Federer's New Drop Shot

Stubborn Roger Federer they all said.

For the last three years every tennis fan/critic in the world has had words of advice for Roger Federer especially on how to play Rafael Nadal.

Coaches came and went and always the refrain was --that Rog fellow is too stubborn.

We all talked about the backhand return and what he should do. We talked about not rallying with Nadal but attacking persistently.

Irony of irony -- Federer adds to his game, gets a glimpse of the success of his new tactics in the altitude of the Madrid, and then watches his rival crash out in the middle rounds of the French Open.

So, what did Federer do differently?

To this observer, Federer obviously served far better than in recent memory. And, when you have a serve that is as precisely placed as Fed's, it's money in the bank when its on.

But, the biggest change I noted in the groundstroke tactics was the increased use of the drop shot.

We've all known what a great slice backhand Federer has always possessed. However, against Nadal, the slice backhand often allowed Nadal to hit topspin forehands even inches off the ground and regain control of the point.

The classic Federer slice backhand didn't hurt Nadal positionally. What I mean by this is that Nadal wasn't forced to move to a part of the court where he was in danger by virtue of a bad position on the court.

The Fed drop shot forces opponents to charge in just to actually get it. If they do reach it, they have to do something good with it or else they find themselves a sitting duck at the net.

And remember two things. Almost all of Fed's opponents including Rafa are clay courters who like to camp out way behind the baseline on clay. This is great for defending against heavy groundstrokes but makes one vulnerable against a well-placed and disguised drop shot.

And secondly, Federer is a far better volleyer than almost all of his opponents. So, when he pulls people into the net he is luring them into his territory -- a tennis mousetrap so to speak.

So, how can the average club player learn from this?

Well, consider the drop shot if you're opponent exhibits any of the following:

1. Likes to play way behind the baseline;
2. Doesn't like to come to net and volleys poorly;
3. Isn't that quick;
4. Has a poor overhead.

Next time we'll talk about where to hit the drop shot and how to move after hitting it.

Until next time,


Glenn Sheiner M.D. - author of Insider Tennis Strategies Top Tennis Tactics Like The Federer Drop Shot guaranteed to make you a smarter tennis player and take your tennis to the next level. Also, check out the world's top tennis humor screensaver
Tennis Cartoon Screensaver. You can download a trial version for FREE.

Technorati Tags Tennis