How To Beat A Fast And Athletic Tennis Player?

A tennis player reaching and playing every ball is a nightmare opponent. Many of us spread our hands helplessly against someone like that, just trying to delay the inevitable. Don't break down, however, because there are very effective methods to deal with this speed demon.

The Golden mean

The fact is that such an opponent is great at playing balls on the run, but what happens when we point them straight at him? It turns out that fast tennis players rarely have the ability to move away from the ball when it flies centrally on them. 

Of course, this play must be strong and quite deep, but thanks to that it is less risky than, e.g. Powerful hits flying directly at the opponent will surprise, taking his time to answer and force him to defend. It is therefore worth considering the next steps you will take to finish the point after one of these balls.

Reverse order

Speed demons move very efficiently along the end line, running from left to right and vice versa. On the other hand, they can't play well the balls to which they should retreat. So what should you do?

You can cast the lure by playing the forehand patch so that your opponent is forced to "enter the court" to play it, and then treat him with a deep and fairly fast ball near the end line. A late opponent will probably be forced to defend again, and perhaps even the replacement will be completed by forcing a fault on his side.

Don't risk it

If you think that the only option to beat him is to play roulette (a winner or a mistake), then you probably won't do much in a game with a fast opponent. Statistics don't lie. Almost always, the number of unforced errors will outweigh the number of finishing balls, especially against such opponents.

 The exception is when your condition is in a much worse condition and you do not have too much alternative - then you can risk such a strategy as a "lesser evil".

Anyway, instead of playing through the high grid and in a line, look for ways to take his time to react. The best option will be to use a well-mastered approach shot and volley.

Even the fastest in the world (such as Nadal or Murray) are unable to defend themselves against the power of well-trained volition. If not him, use the variety of rotation and depth of the balls (which you have read about a moment ago), but only if the level of your physical preparation is at least around the average.

Play a counter-leg

Again a very powerful weapon against the sprinter. It involves playing in the opposite direction to what our opponent expects. However, this requires some experience and good observation.

Some opponents anticipate their opponents' intentions well and start moving in a given direction before the ball is hit. If you can catch him in similar behavior and react properly, you have almost like in a bank that you will save the played point to your account.

More tips on the tactics of the game and much more can be found on my Arek Jordan channel and in my book Advantage: You , where I devoted the entire chapter to the game strategy by providing effective and proven game patterns.