Going against the grain

Hey Alois,

I was just watching some matches of Samsonov playing, and noticed something that I don't notice many players doing. One of my buddies actually does it quite well though. I noticed that throughout his rallies, if he had the chance for an open court shot, a decent amount of the time he would hit it back towards where the player was, instead of going to the open court. This seems quite effective as you instinctively move to cover the open court, not instinctively expecting the opponent to hit to where you already are. I might not have paid as close attention to other top players during rallies, but do most players implement this strategy as often? Or is the open court more effective in the long run?

Hi Dakota,

Some players are good at playing behind the player and others are good at angling the ball away to the open court.  Also some players are better at covering the ball to the open court.  If you are playing a player that moves really fast then often going behind them can be a good tactic.