The ultimate goal here is to make them hit a shot that was not as effective as the approach or the last volley.
If you can force them to hit up on a volley or hit a sloppy shot you can quickly take control of the point and put your opponent on the defensive end.
3. You are being out powered while on the baseline.
When your opponent is on the baseline and you're being out powered and forced to move a lot, hitting the ball becomes much more of a challenge.
At this stage of the point you don't want to try and match power with power if it's not your strong point.
More: 4 Ways to Beat the Baseline Game
Instead of hitting harder, slow your shots down and aim to hit the ball deep in the court. It's much harder for your opponent to generate pace on the ball when you don't give them much pace to work with.
You also don't want to change the direction of the ball. If they hit the ball cross-court hit it back cross-court if you're in trouble.
More: How to Add Power to Your One-Handed Backhand
It's much easier to hit the ball back in the direction it came from rather than trying to hit it down the line if your opponent hit cross-court. It's more difficult and takes more timing to change the direction of the ball.
If you're in trouble and stretched out, play it safe and send the ball back from where it came from.
4. Defending against a good lob
If you're at the net and your opponent hits a good lob that you can barely reach you do not have to try to hit an overhead 120 mph.
If you're backing up extremely fast and are fully stretched to hit the overhead chances are swinging big will only get you in more trouble. It is perfectly acceptable to hit an overhead at 50 percent pace and keep yourself in the point.
More: 3 Ways to Reverse Your Opponent's Momentum
In the end, percentage tennis, although not always as fun, can keep you in the point and help you to turn the tables on your opponent.
Play it safe when you need to and try to incorporate the above options into your game.
I know it's tempting to go for the big winner when in a bad spot, but I guarantee you that in the long run, you will win more points by playing smarter rather than playing fancier.
More: 8 Simple Ways to Instatly Improve Your Tennis Game
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