Tennis Tip: Spin to Win!

BY: GREG CROSBY, SUMMER TENNIS DIRECTOR For a while, the general thought in tennis was over power your opponent to win. Today, if you rely on power only, you will end up on the losing end more than not. Spin has become a huge part of the game of tennis in the last few years. With spin, you can make the ball bounce high, change the pace of the ball, and most importantly, make your opponent uncomfortable. There are many different types of spin. High looping topspin can drive opponents crazy. It also gives you chances to hit drop shots, attack the net or hit swinging volleys as you close in on the net. Penetrating spin, also known as a heavy ball, combines power and heavy topspin so the ball jumps at your opponents and pushes against them – it feels heavy when they try to hit it back. Novak Djokovic has taken this style to a new level. Underspin such as slices, drop shots and dinks are great shots to have in your arsenal. Roger Federer is the master of the short angled slice shots. He uses it to draw his opponents into the net, on his terms. Whatever your choice of spin you decide to use can keep your opponents off balance. To be able to hit different spins can raise the level of your game to new heights.