Playing someone that hugs the baseline.

ultron1969 · Mar 22, 2017

I float between 4.5 and 4.0. I tend to get pushed around by a few guys that just stand on the baseline. Seems like no matter what I do I can't get these guys to back up. Their timing is to good. Any tips or thoughts on how to play an Agassi type player? Please don't say play like Sampras ha. I am not that.

10isMaestro · Mar 22, 2017

ultron1969 said:
Please don't say play like Sampras [...].

Someone who hugs the baseline is bound to be in trouble if they do it the wrong way, which is to say that they will not back up when forced into a defensive situation. Your problem is then to find a way to see if their commitment to being close to the baseline is an exaggeration.

There are two main ways to do this:
(1) Cut down on their time. One consequence of standing closer to the baseline is that you have a bit less time to prepare which can affect the quality of your shots, as well as your ability to recover to a proper position on the court. Examples of specific tactics that accomplish this are deeper targets and, obviously, using the net more often;
(2) Force them to hit balls that bounce high. Most people have more trouble hitting balls closer to the height of their shoulders and, the more a ball tends to kick, the harder it is to take it on the rise.

Excellent players do not hug the baseline excessively and will make small adjustments.

zalive · Mar 22, 2017

ultron1969 said:
I float between 4.5 and 4.0. I tend to get pushed around by a few guys that just stand on the baseline. Seems like no matter what I do I can't get these guys to back up. Their timing is to good. Any tips or thoughts on how to play an Agassi type player? Please don't say play like Sampras ha. I am not that.

Play occasional short balls, call them to the net. Tried this?

ptuanminh · Mar 22, 2017

Those are good points. I am a baseline hugger. I am in but load of trouble with players who can mix up their games, slice, serve and volley, high topspin balls, drop shot.

ultron1969 · Mar 22, 2017

I have. They seem to put me on the major defense and I'm screwed ha.

ptuanminh · Mar 22, 2017

I guess it depends on what your style is. if you are also a baseliner, its gonna be tough because you need to be a better baseliner than your opponent

If you prefer chip and charge, rush the net, thats definitely the way to go. hit to their weak side and rush it.

Doc Hollidae · Mar 22, 2017

ultron1969 said:
I float between 4.5 and 4.0. I tend to get pushed around by a few guys that just stand on the baseline. Seems like no matter what I do I can't get these guys to back up. Their timing is to good. Any tips or thoughts on how to play an Agassi type player? Please don't say play like Sampras ha. I am not that.

As a baseline hugger myself, I'd say I have the most trouble dealing with depth and heavy, high bouncing topspin.

pabletion · Mar 22, 2017

Play higher, deeper balls. Dont try to hit through them, you'll just become and UE machine. Use lots of topspin and try to clear the net much higher, so the ball will land very near the baseline. This will force them to get down and have to practically play the ball on the rise. Eventually theyll miss or leave you a short ball to attack, if you achieve this theyll have no chance but to move back.

kiteboard · Mar 22, 2017

Shots near the base line or on it are the hardest.

pabletion · Mar 22, 2017

kiteboard said:
Shots near the base line or on it are the hardest.

Yeah well WINNING IS HARD. If the guy is comfortable huggin the baseline and pushing our OP around, changes have to be made. Those balls landing between the service line & baseline just arent cutting it.

Balls near/on baseline can have some margin: DONT try and crush it line I said use topspin and significant net clearance, even "floaters" to throw him off rhythm and push him back.

Hes gonna have a field day hittin those mid court shots and droppers all day long.

Adles · Mar 22, 2017

I hug the baseline, mostly because I am slow and I need to play in to cover angles. I have a tough time against players who can hit loopy topspin to my backhand. I am not as good at hitting on the rise with my 2h backhand as I need to be so I end up slicing a lot of these.

(4.0 player who is too old to see 4.5 again)

Slicerman · Mar 22, 2017

Doc Hollidae said:
As a baseline hugger myself, I'd say I have the most trouble dealing with depth and heavy, high bouncing topspin.

I agree. I struggle with the same thing whenever I hug the baseline. Deep shots to the body are also difficult to deal with too, IMO.

Lance L · Mar 22, 2017

The first fundamental tactical skill is to be able to hit consistent groundstrokes that go in.
The next fundamental skill is to be able to hit groundstrokes that land consistently deep.
If one is a backcourt player, being able to hit consistently deep, topspin(not extreme topspin, just topspin) groundstrokes should be the absolute top priority, and that sounds like where you need to get. You are at a point where "get it in" is no longer good enough.
Don't be fooled by watching the pros, where a lot of balls land around the service line. Those guys have extraordinary athleticism and defensive skills. Those are not weak shots from the necessarily, but at the rec level it is.
As a standard I would say this: Every ball lands beyond the service line and 50-75% land closer to the baseline than the service line(unless you are going short on purpose of course).

Now, if you are doing that, and these guys are consistently half volleying aggressively from the baseline, that is another, harder problem to solve.

mcs1970 · Mar 22, 2017

ultron1969 said:
I float between 4.5 and 4.0. I tend to get pushed around by a few guys that just stand on the baseline. Seems like no matter what I do I can't get these guys to back up. Their timing is to good. Any tips or thoughts on how to play an Agassi type player? Please don't say play like Sampras ha. I am not that.

Janowicz still lost because of the talent disparity, but he was causing problems for Djokovic with a lot of drop shots and pulling him in. If that strategy can give Djokovic problems, it can be used against any baseliner. Plus remember Djoko can hit some of those short balls on the run. Your opponent might have an issue running and hitting the short ball consistently. Check from 2:10 onwards and the # of drop shots that Djoko has to get to:

Deleted member 23235 · Mar 22, 2017

I'm a baseline hugger... mainly because I'm looking to come in.
I'm looking to get a "first strike", come in behind it, finish at net.

Ways to get me off the baseline:
* hit deep
* bring me in (ie. like del po does with his slice), especially to the bh side (but folks looking to come in typically also practice hitting slice approach shots on both wings) - but this is dangerous unless you've pushed me back first (ie. i'm looking to come in)

bottom line, you're not hitting enough of a quality ball to pressure them/me to move back (either depth or pace, or some combination of the two).

*** side note..
When i play guys that beat me (high 4.5+) that beat me easily,... one of the most noticeable ways they do it, is NOT by hitting harder than me... (it's by hitting deeper more consistently than me - so i have less time to prep, often resulting in me hitting a short ball).
they are not phased by me hitting a hard-ball-that-lands-at-the-service-line-in-the-middle-of-the-court (which at the 4.0 level is definitely enough to hit through alot of folks - especially on the bh side)
so it becomes a game of who can hit-deep-often-enough,-and-elicit-the-short-ball first.

Deleted member 120290 · Mar 22, 2017

I hug the baseline also. If you are not able to back up your opponent no matter what you do, then simply he is at a level or more above you.

No tactic or strategy will change the outcome. You simply have to get better to compete with the better "Agassi" opponent.

atp2015 · Mar 22, 2017

I'm a bl hugger and happy to hit swing volleys from NML if balls are coming in fast but not high. The thing that takes me back is slow and high (loopy topspin) shots.

Power Player · Mar 22, 2017

I play such a guy. You need to be able to hit the corners. Attack his weak side corner first and then put the following shot into the opposite corner. If you can hit the corners consistently you can win. If not, he is better.

Fintft · Mar 22, 2017

How about some sharp angles?

Presuming that they are not better then you at creating angles (like Nadal responded to the same question about Djokovic).

MisterP · Mar 22, 2017

Short angles and droppers prevent them from camping at the baseline and open the court for you. I played a guy like this yesterday. My point construction on serve was roughly this:

Wide serve (deuce) > deep spinny ball to backhand > drop shot/slice/short angle back to forehand > overhead/volley.

On return I block back a lot of very short low balls and start the same pattern as above.

mcs1970 · Mar 22, 2017

TenFanLA said:
I hug the baseline also. If you are not able to back up your opponent no matter what you do, then simply he is at a level or more above you.Agree

No tactic or strategy will change the outcome. You simply have to get better to compete with the better "Agassi" opponent.

Agreed. Even the Djoko video, Janowicz played some huge forehands that always kept Djoko pinned deep and hesitant. If you don't have that, the opponent can camp a little outside the service line the whole day, and if quick enough, can get to everything.

movdqa · Mar 22, 2017

Baseline huggers have the advantage of being able to hit sharper angles, redirecting pace from your shot and taking time away. So I'd probably try deep, heavy topspin, not necessarily with pace, to where they aren't to see how they react. Can they half-volley it consistently inside the court or do they get pushed back. If you have a flat, deep shot to the corner, that can hurt them as well as they have to move backwards to retrieve it or maybe they can't retrieve it at all. One of the advantages of playing back is that you can move at an angle towards the wide balls but you may not be able to reach it at all if you're sitting on the baseline.

10isMaestro · Mar 22, 2017

ultron1969 said:
I have. They seem to put me on the major defense and I'm screwed ha.

If hitting longer, hitting loopier and hitting shorter don't work and you can't volley well enough, it is also possible the opponent is just plain better than you.

Bender · Mar 22, 2017

Hit shorter, with more topspin, so that their court positioning causes them to hit balls near or at the apex of the bounce. If they can't handle that sort of action, they will be forced to move back because they sure as hell cant rally from no man's land.

S&V-not_dead_yet · Mar 22, 2017

Remember that making them back up is only one option; making them come forward is another, especially on a low ball to their SW or W FH. Angled slices can be very effective too, as part of a 1-2 punch [the 2nd being a strong drive that gets them further out of position; OK, maybe it's a 1-2-3 punch]. This alone is probably not enough to win a match but it can open up opportunities [maybe it makes your deep shot that much more effective].

ultron1969 · Mar 23, 2017

Thanks folks!

chikoo · Mar 24, 2017

ultron1969 said:
I float between 4.5 and 4.0. I tend to get pushed around by a few guys that just stand on the baseline. Seems like no matter what I do I can't get these guys to back up. Their timing is to good. Any tips or thoughts on how to play an Agassi type player? Please don't say play like Sampras ha. I am not that.

drop slice. That will make them leave the baseline.

KenC · Mar 24, 2017

Tennis is a lot like chess. You want to control the board and not let your opponent advance. Staying within 3 feet of the baseline is good positional strategy for general rallies as it allows you to move into the court or back up with just one step. Your baseline hugging opponents are just playing aggressive tennis and probably forcing you to play defensively. My suggestion is to stay as close as possible to the baseline yourself during rallies and literally play on the baseline when you have control of play. When you hit something that will put a lot of pressure on your opponent rush up to the service line.

If you are losing to your opponents, learn what they used to beat you and next time try to take that away from them. Whatever strategy they used to beat you might be a good strategy to use yourself.

Playing someone that hugs the baseline.

New User

Semi-Pro

Hall of Fame

Hall of Fame

New User

Hall of Fame

Hall of Fame

Hall of Fame

Banned

Hall of Fame

Rookie

Professional

Semi-Pro

Hall of Fame

Deleted member 23235

Guest

Deleted member 120290

Guest

Hall of Fame

Bionic Poster

G.O.A.T.

Hall of Fame

Hall of Fame

Talk Tennis Guru

Semi-Pro

G.O.A.T.

Talk Tennis Guru

New User

Hall of Fame

Hall of Fame

Similar threads