[MDot]

Try to have some actual tennis talks here. The main problem of a right hander playing a left hander is that they cannot have bh-bh cc and fh-fh cc rallies.

Roger Federer expressed that playing a left hander like Nadal is difficult for him because if he wants to hit to his BH he has to hit a BH DTL obviously. Now my question is: do they really have to?

As I watched and played tennis I think the most important part of the tennis today (even at an amatuer level) is hitting angles and opening up the court.

If two right or left handers play the main tactic is two open up an angle in a crosscourt (usually BH) rally then hitting inside in or inside out FHs are one of the best way to win a point. With two same handers the DTL shots are attacking or more of finishing shots while the CC shots at first the rally shots. If you hit a DTL shot then you have less distance and because the net is lower in the middle you have higher net and you lose a possible advantage of opening up the court. The inside in/out FH is an important tool or any player from the Big 4 to succeed.

Now look at a left and right hander. If you want to play BH-BH rallies you have to hit DTL shots obviously with the disadvantages of that shot. I think it is inefficient nowadays to play like this, mainly because you lose angle you play that shot all year like a finishing or attacking shot so you give up your whole game for a match. I understand that a BH-FH rally is a disadvantage to you this is obvious, but I feel that you give up more with playing for your opponent shot and not for angles.

What are your thoughts?

 

[Phenomenadal]

Left handers should begin service from the ad side.

 

[calvinhobbes]

I believe the game maintains its symmetry because any given situation may be mirror-replicated with advantage for the other player. The problem with lefties is only a statistical one: they are a minority. So a lefty plays, say, fifty matches a year against right-handed rivals, and only ten matches against lefties. This is a tremendous disadvantage for a right - handed player, who only manages to play ten matches a year against lefties. If 90% of the players were lefties, the advantage would go to the right-handed.

 

[El Shotmaker]

Left handers are only a problem for incomplete players. If they trouble you, improve your game or deal with it.

Left handers should begin service from the ad side.

If they begin to serve on the AD-Court, there is a bigger chance to not even get a Break Point, which gives the left hander no opportunity to choke. Given that players like Lopez, Verdasco and Melzer are amongst the best left handers these days, that might be quite relevant

 

[Dark Knight]

I believe the game maintains its symmetry because any given situation may be mirror-replicated with advantage for the other player. The problem with lefties is only a statistical one: they are a minority. So a lefty plays, say, fifty matches a year against right-handed rivals, and only ten matches against lefties. This is a tremendous disadvantage for a right - handed player, who only manages to play ten matches a year against lefties. If 90% of the players were lefties, the advantage would go to the right-handed.

This is precisely the point some don't seem to grasp. That lefties are in the minority. So for a right hander its obviously tough(er) to play a lefty because he is used to playing against right handers most of the time. So typically a right handers game is not based around hitting Crosscourt forehands and go into a FH and FH rally with your right hander opponent. Its usually trying to get into your opponents weaker (BH) wing by hitting CC backhand rallies and/or hitting InsideOut forehands to get to your opponents backhand.

Now when he faces a lefty he has to totally change his usual pattern of play, by now focusing on hitting CC to the opponent's backhand with his forehand and his usually favored BH to BH rallies or the IO forehand now plays to his opponent's stronger wing. OTOH, a lefty since he plays a right hander most of the time is already used to playing his favorite pattern of going CC into the opponent's backhand and executes it much better usually. The only times when a lefty has to totally change his gameplan is when he faces another lefty and the odds for such a meeting a quite low given the number of lefties in the top 100.

Few people seem to say that "well if lefties can hit CC and hurt a right hander's BH , its the same for the right handers as well, they can do the same to lefties". That's far from the truth.

 

[MDot]

My main question wanted to be something like this:
Which is better for a right hander, go in to BH-FH CC rallies or hitting BH-BH rallies DTL to avoid the opponents stronger shot?

Maybe some thoughts on this?

 

[Dark Knight]

My main question wanted to be something like this:
Which is better for a right hander, go in to BH-FH CC rallies or hitting BH-BH rallies DTL to avoid the opponents stronger shot?

Maybe some thoughts on this?

Depends on the player and how stable/good his backhand is. A Djokovic or Murray or Nalbandian wouldn't worry much about BH-FH rallies. In general though going DTL about 2-3 CC shots is necessary to keep the opponent guessing and also not to let him have the upper-hand in the rally.

 

[TooBadFed]

I believe the game maintains its symmetry because any given situation may be mirror-replicated with advantage for the other player. The problem with lefties is only a statistical one: they are a minority. So a lefty plays, say, fifty matches a year against right-handed rivals, and only ten matches against lefties. This is a tremendous disadvantage for a right - handed player, who only manages to play ten matches a year against lefties. If 90% of the players were lefties, the advantage would go to the right-handed.

This.

Left hander BH hits cc to Right hander FH. Same difference.

The one-sided Federer/Nadal matchup is due to Nadals ridiculous topspin moonballs, which bounce so high to Federer's BH. If Nadal hit flatter shots then the matchup would be much closer

 

[BodyServe]

My main question wanted to be something like this:
Which is better for a right hander, go in to BH-FH CC rallies or hitting BH-BH rallies DTL to avoid the opponents stronger shot?

Maybe some thoughts on this?

If your BH is weak go down the line as early as possible and then try to take control of the point with your FH.

If you have a solid but nothing more BH, try to sustain the rally cross court and then go down the line when you have an easier ball.

If you have a great BH you wouldn't be asking this question