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Playing a Counter Puncher 09/29/06 By Paul Annacone Illustrations by Jim Chow
When you play a counter-puncher, you’d better expect a dogfight. Here’s how to come out a winner. Call them whatever nickname you like—“pushers,” “backboards,” “walls,” “moonballers”—but the fact is that counter-punchers are worthy and able opponents. They’re extremely consistent, have good foot speed, play great defense, and like to use your pace against you. It isn’t exactly a glamorous style of play, but you’d better respect it because it’s difficult to beat. That’s why so many people dread playing counter-punchers and come up with derogatory names for them. But clever put-downs won’t do you any good unless you’ve got a smart tactical game plan to back it up. From club player to touring pro, the recurring problem in playing a counter-puncher is that we tend to overplay. They’re so good at getting one extra ball back that we lose our patience and try to end the point too quickly. We attempt to hit the perfect shot and instead make a mistake. This can become extremely frustrating and cause you to battle your wits as well as the opponent. To be successful, you have to maintain your composure, accept that you’ll need to play a grinding game, and diligently go about executing your strategy. It’s a difficult task, but here’s how to get it done. BEGINNER OBJECTIVE: Embrace long rallies and look to be aggressive only from offensive positions. A player who’s new to competition will likely be totally aggravated by a counter-puncher’s style. Because you haven’t developed any strong weapons yet, playing someone who’s even the slightest bit steadier is probably the toughest task you’ll face at the beginner level. So it’s very important for you to have the right expectations. It’s going to be a long match and your opponent will likely force you to hit one or two more balls per rally than you expect to. You may even lose a few points where you miss an easy overhead or a simple putaway. That’s a common occurrence against a good counter-puncher. You don’t have to like it, but you can’t let it demoralize you. That’s exactly the reaction he’s looking for and will thrive on. Make sure you’re well inside the baseline when you attempt aggressive shots. This will cut down on errors and lead to a higher rate of success. The challenge is to be extra patient and wait for the right time to be aggressive. For instance, you should know which part of the court you have to be in to effectively go after your shots. Make sure that’s where you’re hitting from, even if it takes you an extra shot or two to get there. I suggest that you don’t go for any winners unless you’re comfortably inside the baseline. Resist the temptation to try to finish the point from deep in the court with one swing. And if you’re going to attack the net, make sure that it’s on a short ball that you can hurt your opponent with. Counterpunchers are generally proficient lobbers and like to have a target at net, so only approach when you’re confident that he’s vulnerable.
INTERMEDIATE OBJECTIVE: Take the counter-puncher out of his comfort zone and attack one of his weaknesses. At this point in your development you have a better understanding of what you like to do during a match. Whatever your style, you have to be steadfast in your belief that you have the game to propel yourself to victory. Even if you don’t win, you’ll still be playing on your own terms, which is very important. Many times against a counter-puncher you find yourself being taken out of your game as you engage in the passive, long rallies that your opponent likes. And at this level, a decent counterpuncher can rally for entire games without committing an error. So you’re going to have to create opportunities for yourself and force your opponent into uncomfortable positions. The typical counterpuncher, for example, moves very well from side to side but doesn’t like to move forward. And they’re generally not adept at the net. When you’re inside the baseline, try a drop shot or short angle to draw the other player inside the court for a volley. This will break up the rhythm of steady ground strokes and take him out of his comfort zone. Also, if you notice a weakness in your opponent, like a soft second serve, attack it. As mentioned earlier, counterpunchers tend to have accurate passing shots. A smart defense for this is to direct your approach shots up the middle. This takes away the angles for his passes and forces him to create something on his own, which is difficult for a counterpuncher to do at this level.
ADVANCED OBJECTIVE: Refrain from trying to hit perfect shots and mix up your paces and spins. Other than your opponent’s wheels and consistency, there’s not much in his game to fear. He can hurt you if you hit a weak shot, but you should feel confident that if you play smart tennis your skills will prevail. Knowing this should provide the security that the right plan is to hit a few more neutral balls and be selective when you go for your shots. Many high-level players find this to be a significant challenge when playing a counterpuncher. It enrages them that an endless number of what seem to be their best power shots come back. If you have a big ground stroke, realize that you may have to hit one or two extra before you finish off the point. Time and again, the pitfall is overplaying by trying to hit the next ball that much better than the last, and then missing it. Mentally, it’s to the counter-puncher’s advantage. His feet and consistency force you to try to play better than you’re capable of or need to. I saw this first-hand when I was coaching Pete Sampras and he was up against Michael Chang, and now when Tim Henman plays Lleyton Hewitt. Instead of trying to dial up your shots, try taking something off them. Make sure that you don’t just bash away, since sometimes simply pounding balls can create a nice rhythm for your opponent. You don’t want to get into a consistency contest either, but it’s not a bad idea to rally a little bit. Throw in some deep, soft slices or high, heavy topspin with less pace to create different ball flights, which can give a counter-puncher problems. Occasionally try a delayed net-rush after hitting a deep topspin shot that forces your opponent to retreat. Or, if you open up the court, try to use your opponent’s speed against him by hitting behind him instead of into a wide-open area. The larger the variety of shots, spin, and strategy you can confidently implement, the better your chances are of success. |
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