The Lob That Got Away

What do you do when your Offensive attach strategy instantly switches to a Defensive struggle to stay in the point?

You've just hit a powerful low topspin shot deep to the Ad-Court corner while rushing the Net and it looks as though you've just stamped this point as over & done and all within a split second, your Opponent flips a nicely angled backhand lob just over your head sailing deep to the baseline causing you to scramble hoping to not only stay in the point but to at least get yourself back into neutral footing again.

Some Players try to throw up another lob to get the back into the point while others will try the Crowd pleasing hit between the legs. Which is the best way to recover and keep you in the point?

I don't recommend hitting between the legs for a number of reasons.

1. Most who do tend to run down the ball while looking forward away from the Court, therefore when contact with the Ball is made, they aren't very aware of where their Opponent is standing at that moment, only to find many times their Opponent is standing at the Net waiting for the ball to to stick away the Volley.

2. If you are simply swatting away at the ball while hitting it between your legs, you have no clear knowledge of where it's going to go, therefore a lessen amount of control and more so nothing more than a Hope & a Prayer that it stays in the Court.

3. It can be potentially dangerous to hit a ball between your legs given you can hit your legs with the Racquet which can hurt very much and/or you can trip causing you to fall and again possibly get injured.

Note: Of course there are those occasions when the ball does actually make it over the Net and I've seen winners actually happen with this uncontrolled method. So one never really knows.

Then there's the defensive Lob where you hit the ball with the Racquet face completely open swatting up in the air like a Ball & Paddle while your back is to the Court and again you are in a position where you are forced to Hope & Pray, given this is not an attaching posture.

Occasionally you'll see a Player able to run around the Ball, basically getting in front of it and striking the ball. This is by far the very best situation you can apply if you're fast enough to get in front of the ball. And if you can manage to run around it and plant your feet before making contact with the Ball, you've just put yourself back into the point. Why? Because whenever you're able to get your footing, you now have a controlled environment.

I would strongly recommend that if you like hitting deep to a corner hoping to:

(a) Place your opponent in defense mode
(b) Hit an out right winner
(c) Hit a Volley away if your opponent gets the ball back somehow
(d) Knock away an overhead should your opponent throw up a defensive lob.

Your best opportunity is to not crowd the Net too tight. Remember to always attempt to keep at least a Racquet length away from the Net.
This will give you a very good advantage and still maintain dominance at the Net because you'll still be in good position for a Volley yet far enough away in the event your opponent attempts a passing shot or lob. If they attempt a lob as described above, by not crowding the Net, it gives you a good step further back into the Court to run the ball down if necessary or provides enough space to back-peddle for an overhead.

Lastly I will say, if you like hitting between your legs, don't wait until you need to apply this technique before you do it, go out and practice this shot like any other shot you practice.