Your tennis playing style is based on what you do well and what your weaknesses are during a match situation. I will break the different playing styles down in to four categories that generally everyone will fall in to. The reason understanding this is so important is not only to help classify your own play, but also be able to identify your opponent’s style of play. Armed with this knowledge of your opponent’s style, you will be able to determine what shots, playing style and mental approach will be able to beat them.
A good player will be able to play multiple styles well so that they may have something to fall back on if they begin to find themselves behind in a match.
Here are the four general play styles you can expect to find while playing a match.
Aggressive Baseliner
An aggressive baseliner is a player who stays back most of the time during points. This player mostly takes the ball on the rise and uses power and quickness to defeat his/her opponents. An aggressive baseliner may come in to the net but doesn’t do it very often. When they do come in, it is in the ideal situation like a driving shot to a corner where the opponent is extremely off-balance and on the run. Another characteristic is usually a powerful and effective serve. This will allow the aggressive baseliner to get on the offense right away where they are comfortable.
The best example of an aggressive baseliner was Andre Agassi. His use of the on the rise groundstroke and crush everything attitude revolutionized the way the game was played. Although he was not known for his serve, it was very effective and often had a very high ace count.
The Counterpuncher
A counter punch player is the one that everybody dreads. The counter puncher puts the ball back in play and runs everything down. Usually this player does not create a lot of power but relies on his ability to be consistent and foot speed. Many time this player will have one shot that they are able to put away in the perfect situation like a short ball to his forehand, for example. Other terms for this player could be a pusher, a backboard or hustler. What ever you refer to them as, they can beat you unless you are patient.
If you are an aggressive baseliner, you will have the most trouble with this style. You have to be patient and wait for the ball to attack on. Keep in mind you may be out on the court a long time and deal with it. The best style against this player is a serve and volleyer because a counter puncher usually doesn’t create much pace to pass you and often hits more floating balls which are great for a person at the net.
The Serve and Volley Player
Although there are not many of these players on the tour any more, it is still a very viable style of play, ask John McEnroe. This player loves to get to the net and put the point away and usually has a very successful serve. This player loves short points and dominates on the faster surfaces like grass.
The serve and volley player usually struggles more against the aggressive baseliner as they have great passing shots and can make it difficult to be offensive. This style of player is usually more successful against the counter punch player for reasons stated above.
The All Court Player
The all court player can pretty much do any of the styles above effectively. They usually have strong groundstrokes but also volley very proficiently too. Pete Sampras is a great example of this player and his closet full of trophies will tell you how effective the style can be.
By being able to execute all the styles makes you able to counter anything that is thrown at you. When someone serves and volleys, you have passing shots. If someone counter punches, you have volleys. The problem is, it takes a lot of work to perfect all the styles.
Understanding the playing styles in singles is like playing rock, paper and scissors. When you play one style, there is one you should beat and one you will struggle against. I am not saying you can’t beat your less desired style to play against, I am just saying that it will be tougher. By developing all the styles, you can see what style your opponent chooses and then make your choice to counter it.
Identifying your playing style is important so that you can perfect the styles you are weak in. You will also be able to select playing surfaces that you will be stronger on. Equally as important is identifying your opponent’s style. If your styles are the same but you are not as proficient, then you can change when you are down in the match and possibly climb back in to it with a new strategy.
Please comment below with your experiences in playing styles and thoughts and the best way to defeat each.
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