Most tennis players prefer to strike groundstrokes at a height somewhere between their knees and their waist. Using a high, deep topspin shot that kicks well above that comfort zone will often cause your opponent to either commit an error or send back a short, weak ball that you can easily put away with an aggressive groundstroke or volley. Players with one-handed backhands are especially vulnerable.
A topspin lob, most often used when your opponent is at the net, is an effective weapon even when your opponent is at the baseline, but it is also relatively difficult to produce. In baseline rallies, you can use its slightly lower cousin, which can be much easier to execute, especially if you need to follow through behind your head to hit a topspin lob. You can hit the lower cousin with a less perfect racquet angle and a more comfortable, forward follow-through.
Here are the keys to hitting the high, deep topspin:
- Start your racquet face at least a foot below where you will contact the ball.
- Brush up the back of the ball, keeping the long axis of your racquet parallel to the ground at the point of contact.
- Tilt your stringbed upward just a few degrees to give the shot some height. Most players lean on their back foot to create this tilt.
- Try to make contact between waist high and shoulder high.
- Aim for a height at least five feet above the net and a depth around three feet inside your opponent's baseline. Hitting even deeper would usually enhance your shot, but you should allow a margin for safety.
- If your opponent proves too good at hitting your very deep balls on the rise, try a higher and/or slightly shorter version. The higher a ball's trajectory, the harder it is to hit on the rise, and many players don't move forward more than a couple of feet to take balls early.
- Try hitting the ball on the rise. You have to position yourself precisely to do this well, and you'll need very good timing, but if you take balls early, you reduce your opponent's time to react.
- If you can't hit on the rise, your safest bet is usually to reply with a high, deep topspin of your own. Remember to hit up on the ball more than you would when meeting a ball lower.
- If you use a one-handed backhand and the ball gets above chest-high, you'll probably do best hitting a slice. To keep your slice low and thus less attackable, use only a slight tilt for your slice and drive forward through the ball. You can also use slice when hitting on the rise.
- Try moving forward into your court and using a swinging volley. If you can execute this shot, you will instantly flip your situation from defensive (or at best neutral) to offensive.
