The 2006 French Open and the drop shot

If you're getting into the French Open on TV, you're probably seeing way more drop shots than you traditionally see on hard courts or grass.

There's a couple of reasons for this. The main one is that power isn't the great weapon on clay that it is on hard courts because the red clay slows the ball down. So, all those crosscourt blasts which are winners on the hard courts are merely rally balls on clay. Plus, many players stand much further back on clay than they do on hard courts knowing that it's rare that the opponent will rush the net on clay.

So, what's an aggressive player to do?

Well, enter the drop shot.

Because the opponent is well behind the baseline a well-placed and well-disguised drop shot will often be a winner. Even if the opponent makes a great sprint and reaches the ball there is little he or she can do with it.

So, start watching masters of the clay like Nadal and Nalbandian use the drop shot.

Next time we'll talk about the technique and how to disguise it.



Glenn Sheiner M.D. - author of INSIDER TENNIS STRATEGIES The Ebook guaranteed to make you a smarter tennis player and take your tennis to the next level.

Technorati Tags Tennis French Open
Red Clay
Drop Shot