Playing against a HARD HITTER

[Tennis Aloha]

I like to keep calm and focused against hard hitters. Being ok with them over powering you often is key IMO to be able to counter on important points, and have a chance to break their serve.
On this particular occasion I was not driving the ball well, so I honestly played more of a pushing game than my regular style. However I was able to turn it around after being down to at least bring the set to a tie break.

How do you deal with aggressive baseliners?

 

[LuckyR]

I like to keep calm and focused against hard hitters. Being ok with them over powering you often is key IMO to be able to counter on important points, and have a chance to break their serve.
On this particular occasion I was not driving the ball well, so I honestly played more of a pushing game than my regular style. However I was able to turn it around after being down to at least bring the set to a tie break.

How do you deal with aggressive baseliners?

It kind of depends on what is meant by hard hitter and/or aggressive baseliner. If you mean someone with a low consistancy game, going for unlikely winners, the best strategy is a high consistancy game. If you mean someone with honed strokes who hits high pace, high spin balls but keeps the ball away from the lines (rarely makes UEs) then I am going to bring them to net (or approach myself) as they'll beat me from the baseline.

 

[Jay_The_Nomad]

Black shirt making a quite a few really bad calls.

unless swing vision is wrong.

 

[Fintft]

It kind of depends on what is meant by hard hitter and/or aggressive baseliner. If you mean someone with a low consistancy game, going for unlikely winners, the best strategy is a high consistancy game. If you mean someone with honed strokes who hits high pace, high spin balls but keeps the ball away from the lines (rarely makes UEs) then I am going to bring them to net (or approach myself) as they'll beat me from the baseline.

And maybe also take more chances from the BL yourself, to make it unpredictable?

Don't laugh, but one more thing that I try is to bounce all the time (and maintain a low position), not just ss, as he is making contact...

 

[ubercat]

I find locking onto his patterns early is important because sometimes you just have to anticipate and take your guess. Slice and more slice on defence with as much sidespin as you can. A loss of hard hitters self-destruct against high nothing balls or topspin moon balls. So that is worth trying.

 

[Sintherius]

Which one is the ‘hard hitter’

 

[PJ78]

Thanks for posting was fun to watch. Sometimes it’s playing to your opponents specific weaknesses. For him his backhand is considerably less reliable and heavily slice dependant … when I gave him a lot of different looks on his backhand it broke down fairly often. His forehand is pretty strong so just focusing on playing the ball back in those situations and trying to control the point on the backhand would be my suggestion.

also this may require some work but playing earlier on the ball can really throw people off their rhythm and uses a lot of their own pace … but this requires getting used to that timing … but very effective at this level when you get the hang of it

ya also he called a bunch of balls out even before they hit the ground … and bounced in

 

[FiddlerDog]

I need to remind myself that I don't need to hit as hard, since I am redirecting
Focus on timing and early prep.
Play aggressive first strike or he will.

 

[Steady Eddy]

Anytime the ball comes in hard, I shorten my swing. If it's really hard I just block it back. Watch the ball, try to use the sweet spot and keep hitting them back until s/he over-swings and hits it out.

If that doesn't work, then lose.

 

[ubercat]

Keep them moving. Most players can only hit hard when they can set their feet.

 

[Pass750]

Make them hit one more ball if possible. Force them to hit to smaller targets and hit even harder to force errors. Easier said than done though.

 

[LuckyR]

And maybe also take more chances from the BL yourself, to make it unpredictable?

Don't laugh, but one more thing that I try is to bounce all the time (and maintain a low position), not just ss, as he is making contact...

I agree with your split step idea, in the sense of being a retriever, though I have had great success with a high consistancy game against low consistancy competition.

 

[onehandbh]

Try some lobs to see if he or she can generate their own pace

 

[Bender]

Hit low slices, or high topspin balls.

Anything that keeps the ball beyond the ideal strike zone of the opponent, basically.