These tactics can make it much more difficult for your opponents to lob:
1) Hit short balls and force the lobber to come in.
2) Always play one up and one back, so the net player can hit overheads.
3) If you’re not comfortable hitting overheads, give your opponents a new look by staying back.
4) Hit heavy, high and deep topspin, which will put the lobber on his heels and force him to lob short.
5) Don’t forget the swinging volley. A few winners might be enough to stop your opponents from lobbing.
I don’t hit the ball deep enough into the court. I naturally use a lot of topspin and the majority of my balls fall into the service box. How do I solve this problem and hit the ball deeper?—Jon Chen
If your shots land in the vicinity of the service line because of too much spin, do what Nadal has learned to do. Instead of dropping the racquet head well below the ball, keep it more on the level of the ball and drive through low to high. You could also raise the height of the net. Attach two sticks to the net posts and run a rope between them; your new “net” should be 3 to 5 feet higher than the real net. I used to have Andre Agassi, Monica Seles and Jim Courier practice this way. If you can clear that net and keep the ball in the court, your shots will land within three feet of the baseline.
I have been instructed by my coach to start throwing the ball a little more out in front of my body. However, this has made my toss erratic. Sometimes it will veer off to the right, and then when I try to correct it, it will then veer off to the left. I never know for sure where my toss will end up. It’s caused me to chase the ball in order to get my second serve in. Can you help?—Alan Keegan, Ireland
You must try to have your tossing arm and racquet arm work together. Observe many of the modern players’ serves; they have reduced their swing patterns to a half swing. This can make it easier to toss and hit in sync. The most important thing for a consistent toss is repetition. You need to practice it over and over in order to toss it in the same spot every time. Remember that the majority of players toss the ball slightly in front and to the left of the front foot (opposite for a lefty) for the first serve. Pull the toss back slightly and a wee bit to the left for the second serve.
Have a question for Nick? Write to him at asknick@TENNIS.com.
Nick Bollettieri of the Bollettieri Tennis Academy has trained many collegiate and professional players, including 10 who reached the world No. 1 ranking.
