More effective to hit heavy topspin balls deep or short?

It is best to hit heavy topspin...

  • Short

    Votes: 3 8.1%

  • Deep

    Votes: 34 91.9%
  • Total voters
    37
tennis_hack

tennis_hack

Banned
Assuming that even if you hit the ball short (i.e. in the service box), because of the topspin, the ball would still kick forward and up so would be head height or above by the time it reaches the baseline - is it better to hit short?

Because, if you hit that same ball deep, you give a good player the option of hitting it on the rise before it gets up too high on their strikezone.

If you hit the ball deep, they do not have the option to take the ball on the rise - because the ball bounced all the way on the service line. Unless they want to half volley balls on the service line (in which case you could slap the next shot deep and past them), they are forced to hit balls above their strikezone on the baseline...?

So is it better to hit heavy topspin short or deep?
 
G

Gyswandir

Semi-Pro
Both

Actually, this is not such an idiotic thread. If I recall correctly, Agassi once described playing against Nadal and cited that he considered it a "new type of tennis" exactly due to the variation in depth with heavy topspin.
I don't remember the exact words, but it was something like he had to step into the court for the shorter balls, then get caught in a bad position with the deeper shots.

So, in my opinion, if I HAD TO choose one, I'd choose deep, but if I could hit at will, I'd use both.
 
T

TennisCJC

Legend
Gyswandir said:
Actually, this is not such an idiotic thread. If I recall correctly, Agassi once described playing against Nadal and cited that he considered it a "new type of tennis" exactly due to the variation in depth with heavy topspin.
I don't remember the exact words, but it was something like he had to step into the court for the shorter balls, then get caught in a bad position with the deeper shots.

So, in my opinion, if I HAD TO choose one, I'd choose deep, but if I could hit at will, I'd use both.
Click to expand...

Deep, deeper, and deepest. Deeper is always better unless you miss long. Only times when deeper is not better are short angles, drop shots, and passing shots.

On fast court like Shanghai, Agassi would have an absolute field day on Nadal's shorter topspin balls. Nadal would be on defense all day or watching the ball go by.
 
TimeSpiral

TimeSpiral

Professional
Graf1stClass said:
well, if you're going for wide angles, shorter balls are more effective, so long as they still have pace.
Click to expand...

Threads like this are so unfortunate ... not because the OP is a troll (which he either (a) definitely is, or (b) is trying hard to understand tennis and publishing his progress) because a random person might come by and read the OP and take it seriously.

It's really for that reason alone questions like this have to be answered, and errors in the OP must be addressed.
  1. Hitting the ball on the rise is difficult. If you can pin the guy behind the baseline and force him to take the ball early, you're in a great spot. Professional tennis players can and will do anything to gain an advantage, like taking the ball early, or holding on to the ball and playing it late. These guys are masters of tennis. The rec player trying to emulate techniques like that has a lot of training to do.
  2. Generally speaking, hitting a rally ball short is considered "bad news." You'll get people who come in and say, "well in situation (a) and (b) this can be effective ..." Well yeah; obviously. Short angles, drop shots, cc chips to lure your opponent in are all great and technical shots, but the OP is talking about rally balls, not specialty shots.
  3. The OP said something to the effect that topspin shots hit shorter than the service line would "[...] still kick forward and up so would be head height or above by the time it reaches the baseline." NO, DUDE! This does not happen (except in rare circumstances). Not even Nadal is dropping the ball short of the service line and kicking it up to head height on ground strokes.
Topspin rally balls dropped inside the service line are sitting ducks for your opponents to hit approaches, drops, winners, and all sorts of shots that equal trouble for you.
 
Graf1stClass

Graf1stClass

Professional
TimeSpiral said:
Threads like this are so unfortunate ... not because the OP is a troll (which he either (a) definitely is, or (b) is trying hard to understand tennis and publishing his progress) because a random person might come by and read the OP and take it seriously.

It's really for that reason alone questions like this have to be answered, and errors in the OP must be addressed.
  1. Hitting the ball on the rise is difficult. If you can pin the guy behind the baseline and force him to take the ball early, you're in a great spot. Professional tennis players can and will do anything to gain an advantage, like taking the ball early, or holding on to the ball and playing it late. These guys are masters of tennis. The rec player trying to emulate techniques like that has a lot of training to do.
  2. Generally speaking, hitting a rally ball short is considered "bad news." You'll get people who come in and say, "well in situation (a) and (b) this can be effective ..." Well yeah; obviously. Short angles, drop shots, cc chips to lure your opponent in are all great and technical shots, but the OP is talking about rally balls, not specialty shots.
  3. The OP said something to the effect that topspin shots hit shorter than the service line would "[...] still kick forward and up so would be head height or above by the time it reaches the baseline." NO, DUDE! This does not happen (except in rare circumstances). Not even Nadal is dropping the ball short of the service line and kicking it up to head height on ground strokes.
Topspin rally balls dropped inside the service line are sitting ducks for your opponents to hit approaches, drops, winners, and all sorts of shots that equal trouble for you.
Click to expand...

none of this applies to hitting drop shot-like balls that force your opponent to pretty much run across and off the court to hit them, opening 90% of it up, especially if you approach your shot. only beginners would hit such shots completely or even more or less in the opponent's direction.

btw, the word "rally" wasn't at all in the OP. and there's no such thing as a "specialty shot". what I described was another rally shot, especially if the opponent gets to it.
 
TimeSpiral

TimeSpiral

Professional
Graf1stClass said:
none of this applies to hitting drop shot-like balls that force your opponent to pretty much run across and off the court to hit them, opening 90% of it up, especially if you approach your shot. only beginners would hit such shots completely or even more or less in the opponent's direction.

btw, the word "rally" wasn't at all in the OP. and there's no such thing as a "specialty shot". what I described was another rally shot, especially if the opponent gets to it.
Click to expand...

Oh, lol ... *scratches head*

Okay.
 
TimeSpiral

TimeSpiral

Professional
Graf1stClass said:
so, they aren't hit in rallies? they're just exceptions. okay.

at least you conceded all other points.
Click to expand...
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