The Net Rusher, an Endangered Species

by Jim McLennan

Patrick Rafter has brought unmistakable athleticism to the game of tennis - leaping, flying, nimble, quick footed, flamboyant, and at all times blanketing the net. 

Taking the net behind either serve or approach, Rafter charges forward, gets a bead on the ball, prepares with a good shoulder turn, and knifes the volley as he moves through the hit. The key elements are, early preparation, volleying with authority, and moving quickly both to the ball and through the hit. 

Take a few moments to study the forehand volley sequence. Get a feel for his footwork as Rafter closes to a position where he can move through the ball at contact. First and foremost, it is the feet, and certainly no one today is as nimble around the net.

Net rushers get the stings up and in the flight of the incoming ball, early, precisely, and on this score Rafter is perfect.

Rafter meets the ball more with his hand and arm, using the body for its weight, as he punishes the forehand volley.

Great Volleyers of the Open Era

John McEnroe and Stefan Edberg reside at the top of the list of highly skilled practitioners of the net rushing art. Many if not most players from the previous era took the net, but in recent years McEnroe and Edberg were in a class of their own.

McEnroe dashed to the net, picking off the feeble services returns with incredible touch and unbelievable angles. Edberg, equally quick, glided to the net, giving himself ample closing time behind his wicked kick serve. Edberg’s volleys were more often punishing, whereas Mac preferred the deft putaways. In terms of blanketing the net, both McEnroe and Edberg were willing and able to leap, stab, and lunge for the often impossible passes. 

What follows is an attempt to contrast the volleying styles of Patrick Rafter and Pete Sampras (the two stellar volleyers of the modern era) with the technique of their highly skilled and versatile predecessors. 

Moving forward – Here I would give the nod to McEnroe, somehow his dashes to the net appeared much more hurried if not purposeful. Rafter and Sampras come in, neither appears quicker than the other. 

Players at all levels need to learn to move to and through the split step to take control of the net.

Acrobatics at the net – the pass me if you dare mentality and ready posture was at its best with either Mac or Stefan. On this score Rafter is far more willing to lunge dive and scramble, alarmingly more so than Sampras who at times appears strangely passive at the net. Pete comes in behind such brilliance that he has found neither the need nor desire to hurl himself to the ball.

Club players need to adopt this "pass me if you can" mentality. Stay alert and don't be discouraged because you will be passed, however, the odds are in the volleyer's favor. On the pro level, even players who are unaccustomed to coming to the net win far more points than they lose.

Quickness about the net – Mac and Stefan both used "gravity starts" whereas Patrick and Pete use the more reliable but somehow slower conventional method of the crossover step. Perhaps the modern reliance on fitness trainers explains this in part, for these trainers favor the jab step as the initial move to the ball.

Edberg was the master of the 'gravity step'. Rehearse and rely on it for a quicker start. It does in fact work.

Finesse around the net – McEnroe hands down, and perhaps Rafter has the edge over Sampras here, partly because Rafter scrambles more, and when lunging and off balance, there can be no recovery, so Patrick has learned to finesse and angle the off balance volleys.

There's no need to crush every volley. Like Mac, learn to look for the short or soft angle - think touch when you try for the "put away" especially if the court is open.

Punishing volleys – Sampras volleys heavier than anyone in this age or any age before. His stroke is firm, and yes it is a stroke not a punch, and the ball moves through the court. Because Pete doesn’t close in a mad dash, and because he is either unwilling or unable to defend the net on subsequent volleys, he has definitely learned a “one volley” style.

When necessary, punish the volley like Sampras - throw your weight behind the shot as you move through the hit.

Quick hands at the net – go to the doubles specialists here, and remember all the doubles titles won by both McEnroe and Edberg. Rafter and Sampras are equal on this, but comparing styles and doubles records (far and few between) the nod goes without question to Mac and Stefan.

For quicker hands, work on the ready position, with hands and arms relaxed. Tension in the hands or arms will slow you down.

For the reader to develop any amount of these skills, you must look for the short ball, relish moving forward, develop thick skin for you will be passed many a time, many, many a time, but know that the fun is at the net, in control of your fortunes, knifing volleys to the corners, scrambling for impossible gets, and forcing your opponent to counter your tactics. Finally you can be the hammer and they can be the nail.

Take Control of the Net

So the reader may ask, it is all well and good to watch Rafter in the Pro Strokes Gallery, but what about me?  Well, there are a number of keys to playing the net.

First, always be looking for the short ball from your opponent, this may be their second serve, their return of your serve, or any stroke in the rally where the ball bounces in the service box without a lot of pace. 

Move forward, try and take this ball early, and be willing to move through the approach shot hit. Remember, this is about moving forward; it is not a split stop. 

After the approach continue moving forward, and perform a split step as the opponent hits, so as to continue your momentum but also be able to cut to the forehand or backhand as their shot dictates 

Read the ball early and quickly place the racquet face in the line of the incoming ball (as you would with a baseball playing catch).

Continue moving forward to the hit, and if needed through the hit. Punctuate the point by volleying into the open court and congratulate yourself (if your opponent hasn't). 

Finally, be willing to practice this at least one thousand times, it is a difficult skill to master, and no one gets it in the first few tries.

Rafter the Sportsman

As an aside, Rafter’s sportsmanship at this years Wimbledon was just remarkable. He handled the agonizing five set loss in the finals with good will, and set a real example for all as the match ended, congratulating Goran with genuine feeling. 

Somehow, had he won, I imagine his exultation would have been made with equal humility. More than any player before him, he epitomizes the Rudyard Kipling aphorism, “to treat both victory and defeat as the imposters they are.” Somehow this real man is within the game yet at the same time above the winning and losing of competition, “playing the game, as the game it is.”  Tony Roche is said to be unsure whom he will coach after Rafter retires, and one can imagine Roche’s difficulty finding another pupil with as much class.

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