1. Mix up your pace and spins.
Schnyder is the trifecta of trouble: the dreaded lefty, a pusher, and not shy about throwing all sorts of junk at her opponents. She can’t blow anybody off the court with her power, so she uses different combinations of spins and speed to con-fuse and frustrate her oppo-nents. Off the forehand she mostly hits loopy topspin, but on occasion she will flatten it out to drive a winner.
Schnyder has a two-handed backhand, but she chips it frequently. And when her opponent isn’t expecting it, she aggressively comes over the ball and smacks it. If Schnyder didn’t use all this variety, she wouldn’t be nearly as good as she is. But it’s a great trait for any player. No matter how good you are, if you give your opponents the same look every time, they’ll catch on. You can have your favorite patterns, but remember to also vary your shots.
2. Try for a high percentage of first serves.
Even at the pro level, and particularly on the women’s tour, there are many players with sus-pect second serves. Their opponents don’t feel any pity and are all too happy to punish them for it. Schnyder’s second serve is fairly weak, but she gives herself a chance to win by putting a lot of first serves in play. It’s not a powerful delivery, but she gets plenty of lefty spin on it, which can be very tricky. This elimi-nates much of her oppo-nents’ ability to attack her second serve. Many players struggle with the prospect of hitting second serves. They fear double-faulting or letting their opponents rip a return. If you don’t have a solid second serve, don’t put yourself in the position of hitting too many of them. Take something off your first serve, apply spin for safety, and get the point started.
3. Be smart with your drop shots.
There was a time when I thought that the drop shot couldn’t work on the professional level. Players were just too fast, and the risks never seemed to outweigh the rewards. But I have to admit that when I see players like Schnyder execute it, the drop shot becomes a valu-able weapon. She uses it as much as anybody, and what makes it so effective is that she varies her tactics. Sometimes she hits the drop shot and stays on the coming in and stay back. They’re never sure what Schnyder is going to do, which makes returning her drop shot that much more difficult. When you use the dropper, so much of your success will revolve around when you decide to play it and how you back it up. It’s a particularly smart tactic at the club level, where players aren’t as fast, and it becomes even better when your opponents are guessing what to expect from you next.