drop shot

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A drop shot in tennis is slicing, putting a backspin on the ball just over the net. A good drop shot travels such that the opponent is unable to run fast enough to retrieve it.

A good drop shot requires great touch. The ball should bounce low and near the net, sometimes using underspin (or backspin). Often if the backspin is great enough, the bounce of the ball will be shorter, and in some extreme cases will even cause the ball to bounce back towards the net. Sidespin may also be put on the ball so it kicks sideways upon contact with the ground. A bad drop shot, however, can be chased down easily by the opponent who will then have the advantage. The secret is having "soft hands." Making one's grip slack at the moment of impact will allow the racquet to absorb more force and make the ball less powerful and less likely to bounce high.

The notion of skimming the net might be misleading. Keeping the ball as low as possible over the net is very useful, but the trajectory of the ball is quite "arched" and may better be thought of as a small lob.

Drop shots are good as an element of surprise, when the opponent is expecting a normal shot and is not ready to run forward to retrieve them. Therefore, a technique of hitting a drop shot is to disguise the shot.

The characteristics of some court surfaces make drop shots particularly effective; grass and clay are good examples. On grass, the ball tends to bounce lower than other courts, which makes it harder to retrieve a drop shot. On clay, the slow surface tends to encourage players to stay far back and engage in rallies from behind the baseline, which in turn increases the distance the player must cover to reach a drop shot near the net. Drop shots on hard courts can be useful, although to a lesser degree. Drop shots are also useful when the wind is blowing in the opposite direction of the shot; this allows spin without hitting the shot too long.

A drop shot hit with a volley is aptly coined a drop volley. This stroke was mastered by one of the greatest serve and volleyers of all time, John McEnroe.