Singles tennis is one of the greatest one against one competitions there is in sport. Although technique is a priority to playing tennis, hitting the ball well does not guarantee that you will win games. If you meet an equal or superior player than you will need something else to gain victory.
Tennis strategy is all about outplaying your opponent, using skills that can either: make your opponent use an unforced error, set you up for a winning shot, or placing the ball where your opponent cannot reach it.
If you are living in the St Leonards area of Sydney, then contact Tennis World Lane Cove about hiring a tennis court to practice your singles strategies on.
Different Strategies
Your strategy will largely depend around your style of play, but you can adapt this to match the conditions. Popular styles include: counter pusher, aggressive baseliner, all-court player and serve-and-volley.
Mastering one of these will give you an advantage but if you can master all four then there are few players that could live with you.
Counter Pusher
A counter pusher basically pushes the return back, the goal is not to hit winners but to outlast your opponent until they make an error.
It is a negative way of playing but can be effective when playing against better players. The characteristics of a counter pusher are –
- Staying at the baseline to return shots
- Using lots different spin to take away the opponent’s aggression
- Wearing the opponent down
- Staying patient
Aggressive Baseliner
A baseliner spends most of his time hugging the baseline, hitting hard shots that land deep into court hoping to overpower the opponent. These players are not afraid to take risks with big shots probing for an error or a chance to hit a winner.
- Good groundstrokes
- A big serve
- Hitting hard shots
- Attacking second serves
- Hitting balls deep looking for winners
All-Court Player
All-court players are dangerous opponents as they are the most versatile. They do not rely on one shot, instead use a variety of shots and incorporate all aspects of styles.
The tennis strategy of these players include –
- When playing an aggressive player adopt a counter pusher style
- When playing a passive player, adopt an aggressive baseline style
- Spotting opponents weaknesses and adapting
- Continually change their style to confuse the opposition.
Serve-and-Volley
This player is a really complete player and tries to dominate the game by rushing to the net as quickly and often as they can. Being agile and a good volleyer are common characteristics of these types of players. These players are dying out now due to modern rackets which favour hitting the ball hard and deep.
This type of player shows –
- Serving hard and wide giving time to rush the net
- Return serves deep so they can chip-and-charge
- Use plenty of drop shots
- Play many overheads
To develop your tennis strategy effectively should be in conjunction with a good tennis coach who knows your style of play and can adapt the strategy to dovetail with it. Living in the Gladesville area of Sydney you have the perfect facility for training with a coach at Tennis World Lane Cove.
