Knowing When To Attack And When To Defend In Tennis

Tennis requires skill and strategy, and much of your success depends on knowing when to defend and when to attack. In this blog, we will look at 3 situations when you should defend and 3 situations when you should attack. But first let’s gain a better understanding of what we mean by defending and attacking in tennis.

Defending in tennis means playing to keep the ball in the court and making your opponents hit more shots than they should. The defending player often plays from behind the baseline and waits patiently for the opponent to make an error.

Attacking means taking control of the point by putting pressure on your opponent with aggressive shots. This could mean hitting deep groundstrokes to force them back behind the baseline or approaching the net for a volley or overhead smash. The goal is to take time away from your opponent and being aggressive enough to win the point outright.

Knowing When To Attack And When To Defend In Tennis

When You Should Defend

When You Are A Beginner

If you're a beginner, your primary goal should be to get comfortable with the game first. This means that you should focus on your techniques by learning how to play each shot correctly. While attacking may be tempting, it's more important that you focus on consistency, rather than going for risky shots. Beginners should focus on developing their basic strokes before learning more advanced attacking shots.

When You Are Out Of Balance

If you find yourself out of balance and lack the time to react well, perhaps because you have misjudged an incoming ball, then it’s best not to force yourself into playing an attacking shot, as it will most likely result in an error. You should instead try to return the shot deep into your opponent’s court and get yourself back into a good position again to rally.

When You Are Playing Against An Aggressive Hard-Hitter

If you're playing against someone who tends to hit hard, you shouldn’t try to hit even harder or be more aggressive. Instead, you should make use of the fast pace of your opponent’s ball and play like a defensive counter-puncher - simply returning their ball with consistency and letting your opponent make an unforced error due to over-aggression or fatigue.

When You Should Attack

When Your Opponent Is Out Of Position

Once you see that your opponent is out of position, perhaps trying to reach the ball at one end of the court, then you should follow up with an aggressive shot. You could move to the net to try to win the point with a volley, or perhaps prepare to hit a more powerful forehand from the baseline.

When Your Opponent’s Weakness Is Exposed

Knowing when to attack is all about reading your opponent's weaknesses. For instance, if you notice your opponent has trouble adjusting from one type of shot (e.g., high topspin) to another (e.g., low slice), then you should take advantage by mixing up your shots and forcing them out of their comfort zone. 

When You Have The Momentum

If you are feeling confident after winning several points in a row, then this could be the perfect opportunity for you to be aggressive by hitting shots with added power and going for riskier shots that might end up as winners.

Knowing when to attack or defend is essential for success in tennis matches. While some players prefer an all-out aggressive approach, others rely on defensive strategies like keeping the ball deep and absorbing pressure from their opponents’ powerful shots until they can find an opportunity to attack themselves. Ultimately though, it’s important for tennis players at any level to understand both approaches so that they can adapt their style depending on the situation.

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