Playing against antispin

Kevin Rogers Asked 1 week ago

I have played against an antispin player. He pushed aggressively and then attacked with his forehand. I did Ok against him, but he still beat me 3-0. I tried serving to his FH and then 3rd ball attack, which was quite effective when I was good enough.

Interested in your thoughts.

Alois Rosario Answered 1 week ago

Hi Kevin,

That’s a really interesting challenge you’ve come up against. Antispin can be difficult to play against because you don't do it very often so the spins and pace that comes back aren't what you are used to.

From what you describe, your opponent is using the antispin to neutralise spin on one side, and then waiting to attack strongly with the forehand once you give him the chance. Serving to his forehand and looking to take the initiative yourself was the right idea, that way you keep the ball away from the antispin early and force him to defend.

Some other things you can try:

• Don’t over-spin into the antispin. The more spin you put in, the easier it is for them to control and return awkwardly. Sometimes a flatter, more direct shot into the antispin will be harder for them to handle.

• Use no-spin serves and pushes. These tend to come back with a slight bit of spin variation but much less disruptive effect, giving you a ball you can attack with more confidence.

• Stay patient. Against antispin, it’s easy to get impatient because rallies feel awkward. But if you keep the ball in play and work the placement, you can wait for the ball that sits up a little more and then attack strongly into space.

You’re already on the right track by trying to dominate with your serve and third ball. The next layer is learning to adapt to the pace and spin that comes back from the Antispin balls.  If you can do this by hitting against it more often, it eliminates their biggest weapon and you can deliberately play into the Antispin.  Remember they can't generate their own spin and very little speed so they are limited with what they can do with it.