Help against a punch

Hi Alois!

I am playing with a partner and when we play matches he wins with exactly the same strategy. He plays a long backspin serve and makes me play a spiny topspin. Then he punches the ball and wins the point. When I am serving he just plays a long push of my backspin serve and everything happens again or if it's topspin he punches it. I find it difficult to make again topspin stroke or just keep the ball low after his fast punch.

Nasko

Hi Nasko,

It is more about the first stroke you play against the long backspin serve.  You need to make sure  you do more with this ball with spin variation as well as speed variation and placement variation.  This will make it harder for him to punch the ball.

For the next ball, if you know he is going to punch the ball, take half a step back and topspin the next ball up.