Pro Patterns: Switching the Rally

The battle for control of the diagonals can make pro patterns complicated.

In the first article in this series on pro patterns, we started with
a simple premise. The bottom line in competitive tennis is the style versus style
match-up. What type of game do I have versus what type of game does my opponent
have? What are my inherent strengths and what are my opponent’s weaknesses? How
can the strengths of my style prey upon the weaknesses of his style?

It’s that simple but few players break it down to the essence.
It’s not about strokes, it’s about points. It’s no different if you want
to win in the pros or any other level.

The first article looked at the multiple variations in baseline exchanges,
and how pro players use their most favorable diagonal to construct points and hit winners. (Click Here.) The most basic patterns are the three crosscourt diagonals: forehand to
forehand, backhand to backhand, and inside out forehand to backhand. But this
is far from the whole story.

Pro tennis is a constant battle for diagonal control.

This is because there is a constant battle for control of the diagonals. Pro players will try to switch…