The net game: using offensive tennis as a surprise

Last modified on17 June 2025

Serve powerfully and precisely, get into position with quick movements and then win the point with a volley.
volley to win the point - serve & volley sounds relatively simple.

However, aggressive net play is becoming increasingly difficult to implement in modern, athletic tennis. Fast-reacting and well-trained opponents capitalize on the risky game. Nevertheless, there are good reasons not to rely solely on your baseline game. read more in this article!

Net play is not only important in attack mode, but also as a reaction to short shots from the opponent. For example, a stop ball forces you to run forward. Experienced players can score a point with a good run and a technically clean shot. On the other hand, if you show weaknesses, you invite your opponent to hit more stop balls.

How to use the net game in a targeted manner

Advancing quickly from the baseline can either surprise your opponent or play into their
hands. The following three factors can help you to weigh up the risk and “dose” your presence at the net:

The player type
‍Agood net game starts with preparation. This requires a hard and precise attacking shot on the one hand and good footwork on the other in order to move forward with agility. The volley must also be technically clean. Versatile players are therefore required.

The surface
Serve & Volley was a tried and tested method at Wimbledon tournaments, especially in the 1980s and 1990s. The combination is still more common on grass than on slower surfaces, where players have more time to react as the ball slows down more.

The level of play
The stronger the opponent, the easier it is for them to counter an attacking shot and take advantage of an advance to the net. On the other hand, where dynamism and stamina decrease, the chances increase.

Prepare and complete the attack correctly

To improve as a net player, you first need a basic understanding of the attacking game. It is important to think ahead and get into position after your own shot - if you wait until the ball comes up on the other side, you will lose valuable time and probably not get close enough to the net. In this way, the court cannot be made “small” and the desired effect - forcing the opponent onto the defensive - is reversed. However, not all gaps can be closed at once: it is common to allow the opponent to play a technically demanding short cross ball and prefer to protect against long passing balls or lobs. The angle is crucial here: you should position yourself so that the opponent has roughly the same amount of space for a longline ball and a cross ball.

For example, if your opponent is on the far left of the baseline, you should also position yourself slightly to the left when viewed from the center. Finally, the good preparation must be converted into a point if possible. Whether above, at or below net height - the volley has the potential to be a winner. To make the volley as difficult to reach as possible, it should be played either just behind the net or diagonally against the opponent's running direction.

Exercises to train the net game

In order to be a good net player, a combination of different skills is necessary, so there are many different starting points for training:

Improving the serve
Increase mobility
Training in understanding the game
Technically clean volley play

Exercise 1 - Lurking at the net

The player stands in the middle a good meter away from the net and has the task of returning the passing balls of the
training partner. He moves left and right, but not back to the baseline. When the ball is out of bounds, the exercise starts again.
The main focus here is on strengthening the game directly at the net and the volley.

Exercise 2 - Net attack with auxiliary line

A mark is placed on the court in advance, for example two meters behind the service line. Both training partners then pass the ball to each other from the baseline, with one of them clearly defined as the attacking player. As soon as the ball arrives in front of the marker, the player sprints towards the net and tries to score a point with a volley.
This exercise sharpens perception and creates a feeling for the right situation.

Exercise 3 - Serve & Volley

After his first serve, the offensive player storms towards the net and is played to by his training partner. Now the aim is to finish off the attack with a volley, either short or sideways. This requires all coordination skills. The exercise can also be performed in reversed roles (chip & charge) so that the player being played to becomes the attacker after the opponent's serve.

Conclusion: Even if net play is no longer as popular as it used to be, it is an indispensable part of a complete tennis player's repertoire. Because if you only stick to the baseline, you are easy to predict and also susceptible to stop balls from your opponent.

Author: Christian Heitbaum

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