From listening to tennis commentators, it would be easy to come to the conclusion that a backhand was something that any tennis player compares to a particularly troubling visit to the dentist – if it can be avoided, you should, because the result of going there will be painful and potentially embarrassing. There is no doubt that a good backhand is trickier to play, and therefore rarer in the competitive game, than a forehand. For this reason, professional players will aim to hit to their opponent’s backhand […]

The forehand is considered the easiest tennis shot to master, perhaps because it is the most natural one to hit. It involves holding the racket out from the body and striking forward, with your palm facing towards your opponent at the point of contact. The fact that it is considered to be easy to master does not make it a less dangerous shot – some of the best individual shots in the game are forehands, with the modern game featuring some particularly dangerous forehands including those of […]

If you want to make a real success of your grass court game, you are going to have to come to the net at times or risk being beaten by someone with greater killer instinct. The approach to the net is all important in grass court tennis – and to a lesser extent on other services – because if you can hit a good volley, you will win a lot of free points if you get to the net. A volley is any shot that is played […]