A
volley in
tennisTennis is a sport played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a strung racquet to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court....
is a shot that is hit before the ball bounces on the ground. Generally a player hits a volley while standing near the net, although there are instances where it is executed farther back, in the middle of the
tennis courtA tennis court is where the game of tennis is played. It is a firm rectangular surface with a low net stretched across the center. The same surface can be used to play both doubles and singles.-Dimensions:...
or even near the baseline.
The primary objective of the volley is to go on the
offensiveOffensive may refer to:* Offensive , a political party* Offensive , an attack...
, cutting the opponent's reaction time. The opponent will have much less time to chase down the ball from a volley.
A
volley in
tennisTennis is a sport played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a strung racquet to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court....
is a shot that is hit before the ball bounces on the ground. Generally a player hits a volley while standing near the net, although there are instances where it is executed farther back, in the middle of the
tennis courtA tennis court is where the game of tennis is played. It is a firm rectangular surface with a low net stretched across the center. The same surface can be used to play both doubles and singles.-Dimensions:...
or even near the baseline.
The primary objective of the volley is to go on the
offensiveOffensive may refer to:* Offensive , a political party* Offensive , an attack...
, cutting the opponent's reaction time. The opponent will have much less time to chase down the ball from a volley. Another consideration is that, by volleying, a player eliminates any possibility of a bad bounce from an uneven surface such as those on some grass and clay courts. Also, while being near the net, the volleyer has a wider choice of angles to hit into the opponent's court. A volleyer, however, must have quick reflexes to make his shot, which also requires a good hand-eye coordination. A volleyer must also be prepared for passing shots and
lobsA lob in tennis is hitting the ball high and deep into the opponent's court. It can be used as an offensive or defensive weapon depending on the situation....
from the opponent.
Generally, a player who advances to the net in the
serve and volleyServe and volley is a style of play in tennis where the player serving moves quickly towards the net after hitting a serve. The server then attempts to hit a volley , as opposed to the baseline style, where the server would stay back following the serve and attempt to hit a groundstroke Serve and...
type of game will make his initial volley fairly near the service line. He will then move closer to the net in hopes of making a put-away volley for a winning point. It is difficult to hit an effective volley in the area between the baseline and the service line and this is consequently often called
no man's land.
A volley can also occur in other sports. It is simply playing the ball before it touches the ground.
Hitting a volley
A regular volley is hit with a short
backswing and a punching stroke. While standing at the net, a player usually has no time to take a long backswing. When the ball comes at less pace, though, the volleyer can take a longer backswing to impart more force on the ball, which is called a
swing volley.
The lower the ball comes at the volleyer, the harder it is to hit an effective volley. In some cases, a player is better off to let the ball bounce rather than attempt to volley it; he then hits it on the rise right after the bounce. This is called a
half volleyA half volley in tennis is a shot that is hit immediately after the ball bounces. The player who is hitting the half volley should not take a full backswing, but should still follow through. It is sometimes called an "on the rise shot". The grip for this shot is a standard continental. Also,...
(although technically it is not a volley) and is one of the most difficult shots in tennis;
John McEnroeJohn Patrick McEnroe, Jr. is an American former World No. 1 professional tennis player. McEnroe won seven Grand Slam singles titles—three at Wimbledon and four at the US Open—nine Grand Slam men's doubles titles, and one Grand Slam mixed doubles title...
was considered a master of it.
Another type of volley is the
drive volley. This is done by hitting a volley with more backswing and followthrough than a normal volley. Effectively this is a volley groundstroke and a very aggressive shot, giving your opponent less time, which can be used as a way to approach the net (approach shot).
Great volleyers
In his 1979 autobiography
Jack KramerJohn Albert Kramer was an American tennis player of the 1940s. A World Number 1 player for a number of years, he is a possible candidate for the title of the greatest tennis player of all time...
, who had a fine volley himself, devotes a page to the best tennis strokes he had ever seen. He writes: "FOREHAND VOLLEY—
Wilmer AllisonWilmer Lawson Allison, Jr. was an American amateur tennis champion of the 1930s...
of Texas, who won the 1935 Forest Hills, had the best I ever saw as a kid, and I've never seen anyone since hit one better.
Budge PattyJesse "Budge" Edward Patty was an American male tennis player. He was born in Fort Smith, Arkansas, United States. He is one of only three American male tennis player who have achieved a French Open-Wimbledon double...
came closest, then
NewcombeJohn David Newcombe, AO OBE, is a former World No. 1 tennis champion.-Biography:A natural athlete, as a boy Newcombe played several sports until devoting himself to tennis. He was the Australian junior champion in 1961, 1962 and 1963 and became a member of Australia's Davis Cup winning team in 1964...
. BACKHAND VOLLEY—Close among
BudgeJohn Donald Budge was an American tennis champion who was a World No. 1 player for five years, first as an amateur and then as a professional. He is most famous as the first man to win in a single year the four tournaments that comprise the Grand Slam of tennis...
,
SedgmanFrank Arthur Sedgman, born 29 October 1927, in Mont Albert, a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, was a tennis player who was arguably the world No.1 in 1952. In his 1979 autobiography Jack Kramer, the long-time tennis promoter and great player himself, included Sedgman in his list of the 21...
and
RosewallKenneth Robert Rosewall AM MBE is a former world top-ranking amateur and professional tennis player who won Grand Slam singles titles in Australia, the United States, and France. He is considered to be one of the top male tennis players of all time...
, with Sedgman getting the edge probably because of his quickness.
SchroederFrederick Rudolph "Ted" Schroeder was an American tennis player who won the two most prestigious amateur tennis titles, Wimbledon and the now the United States Open starting 1968. He was the Number 1-ranked American player in 1942 and the Number 2 for 4 consecutive years, 1946 through 1949...
and
TrabertMarion Anthony Trabert is a retired American tennis champion and long-time tennis author, TV commentator, instructor, and motivation speaker...
were almost as outstanding."
Among open era (post 1968) male players,
John McEnroeJohn Patrick McEnroe, Jr. is an American former World No. 1 professional tennis player. McEnroe won seven Grand Slam singles titles—three at Wimbledon and four at the US Open—nine Grand Slam men's doubles titles, and one Grand Slam mixed doubles title...
is generally regarded as being the finest and most natural volleyer, though some consider
Stefan EdbergStefan Bengt Edberg is a former World No. 1 professional tennis player from Sweden. A major proponent of the serve-and-volley style of tennis, he won six Grand Slam singles titles and three Grand Slam men's doubles titles.-Career:Edberg first came to the tennis world's attention as a junior player...
to have been equally proficient.
Patrick RafterPatrick "Pat" Michael Rafter is a retired Australian former World No. 1 tennis player. He twice won the men's singles title at the US Open and was twice the runner-up at Wimbledon. Rafter was elected to the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2006...
is also regarded as having had one of the finest volleys in recent times.
Among open era female players,
Martina NavrátilováMartina Navrátilová is a Czech-American tennis player. A former World No. 1...
is considered to be the outstanding volleyer.
Jana NovotnáJana Novotná is a former professional tennis player from the Czech Republic. She played a serve and volley game, an increasingly rare style of play among women during her career...
was also noted for her superior volleying skills.
Tennis players known for their superior volleying skills include
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