TennisOne Lessons

Identifying Your Opponent's Weaknesses

by Reggie Vasquez Jr.

Having written several books and published articles on tennis development (some dealing with biomechanical linkages and stroke mechanics), I thought it would be different to write an article on simple strategy.

Over the years, I have heard many teaching professionals repeat the time-worn adage, "Just play your game, don't worry about your opponent." I agree with this--to a certain degree. Players build their games around their strengths, and whatever those strengths are, yes, I believe a player should play his game. However, what many coaches fail to tell their players is that the best strategy is to identify your opponent's weaknesses, and then use your strengths (play your game) to attack these weaknesses.

So how do we find weaknesses in our opponents? If you have never seen your opponent play before, use the warm-up to find information that could help you play more successfully. During this time, pay attention to your opponent's tendencies in all the court positions.

When both are hitting from baseline

Hit high balls to your opponent's forehand and backhand. If your opponent gives away position and retreats back behind the baseline to receive the ball, this could be a weakness in his game . If a player can't hit the ball on the rise or at the peak of the bounce, this usually means he must retreat well behind the baseline thus giving away precious court position. When you see that your opponent moves back you should look to attack a short return or a floater, even intercepting the floater with a volley. Furthermore, if you are in a tight spot in the match against such an opponent, try putting up a high ball, it should neutralize your opponent's offensive phase.

Hit an easy ball to the baseline into the middle of the court and see which stroke the player uses. This will show you which is their stronger stroke. Players prefer to use the strokes that they are most comfortable and confident hitting. If you think that your opponent has a weak backhand, hit a ball just slightly to the backhand side. If your opponent runs around his backhand and hits a forehand, you know that the backhand could be a weakness.

When your opponent starts to warm-up volleys and overheads

Hit groundstrokes using different speeds and spins to your opponent at the net. Try hitting fast, hard groundstrokes to their volleys and see how they handle the speed. Try hitting the ball with no speed, dipping it to each side, and see if they can maintain their volley depth. Hit balls directly to the body of the opponent and see if they can still be effective when they are jammed. Try giving your opponents lobs to the right and left side, and then high and low. Many players will move better to their non-dominant side, i.e., right-handers have difficulty moving and setting up his right side . Hit a high lob and see if they let it bounce. This can give you an indication that a high lob would be an effective shot when you are in a defensive situation.

When you warm-up your volleys and overheads

Hit some volleys with pace to each of your opponent's sides and see how the pace is handled. Hit some volleys with underspin and drop them short in 3/4 court and see if the player's mobility is good moving forward. If possible, try hitting some volleys to the groundstroker's feet in order to see if they can move out of the way quickly. Smash hard to each side of your opponent to see how they handle the pace of a hard hit overhead. Many players feel more comfortable defending smashed lobs from one side more than the other.

When you warm up your serves

Hit some serves wide and see if the player reacts or moves well from the returning position. Try hitting jam serves to the body to see if they can move out of the way of a slice serve. Try spin serves such as topspin kickers and see how they react to different spins. When you warm up your second serve, watch once again if they prefer using the forehand or backhand to return. Use this information to avoid their strengths when hitting your second serves.

When your opponent warms up his serves

Watch the location of where the serves are hit. During warm-ups, players usually practice their most consistent match serve. Notice if the player is more successful hitting serves in one location rather than another. Watch to see if second serves can be hit to different locations. Use this information when you want to attack your opponent's second serves.

Scouting potential opponents

It is useful to watch the match that will determine your next round opponent. Observe both players and determine their overall style and their tactical tendencies in certain play situations. Watch how both players build points when competing. See if they use the forehand or backhand to control play. When one of the players is down in a serving game, such as 15-40, what patterns of play do they tend to repeat? If a player receives a short ball what does he choose to hit. At the same time observe how opponents counter when attacked and where they choose to hit the passing shot.

In conclusion

A wealth of information can be obtained about your opponent before and during your match if you know what to look for. I hope that this article has given you a new perspective on how to identify weaknesses in your opponents. Good luck and remember there is only one winner in a tournament but there are many goals that can still be achieved regardless of the end result.