Wide backhand: Stay alive

The decision

Decision: You reach a wide backhand late. Which reply protects the next shot?

You are behind the baseline. The defender is toward your right, deep in court.

• Deep middle backhand — Remove the angle — GOOD READ: Behind the baseline, this placed shot gives you a large in-bounds target. The ball lands 4 m inside the sideline. The defender travels 1.7 m across court and returns deep in this example.
• Sharp backhand angle — Attack from defense — TOUGH CHOICE: Behind the baseline, this tight target leaves little room for error. The ball lands 0.4 m inside the sideline. The defender travels 6.9 m across court and returns shorter in this example.

What to take into the next point

A middle target limits your opponent’s next angle.

What a good read looks like

The read this lesson trains: Find a large target from a wide backhand. Defending under pressure — deep, high or central replies that keep a player in the rally until a better ball arrives. In the interactive lesson you play the rally, make the call, and then read why it worked or did not. The coaching grades the decision, not just the point outcome — a good read can still lose the rally, and the lesson says why.

Part of the Pressure and defence pattern

Every lesson that trains this pattern is collected on the Pressure and defence pattern page.

Related lessons in this pattern

• Deep backhand to regain time — ORIGINAL LESSON · lesson 17 of 50
• High, deep defensive reset — SIMULATION-BUILT LESSON · lesson 29 of 50
• Flat drive versus net margin — SIMULATION-BUILT LESSON · lesson 30 of 50

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