The missing link in tennis: the connection between technique and tactics

“No one can know or play too many strokes, provided that person knows how each shot is made and when to use it.”

— Bill Tilden, the game’s seminal analyst, within the March 15, 1919, American Lawn Tennis.

“It’s an art form to know where to hit the ball, but it’s even better if you have the know-how to execute it well.”

— John Fitzgerald, Australian Davis Cup participant and captain, throughout his TV commentary on the 2023 Australian Open.

Hundreds of books and 1000’s of articles have been written about approach and ways since tennis was invented in 1874, however have you ever ever learn any that analysed the connections between approach and ways? As a long-time coach, tennis researcher, event participant, and tennis author, let me guarantee you, I haven’t.

Let’s begin with the definitions of those two cornerstones of educating and taking part in a posh sport.

Technique is comprised of three components: grips, footwork, and strokes.

Grips come first on this triad as a result of right ones are the sine qua non of taking part in high-level tennis. They’re the very first thing taught with every stroke as a result of competent coaches and educating execs know which you could’t hit forehand with a continental grip, and you’ll’t hit serve with a forehand grip of any type.

Footwork encompasses stability, velocity, flexibility, leaping, sliding, timing, spacing, acceleration, deceleration, and agility. Perhaps as a result of footwork is much less glamorous than strokes, it has historically been mentioned, analysed, and taught with much less experience, enthusiasm, and frequency.

However, the environment friendly and ballet-like motion of Roger Federer introduced extra consideration to footwork and its nice significance. “My game is a lot about footwork,” Federer mentioned. “If I move well, I play well.”

Strokes are what most fascinate gamers in debates but in addition most confound them in follow. There is little, if any, disagreement about methods to hit volleys and overheads. For serves, probably the most spirited debate centres on the deserves of the pinpoint stance versus the platform stance or a hybrid model of them.

The best variability in educational methodology entails the educating of groundstrokes, particularly forehands — that are labeled as Eastern, Semi-Western, and Western.

After all, the best males’s forehands of this century — executed by Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Juan Martin del Potro, Fernando Gonzalez, Andre Agassi, and Carlos Alcaraz — differ both slightly or so much by way of strokes, grips, and footwork. The strokes of those exemplars additionally fluctuate by way of their path, size, contact level, velocity, and rhythm.

The key level right here is that forehands have, by far, the best vary of correctness of any stroke. That variability, we’ll focus on, sooner or later.

Tactics are outlined as particular plans and methods to use and execute an general technique. Tennis is blessed with intriguingly completely different taking part in types that maintain TV analysts busy providing their insights about the very best basic technique to plot and the cleverest ways to deploy.

If all that is attending to sound a bit sophisticated, relaxation assured, it’s what makes tennis so interesting to 100 million gamers and a billion followers world wide.

As Sarah Palfrey — a shrewd strategist who gained 18 Grand Slam singles and doubles titles from 1930 to 1945 — wrote, “In no other sport are the strategic possibilities so numerous, the ways to outwit your opponent so rich and varied within the accepted sportsmanlike bounds.”

The taking part in types of elite gamers go an extended solution to clarify successful ways. In the twentieth century that now appears so way back, 4 types predominated: serve and volleyers, similar to Pete Sampras, Martina Navratilova, Pancho Gonzalez, and Margaret Court; hard-hitting baseliners, similar to Maureen Connolly, Ivan Lendl, Monica Seles, and Andre Agassi; light-hitting however strategic pushers or retrievers like Bryan “Bitsy” Grant, Andrea Jaeger, Harold Solomon, and Francoise Durr; and all-court gamers, sometimes tremendous athletes, similar to Bjorn Borg, Evonne Goolagong, Fred Perry, and Suzanne Lenglen.

This variety of taking part in types shrunk this century with the close to extinction of full-time serve-volleyers (apart from Maxime Cressy) and pusher-retrievers. Baseline sluggers predominate on each the ATP and WTA Tours, although drop pictures have made a shocking comeback to offer much-needed selection.

Federer took the game to a brand new and wildly entertaining degree with breathtaking shot-making and athleticism enhanced by artistic ways — such because the progressive SABR (Sneak Attack By Roger).

The freakishly dynamic and versatile Alcaraz performs like a turbo-charged Federer. Not solely does he have each shot within the ebook after which some, however his tactical acumen for 19 — or any age! — is off the charts.

We can’t play like Roger and Carlos, however we are able to be taught from them and different champions like Djokovic, Nadal, Serena Williams, and present girls’s No. 1 Iga Swiatek.

Here are the essential axioms to bear in mind concerning the essential connections between approach and ways.

The higher your approach, the higher variety of and extra superior ways you should use. For instance, if you happen to aspire to turn out to be a serve-and-forehand attacker like Nadal, Swiatek, or Matteo Berrettini, you want a robust first serve, and ideally, additionally an correct, high-bouncing kick second serve.

Then you establish the best ways, similar to focusing on your opponent’s weaker groundstroke, exploiting his serve return place, or capitalising in your greatest serve and greatest serving facet (deuce or advert courtroom). You additionally want an aggressive forehand, which entails 4 attributes — energy, placement, depth, and hitting the ball on the rise.

At his intimidating greatest, Nadal maximises this one-two punch on service video games by hitting forehands for his first shot after serving no less than 80% of the time.

If you relish wrong-footing baseliners whenever you’re at web, your volley have to be constantly stable and penetrating. Then decide whether or not this works greatest whenever you volley down the road or crosscourt, when it’s best to use your forehand or backhand volley, and which opponents are most weak, similar to those that over-anticipate or are super-fast.

In order to bedevil opponents with drop pictures, you have to possess not solely the approach but in addition a gentle contact. If you have got these particular abilities, then decide when drop pictures can win factors outright, or no less than elicit a weak return.

For instance, this tactic works greatest whenever you’re positioned contained in the baseline and your opponent is behind the baseline or exterior the sideline.

Former world No. 4 Gene Mayer, now a number one coach, identified the first connection between approach and ways. “You can’t think tactically about where you’re going to hit the ball until you can automatically reproduce your strokes and placement.

As you add power and spin, with great repetition, you’ll master the strokes, ideally by age 10 or 11. Then you can cultivate tactics. I actually enjoyed learning tactics even more than learning strokes.”

Flawed approach can result in confusion and poor ways. A working example is Berrettini’s erratic two-handed backhand and, besides on grass, his weak one-handed backhand. The greatest gamers exploit each by out-steadying his two-hander and overpowering his one-hander.

The 2021 Wimbledon closing highlighted how a lot mediocre approach can sabotage a participant. When Djokovic’s serve and groundstrokes broke down Berrettini’s backhand, the befuddled Italian had no reply. He both over-hit backhands and erred, or he under-hit them and was rapidly placed on the defensive.

Federer’s low break-point conversion share damage him all through his extraordinary profession and partly accounted for his shedding a file 22 matches after having a number of match factors.

Most break factors are performed within the advert courtroom, and booming first serves and wickedly kicking second serves put Fed right into a quandary. Should he conservatively slice backhands for higher consistency after which depend on his athleticism to recuperate if his returns are weak? Or ought to he go for larger however lower-percentage pictures with flat or topspin backhands?

In Fed’s case, the issue was not that his one-handed backhand approach was flawed, however fairly that almost all one-handed backhands aren’t as efficient as two-handed backhands, significantly for serve returns and passing pictures.

Although Roger as soon as confided he wished he had a two-handed backhand, the resourceful Swiss ultimately switched from a tiny 90-square-inch racquet head to a 97-square-inch head. The change supplied a bigger candy spot to higher deal with arch-rival Nadal’s swerving vast lefty serves and cruel topspin forehands, most notably within the 2017 Australian Open closing.

A flawed volley is Daniil Medvedev’s bete noire. A standout gamer and avid chess participant, Medvedev has drawn reward for his ways with Tennis Channel analyst Paul Annacone even asserting the Russian is “a strategical genius.” Far from it, as a result of in 2022 opponents more and more exploited Daniil’s poor positioning — from three to 10 toes behind the baseline — and he misplaced his final eight matches towards top-10 foes.

That defensive place not solely takes the sting out of his groundstrokes, however the higher distance additionally makes approaching web tougher. The truth is, Daniil isn’t significantly wanting to go to web within the first place as a result of he lacks confidence in his volley.

Federer, a perfectionist, as soon as mentioned he’s all the time on the lookout for new methods to win factors. Medvedev ought to search for this primary means — placing volleys away and forcing passing shot errors — to win factors. Improving his volley approach ought to rank as his highest speedy precedence.

Over-compensating for flawed approach can show disastrous. Andy Roddick, like a number of different main American males this century, suffered from faulty backhand approach. When he might run round it to hit his much-superior forehand, he usually did. But often Andy took that positional tactic to a counter-productive excessive.

His inside-in, down-the-line forehand method shot — executed alongside his backhand sideline — was simply thwarted as a result of he was to date out of place that opponents routinely stroked crosscourt passing pictures into the open courtroom.

Even the savvy Federer dedicated this tactical gaffe once in a while. At the 2015 Australian Open, he was shedding to Andreas Seppi, whom he had defeated of their 10 earlier matches.

Finding himself near the backhand singles sideline, he opted to method web behind an inside-in forehand, fairly than a high-percentage backhand slice. Way out of place, Federer then needed to dart laterally in the direction of the center of the courtroom. When Seppi belted a forehand passing shot down the road, Fed couldn’t even change instructions to run for it. Worst of all, his tactical blunder got here on match level!

Alexander Zverev, a 6’6” German who gained the gold medal on the Tokyo Olympics, boasts a booming first serve, normally within the 125-135 mph vary. His second serve, nonetheless, lacks racquet head velocity, and sometimes averages within the 80s.

Sascha faces a tactical dilemma. If he hits a comparatively gradual, weak second serve, his opponents can whack returns that produce winners or power him to err. But when he gambles with an enormous second serve, he tends to pile up double faults. Similarly, Andy Murray’s serving movement is technically right, however he fails to generate a lot topspin or energy.

Zverev and Murray might treatment the issue by tossing the ball six inches to a foot behind its present contact level and swinging as quick as doable. Then they’d come nearer to realising their second serve’s tactical potential.

Paradoxically, terrific approach can lead to an absence of ways. That appears unusual as a result of it contradicts the primary axiom. Even more unusual is that Djokovic is typically responsible of this sin of omission.

Why does Djokovic appear to play aimlessly from the baseline at instances and use fewer ways than Nadal, Federer, and Alcaraz? It might be he confidently believes his superior strokes will in the end put on out or out-rally his opponent.

It might be he thinks speeding the web is dangerous, although he virtually all the time wins 60 to 75% of the web factors. Or it might be he’s by no means been a very tactical participant, and no coach has insisted that he turn out to be one.

In equity, Djokovic, after shedding 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 to Medvedev within the 2021 U.S. Open closing and dropping the opening set, 6-4, to the Russian of their subsequent assembly within the Paris Masters closing, neatly modified ways.

He rushed web rather more usually, and his deft volleys produced sufficient winners and passing shot errors to show the tide for a formidable 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 victory. For the complete match, Djokovic gained an excellent 76% (25 of 33) of the web factors, the overwhelming majority coming within the final two units.

Of course, everybody wants ways, even a celebrity like Djokovic. One might say that in shut or shedding matches, particularly a celebrity like Djokovic with near-perfect approach.

Superstars have dangerous days, identical to the remainder of us. And the second half of Bill Tilden’s aphorism — “Never change a winning game. Always change a losing game” — applies to everybody.

One of probably the most disappointing losses in Djokovic’s illustrious profession got here towards red-hot Kei Nishikori within the 2014 U.S. Open semifinals. The No. 1-ranked Djokovic additionally had momentum, having simply gained Wimbledon. Djokovic and Nishikori possessed fairly related taking part in types, the most important distinction being Djokovic’s extra highly effective serve and normally extra penetrating groundstrokes.

After the 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (4), 6-3 loss, Djokovic graciously acknowledged his opponent was extra stable and constant than he was. Actually, Djokovic gained 51% of the whole factors, however, tellingly, Nishikori transformed 71% (5 of seven) of his break factors, in comparison with solely 31% (4 of 13) for Djokovic.

What if the sometimes-metronomic Serb had modified tempo or hit balls out of the 5’10” Japanese’s strike zone, particularly high-bouncing balls, or rushed web extra? Djokovic ought to have abided by the timeless Tilden aphorism.

All the extra motive for prohibiting teaching throughout event matches!

Forehand approach can affect, and even dictate, ways and counter-tactics. Super-duper forehands weren’t invented within the twenty first century. 100 years in the past, “Little Bill” Johnston, a mere 5’8-1/2” and 130 kilos, pounded his Western forehand with such ferocious energy and topspin that he gained two singles and 5 doubles Grand Slam titles.

“Big Bill” Tilden, his up to date and the best tennis participant from 1900 to 1950, dominated the Twenties together with his potent serve and Eastern forehand.

In future many years, Bjorn Borg (Western), Ivan Lendl (Semi-Western), Steffi Graf (Eastern), Federer (Eastern to Semi-Western), Nadal (Western), and Swiatek (Semi-Western) capitalised on their devastating forehands.

Although Tilden was a grasp tactician who wrote the timeless basic, Match Play and the Spin of the Ball, in 1925, his personal ways have been considerably restricted by his Eastern forehand due to its degree trajectory and medium-high bounce. (It’s honest to notice that Tilden’s basic Eastern sport was well-suited for the quick grass courts, on which three of the 4 majors have been then contested, and all-time nice Don Budge even modified his Western forehand to an Eastern earlier than he captured the primary Grand Slam in 1938.)

Tilden’s flat forehand and backhand made it a lot tougher for him to conjure intelligent angles like Alcaraz or Federer and high-bouncing groundstrokes like Borg and Nadal. Although Tilden’s ways weren’t thought-about restricted in his period, they’d be in in the present day’s extra versatile sport.

While a Semi-Western or Western forehand affords a golden alternative for a participant to be artistic, under no circumstances does it guarantee a participant shall be.

Aside from his glorious forehand topspin lob, Lendl performed principally easy, predictable energy tennis together with his nice Semi-Western forehand.

Similarly, former world No. 2 Michael Chang, whose ingenious, underhand trick serve bamboozled Lendl within the 17-year-old American’s stunning 1989 French Open upset, seldom capitalised on his Semi-Western forehand’s appreciable tactical potential.

As efficient as Semi-Western and Western forehands are, they’ve one legal responsibility — coping with low balls.

To their credit score, twenty first century gamers are tactically exploiting this vulnerability greater than their predecessors. Two-handed backhand gamers — which represent 91% of the lads and 99% of the ladies within the prime 100, as of December 26, 2022 — have mastered one-handed slice backhands that not solely bounce, even skid, very low however are made nastier with sidespin.

And some gamers like Nick Kyrgios even combine within the occasional underspin-sidespin forehand to additional confound Semi-Western and Western opponents.

Terrific approach also can end in too many ways. Early in his profession, Roger Federer was rightly criticised for having so many pictures in his repertoire that he often selected a low-percentage hotshot, fairly than a dependable, primary shot. The extraordinarily gifted however unstable and much much less profitable Kyrgios is tormented by the identical shot choice downside, even at 27. Ah, irrationally exuberant artists with a racquet simply need to have enjoyable — irrespective of the associated fee.

The inimitable baseball star Yogi Berra as soon as quipped, “How can you think and hit at the same time?” His salient level was that hitting a 95-mph pitch is so tough within the first place that overthinking, even pondering, is counter-productive. Pro-tennis in the present day, particularly within the males’s sport, is way the identical with most first serves fired within the 115-to-135 mph vary and lots of groundstrokes within the 75-90 mph vary.

“Tactics? People talk about tactics. But, a lot of the time, at this level it just comes down to instinct. It happens so fast that you have to hit the shot almost without thinking,” Federer mentioned within the engrossing 2021 biography, The Master. So true!

Playing U.S. Open champion Alcaraz should seem to be being trapped within the eye of a twister. You can’t escape his huge array of rocket artillery — accelerated by his mercurial working velocity and infinite excessive vitality, each enhanced by his unpredictable shot choice, significantly his contact pictures and angles.

The Alcaraz arsenal has already modified the lads’s sport.

If his opponents seem overwhelmed and befuddled at instances, the opposite facet of this New Age coin is that every one these engaging, crowd-pleasing choices also can confuse the 19-year-old Alcaraz. The tempo of the factors he performs is so quick that he often drop pictures on the flawed instances or blasts groundstrokes from untenable positions.

No doubt, Alcaraz will work out tactically how greatest to maximise his very good approach and wondrous athleticism.

One can think about how fascinated and delighted Palfrey and Tilden can be to see how superbly tennis has advanced.