Beating Pusher Who Hits to Corners

P

ptrbwmf2026

Professional
I embarrassingly lost to a pusher on Monday. He somehow got me running corner to corner, yet I couldn’t get him moving that much. My only play was to outhit him.

How do I keep somebody from sending me corner to corner?

PS - I lost 7-6, 5-7, 0-1.
 
learn to construct the points. I'm gonna bet that if we looked at it you consistently returned the ball to the middle, so he didn't have to run.
 
You mean you lost to a better player? Very demeaning to call a loss to a better player as embarrassing. When you shook hands did you tell opponent you were embarrassed?

If the so called pusher was moving you from corner to corner and you had no answer for that, you are the inferior player regardless of what label you put on your opponent.
 
Pass750 said:
You mean you lost to a better player? Very demeaning to call a loss to a better player as embarrassing. When you shook hands did you tell opponent you were embarrassed?

If the so called pusher was moving you from corner to corner and you had no answer for that, you are the inferior player regardless of what label you put on your opponent.
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Do you have solutions like the first poster or are you just here to criticize?
 
stapletonj said:
learn to construct the points. I'm gonna bet that if we looked at it you consistently returned the ball to the middle, so he didn't have to run.
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Where should I be returning the ball?

Almost everywhere I look says return deep middle.

How should I be constructing?
 
Pass750 said:
You mean you lost to a better player? Very demeaning to call a loss to a better player as embarrassing. When you shook hands did you tell opponent you were embarrassed?

If the so called pusher was moving you from corner to corner and you had no answer for that, you are the inferior player regardless of what label you put on your opponent.
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His technique was lousy. And you can say what you want. Pushing had a ceiling. I actually hit the ball. That doesn’t have a ceiling.

I will be a much better player when it’s all said and done.
 
The only way for a pusher with "lousy" technique to "hit the corners" is playing against another pusher who hits in the middle.

Get your opponent to move and hit on the run, that will automatically reduce his ability to control the ball.

Tennis is a simple game, you just need to find a way to make it harder for him to do what he wants to do... which obviously is really easy to say but hard to implement.
 
kunos said:
The only way for a pusher with "lousy" technique to "hit the corners" is playing against another pusher who hits in the middle.

Get your opponent to move and hit on the run, that will automatically reduce his ability to control the ball.

Tennis is a simple game, you just need to find a way to make it harder for him to do what he wants to do... which obviously is really easy to say but hard to implement.
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I’m NOT a pusher. NOBODY who watches me play would ever say that.

I tried hitting out of the middle, but he would use the angle I created against me.

Overall, I tried to hit deep and hard, and it didn’t work too well.

I watched a video on YouTube where the guy said that against Rafael Nadal, the best play would be the middle of the court.

Professional players aren’t pushers.
 
OP you're not giving us much to work with. You're basically saying, nothing I tried worked. You need to change up your game to find the weakness of your opponent then exploit it. Change up the pace, hit some shots to draw him to the net, see if he can hit shots moving backwards and forwards, target the backhand, etc.
 
People can be quite defensive about Pushing styles :)

If he was moving you from side to side that's pretty intelligent play irrespective of pace and suggests he was dictating it.

Its difficult to say without footage, but I would suggest not returning up the middle and vary your play.
 
travlerajm said:
Sounds like he was “pushing” you around the court.

What happened when you approached the net?
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He never made it to net, if his opponent was able to move him from corner to corner, he never had a chance to dictate the point and actually make it to the net.
 
Pass750 said:
Yeah, get better and improve your attitude. If your opponent is moving you from corner to corner, they are not a pusher, at least not against someone of your proficiency. And if you allow that to happen your opponent is completely unbothered by your strokes and is dictating play.
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And if OP is hitting hard & deep to the middle, but yet his opponent can still go corner to corner at will, OP isn't hitting as deep or as hard as he thinks.
 
travlerajm said:
Sounds like he was “pushing” you around the court.

What happened when you approached the net? Did he pass well? Lots of players who play a style that seems like pushing are actually simply playing well within their shot tolerance, and they can execute counterpunching offensive shots better than it seems.
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Exactly, in general ball bashers (not OP) who can't keep ball in play and lose to players that can and call them "pushers" don't realize the "pusher" never has to break out their good stuff because the ball basher can't sustain a rally.
 
I was able to approach the net and hit a few decent volleys, but he was able to lob the majority of the time.

The way that I look at it, he completely out tacticized me and still nearly lost the match. I had a match point in the 3rd set tiebreak.

That say that I have more talent.
 
When players are able place the ball all around the court making me run, I then suspect I am not putting enough pressure on my opponent. If I am hitting hard shots down the middle then I realize my hard shots down the middle are not giving him trouble. Can I make him run to a ball? I might try to hit an approach shot and go to the net Backhand and forehand. Most players have a better forehand but some players especially women have better backhands. If that doesn't work then I try slice or other shots. If nothing works then the opponent is just better then me - at least that day. What gives some players trouble will not be a problem for others. The same goes for serves and returns.

But I found lots of players can play very well with ugly technique and slower paced lobs, slices, drop shots etc. If your style is something they handle well then you have to try to change up what you do to adapt.
 
I'd love to know what level of tennis this is we are talking about. The answer to the OP's question will vary widely based on level.
 
The pusher is so underrated on these boards because they don’t hit Hollywood shots. I’d take shot tolerance, patience and tactical placement over power all day. Sounds like the ‘pusher’ aborbed everything you had and ran your legs down at that the same time. He’s smart to wear you down physically and up the mental game as it got tighter. A shot maker is almost always more likely to tighten up and miss when its tense than a pusher who is using every inch of the court to his advantage. I’ve got a few ideas on how to beat them and it all depends on the level of the ‘pusher’. I’ve seen some solid technical counter punchers get labelled pushers which merely highlights the name callers lack of understanding and/or ability. Anyways these have worked for me in the past …

- as others have said avoid the middle of the court, it’s the graveyard. Try and break the sidelines to take your opponent off the court. May mean hitting with a few more revs and less out and out power … but will send him scrambling for the ball. Opens up the court for a put away or to force an error. Works his lungs a bit more as well.

- depending on the quality of your approach shots, attack his weaker side and follow it in. If he’s only ‘pushing’ then the passing shot should be reachable and beware the lob. You’ll be taking away his time by taking control of the point at net. If he’s got good passing shots then make sure the approach is low or high bouncing and out of his hitting zone.

- short angled slice … drag him to areas he doesn’t want to be. If he makes a short ball for a winner to good, but if he makes it and retreats you know he’s no fan of net play. Exploit that and get him there as often as possible.

- if you’ve got good shot tolerance yourself and are prepared for a physical battle then keep it deep in corners and look for the short ball. Positive and attacking on the short ball. Dropper another option if his court position is deep behind base.

- serve and volley. Mix it up and surprise him from time to time. Keeps him honest.

Generally don’t allow him the rhythm to settle into moving you side to side. Look to ways to make him uncomfortable and play to his weaknesses.

Hope some of that helps and not everyone will agree. Just my take as an old rec vet.
 
mpnv1990 said:
Do you have solutions like the first poster or are you just here to criticize?
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acceptance is the first step to healing...
i admit that derogatory names can help soften the loss.

that said, someone who i can redirect to corners, regardless of how fast/slow, is playing extremely precise, and is just "good".
some options:
* try being better at redirecting to where they become uncomfortable
* try pressuring their preparation (ie. hit a bit faster, or move closer to the net if possible to hit on the rise, volley, etc...)
* try attacking their vertical strikezone (high moonballs, slow slice)
* attack their rhythm (mix fast, slow, heavy top or heavy slice, etc...)
* try calling them names, and see if you can make them cry and succumb to your 7.0 trash talking
 
When the ball is in the corner create a wide angle, not the middle. I only try to hit in the middle when I’m on defense and I just need a shot to keep me in the point. I try to hit a loopy moonball that will give me time to get back in center position and give trouble to the opponent.
If you’re a basher and he’s just bunting, learn to take something off so he can’t use your pace against you.
Probably the most basic strategy is to hit a high shot to the backhand and follow it up and take weak shot as a volley. Do this a few times then switch to the forehand if the start shadowing their backhand side.
 
Seems like you have been given some dodgy coaching, or shock horror, internet coaching isn't correct. Hitting down the centre is a good safe option when you have also received a ball down the middle. On the other hand, when you receive a wide ball, then hitting cross-court is the good safe option.

This follows the basic 'rotating court' concept, which I'm sure you know: if someone hits you out wide, say 3m to the right of centre, then the 'middle' of the opponent's court is now 3m to their right, not the actual centre, because it is far easier for you both to hit cross-court over the low part of the net, than hit from a corner down the line. So if the 'pusher' kept hitting to the corners, then your safe option was return back to the opposite corner, and your aggressive options were down the line, or very sharp angle mid-court. A shot back to the actual centre of the opponent would given all the options back to him as he should have done a half-way recovery to about 1.5m to the right of the actual middle and will get to the middle ball easily.
 
mpnv1990 said:
I was able to approach the net and hit a few decent volleys, but he was able to lob the majority of the time.

The way that I look at it, he completely out tacticized me and still nearly lost the match. I had a match point in the 3rd set tiebreak.

That say that I have more talent.
Click to expand...

You can never really lose to a pusher and chalk it up to a moral victory.
 
How were you losing the points? How were you winning the points? What was his advantage over you? What was your advantage over him? The only thing you can really deduce from your post is that he seems to have more accurate shots, but nothing about depth, spin, pace, consistency, forehand vs backhand, foot speed, etc., so hard to come up with a plan.

With that said, your default plan is gonna be hitting a lot of deep shots to your opponent's backhand, but keeping him running and guessing by regularly mixing in balls to the other side (deep shots, heavy angles or even dropshots). At 4.5 and below, consistency wins almost all matches, of course, but everyone knows that - the underrated element is depth, from an offensive, but especially defensive point of view - it will neuter both ball bashers and junk ballers.
 
mpnv1990 said:
I embarrassingly lost to a pusher on Monday. He somehow got me running corner to corner, yet I couldn’t get him moving that much. My only play was to outhit him.

How do I keep somebody from sending me corner to corner?

PS - I lost 7-6, 5-7, 0-1.
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Was his name Andy Murray by chance? You lost to a better player.
 
3loudboys said:
- as others have said avoid the middle of the court, it’s the graveyard.
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I'd suggest the exact opposite.

  • The Pusher thrives on angles. Center the ball. Over and over. It drives pushers crazy. If you open up angles, he'll run you
  • Beating a Pusher is all about court position and not getting run around
  • Centering the ball also means you won't miss
  • Don't give the pusher "much" pace that he can redirect. Try to make him create his own pace
  • If he tries to create his own pace, he'll make errors
  • If he just redirects your "off pace" balls, he'll give you easy balls
  • Be patient. The pusher can't really hurt you if you don't hurt yourself (by being impatient, trying to finish points too fast, and making errors).
  • Playing tactical against a pusher isn't "fun". You won't be hitting your "big topspin" that you love to hit. That shot will get redirected and get you running.

Of course you can play forcing, attacking, offensive tennis. Finishing at the net. Hitting winners. But if you have the ability to do that, you won't be asking "how do I beat a pusher". You'll just crush him.
 
Last edited:
When you are defending from the corners, hitting it back up the middle is suicide. You ideally play that ball back cross court and make your opponent try to change direction down the line (which will cause errors) or play the ball back to you cross court.

If the opponent didn’t have much pace and you change direction of the ball wouldn’t be that hard, I’d go heavy/high top spin to his backhand non stop. That usually coughs up a short ball from a pusher.
 
Pushers are the best coaches. They expose all the flaws and cracks in your beautiful game as you hemorrhage points with UE's.

Work on your game and play them again in 3-6 months. See other thread.... ;)
 
tennis3 said:
I'd suggest the exact opposite.

  • The Pusher thrives on angles. Center the ball. Over and over. It drives pushers crazy. If you open up angles, he'll run you
  • Beating a Pusher is all about court position and not getting run around
  • Centering the ball also means you won't miss
  • Don't give the pusher "much" pace that he can redirect. Try to make him create his own pace
  • If he tries to create his own pace, he'll make errors
  • If he just redirects your "off pace" balls, he'll give you easy balls
  • Be patient. The pusher can't really hurt you if you don't hurt yourself (by being impatient, trying to finish points too fast, and making errors).
  • Playing tactical against a pusher isn't "fun". You won't be hitting your "big topspin" that you love to hit. That shot will get redirected and get you running.

Of course you can play forcing, attacking, offensive tennis. Finishing at the net. Hitting winners. But if you have the ability to do that, you won't be asking "how do I beat a pusher". You'll just crush him.
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lame advice.
way easier to call them names, and play the "potential" card.
 
A pusher was hitting the back corners of the court repeatedly? You know what pusher means?
Sounds like you just got schooled. If I’m hitting my spots like that, and you’re having difficulty getting around the court, of course I’m not gonna ramp up the power to 11. Sounds like he was just a better player.
 
How well you fare when coming in depends mostly on your approach shot. A good approach shot should be:

A. Deep
B. Stay low
C. Nearish a side line, preferably backhand side

If your approach shot has one of these 3, you are in pretty good shape to win the point at 3.0 level

If it has 2 of these 3, same but 3.5 level

If it has all 3, 4.0 level and up

Now is this an oversimplification? Sure. BUT, for example, if the approach stays low, then a 3.0 is going to have a heckuva time trying to get a good lob over you. doesn't matter if it is really deep or near a sideline.

BUT, if you hit your approach shot about 1/2 way between the service line and baseline, and it is hip high at the base line and it is in line with the center hash mark, just about anybody has a good chance of passing or lobbing you successfully
 
mpnv1990 said:
I was able to approach the net and hit a few decent volleys, but he was able to lob the majority of the time.

The way that I look at it, he completely out tacticized me and still nearly lost the match. I had a match point in the 3rd set tiebreak.

That say that I have more talent.
Click to expand...

mpnv1990 said:
I didn’t mention this before, but I beat this guy 6-4, 6-4 the first time I played him.
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I'd say don't worry about it, maybe he just had one of his best days and you were playing your B game. You'll need to think hard to notice if there was one particular thing that caused the loss, but sometimes it's just their day.
 
You need to lower your standard of play and drag them to a lower level than they are used to. It isn't pretty or enjoyable playing like a gimp but if it wins matches, I'll take it. Or go for an early exit and get a KFC family bucket & a 6 pack on the way home to enjoy and save your valuable time.
 
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