Grass court tennis presents an engaging challenge that calls upon unique skills. Thanks to its low bounce and slick surface, rallies tend to be shorter and more exciting on grass courts.
Grass courts tend to favor players with aggressive shot placement and who employ topspin-laden play, yet there are multiple strategies that can be employed on them to dominate points on grass courts.
Serving and Volleying
Surface of a court can have a major influence on what types of shots players can execute during a match, particularly grass with its unique bounce and faster surface speed compared to other surfaces. Playing on grass poses greater challenges to opponents and requires specific strategies for success; effective serving and volleying skills are a must when competing on this type of court.
Top players on grass courts employ various serving tactics in order to take advantage of its low bounce. Wide serves will often force opponents out of position while slice serves will force their opposition up and onto the ball, making it harder for them to return; additionally, this allows the server to dictate early points by coming closer to the net quickly.
Grass courts require aggressive shot placement, so players should be willing to attack. When attacking, players should employ both slices and topspin to keep the ball low and skidding along the ground, making retrieval more difficult for their opponents. Furthermore, players should attempt to drive it deep into corners and sidelines so their opponent has to defend from unfamiliar positions.
Because grass courts tend to feature shorter points, it is crucial for players to seize control of each point from its inception. The first person to establish themselves will often prevail, so players must serve well and look for opportunities to rush the net quickly.
Grass courts provide an ideal surface for servers and baseliners who hit flat with tremendous power, as well as those adept at net play. In order to be successful at net, it is vital that players develop solid continental volley grips and catching techniques which allow them to catch efficiently at net. Unfortunately, many players choose not to develop these techniques, leading them to shun it entirely and struggle winning points from front of court without experiencing high winning percentages in this aspect of play.
Variation in Shot Placement
Shot placement is an integral component of tennis strategy, and especially crucial in grass court play. Since the ball bounces lower on grass courts, the margin for error becomes smaller; therefore forcing players to vary their shot selection accordingly; for instance, downcourt shots are typically easier and require less recovery than crosscourt ones; however these must still be stroked firmly to offset lateral momentum and keep it from going long.
Grass courts give players an additional edge by permitting them to vary the angle of their groundstrokes, helping to disrupt an opponent’s rhythm. Returning every shot across court or down the line makes it easy for an opponent to predict and therefore invites lateral errors; so whenever possible, players should attempt to alter ball angles.
Topspin can be an effective way to adjust ball angle. By increasing gravity’s pull on the ball and opening up acceptance windows (figure 2), topspin increases gravity’s pull and helps change ball trajectory (figure 3).
Spin affects more than just the angle and speed of shots; it also alters their trajectory and therefore requires players to have a thorough knowledge of its effects and how best to use them for control purposes.
Drop shots or lobs are one of the best ways to extend a point, often used on grass courts to break up long rallies or physically taxing games and extend point play.
Grass courts require special skills for optimal play. Successful players understand this fact and spend considerable time training their proficiency on all surfaces – including grass – so that they’re ready for any match situation that may arise. With proper guidance and dedicated practice sessions, an individual can build an arsenal of grass court strategies to dominate opponents in any match scenario.
Variation in Speed and Direction
Tennis balls vary significantly in speed and bounce depending on their playing surface; grass courts tend to provide faster, lower bounce than other surfaces and this poses unique challenges for players while providing opportunities to employ various strategies in winning points.
One of the primary factors affecting both speed and height when it comes to tennis ball bounce is physics concept known as coefficient of friction, which measures how much abrasive force the tennis ball generates when making contact with ground surface. Different court surfaces carry differing coefficients of friction which can significantly influence not only shot speed but also height when it bounces.
An excellent grass court player will know to use these differences to their advantage, diversifying their shots and shot placement to keep their opponent guessing and make it more difficult for them to return your shots with precision.
Grass courts also encourage more aggressive play, as their fast bounce and low height makes it difficult for opponents to adjust their feet quickly enough to reach a ball skidding across the surface. This shortens rallies, making it easier for attackers to win points and put pressure on opponents.
Because grass tennis courts feature lower bounce, it is wise to hit shots without too much top spin; this will prevent opponents from reading your serve or volley and allow for increased net attacking potential.
On a grass court, another powerful strategy to employ is the sliced shot. When executed correctly, this technique barely leaves the ground, making it nearly impossible for opponents to return and return with ease when serving. Furthermore, this shot type can help you take an early advantage at net by forcing opponents behind their service line before they have a chance to respond back with any meaningful shots from their side of the court.
Chip-and-Charge
Grass tournaments have long favored net-attacking players, as evidenced by Bjorn Borg’s five Wimbledon titles won and his dominance of this style during his time. Since 1975 (when one of three Grand Slam tournaments moved away from grass courts) however, most top players have moved away from such strategies largely because modern racquets and strings produce tremendous power from baseline positions.
As a result, the ATP Tour has degenerated into an ever more difficult game of retrieving tennis from behind the baseline – leading to more slugfests between serve/volley and chip/charge styles of play and their opponents than ever before.
However, this style of tennis can be extremely effective on certain surfaces and against opponents who push. One approach might be to return two serves with slices, following their path toward the net before trying a volley or half volley against their predictable response.
Once an opponent’s reply fails, players can move into open court and hit deep sets to one of the back corners or approach the net and try to hit volley winners – an effective tactic against pushers that will break up lengthy rallies while making the game physically more tiring for their adversary.
Tip: Use this tactic on points where your love count is at 40 or better instead of on crucial ones, to use this strategy without risking losing the point. “Chip and charge” points can keep opponents guessing by keeping them guessing when you hit something different from their expected serve and volley attack, keeping the game fresh with added variety and excitement! They may also help prevent your opponent from falling into their comfort zone by unexpectedly shaking it up with more unpredictable play from your end of the court! Ron Sigmund, professor at Albertus Magnus College and widely recognized expert on tennis technique and strategy, can assist you in becoming more engaged and enjoyable when it comes to your tennis game. Ron photographs ATP tour events for various organizations and publications and writes the weekly TurboTennis column in The New York Post.