How deep do the pros consistently hit?

[InspectorRacquet]

There seems to be no designated thread that I could find, so here's my question that I've thought about for a while now:

How deep do the pros consistently hit?

I'm more concerned with specific players, like Federer and Djokovic. Posters here have said that Djokovic hits pretty deep, and Federer hitting less deep than Djokovic. A general consensus of where pros hit might be nice (and even nicer with proof and sources).

I ask this since I'd like a general guideline of how deep I should consistently hit (knowing full well of my limitations in comparison to the pro game). What I always thought was to hit the ball in the middle of No Man's Land, but I usually hit a foot or two past that.

 

[NJ1]

Watch youtube. Nadal hits more shallow forehands than either Fed or Djokovic but with so much topspin they end up pushing many opponents back behind the baseline (hasn't been working well vs Djokovic the last year). Do you hit flat, like to slice, or use topspin?

If it's the latter, I'm sure it's nothing like Nadals loopy action so I would aim to hit as deep as you can accurately rather than aim for no man's land.

Obvious exceptions to aiming deep are drops, passes etc.

 

[LeeD]

I always thought that depended on who you're playing and how well THEY hit to you.
Playing a 5.5, they could probably, if they wanted to, land 90% of their groundstrokes within 3' of the baseline.
Playing a fellow 7.0, closer to 50% there.
And the more pressure they get, the more erratic their hitting.
Just like you, if you play someone consistent but a half level lower than you, you can hit lots of deep balls.
If you face someone exactly your level, your depth starts to vary long and short.
If you face someone much better, you cannot control your depth.

 

[Xizel]

Hitting in no man's land is good as a rally shoot. Angle can make up for depth in certain situations, but it may also open up angled returns that may trouble you. Although depth is nice when hitting an offensive shot, it can also be disregarded if you have enough ball speed. Try to hit as deep as you can while keeping decent ball pace and spin, with consistency of course. This opens up the window for a short angled shot, or just short shot in general. The deep-short combo is effective from what I've seen at lower levels, but possibly detrimental at the pro level due to the new generation with superhuman foot speed.

 

[5263]

Hitting in no man's land is good as a rally shoot. Angle can make up for depth in certain situations, but it may also open up angled returns that may trouble you. Although depth is nice when hitting an offensive shot, it can also be disregarded if you have enough ball speed. Try to hit as deep as you can while keeping decent ball pace and spin, with consistency of course. This opens up the window for a short angled shot, or just short shot in general. The deep-short combo is effective from what I've seen at lower levels, but possibly detrimental at the pro level due to the new generation with superhuman foot speed.

I like this post overall, as it acknowledges that often depth is not required due to angle, direction, and speed. Taking on too much Depth risks is a factor that can slow down your progress and make you too inconsistent regardless of how nice a ball you hit. I've charted and am convinced that Dj got way more consistent when he started taking on LESS depth risks. I'd still say he hits deeper than most on avg, but seems to be one of the most precise players I've seen. I also think Fed's UEs went up as he started taking more depth risks than he did back in 04, and has hurt his results against top players. As LeeD says, it's harder to get as much depth when facing players that are near your equal.
I suggest to try to hit an aggressive shot that lands 3-5 feet past the svc line. Often when you really hit one well it will go a bit further, but can stay in if you have a smart target with good margin for error. This really allows you to hit out strongly on your shots! IMO this is more important than extreme depth and that the line of your shot is what decides if a strongly hit shot will successful much more than exceptional depth.

 

[NJ1]

Try to hit as deep as you can while keeping decent ball pace and spin, with consistency of course. This opens up the window for a short angled shot, or just short shot in general. The deep-short combo is effective from what I've seen at lower levels, but possibly detrimental at the pro level due to the new generation with superhuman foot speed.

Well said. player levels on each side of the net are key too, as Lee D says.

 

[5263]

To answer your question though, Pros hit over half their shots closer to the svc line than to the baseline based on my charting on this issue.

 

[halalula1234]

idk some of them seem to hit kinda inconsistently but never beyond the service line or else they'll get attacked.

 

[BigT]

I hit with a guy who was around ATP #1000 almost 10 years ago and he still drives every ball within 2 ft. of the baseline, and hardly ever misses.

 

[InspectorRacquet]

Thanks for the responses. It makes sense to hit according to the opponent. Although I've watched a lot of tennis on TV, I never explicitly watched where the ball lands to remember.

 

[Ronaldo]

Thanks for the responses. It makes sense to hit according to the opponent. Although I've watched a lot of tennis on TV, I never explicitly watched where the ball lands to remember.

Believe the ATP tracks where the ball lands for each player, just need to check the stats during the tournament.

 

[5263]

I hit with a guy who was around ATP #1000 almost 10 years ago and he still drives every ball within 2 ft. of the baseline, and hardly ever misses.

I bet he missed a lot when playing for ATP points or he would have made it much higher. Anyone can make tons of very deep shots when playing down to a weaker opponent, but at all levels that changes when you are strongly challenged. You have to be able to play well and win even when you face a tough challenge.

 

[Larrysümmers]

on rally balls they seem to land them around the service line. but on attacking balls pretty deep. Just as 5263 said

 

[fuzz nation]

For mere mortals like ourselves, consistency is a top priority, but as opponents get tougher, they're more likely to jump on short balls and make trouble with them. I'm not disagreeing with Larry, but I'd say that landing rally shots up around the service line is okay as long as you're hitting through the court with a solid stroke. When an off-speed shot lands up there, it's usually an invitation for the opponent to make something happen.

If your opponents are pinned deeper in their own end, they've got less angle to work with and are also hitting at you from farther away. That "pinning" of your opponent can be accomplished with a shot that doesn't land within two feet of the baseline, but it's got to be moving through the court. Even when watching a pro match, I'll bet you a nickel that more often than not, the player who's hitting deeper is the one in control of the rally. The pros are just good enough that they can sometimes flip the switch from defense to offense with a well placed shot of their own.

Think about those bounding moonballs that land up around the service line. They usually keep a player deep in their own end because that player can't physically reach the ball until it comes down off that big high bounce. That's a slower ball that lands shorter, yet effectively prevents the other guy from stepping in. I think it's generally a smart idea to hit most rally strokes into the back box, at least a couple feet beyond the service line. I can't drop my shots on a two foot window just inside the baseline consistently, but I'm in much better control of a rally when I don't leave my shots either on the service line or even short of it.

One more thought (blah-blah-blah...). Deeper placement is the key to my return of serve keeping my opponent from serving me into trouble. I often hit a blocked sort of slice return, especially against a tougher server. Although that return isn't a bullet, it will neutralize an aggressive server when I place it deep, since it forces the server to back off and more or less reset. It doesn't fly though the court like the rally ball I mentioned, but it's very effective when it lands deep in the other end.

Keep an eye on the pros in their matches and you'll notice that they have a feeding frenzy whenever their opponent hits an off-speed or defensive shot that lands short. That's either a free ticket to the net (behind a deep approach shot) or the "green light" to rip the ball into a more open angle.

 

[5263]

Keep an eye on the pros in their matches and you'll notice that they have a feeding frenzy whenever their opponent hits an off-speed or defensive shot that lands short. That's either a free ticket to the net (behind a deep approach shot) or the "green light" to rip the ball into a more open angle.

Such a big key you hit on here. For a shot to be attackable it usually has 2 defects, with short being the 3rd thing on the list.

first, a ball will get often successfully attacked when it is relatively soft and tends to sit up instead of penetrating thru the court. Relatively is the key word, because what may be a solid shot a 3.5 could be soft and sit up at 4.5.
A soft sitter can nearly always be attacked because allows so much time for the hitter to set up on it. extreme ex.. high, deep lob will often be attacked with an overhead.

Second and often overlooked is the line of shot. If the ball is on a poor vector/ shot line thru the court, it can often be attacked; especially if it is softer as well. At times in the Pros you will see deep balls that are very well struck, still get attacked for winners because the line of shot was poor based on the court geometry, but when you add both soft and poor vector, the attacks will come.

Depth is actually the 3rd element in getting attacked, because lack of depth alone is not really a weakness, and has to be combined with another weakness to be attacked. The first two items can be stand alone mistakes to get your shot attacked, but hitting short can be a weapon in many ways. Of course we all know how tough a good drop shot can be, as can a low skidding angled slice; but many don't realize that when the court has been opened by well hit shorter angled shots, that the clean winner into opening created is better if it is on the shorter side. Being shorter helps in many ways, like not being near the lines and staying in the air a shorter distance, making it tough to run down from the other side of the court.
Shorter balls that sit up softly on a poor shot line are the ones we really need to avoid. It can be important to realize that short can be strong or weak, depending on the other elements it is coupled with.

 

[BigT]

I bet he missed a lot when playing for ATP points or he would have made it much higher. Anyone can make tons of very deep shots when playing down to a weaker opponent, but at all levels that changes when you are strongly challenged. You have to be able to play well and win even when you face a tough challenge.

Who said he was playing down?

 

[5263]

Who said he was playing down?

well when he was playing his peers on tour he was losing, or else

he would have gone higher.

If he is hitting nearly every ball in the back 2 ft and almost never misses... he is playing down.