The Nine Line...

The Nine Line...

There are many lines on a tennis court and areas between them. The area normally known as “no man’s land” is the area between the baseline and the service line. It is 18 feet, so I’m creating a new imaginary line (not to be painted on the court) halfway at 9 feet. We will call it the Nine Line.

The Nine Line will help you determine the right actions to take as you move in and through no man’s land.

The intention in tennis is to learn to be an all court player. This means you must move to all areas of the court and execute the shots required… which will be all the shots. Ground strokes, volleys, half volleys, backhand overheads, drop shots, lobs and overheads.

Let’s say you are at the baseline or even behind the baseline a few feet. If in a rally you hit a great shot which puts your opponent in trouble you should come forwards into the court. If your opponent is in trouble odds are high they are going to hit a short or soft ball, which if you are moving forward will be easier to get to.

If you were 6 feet inside the baseline and hit a great shot that puts your opponent in trouble you would also move up into the forecourt. So if you hit a shot from anywhere that puts your opponent in trouble, move in.

Now if you are a few feet up to 8 feet inside the baseline and hit a weak shot, you still could move back and recover to the baseline, before your opponent hits the next shot.

If you cross the Nine Line to hit a ball, whether or not it’s great shot or a weak shot you only go in towards the net. Once you are 9 feet or more into the court, there is no longer the time to recover to the baseline before the next shot from your opponent. The best chance is to continue forward and try to cut off the ball.

Remember the “V” of possible shots your opponent can hit is narrower the closer you are to the net and you’ll have a better chance of getting your racket on the ball.

As you cross The Nine Line you need to commit to moving forward with intention.

“Losing is not my enemy, fear of losing is my enemy.”

~ Rafael Nadal ~