Coach Kwong Young

Every level tennis player will be in “No Man’s Land” during a ball return at some point, so let’s have a better understanding of this area, which lies between the baseline and service line. This area means you are too far forward to be hitting a comfortable groundstroke, forcing you to hit the ball on the rise. You are also too far back to hit a comfortable attacking volley. Most likely, the incoming ball will be low at your feet. There’s little chance of “poaching,” since you are back from the net and less intimidating to your opponents. When you return a weak serve or are trading groundstrokes in this area, proceed forward to attack the net. Meet your opponent’s partner to be more of a force and avoid the stagnation formation of one up/one back. Simply put, if you want to be a better doubles player, practice your position close to the net (ABC), reducing your opponent’s time applying pressure, and you can end points quicker.