From: ianr@gpark.apana.org.au (Ian Rowlands)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.tennis
Subject: Re: Ramblings
Date: Thu, 12 Nov 1992 02:46:43 GMT
Organization: Is something I would like to have
X-Newsreader: Arn V1.00 pre

In article <1992Nov09.154538.8751@eng.umd.edu>, Charles Lin writes:

> 
>     Nice to have the "Taylor Stamp of Approval".   My personal feelings
> are that the amount of posts to this group are rather low, and I can
> skip the ones I don't want to read.  But, rather than rehash that
> argument, onto other stuff.

	I'm glad you have approval - I don't! Then again, I rarely
post so I suppose that doesn't matter.

>     I was watching a point in the Becker-Forget match which went something
> like this.  I'll put it as two righties playing each other, because I
> don't remember the point exactly.
> 
>     Suppose you are returning a serve in the ad court.  The server serves
> wide to your backhand, and you return it down the line.  The server comes
> in and volleys it crosscourt.   As you are moving to your right to cover
> the shot, there are some options.  (1) Go down the line.  This is the
> "percentage" choice since you opponent has just left a gap down the
> line.   However, if your opponent is smart, he/she will be trying to
> cover this shot.  (2) Go back crosscourt on a wide angle return.
> Since you know your opponent will be attempting to cover the down
> the line, you go back crosscourt and attempt to wrongfoot or dip
> the ball so low that it will be difficult to deal with.

	It often depends on how easily you get to the ball. If you are
really stretching you don't have a choice - you must hit down the
line. Once your opponent knows this, it's the end of the point (unless
you hit them like Lendl can - you sometimes see them, most of the time
you don't!). The crosscourt one makes sense for one reason - if you
hit down the line, the next volley is angled away from you. If you hit
crosscourt, the next volley is at best a straight shot. So you have a
better chance to run down the next shot. Granted that at professional
levels it doesn't make much of a difference, but at my level of tennis
it is an extremely useful tactic. Maybe it's due to the fact that I
like hitting crosscourt on my forehand!

>     It seems (2) is most commonly seen among the men's.  I don't know how
> hard this shot is to hit compared to a down the line shot, but it seems
> to be in most good passers' repetoire.   I have thought of a third option
> which I don't see very often.  Namely playing a down-the-line lob.   It
> doesn't have to be particularly deep nor particularly down the line.  It
> just has to be moderately high.   The advantages I see in this shot are
> the following.  First, hitting down-the-line is the obvious opening,
> Second, hitting a lob will insure a little safety over the net.  Third,
> your opponent will have to stretch to the ball, in any case, making
> it tougher to volley.   The only problem I see is that the usual
> tendency is to hit the lob directly over an opponent.  Maybe it's due
> to the quickness of the volleyer, but I rarely see lobs that go anywhere
> besides over someone's head.

	This shot is good considering it will be over the backhand
side if you keep the lob wide enough. Even the professionals can't put
away a backhand smash for a winner every time (unlike the forehand
one). So you usually get a second chance unless they get so much angle
(which is difficult if you're further back than the service line).
Unfortunately there is less margin for error because you aren't going
crosscourt on the lob (i.e the path crosscourt is longer). Maybe
that's why many people lob over people's heads. 

	Also the defensive lob seems to have gone out of the game. If
you toss it high enough, you can get back to the middle of the court.
If you hit it deep enough, you are back in the point. Still it's a
useful shot in social tennis.

[other stuff deleted]

				Ian


Ian Rowlands, unemployed dole bludger       | E-mail: ianr@gpark.apana.org.au
Tullamarine, Victoria - AUSTRALIA           |(formerly ianr@gpark.pub.uu.oz.au)
A member of the Australian Public Access Network Association (APANA)
"Doctor!  My brain hurts!"   "It'll have to come out!!" - Gumby Surgery