Clay Court Tennis: 6 Strategies to Win on Clay

Why is it Important to Learn How to Play On Clay

The way clay court tennis is played makes the dirt a great surface for aspiring players to hone their skills, develop consistency and improve their ability to win points in different ways. 

As opposed to other court surfaces like grass or hard, clay is a slow surface that tends to elicit longer rallies. The fact that the ball bounces higher on clay, along with players being able to slide and reach more shots, also contributes to clay court tennis’s reputation for being particularly grueling.  

However, if you can master the tactics, footwork, and mentality required to play on clay, it will serve as a great foundation to help you develop into a well-rounded tennis player! 

6 Strategies to Win Tennis Matches on Clay

So, let’s dive into it! 

Here are 6 key strategies that you can take to the court today to improve your game on clay. Playing on the dirt requires a unique set of skills that can be developed following this simple guide.

Strategy 1: Play with Height and Topspin

Playing with more height over the net and spin is generally a great way to improve your consistency on the tennis court, no matter what surface you are on. 

However, this is a particularly good strategy on clay, as the ball naturally tends to bounce higher, making heavy topspin shots more effective. In fact, this tactic is used a lot by the great Rafael Nadal, who hits his heavy forehand with a lot of net clearance and of course spin. 

Also, since most players don’t tend to serve and volley on clay courts, there isn’t much downside to hitting your shots higher. For example, players come into the net more often on a faster surface, like a fast hard court or grass court. So, hitting a higher groundstroke will give them an easier opportunity to hit an aggressive volley. 

However, this is not such a worry on clay courts, but you get the added benefit of pushing your opponent back behind the baseline and increasing your margin for error at the same time. 

In order to hit more spin and give yourself more net clearance, the key is to use your legs and adjust your swing path. 

Hitting more topspin on the ball requires a lot of racket head speed, and a steep upswing to generate plenty of RPMs. Bend your knees more than usual prior to contact and explode upwards towards the ball, so you produce as much power and speed on contact as possible. 

In terms of the racket path, the key is to get the racket driving quickly up toward the ball. So, whilst as well as bending your knees more, drop your racket head even lower below the height of the ball, and use the ‘windscreen wiper’ motion to brush up the back of the ball and generate as much spin as possible. 

So, playing with more spin on clay will help to push your opponents back behind the baseline, increase your margin for error and give you more opportunities to step inside the court and play more aggressively, making it a great tactic for clay!

Strategy 2: Move Your Opponent Around Using Patterns of Play

Another strategy that works particularly well on clay courts is to use set patterns of play to move your opponents around, rather than trying to beat them with power and pace. 

The slower nature of clay courts and longer rallies that tend to occur on the surface make a counter-punching game style more effective than a serve volleyer for example. 

With this in mind, it makes sense to move your opponents around with spin and angles, then look for the opening and hit into space. To do this, there are actually some repeatable patterns of play that you can use to make decision-making easier under pressure. 

For example, hitting two balls cross-court, then one down the line with heavy topspin, will give you a good sense of rhythm, whilst also pushing your opponent around and keeping them on their toes. 

Also, trying to make your opponent hit three backhands in a row, and then once you have pushed them a little wider, going for a short angle into their forehand will not only exploit most players’ weaker side but also get them moving inside the court. This gives you the opportunity to exploit their lack of court coverage and win the point more easily. 

Another very effective tactic on clay courts is to go back behind your opponent. This means, hitting an angled shot, and then while your opponent is trying to cover the open space, hitting another shot back behind them so they end up being wrong-footed. This works especially well on clay courts, as the surface is loose and it is often difficult to change direction quickly. 

Strategy 3: Look at The Tennis Bros Singles Tactics Online Course

Another strategy that will definitely advance your ability to outsmart your opponents on the tennis court is to check out our Singles Tactics online course! You’ll learn how to implement patterns of play effectively which makes it easier to have a clear game plan under pressure. And the best part is, you don’t even need to step onto the tennis court to learn more! 

We have worked with Ex ATP Professional turned master tennis coach Dave Ireland, to bring a new layer of tactical awareness to your game. 

We’ll help you get the better of your opponent’s using your brain rather than your power, learn how to force your opponent into errors, and implement great tactics wherever you find yourself on the court. 

So, what are you waiting for?! Check out our singles tactics course today!

Strategy 4: Break Down Your Opponent’s Backhand 

The next tactic that we will discuss is focusing on breaking down your opponent’s backhand. Most players tend to have a weaker backhand compared to their forehand, so generally targeting this wing is a great place to start when developing a game plan. 

However, this is even more effective on clay courts, since the ball tends to bounce higher and react better to topspin shots. This means you can get the ball kicking up nice and high to your opponent’s backhand, forcing them to hit a weaker shot or give up their court position.

Hitting the ball above shoulder height on the backhand is generally a very difficult shot for most players to control. So, using your height over the net, topspin, and angles to break down your opponent’s backhand is a great way to produce short balls and dominate the court.  

Playing into your opponent’s backhand of course has the added benefit of not allowing them to use their own heavy forehand against you, so it is doubly effective!

Strategy 5: Ghost into the Net Using High Balls

A sneaky strategy that works particularly well on clay courts is to ghost into the net after hitting a high, loopy topspin ball. This may sound like it will leave you as a sitting duck, and if you don’t execute it well, it will! 

But, do this right and you’ll leave your opponent confused, off balance, and doubting what to do next. 

In a rallying situation, go ahead and hit a high, loopy topspin ball (preferably to your opponent’s backhand), and then, as they are moving back to hit the ball, make your way forward towards the net. Then, as your opponent goes to hit their shot, they will be surprised as you are standing there ready to hit a volley, rather than a groundstroke yourself. 

There are a couple of key points to consider when using this strategy, however.

If you are going to ghost into the net and take your opponent by surprise, it needs to be done off a strong, deep, heavy shot. Ideally, you want to be sneaking into the net when your opponent is already on the back foot, off balance, and leaning back. 

This gives you the best chance of receiving a weaker shot from your opponent, giving you an easier volley to finish off the point on your terms at the net. 

Also, the reason to move into the net after hitting a higher ball is because the ball is slower. This gives you more time to get up the court and position yourself at the net properly. The key is to cover the angles and expect a higher ball back since your opponent will likely be far back in the court. 

Therefore, using the bounciness of the clay court to your advantage and taking your opponent by surprise by ghosting into the net off a high, loopy, deep topspin shot is a great way to win more points on the dirt! 

Strategy 6: Focus on Consistency and Angles

Finally, another key strategy to implement on clay courts is to focus on consistency and using angles to move your opponent around, rather than relying on power. The reason for this is that trying to hit the ball with more power, with less margin, lower over the net reduces your consistency, but doesn’t have as much benefit on clay as on other, faster surfaces. 

Since rallies tend to go on longer on clay courts, the ball travels through the court slower and players are able to cover more courts more easily; powerful, flat shots are less effective. 

As a result, ditching the power plays for crafty angles will often yield better results on the dirt. In order to hit acute angles, you’ll need to take some pace off, hit more spin and use fast hands to hit your shots. 

Sure, when there is an opportunity to hit through your opponent when there is open court to hit into, by all means, go for it. 

But, most of the time looking for angles to move your opponent around, wear them out, and open up the court using a high-margin shot will offer the best results on clay

Once You’ve Learned How to Play on Clay, It’s Time to Work On Your Footwork! 

Using the strategies listed above to outsmart your opponents on clay will give you an edge on the court as far as tactics go. But, in order to outlast your opposition physically, you’ll have to learn how to move efficiently and effectively. 

That’s where our On Your Toes Footwork Guide comes in.

We’ve developed an all-in-one package to help you learn footwork patterns on specific shots, court positioning, and how to cover more distance using less energy! 

This is an essential course for players wanting to maximize their effectiveness on clay since it is such a physically demanding surface to play on. 

So, if you want to take your clay court tennis to the next level and win more matches, check out our On Your Toes Footwork Guide today.

Simple Guide to Winning on Clay

Developing your tennis game on clay courts will help you become a more consistent, tactically aware, and well-rounded tennis player. The physical, mental, and tactical demands that clay courts put on a tennis player make them very challenging to thrive on, but all the more rewarding at the same time. 

We hope this simple guide will help you take your clay court tennis to the next level. 

Want more free resources to help you improve your game?

We’ve got you covered:

• Best Clay Court Tennis Shoes
• Tennis Court Dimensions: How Big is a Tennis Court?
• Playing Cross Court In Tennis

Get our On Your Toes Footwork Guide and Singles Tactics Guide here!