Playing styles and spin

Serve, move forward immediately and finish the return with a volley. Low, fast grass rewarded this style; John McEnroe, Martina Navratilova and Pete Sampras are famous examples.

Slower conditions and improvements in rackets, strings, returns and passing shots made constant net rushing harder at the professional level. It remains a useful surprise tactic.

In recreational tennis, especially doubles, taking the net behind a serve remains valuable because returns are generally less punishing. Whatever your style, train your volleys.

Baseliners use groundstrokes and returns to move opponents from side to side. The style is central to modern tennis and especially effective on slow, high-bouncing clay.

An attacking baseliner pushes opponents back or wide, then finishes into the opening or with a drop shot. Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner illustrate different forms of baseline control.

A defensive baseliner or counterpuncher retrieves persistently and draws errors. Andy Murray and Chung Hyeon are examples. This demands fitness, concentration and the ability to defend repeatedly.

Baseline players still need net skills: drop shots and short balls can force them forward.

All-court players move between baseline and net, offense and defense. Roger Federer and Carlos Alcaraz illustrate how variety can leave few obvious weaknesses.

A disruptive or “junkball” style mixes slices, lobs and drop shots to break rhythm rather than relying only on pace. Fabrice Santoro and Hsieh Su-wei are well-known examples. This approach requires imagination and precision.

Against such players, resist the urge to rush. Players accustomed to an even rally rhythm can struggle with slow, low balls and sudden changes.

The two-handed backhand is the common modern choice and a practical starting point for beginners.

A one-hander offers reach, variety and disguise between drive, slice and drop shot. Federer, Stan Wawrinka and Justine Henin are celebrated examples. High topspin balls and fast returns make its timing demanding.

A two-hander gains support from the second hand, helping stability, returns and high contact. Djokovic, Murray and Andre Agassi show its potential. Choose a technique that you can reproduce reliably, not only one you admire aesthetically.

• Flat: a fast, relatively direct shot with less spin and less margin over the net. Useful for first serves, winners and passing shots, but risky when forced.
• Topspin: forward rotation makes the ball dip, allowing greater net clearance while keeping pace inside the court. It produces a higher bounce and is central to modern groundstrokes and many second serves. Rafael Nadal's forehand is a classic example.
• Slice: backspin gives a lower, skidding bounce. It buys time in defense and supports approaches, returns and drop shots. A slice serve uses sidespin to pull the receiver wide.

Mixing slice into a topspin rally can change the rhythm without adding raw pace.