Net Defence (Part-2)
The line A-M in Figure I shows the widest return line your opponent at A can make to your right. The line A-N shows the widest return line he can make to your left and still keep his return in court. The line A-P is the dividing line of the angle and your correct defensive position is somewhere on the line A-P.
The farther from the net your opponent is the nearer the net you can stand, care being taken not to get so close that a " lob " will put you on the defensive. When he is nearer the net your position is farther from the net, not so far, however, as to leave too wide an angle to protect.
The most frequent mistake of players is that they stand in the center of the court for a return driven from the sidelines. Then they wonder why they are being passed. They should stand in the center only on a return that is driven from the center of the opponent's court. The thing to do is to edge to the side of the court on which you have returned his ball.
Generally speaking, a player is "in position " when he has the center of the court covered. One should choose whether he will play "up," i. e., at the net, or "back," i. e., at the base line and take defensive position accordingly. Net play should be at a distance of about fourteen feet from the net; base line play should be from approximately two feet behind the base line. The positions are indicated on the first of the "angle" diagrams.
After hitting the ball jump for the center of the court. Too many people are lost in admiration at their own shots and watch the efforts of their opponents to get the ball, forgetting to make their own position secure against a possible return. The man who does the most running is the man who is always "out of position." The average player will edge over to the left side of the court to cover the weakness of his backhand. Let the opponent place a ball on his extreme right and he must needs outdo himself to make a return. But let him note that he is again "out of position" and that his opponent has an excellent opportunity to make a "kill."
If a man expects to play a strong game it is folly to favor either his forehand or backhand strokes. He should learn to execute one as well as the other. Remember always that the center of the court is the strategic position. That is the basis of defensive operations. The game of tennis requires alertness both before and after the strokes are made. If one is never caught "out of position" the rest comes easily.
To illustrate, suppose you had to return a ball from the star marked B, Figure 1. Immediately after your return hustle back to the center at the base line.
If your return was made from the star marked A after the return hasten back to the center line about fourteen feet from the net. The shaded portion marked "danger zone" is the place to keep out of after you have made a return. Keep ahead of it or back of it. In the danger zone your opponent can smash the ball to your feet.
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