Things You'll Need:
- Tennis equipment
- Available court
- Partners
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Step 1
Start off each match playing at the baseline. This is the standard "home" position of any player while the ball is in play--at the center of the court near the baseline. If you play up too close to the net in the beginning, an opponent with a decent ground stroke will hit it deep, forcing you to scramble. The baseline position also allows you to read the whole court better.
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Step 2
Note your opponent's style of play. If she has a shallow ground stroke, or repeatedly hits drop shots to catch you off guard, you can start playing closer to the net, and rush it once in a while in a surprise attack.
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Step 3
Watch for weaknesses and exploit them. If your opponent's backhand is weaker than his forehand, as it often will be, try to place your shots on that side as much as possible. If he is playing too far up from the baseline, brush him back with deep shots. For a slow-moving opponent, use short strokes or drop shots with a lot of backspin to keep him moving.
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Step 4
Use cross-court shots to keep your opponent on the run. Whether you win the point or not, the longer you can keep her running back and forth while you stay relatively still, the more you will wear her out. Take special notice when your opponent is woefully out of place, and fire a strong topspin shot to the other side of the court to win the point.
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Step 5
Test your opponent to see if he is reluctant to rush the net. If he returns one of your short shots and then retreats to the baseline, you'll know that he doesn't like to volley. Continue to hit short shots and drop shots to keep him running up and down the court, wearing him out. If he is not a net player, try hitting high lobs when he is up close. He will most likely not know how to slam them, and will often miss the ball entirely.
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Step 6
Keep yourself in the best possible position by returning to center court after every shot. When your opponent hits a short shot, rush to get to it and then stay up at the net to keep the pressure on. You can volley from here, using surgical strikes to put the ball right where your opponent is not.
