How to Win More Matches as an Aggressive Baseliner

Why is it Important to Learn How to Play Aggressively from the Baseline?

Being able to hit the ball with enough power, spin, and control to move your opponent around the court and push them back is a key part of becoming a better tennis player. 

Naturally, when we all start playing tennis we learn that the most important factor is to keep the ball in the court as often as possible. Whilst this is of course the case all the way up into the professional ranks, there is a lot to be said for learning how to push your opponent around the court, once you have the basic ability to get the ball in the court. 

Aside from your own consistency, throwing your opponent off of a comfortable contact point is the most effective way to win points in tennis. This can be done in a variety of ways, but the main aim is to make it as difficult for your opponent to make clean contact as possible. 

For example, if you rush your opponent by hitting the ball more quickly, they will have less time to contact the ball out in front of them and therefore hit the ball later and make more errors. Also, if you hit the ball with spin and throw off their contact point at the last second thanks to the ball jumping through the air, this will also make it difficult for your opponent to return your shots. 

An aggressive baseliner is a player that likes to use these tactics to dominate the court from the baseline, moving their opponent from side to side and then moving into the net to finish the point with an easy volley. 

Another way to play more aggressive tennis is to look for angles that get your opponent stretching out wide, again making it more difficult for them to hit the ball at a comfortable height. 

Playing tennis as an aggressive baseliner has become more and more popular thanks to the technology involved in the modern game. Improvements in tennis rackets and strings mean that players can now hit the ball harder than ever before, whilst maintaining good control thanks to the amount of spin that can be generated these days.

How to Improve Your Aggressive Game from the Baseline 

As you might expect, mastering the art of playing aggressive yet controlled tennis doesn’t happen overnight. There are a number of steps you can take to improve your game and be a more dangerous opponent to face on the tennis court! 

Step 1: Look at TheTennisBros.com’s Singles Tactics Course

The first thing you can do that will make a big difference to your ability to play more aggressive tennis is to check out our singles tactics course. Whilst there is no substitute for hard work on the tennis court, it is equally important to have a strategy and know what you’re trying to work on. 

We have worked with ex-ATP professional turned master performance coach Dave Ireland to bring you one of the most comprehensive singles tactics courses on the internet! We’ll cover how to force your opponent into errors, improve your serve, use your strengths to your advantage, and much more! 

Singles tennis is a dynamic game that can be very reactive at times. That’s why being armed with our Singles Tactics Course is so valuable, as we will help you come up with set plays based on your strengths. You can then use these on the court to make the best of any situation you find yourself in, helping you to be the aggressor on the court!

Check out our Singles Tactics Course to improve your aggressive play from the baseline is the perfect way to win more matches in no time!

Step 2: Use Your Footwork to Create Space

Whilst you may think that playing aggressive tennis is all about hitting the ball harder, it is actually the footwork that facilitates this game style. 

Using your footwork to create space around the ball gives you more time to hit the ball at the right height, distance from your body and at the top of the bounce. This improves your timing and lets you use your body more effectively to create power, spin and racket head speed. This will help you hit that heavy forehand that players like Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have relied so heavily on throughout their careers. 

Focus on small steps around the side of the ball, so you have enough space to unleash your powerful groundstrokes and push your opponent back behind their baseline!

Step 3: Recognize Opportunities to Attack

Once you have got the footwork element nailed, the next step is to recognize opportunities to attack more readily. This is not an easy thing to do at first, but when you adopt the habit it will become second nature. 

The aim here is to understand when your opponent might be off balance, out of position, or about to hit a shorter or weaker shot, so you can move in and seize the initiative. 

If you have forced your opponent into the sidelines and there is a big opening on their end of the court, it is worth taking a step inside the baseline so you are ready to take the next ball early, hit into the space and take their time away. 

If your opponent opens up their racket face and looks like they are going to hit a slice, this is also a good opportunity to move into the court, as the shot will most likely be quite low and short compared to a topspin ball. 

Also, if your opponent is deep in the court and looks like they are leaning back, this is another sign that they may be about to drop a ball short, so it is a good opportunity to move in and attack. 

Paying attention to these early signals will help you anticipate short balls earlier, making it easier for you to step into the court, take time away from your opponent and win more points as an aggressive baseliner.

Step 4: Focus on Timing Over Power

Something that is not often associated with playing aggressive tennis from the baseline, but is still very important, is using timing to rush your opponents. You may think that the key to playing more aggressively is simply to hit the ball harder, but this mentality can actually lead to more errors than winners. 

In fact, focusing on taking the ball at the top of the bounce or on the rise is a great way to improve your court position, rush your opponent and force more errors, without actually reducing your own consistency.

Step 5: Don’t Become Predictable

One of the last steps to take towards becoming a more aggressive baseline player and winning more tennis matches is to change up your patterns of play. Even if you have some of the best groundstrokes in the world, they won’t be as effective if your opponent can predict where you are going to hit every time. 

Think about patterns like hitting two shots to the backhand and then one to the forehand for example, as this should soften up your opponent and give you a shorter reply that you can then take early and dominate the point.

Once You’ve Mastered Playing Aggressively From the Baseline, It’s Time to Improve Your Volleys!

Improving your court position, singles tactics and aggressive groundstrokes will definitely help you win more tennis matches as an aggressive baseline player. However, if you want to continue converting great groundstrokes into effective, winning points, you need to work on your volleys too! There’s no point doing all the hard work and then falling at the last hurdle. 

So, if you want to take your net game to the next level and improve your volleys, check out our Art of Volleying online course today!

Simple Guide to Playing More Aggressively From the Baseline

Overall, playing more aggressive tennis is a great way to improve your results on the tennis court. Taking the initiative, implementing a game plan, and taking calculated risks to beat your opponent is a more efficient and effective ways to win more matches. 

Using the tips above, such as taking the ball early, using your footwork to improve your court positioning, and recognizing opportunities to attack quickly will all help you to get on top of your opponent and win more points! 

Want more free resources to help you improve your game?

We’ve got you covered:

• Poaching in Tennis: How to Poach in Doubles & Boost Net Play
• How to Hit an Approach Shot in Tennis
• How to Return a Soft Second Serve (Step by Step)
• How to Control Nerves in a Tennis Match (4 Effective Strategies)

Now it’s time to take the first step to win more tennis matches as an aggressive baseliner.

Get our Singles Tactics guide today!