Tennis: The right way to deal with lunar ball players.

How can you stand up to successful opponents of “Moonballers”?You have to accept that the match will be different than you imagined.

No matter what you do.The ball comes back high.It doesn’t seem to matter how fast you beat him.The ball comes back high.Even if you play high and short yourself.The ball comes back high.Quite a few players at the club level use this tactic to bring frustration to their opponents’ faces.Mostly successful.Many players lose their patience, then the desire and finally the match.The biggest problem against these players is that their tactics and their own game have to be thrown completely overboard.Here, not only the ego stands in the way, but also an imaginary wall that hides the view of the game.Just because the opponent plays slowly and high doesn’t mean that you have to play faster yourself.

Take a ball in your hand, stand at the baseline, tap the ball and try to play it over the net.Afterwards, you play an even faster ball from a rally on a fast ball of the opponent.Which fast ball is more difficult to play?Right.The ball you let tap.It is always riskier and more complex to play a slow ball fast than to play an already fast ball even faster and flatter over the net.And here lies the tragedy in the game against the players, who only play every ball high up.You can’t shoot this guy off the court.You have to take the detour.

This detour leads you through angles and the movement of your opponent.You need to rethink.Your opponent has a certain comfort zone to play his high and slow balls.This is one to three meters behind the baseline.From there it can be played comfortably high and long without any problems.That’s why fast balls are not a remedy.On the contrary, you don’t move your opponent out of their comfort zone.

You need to focus on where you meet your punches.This is important to then draw your opponent out of his comfort zone.You should always try to hit the ball at hip height.You can take the opponent’s high balls either in the ascent – or in the fall.The spaces in between are poisonous to you.Especially hanging in the fence, hitting the ball at shoulder level, you are lost.Try out how you can handle the high balls.Some players find it easier to take the balls directly after the jump.Other players prefer to let the ball run out first.Once you have found the ideal meeting point for you, you can jump into your next task.The correct distribution of your blows.The goal must be for you to move your opponent.Each of your strokes should aim to get your opponent out of his comfort zone.You must make it as difficult as possible for your opponent to play his high, long and slow balls.

Possible target of your strokes could be: the outer corners of the T-field, short-crossed.Your opponent would have to leave his comfort zone and would have a complicated angle to return the ball high and with quality.You don’t have to play fast.You’d better do it with spin.Another target can be a short slice.If you play it in the middle, you close the angle for a high ball.In addition, your opponent would be in no-man’s-land, which would put you in a better position in the rally.

Say goodbye to the idea of wanting to shoot the “moonball players”.Stay calm, be more patient and accept that the match will run differently than you imagined.Don’t let yourself be annoyed, but always look for the way across the corners and short balls.If your opponent plays a good winner, don’t move away from your tactics.You must aim to reach comfortable positions in the rally.Your patience and perseverance is required for this.If you stick to your tactics, constantly pulling your opponent out of his comfort zone and turning the game around, you will succeed against this type of player.