Tennis: The best strategies to complete a point

This article is not for everyone. If your opponent’s mistakes are at the top of your match plan’s agenda, you can now click away.

We will now look at how to end points and consider which signs are needed in a rally in order to complete the point on our own. This can be a direct winner or a shot that your opponent can only touch by sliding, in full stretch with the outer edge of the racquet frame. This would be an indirect winner of yours. These signs are often overlooked or not used consistently.

Similar to a boxer who lets the attacked opponent come back into battle because he is not a good finisher. On the course you also need to know when your opponent is hit in the rally to finish the point. The angles and the game situation must be right for you. Before we take a look at what the optimal constellation in the rendezvous looks like for a winner, we go through the shots available to complete a point. These can look different depending on the situation. I’d like to go through two punch variations in detail with you today.

From a cross duel you have the possibility to finish not only the duel but also the point with a good backhanded longline. The right time is important here. You’ll be matched by the rhythm you get through the cross duel. If you feel that you are a bit more poisonous in the backhand duel than your opponent, you can seize the moment and go all-in longline.

Your opponent’s ball should not be too long for that, otherwise you would have to play a really outstanding longline ball. The risk would be too high in these cases. If your backhand is played with a lot of topspin and your opponent loses its length, you can grab hold of it and dare to shoot along the line. Especially when it comes to the backhand, never underestimate the factor of self-confidence along the line. This plays a big role and can be decisive for your stroke.

Another “finisher” is the forehand from your backhand corner, played diagonally. An excellent option to surprise your opponent on the wrong foot. Note the speed of the opponent’s stroke. Your opponent should already have to act deep out of the defensive, so that you have enough time to circulate around your backhand and stand up well to the ball. The danger with the forehand inside-out is that you can’t keep up with the timing, it takes too long to position the ball and you drop the ball too low.

Your ideal position for an effective forehand out of your backhand is in the half-field – on a too short ball of the opponent. All positions that continue to the baseline hold a high risk of minor errors. You also open your own forehand with the Forehand Inside-Out. If you don’t close the point, your opponent gets a completely open page.

Have you ever tried playing a direct winner from the middle of the field? Probably you’ve succeeded, but you’ll probably have noticed that it’s easier for you to beat this winner if you’re standing a little more in the backhand or forehand corner. In the middle of the field, in the so-called no-man’s-land, you are in the angle trap in such situations. Avoid this trap when you sense the chance to complete the point.

As we have already discussed in the backhand longline, the angle is crucial if you can finish the rally. You should always have enough room for your winner. If you are pushed out in a backhanded cross duel, this can reveal a good angle for a winner. The space for your shot becomes larger than when you play in the middle of the field and the outer line. This is exactly why the forehand inside-out is a “certified” Winner strike. Here your winner gets the important angle and space you can use for the shot.

Create clearly defined features in your head that a ball has to fulfill to be attacked by you. You will avoid slight mistakes because you won’t get killed on every possible ball. Your effectiveness and understanding of the game will increase accordingly. If you use your defined traits regularly, they will soon call up your subconsciousness on the court and you will have a completely new element in your tennis game.