Tennis 101 - How to Beat a Serve and Volley Player

A graduate of the MD program at the Medical College of Wisconsin, Dr. Melissa Macias has worked as a neurosurgeon in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Rockford, Illinois. In her free time, Dr. Melissa Macias enjoys playing tennis weekly.

In tennis, players are often startled when they first play against a serve and volley player, whose goal is to apply pressure and come to the net as quickly as possible. The serve and volley style represents one of the most aggressive tactics in tennis, making it difficult for opposing players to find room to breathe on the court. 

To beat the serve and volley player, opposing players must hit clean passing shots once their opponent charges the net. The skill and accuracy of professional players enables them to hit passing shots with considerable consistency, while less-experienced players may find it harder to accomplish this task. Players can keep opponents off the net by returning serves low at the feet and hitting early lobs. When the serve and volley player is at the baseline, players must hit their shots deep and test their opponents’ ability to play from the baseline rather than at the net.