Dealing with moonballers

One of the toughest opponents at the recreational level is the dreaded moonballer—the player who hits everything back high, fairly deep and usually with moderate to heavy topspin. It’s a winning formula because it’s an easy strategy to execute, as long as you’re fit and patient; and it’s very low risk. How do you beat such a player? Generally, most moonballers adopt their style of play because they are not confident hitting more offensive shots, so they hit high and deep to gain consistency. You can use this tendency to your advantage. The antidote for beating this player is to be consistent—without moonballing in return—while looking for opportunities to attack. Do this by moving them around and waiting for the right moment to hit an attacking shot that you can follow to the net. Once there, you’ll likely discover that moonballers often lob when forced to pass, and this tendency hurts them if you can force them to be a little off balance with a good approach. At such times, the lob often falls short giving you an easy put-away. In any case, patience with an eye for the attack is the way to bring the moonballer down to earth.