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Singles Strategy

How to Play High-Bouncing Mid-Court Balls,

Part Three: The Approach Volley

By Monty Basnyat, TennisONE Associate Editor

Question

How do you play high-bouncing mid-court balls?

Answer, Part Three: The Approach Volley

Go to Part One, Part Two

The third way of dealing with a high-bouncing, mid-court ball is to simply not to let it bounce and hit an approach volley.

This tactic is best used against players who are constantly floating balls back, particularly when they are returning one of your deep shots into the corner. The key is to recognize when your opponent is on the defensive and immediately move inside the baseline to anticipate the floater. By doing so, you can take the mid-court ball as a volley and then come in behind it. The basic idea here is to rob your opponent of recovery time while you establish a better volleying position.

From mid-court, you should generally hit an underspin volley. Hitting a swinging topspin volley, especially while on the move, is usually too risky. Remember, when you take the mid-court ball in the air, you will probably be outside the service box, so it's generally wiser to hit a safe volley and close in for the pass.

Of course there's always the exception. If you're playing with confidence and you have your own version of Andre Agassi's great swinging volley, go ahead and drive the volley for a winner.

Summary: Don't always let the mid-court floater bounce. Volley it into the open court and move in for the kill.

Go to Part One, Part Two

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