What’s up, Team!?
I’m back with another tactical analysis. Today we are going back in time to watch Roger whip Del Potro around the court in their 2009 match in Madrid.
Roger was using the drop shot very effectively this match and this tactic would carry over into his 2009 French Open victory. Players are always making adjustments and for multi-grand slam winners the masters 1000 events become a great laboratory to test different tactics and prepare for the big stage at the grand slams. Federer was doing this - testing out playing the drop shot with a higher frequency than usual.
We are seeing this again now as Sinner is making adjustments in his game and bringing some different patterns to the court lately. I think it’s clear he is forcing himself to come into the net more instead of just staying back. Very exciting to see how these adjustments pay off for him.
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Tactic of The Week
Shot Sequence
Ball 1: Serving on the deuce side, up the T
Ball 2: Return short straight ahead but in the middle of the court
Ball 3: Server’s first ball short cross
Ball 4: Unplanned
Analysis: This is an opening tactic you’ll see in this week’s drop shot video.
When the return comes short, and you have been hitting a lot of drives, a great play to mix things up is to drop a short one to your opponent’s backhand side. This is a great way to keep your opponent on their toes and will prevent them from getting too comfortable behind the baseline.
This opening position can be tricky to defend if they get to the ball too quickly, so be sure to watch how Federer runs it in the video to see how he manages the rally after ball 4.
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