TennisNow.com - Facebook Question of the Week
Question: “Most players like to hit a ball deep so that the opponent is driven way behind the baseline. What could be a good strategy to counter this? I think the opponent should actually step inside the baseline and take the deep ball as a swinging volley. This could be an effective counter attack. What do you think?”
- Hemant Patwardhan
Answer: It depends on what type of deep ball your opponent hits. If it is a slow, high ball, an option could be to hit a drive volley by taking the ball out of the air to go on the offensive. If the deep ball is a topspin shot, the objective would be to push your opponent back by countering attack with a heavy, deep topspin shot (similar to what you received) in hopes of a short ball reply. The final option would be to bring the ball down with less spin and more power, making it difficult for your opponent to play another heavy, topspin shot.
- David Lewis, Director of Instruction at Ivan Lendl International Junior Tennis Academy
About David Lewis
David Lewis, a native of Auckland, New Zealand, is the Director of Instruction at Ivan Lendl International Junior Tennis Academy on Hilton Head Island, S.C., a full-time tennis program for grades 5-12. For the past 20 years, he has coached top juniors and professionals from around the world including Marina Erakovic, ranked as high as No.49 on the WTA world rankings.
The Ivan Lendl IJTA exemplifies Ivan Lendl and Lewis’ desire to give back to tennis and develop future champions through a new-era curriculum and holistic training approach. The Academy focuses on classic fundamentals, leading-edge biomechanics, strength training / fitness and mental preparation. Lendl and Lewis subscribe to a hands-on approach with students instilling dedication, focus, hard work, motivation and overall preparation.