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TennisOne Lessons 
The Backhand Neutralizer David W. Smith, Senior Editor TennisOne For decades, there have been a few singles strategies that were almost etched in stone and considered the mainstay of winning point manufacturing. However, as the game of tennis continues to evolve, we see some of these strategies becoming less advantageous. The main singles strategy today among top level players, and a strategy that also works well for club and recreational players, is to keep the ball crosscourt but look for the inside-in, inside-out combination forehand on the backhand side of the court. You can read about this strategy, a play that I first heard described by the former touring pro Hank Pfister about twelve years ago called the “$10,000” shot sequence. I wrote about this a while back in an article I did here at TennisOne called, Inside-out, Inside-in, a tale of two forehands. However, today, we see the continued inclusion of the two-handed backhand as a weapon instead of just the dependable, consistent stroke as it was first generally recognized. In fact, in terms of evolution of the game, this aspect of using the backhand to change the ball’s direction and hit big winners is one of the bigger changes we are seeing in the pro game. And it makes sense. Over the past 30 years, the two-handed backhand has gone from an obscure, unconventional stroke to the stroke that is the dominant backhand choice among almost all pro, college, and top-ranked juniors in the world. And, since the two-handed backhand tends to provide a more stable, reliable, and confident swing path, it would make sense that the shot would evolve further to become not just a consistent go-to shot under pressure, but a stroke that would be hit with more and more authority. With the control that two-hands provide, it would also make sense that it would be easier to change the ball’s direction in a rally than it might be with a one-handed backhand that may lack that stability and control.
Down the Line For the last three decades, if not longer, it was almost taboo to take a rally ball down the line on either the forehand or backhand side. The reasoning was two-fold: First, hitting down the line took the ball over the highest part of the net and to the shortest length of the court. Second, the down the line (if not struck prudently and well) opened the door for a crosscourt response which would get you running away from the center of the court. The exception to this is the inside-out, inside-in combination, where players learned they could dominate a point by running around their backhands to hit their forehands (their stronger shot) from the backhand side of the court. The reason for this in simple terms is that the angle created by running around the backhand and hitting the more offensive forehand stroke gave the player more of an opportunity to hit a winner with a higher percentage of success than if we took the same shot with a backhand. Today, however, we are seeing top singles players neutralize the inside-in and inside-out forehand sequence (still the dominant strategy at least on the men's tour) by ripping backhands down the line. This ability has forced players to stop camping out in the crosscourt half of the court looking for this inside-out, inside-in opportunity. (We call this hanging out looking for the crosscourt shot, “Fudging.") Now players, in a crosscourt backhand-to-backhand rally, must respect the down the line shot much more since more players are hitting it, and hitting it well. The forehand down the line has always been a weapon and attacked when possible by those who have the skill and the nerve. We saw this over and over by Serena Williams in her U.S. Open victory over Victoria Azarenka in the 2012 Championship match…especially when Williams was making her comeback in the final set.
Yet, watching players on the men’s and women’s draws today, from Djokovic to Murray, from Serena Williams to Azarenka, we see these players using their two-handed backhands in a far more aggressive, offensive pattern including the down-the-line now as a weapon. Perhaps this style of play was initiated by the great Lindsay Davenport whose two-handed backhand was indeed used in this down the line pattern more than anyone else of the day. As with any stroke or strategy, it takes time for others to see the potential, for coaches to train the stroke specifically, and for enough players to gain confidence for the shot to be seen as a widespread trend as opposed to an anomaly as it may have been when Davenport hit it. Confidence Breeds Use Certainly, when a player develops confidence in a stroke pattern, the player will use the shot more aggressively with less fear of failure. The two-handed backhand has provided the next generation of players this offensive opportunity which is translating into a new strategic shift. Anyone who has followed tennis can remember the day of the crosscourt rally where crosscourt shots outnumbered down the line shots 7 or 8 to one in any given singles match. Today, we are seeing more of a 3 to 1 ratio of crosscourt to down the line shots.
However, players need to recognize that there is still danger in the down-the-line if it is not hit with authority or from a position of strength on the court because it can open the door for an opponent to force you to run by seizing your down the line shot and hitting a good crosscourt ball. This crosscourt always moves the ball away from the center of the court, (where a down the line tends to move the ball towards the center of the court when not hit with pace and depth), and opens up the court much more than the down the line. But with today’s professional firepower on both sides, players are looking for any ball that will produce a short midcourt ball as opposed to simply opening up the court with crosscourt shots. This is where the offensive down the line can be most effective. It can often produce a weaker crosscourt ball which is fodder for today’s big hitters. How to Practice Just like the pros, any player of any ability will first want to make sure they are using optimal form in creating a backhand that is both reliable as well as repeatable. The two-handed backhand tends to provide this stability better than a one-handed backhand which tends to be more whippy, tends to breakdown when pressed, and usually doesn’t have the dependability that a two-hander has…unless of course your name is Roger Federer! A down-the-line shot off a crosscourt ball is called “changing the ball’s direction” and is considered a much more difficult shot than taking a crosscourt shot back crosscourt. it is because the player must learn to control the reflective angle of the ball as it comes in at an angle different than when leaving the racquet. This reflective angle, if not controlled, will tend to take your down-the-line wide of the sideline. Mastering this takes timing and control—a stroke that is indeed repeatable and reliable. Drilling this shot is no different than drilling any other stroke. With a ball machine or a hitting partner, work on hitting several crosscourt strokes followed by a ball you can step in on and attack down the line. Look for balls that are not too difficult in terms of pace or depth. Too often, players try the down the line shot off neutral or defensive balls. Then they wonder why the shot doesn’t appear to work! As I’ve mentioned, the down the line shot must be hit with an offensive, aggressive stroke. Not necessarily as a ‘winner’…but it should be thought of as a ball that will produce a weak response by an opponent. Conclusion Understand that the down-the-line shot should be used for a couple reasons: one, to keep an opponent from camping out in the crosscourt region. That is, you need to make them respect the fact that you can—and will—use the down-the-line shot. Second, if you have the stroke mastered, hitting a strong down-the-line will often open up a weak response that can be then taken either back down the line again, as in going behind your opponent, or depending where you are on the court, can be hit crosscourt for a winner too. Finally, remember that in most cases, a crosscourt stroke is still a safer, more reliable shot that won’t get you into a lot of trouble…that is, unless of course, your opponent has a solid backhand that they can hit down the line with pace and control! Your comments are welcome. Let us know what you think about Dave Smith's article by emailing us here at TennisOne .
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