis court, around/behind/within the baseline, preferring to hit groundstrokes, thereby allowing themselves more time to react to their opponent's shots, rather than to come up to the net (except in certain situations). Many modern professional players employ this style most of the time.
A volleyer plays nearer towards the net, preferring to hit volleys, whereby providing their opponent less time to react to their shots, rather than to stay/play from further back on the tennis court (except in certain situations). Many classic traditional players employed this style the best in the past.
All-court players fall somewhere in between, employing both baseliner strategies and volleyer strategies depending on the situations.
A player's weaknesses may also determine strategy. For example, most players typically have a stronger forehand shot and will therefore favor the forehand and often re-balance their posture and re-adjust their position by "running around" a more logical backhand cross-court to enable them to hit an inside-out forehand instead. Conversely, some players with a more dominant backhand shot will switch their stance, change their hand grip, and with "quick footwork" hit a backhand down-the-line instead of a more convenient inside-in forehand.
An offensive or aggressive baseliner tries to control and dictate play by hitting powerful groundstrokes for winners usually from the area of the baseline or behind it. An effective offensive baseliner can overpower many opponents; however, when going for winners, they can also produce many errors since they have to repeatedly and correctly execute some difficult strokes, such as down-the-line winners landing near the corner. Fatigue, loss of focus, mis-hitting the ball, and hesitating are some reasons for errors. Two great old-time players, R. Norris Williams and Ellsworth Vines, were famous for being unbeatable when their strokes were "on". However, they played with such little margin for error in making their strokes that when they were making more mistakes they could be beaten by other players. Another advantage of this strategy is that the player can weaken his opponent's confidence by successfully landing difficult shots which in turn may increase his own confidence.
Hard courts are generally considered to be the best surface for an offensive baseliner who often hit higher risk shots. However, offensive baseliners can often excel on both grass and clay courts as well. On grass, they can execute their "winners" and the fast, low bounce makes it harder for opponents to retrieve; whereas on clay courts, some offensive baseliners might like the slow and high bounce because it gives them a longer time to change their grip and foot-positions in order to set up for an offensive shot or winner. Offensive baseliners with height especially have an advantage on clay courts because the high bounces land in their hitting zones, allowing them to strike the ball cleanly and more powerfully such as Ana Ivanović. At 6 ft 0 in (183 cm), she took advantage of the high bounces on the clay courts that led to back-to-back French Open finals in 2007, and a crown in 2008. Maria Sharapova, who is 6 ft 2 in (188 cm), had the hardest hit backhand at the women's 2013 French Open, when she punished a first serve from Jelena Janković, producing a backhand return winner.