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Strategy Lesson
of the Week:
How to Play Against an Opponent in No Man's Land
Strategy Question of the Week
I'm an above average player who has recently started playing against an
opponent who does not stay at the baseline or come to the net either!!
He places himself between the baseline and the service line and I am unable
to pass him or lob over his head. He is about 6 ft. tall with long arms
and legs. He has been consistently beating me 6-0, 6-1. I am pretty much
at wits end in terms of strategy.
His returns rarely have any pace, and I end up overhitting (mainly wide
out or long). I'm primarily a baseline player and would appreciate any strategy
advice you may have.
Thank you in advance for your help,
Frustrated
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Answer
Dear Frustrated,
Pancho Segura used to play in the exact center of the court so he could
run the shortest distance to the greatest number of balls. Though playing
in no man's land, he was able to deftly block all balls landing at his feet--and
they were certainly innumerable. If your opponent plays a similar game,
then he would generally be in this same position and be generally doing
a lot of half-volley and hitting without pace.
With your opponent actually standing where he shouldn't (no man's land),
your problem is not strategy but the mechanics of how to take advantage
of his poor positioning. Your baseline game will be effective against this
player IF your groundstrokes are hit with enough pace and depth. In general,
players who have trouble against these type of pushers are not timing their
step into the ball. In order to generate pace, players must "step-hit,"
as opposed to "hit step"--or worse, step, then pause, then swing.
It will take time to build your groundstroke game, but when you do, we expect
to get a strategy question from your opponent.
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