Slice

[gugafan05]

Do you think the slice can be used for every shot off the ground in the way top spin is? I have seen Fabrice Santoro hit slices on almost every shot throughout a match and he still has major success. In fact, I think he has more tennis sense than most other pros. Do you think it can be effective to hit slice on every shot off the ground? If not, why? Thanks

[HyperHorse]

Of course it is... Its very useful in windy conditions..
And just to give those young wannabe baseline bashers something different to look at... hehehe....
But your timing and footwork has to be precise if you're going to hit hard low slices off forehand and backhand...
Slice is also useful for your returns, particularly when facing huge bombs, in learning how to hit a drop shot, and for your volleys.

[BiGGieStuFF]

why did my post get deleted? All I said was that if you're gonna use primarily slice that you'd better be a patient player and have good defense.

It's true because slice isn't really used as an offensive shot so you'll probably be getting into slow paced rallies, and good players will move you around instead of hittng outright winners.

[moxio]

My backhand is primarily slice because it ruins the other players' pace and they end up either screwing up or giving me easy shots.

[kevhen]

Hard to get good depth and hit hard with slice but it can frustrate opponents as it stays low and can be tricky to return. I slice alot but also mix in topspin too. I think it's better to be able to hit both slice and topspin shots and use them when it makes sense to.

[Bagumbawalla]

Of course you can. It would be more effective to have a complete game. Why not strive for that?

[mucat]

No, it would not be effectice slicing EVERY shots. If the ball is lower than net height, you have to slice up, which sometimes it will become a sitter for your opponent. Also, slice is not a good choice for passing shot, to pass your opponent, you want to hit hard and dip fast, impossible to do with slice.

You can hit slice with more side spin and less backspin, but it is smiliar to a flat stroke, it will have similar pros and cons.

[ZPTennis]

Steffi Graff made this work very well for her on her backhand. She was very capable of hitting a topspin backhand, but she never did in matches.

Her slice though was awesome.

[mucat]

Steffi Graff still hit topspin on the FH side, which is more than half of her shots, since she runs around her BH a lot.

[ucd_ace]

I used to use slice almost completely off of both sides, but I also served and volleyed on first and second serves and chip and charged off of their second serves. So really, I spent most of the time at net.

There's an older women at the club I play at from time to time that only slices and she has an amazing baseline game. I've never seen anyone use slice as well as she does even at DI college matches. Based on her results, I'd have to say that it can definately be an effective playing style if you know how to do it correctly.

However, I wouldn't recommend it. Most players I see severely hold themselves back from improving by trying to slice the ball all the time and not developing other strokes that are more sound and consistent. Most players who only know how to slice, don't really know the proper way to slice the ball either.

[andyroddick's mojo]

i believe everyone should incorporate slice at least in a few rallys. the slice is a very effective shot because it gives you more time to recover and also provides an awkward bounce for the opponent. I usually use slice when theres someone i know who can't handle low bouncing balls or if i'm going for a defensive shot and just want to get it back.