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TennisOne Lessons 
The One–Two Punch Jim McLennan Tennis and boxing have many elements in common. Throwing and taking a punch, bobbing and weaving, stamina, determination, and the ability to outlast one's opponent and come up with the goods in the 12th round. Somehow this all feels eerily similar to the final games of a closely fought five set match. In some contests, whether boxing or tennis, the fight is over early, in others the bout is in doubt until the very end. Well as regards combinations, where the boxer throws a flurry of punches in sequence, tennis has its own version of the "one-two punch." Some years ago the one-two punch described a Federer serve followed by his decisive forehand from inside the baseline. Patrick McEnroe called this inside the baseline forehand the best shot in tennis. But that was then and this, well you know how it goes. The absolute best one-two punch in tennis is now the Nadal sidespin serve out wide to the ad court followed by nearly whatever he does to the opponent’s return. But make note, these are not necessarily knockout punches. The serves are not blistered at 130 mph serves, nor are they followed up with pinpoint groundstroke winners. These are simply a series of devastating body blows. These body blows do not expose Nadal to a counter. The opponent knows what is coming, but this foreknowledge does not seem to include an answer. Rafa just hits opponents again and again and these body blows take the fight out of them. At the BNP Paribas, Rafa saved five match points against Nalbandian in the second set, four on his serve, and all when serving to the ad court. At the 2009 Australian Open Nadal saved 13 of 19 break points, at the 2008 Wimbledon final he saved 12 of 13 break points, and at the 2006 French Open where Federer came oh so close to winning, Nadal saved 16 of 17 break points. These are truly amazing numbers. The story concerns a big, but not massive serve, a sidespin delivery that opens the court, and rock solid ground strokes to counter all but winning return of serve replies. Federer can chip from the backhand corner against Roddick and get back into the point, but against Rafa, nearly any backhand return never gains him control of the point. And not just Federer, but all the guys now know how deadly Rafa can be when backed into a corner, serving at break point. Pancho Gonzalez was known to serve to an opponent’s strength, showcasing his supreme confidence and the fact that his serve was generally better than the opponent’s forehand return. Well you might just make an experiment of this, serving heavy side spin out wide in the deuce court to your opponent’s forehand. You must hit the ball close to the sideline, it must break away from the receiver, no topspin or kick, but with practice I believe you can create a weapon when serving to an opponent’s strength. If you are willing to take this experiment to the next level, then practice the following tactics in reply to your opponent's return. When the return is hit down-the-line, commit to a well angled crosscourt backhand. When the return is crosscourt, step forward and drive the ball precisely down-the-line. In either case you will hit to the open court. Rafa doesn’t always go for a winner in this situation, but every time he forces his opponent to move to the open court, and every time he drives that ball with punishing pace and spin – body blows to the corners. (Please note – the description of these tactics assume a right handed server). Constructing Your Own One-Two Punch Two racquets from center – two racquets up the line. Position your target (or cone) two racquet lengths to the right of the baseline divider (about four to five feet). Then place another cone two racquet lengths up the sideline from the corner. Opening the court occurs if the ball bounces up the line from the corner. With practice you will get the hang of the court position and target. Lead with the edge and swing off line. You can produce a heavy sidespin delivery by swinging off line, that is out toward the net post, as you simultaneously lead with the edge of the frame as the racquet approaches the ball. Kick or topspin will bring the ball back to the receiver; sidespin will break the ball away from the receiver. Experiment with a toss in front and slightly to the right, and note Rafa does the same from the Lefty’s perspective (in front and slightly to the left). Read the return. Players all have identifiable patterns. Some will try to hammer this wide ball up the line, others may chip the return, and still others will generally return it crosscourt. After you identify your opponent's pattern, your decisions and tactical replies will become simpler.
As you continue to explore this one-two punch, you may note that the receiver’s patterns change with the score. Some years ago I found an opponent who would hit out on this return when I was serving at love 30 or 15 40, but who would chip the ball when the score was even or when I was ahead. Fascinating. Reacting to the down the line return. Nadal drives this ball crosscourt with his backhand and the first option asks you to do the same. Under spin or top spin, play the ball crosscourt with heavy intent. Pushing the ball equates to a jab, and we are looking for a body blow. Drive the ball crosscourt. Reacting to the cross court return. If you move forward inside the baseline, play this ball up the line and approach the net. I know Nadal plays the forehand up the line but rarely follows it to the net. Though I suspect as he continues to learn to shorten the court and shorten the points he too will move forward to finish at the net. Reacting to a heavy, deep, well hit return. If either your serve was slightly off the mark, or the opponent has played an excellent shot, now you can return to the jab, simply keep the ball in play, no body blows required now. And truly in the instances where the receiver hits incredible returns, Nadal backs off and keeps the ball in play. Persistent practice. Mastering this particular one-two punch will take practice, and lots of it. Study Nadal’s technique, and how repetitive his patterns are, then resolve to build your own version. Open the court with a body blow (not a knock out punch) then stroke the next ball heavily to the open court (another body blow) and sooner or later you will have your opponent on the ropes. Postscript. At this point I am not clear how an opponent will counter Rafa’s game. Verdasco played him close at the Australian; Murray holds wins over Rafa, most recently at the 2009 US Open semifinals. But as he gets better and better, more fit, more confident, and more precise, beating this kid quickly becomes a daunting task. No ideas on this from me. Your comments are welcome. Let us know what you think about Jim McLennan's article by emailing us here at TennisOne.
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