Pro Patterns: The Angle

What is the role of the angle shot? The beauty of tennis lies in its attack and counterattack possibilities. It is often compared to chess and boxing. The first four articles dealt in this series dealt with basic patterns from the baseline, and also on serve and return. These articles showed you how to establish your most favorable diagonals, and how to respond when your opponent tries to change them and impose his own. (Click Here.) This article completes the picture by adding angle shots. It gives examples of several strategies related to the angle shots, and also how to decipher and outsmart certain opponents. Angle Geometry Assume that I hit an angle shot that bounces around the service line, or shorter. I now have my opponent moving off the court and into the doubles alley to retrieve the shot. What happens next? What are the possibilities? How will my opponent respond to my angle? Depending on what he does, what are my counter responses? The situation can turn in several ways. By hitting the angle, I have opened the court and created a potential offensive opportunity. But my opponent also has the ability to hit a shot that changes...