Interactive Forum April 2009: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga Point Sequences

[EricMatuszewski]

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga Point Sequences 1



Jo-Wilfried Tsonga Point Sequences 2

[EricMatuszewski]

QuickTime Versions

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga Point Sequences 1




Jo-Wilfried Tsonga Point Sequences 2

[tommyt]

I never realized that Tsonga plays so far behind the baseline. I understand that in the 1st video Tsonga is hitting a 2nd serve so he may be on the defensive from the start but the 2nd video shows him returning a 2nd serve and he still is far behind the baseline. Is this his normal court position? Do you think it would be more productive if he moved up?

[uspta146749877]

Far behind baseline on return of a second serve

I never realized that Tsonga plays so far behind the baseline. I understand that in the 1st video Tsonga is hitting a 2nd serve so he may be on the defensive from the start but the 2nd video shows him returning a 2nd serve and he still is far behind the baseline. Is this his normal court position? Do you think it would be more productive if he moved up?

There is a school of thinking saying that being far behind baseline on return of
a second serve allows to generate more powerful return of serve/longer swing.
An opposite school ( see Williams sisters) disagree.

[John Yandell]

Interesting question!

I just picked the sequences because of length--he didn't play many long points at Indian Wells. When we put him up in the Stroke Archive later this year you'll be able to judge his court position on dozens and dozens of shots.

[normand_trempe]

how far back should you stand in a rally phase ?

I never realized that Tsonga plays so far behind the baseline. I understand that in the 1st video Tsonga is hitting a 2nd serve so he may be on the defensive from the start but the 2nd video shows him returning a 2nd serve and he still is far behind the baseline. Is this his normal court position? Do you think it would be more productive if he moved up?

Interesting question !

I am not shure if you are asking if he should stand that far back on the return of second serve or in general in the rallies. For the return i think the previous message sums it up. Now for the rallies i would say every pro player stand that far behind the baseline because of the speed and depth of the rally balls at that level although I have also noticed that a lot of french players seem happy to rally from a bit further behind the court. You will see Monfils, Clement, Simon and others that far back and happy to rally there until they get a good opportunity to attack or until they are in a counterattack phase. They seem to like to bait theyr opponent from that far back the french players, waiting for the ball to fall down before they hit it more then Federer would do. I think this is a caracteristic of natural counterattackers, like Murray etc. to rally like that.
Maybe it is a cultural thing also because most americans don't stay in that rally phase this far back as long. Here everyone is taught you should try and stay as close to the baseline as possible and hit the ball at it's apex as much as possible. I personnaly would say it depends on your personality although every good player or aspiring good player needs to know certain basic laws of point play as to where you should recover after every hit in relation to the baseline. Even Andre Agassi who has been an agressive baseline player on top of the baseline for a longtime in his career can play from that far back when it is the time to do so.
I am not shure it would be more productive if Tsonga were to play up more closer to the baseline in his rallies because that is the way he has always played and also in those sequences it is hard to judge because you dont see where his ball goes after he hits, and where the opponent is positioned, two events that determine where he should stand when his opponent hits the ball