Years ago in a press interview at the SAP (then Sybase) Open, when asked what it felt like to play perfect tennis, Pete Sampras (with considerable modesty) replied, “About once a month it does feel that way, but only when my shots and my decisions are perfect.” And for us mortals, I would translate as follows, that for each and every shot, Pete was making decisions about placement, speed, and spin. Or put another, on each shot Pete was making decisions about the degree of offense or defense he should attempt.

Coaching many of our USTA teams, I watch our players hone their approach shots, move to the net, and try to finish with a volley. Certainly, on the other side of the net the opponents, who are under attack, should drive the ball low or lob. But the question I ask them, and now you the reader, is, “When should the defender drive the ball and when should the defender lob?” I believe the answer lies in the depth of the approach shot. Simply put, if the opponent approaches with a deep and difficult ball, then the best reply, at any level of skill, is the lob. If the opponent approaches with something not deep or difficult, then the best reply is the drive. Unfortunately, I do not see this simply strategy adhered to, much less understood, across the recreational league fields of play.

And this also dovetails with the previous newsletter on doubles partnering. If I am at the net, my partner is at the baseline, and the opponents approach crosscourt to my partner, I would prefer to know when my partner would be lobbing, for in that scenario I would take a few steps back. And equally, I would prefer to know when my partner would be driving the ball, for in that scenario I would hold my ground ready and waiting to take steps forward if indeed their drive was low.

But the problem is that if the baseliner has no guidelines or “rules” about when to drive and when to lob, his partner has no reasonable way to position accordingly. This does not mean lob all the time, nor does it mean drive all the time. It means, decide, and base that decision on the quality of the opponent’s approach.

And just as the serve and volley may have become a lost art, we don’t see all that much lobbing in the professional game, so this shot is not effectively showcased. But think back some 20 years, to the American champion Jimmy Connors. The classic highlight reel shows him retrieving overheads from Paul Harhius, with four consecutive lobs punctuated by a running down the line backhand pass and the double fist pump for the crowd. Lobs work, Jimmy knew it, do you?

So let’s envision you on the baseline, playing doubles, in a crosscourt exchange. Your shot is short, they move forward, and drive the ball deep and quite close to the baseline. No time to run back, you are more or less trapped by this ball. Now what?

The answer is finesse. The answer is a short stroke both on the backswing and the follow through. The answer is feel, not power. The answer is a lob. No need for topspin. No need for a well placed ball back to the opponent’s baseline. Simply put the ball up. After all, UP does in fact mean UP.

Difficulties arise when we panic. Somehow the deep approach elicits a rushed backswing, and any speed at the start of this motion results in speed throughout. The secret is to practice a calm slow response in this situation. More or less a half volley with a pronounced UP bump. Let me say it again, for truly this shot does work wonders in emergencies, a half volley with a pronounced UP bump.

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