Three Secrets for Destroying Pushers

[John Yandell]

Blake,

Only thing I can say is awesome. Good job not falling for his nice guy I have a son your age stick too...

[GeoffWilliams]

I've also found it effective to play two feet inside the baseline, and back up if they hit deep. They depend on hitting short slices, and the tactic makes them try to do something they don't like to do. Talked to mats wilander yesterday at the berkeley tennis club. He hardly missed any shots at all the whole time. (3 sessions) he was there. He has five racquets, all strung with different string. Doesn't care about equipment at all. He was a master pusher.

He said Edberg had the best volley of all time. I agreed. He said, people would not go at him but only try to pass, and that was intimidating, as Edberg made himself bigger. He said, it was your job as a volleyer to make people fear you at the net, and intimidate them. He said, the footwork for overheads, had to be running back while craning your neck back, and then leaping, and he made fun of Sampras, and lifted his knees up like Pete did to make it seem it was higher up. He made fun of macs volley. He mentioned Rafter, cash, as having good volleys also. He did not mention that Edberg almost sat down in his split step coming in, and how that put his center of gravity lower, and made it easier to cut laterally/faster, same thing Djokovic does on his return, almost sit down.

[stotty]

Wide split step..

He said Edberg had the best volley of all time. I agreed. He said, people would not go at him but only try to pass, and that was intimidating, as Edberg made himself bigger. He said, it was your job as a volleyer to make people fear you at the net, and intimidate them. He said, the footwork for overheads, had to be running back while craning your neck back, and then leaping, and he made fun of Sampras, and lifted his knees up like Pete did to make it seem it was higher up. He made fun of macs volley. He mentioned Rafter, cash, as having good volleys also. He did not mention that Edberg almost sat down in his split step coming in, and how that put his center of gravity lower, and made it easier to cut laterally/faster, same thing Djokovic does on his return, almost sit down.

Interesting, geoff. You'd think having such a wide split step like Edberg would lower you too much and make it harder to take off...obviously this is not the case...when I try it doesn't work for me...but then these guys are so much more athletic.

I always thought Edberg had a less than world-class overhead which could have been exploited more by opponents....rather than feeding him volleys to put away.

[GeoffWilliams]

He had very fast footwork, and was able to also leap backwards. He did not "snap back" as the top oh hitters do.