Pro Patterns:Basic Diagonals
Part 2: Switching the Rally

Craig Cignarelli

In the first article in this series on pro patterns, we started with a simple premise. The bottom line in competitive tennis is the style versus style match-up. What type of game do I have versus what type of game does my opponent have? What are my inherent strengths and what are my opponent's weaknesses? How can the strengths of my style prey upon the weaknesses of his style?

It's that simple but few players break it down to the essence. It's not about strokes, it's about points. It's no different if you want to win in the pros or any other level.

The first article looked at the multiple variations in baseline exchanges, and how pro players use their most favorable diagonal to construct points and hit winners. (Click Here.) The most basic patterns are the three crosscourt diagonals: forehand to forehand, backhand to backhand, and inside out forehand to backhand. But this is far from the whole story.

This is because there is a constant battle for control of the diagonals. Pro players will try to switch the rally to neutralize their opponents, and to force them to play their preferred patterns. For this reason, the patterns in most pro matches are much more complicated than simple crosscourt exchanges.

It's a chess game with many options and decisions. So let's investigate the possibilities. Let's look at patterns from actual professional points and see how the top players deal with the battle for control. In this article we'll start by analyzing the forehand and backhand diagonals. The next article will be devoted to a full analysis of the inside out position which has become such a dominant force in the modern game.

Switching the Rally

When your opponent finds himself in an unfavorable crosscourt exchange--if he understands patterns--he will undoubtedly try to switch the rally to one that favors him. Let's say you are in a forehand to forehand rally, which is your strength, and your opponent would prefer to hit backhand to backhand.

To do this he will have to hit the ball down the line. Now you have forced your opponent to play a lower percentage shot. The net is higher and the court is shorter down the line. Moreover, changing direction on the ball is more difficult than hitting it back on the angle it came from.

The intelligent opponent will try to switch the rally on a ball which is closer to the middle than to the sideline, as he will have more room for error on the directional change. Thus, your objective is to pin your opponent in the corner with enough pace and angle to keep him from switching directions to a rally which favors him. If you can achieve this, then you will play your favorable crosscourt rally and should win the match.

But let's investigate what happens when your opponent is able to switch the rally, because you have either hit short, close to the middle, or given him a slow paced ball. The choices that follow are offensive in nature but use a counterattack mentality, waiting for your opponent's choice of shots, before choosing your own. If your opponent is able to hit successfully down the line, you will be forced to choose whether to play crosscourt or to hit back down the line in order to keep your crosscourt rally advantage.

The Punishment Option

To make this choice, you must check your balance and footwork. If you are in a favorable crosscourt rally and your opponent attempts to switch the direction with a less than great shot, you may try to send him a message and punish him for his efforts. Provided you have balance and can step into the ball, a hard drive crosscourt will force your opponent to move quickly and may give you an immediate advantage or a clean winner.

You are telling your opponent that if he wants to switch the rally direction, he better hit a great shot or he is in trouble. This holds great advantage later in the match when pressure builds and great shots become more difficult. It's a high percentage play assuming you can hurt your opponent.

Players who feel they can do this consistently may actually try to lure their opponents into going down the line. Former Top 10 player and USTA High Performance Director of Operations Eliot Teltscher talks about how he would hit his forehand crosscourt with a little less attacking intention, tempting the opponent to hit down the line. From here Teltscher could use his wonderful backhand crosscourt drive for the winning shot.

Once you have proven that you can hurt your opponent crosscourt in this way, you may also choose to roll a soft angle on your opponent's change of direction, since he will probably be backing up waiting for you to attack deep crosscourt. Mixing these two options will give you your best results.

But assume the result isn't as forcing as described above. If your crosscourt isn't a winner or fails to produce a weak reply, your opponent has succeeded in changing the diagonal. He has gained the advantage of a crosscourt rally that favors him. A good player learns quickly whether he can use this shot.

When You Are Off Balance

Let's go back and examine another option: what happens if your opponent is able to hit a forcing shot down the line to change the rally. A forcing down the line shot can put you on the run.

This may force you to hit an off-balance running shot. In this case the intelligent play is still crosscourt, but higher and deeper to give yourself time to get back into the point. This is because if you hit down the line while you are on the run, you will not be in a position to recover if your opponent responds with a crosscourt on his own.

Choosing the crosscourt shot makes your recovery shorter, means you will stay on the same side of the court you are currently on, and perhaps, you can switch the rally back to the forehand side on the next ball. Recognize that this shot does temporarily give your opponent the crosscourt rally advantage. But there are other options. When your opponent tries to change the crosscourt rally by hitting down the line, you actually have other choices, besides hitting crossing court.

Down the Line Option

First, you may choose to hit your own shot down the line, regaining the crosscourt rally advantage. If you attempt this, recognize several things . The main point is you are not changing the direction of the ball, as it has just been hit straight to you. Because of this your own down the line shot will be easier than your opponent's.

Tactically, due to the height of the net and the shorter court, this down the line ball often should be looped with heavy spin to get it out of the opponent's strike zone, or driven hard to go on the attack. Also, you must account for your sideways momentum and aim several feet inside the sideline to compensate. After hitting his down the line, your opponent will move to cover the crosscourt ball and position himself halfway between your possible shots. This gives you the possibility of wrong-footing him. If you are balanced and prepared early, this down the line shot may be disguised a split second longer than the crosscourt shot, giving your opponent less time to react, and increasing the chance of catching him moving the wrong way.

In making the decision whether to hit back down the line, or crosscourt, the club player should take note of his court position. When the opponent hits down the line and the ball is closer to the center of the court, he has minimized your crosscourt angle. Consequently, it is a wise play hit back down the line, to keep control of the crosscourt rally. This also results in less court coverage as you are already very close to your recovery position. Conversely, if the opponent hits down the line and the ball is struck wide, he has created a greater angle for you to hit crosscourt, and your recovery movement will once again be very limited. Professional players, due to their power and incredible ball control, might take greater chances on shots hit down the line than the average club player. When Rafael Nadal is two feet from the sideline, he might drive a shot back down the line, knowing his power of shot, and speed of foot will allow him to stay in the point.

Crosscourt Angle

Another option is a crosscourt angle. If you are balanced and feel your opponent's footspeed is not excellent; you may attempt an angle to drive him off the court.

This shot carries many advantages. First, you are forcing your opponent to cover the maximum distance on the court, that is, from a down the line shot to an opposite side angle. Sometimes you can hit a winner. But generally it will lead to an on the run shot and will place you in an attacking position. If your opponent hits down the line, you can respond with a crosscourt angle or a deep ball crosscourt forcing him to run again.

If he now responds with a crosscourt shot, at a minimum you can now reestablish your preferred crosscourt exchange, by switching the ball back down the line. Moreover, if he hits his crosscourt short, it may also allow you to attack down the line.

Drop Shot Options

Another potential response to your opponent's change of direction is to hit a drop shot yourself. Because your opponent will be recovering crosscourt off his down the line shot, and because the shortest distance for a ball to travel is down the line, you may reply with a down the line drop shot. You will be trying to get the ball to the drop shot location as quickly as possible and wrong foot your opponent, who will then have to both recover balance and begin a sprint. If the drop shot is good enough, you can actually follow it in to the net knowing that if your opponent reaches the ball he'll have to hit up giving you as easy volley. A player like Nadal can make this look easy. It's definitely worth the experiment against many opponents, especially if their forward movement is suspect. You may uncover a pattern that can yield you a few extra points, something that can be critical in close matches.

So that's it for the forehand and backhand diagonals. Next, we'll see how some of history's greatest players, from Pete Sampras and Steffi Graf to Roger Federer, have produced Grand Slam titles playing from the inside out forehand position, and how that position has become a dominant force in the modern game.