If you are transitioning from tennis to pickleball, you have an edge. Core tennis skills such as ground strokes, topspin, volleys, and overheads transfer well to pickleball. The crossover is evident even at the most advanced level of pickleball. The majority of the top ten male professional pickleball players boast tennis backgrounds.
However, there is more to pickleball than just good tennis strokes. Pickleball strategies for tennis players often tend to be about what not to do than what to do. Don’t try to kill every ball, don’t come in behind your serve, etc., are popular refrains that tennis players hear. The shift demands a practical combination of good shots and court sense, with strategic approaches integral to pickleball.
So here are twelve pickleball strategies for tennis players making the transition.
Pickleball serves are more than a point starter
At the lower levels, pickleball players treat the serve as a point starter. However, advanced players use the serve to put their opponents on the defensive. A well-placed, hard serve that lands close to the baseline can make for weak returns or outright winners. If your opponent starts to worry about your serve, you are on the right track.
A deep service return can help you get to the kitchen line
Advanced pickleball is played at the kitchen line. Any shot that puts your opponent on the defensive and helps you move up to the kitchen line is good. Advanced players consistently hit deep service returns that pin opponents to the baseline and neutralize any advantage gained by the server.
Learn to leave shots
When a ball is hit directly at you, reflexes kick in. But why play a ball you can simply leave and get a free point? Pickleball is a fast game played on a small court. Power shots can sail long unless the player has the correct technique and control. Learning to judge the depth and trajectory of a hard-hit ball is a valuable skill that wins you points.
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Third-shot drives will only get you so far
From a pickleball strategies point of view, the third shot drop gets the most airtime. Tennis players new to pickleball try to outpower their opponents with their drives. While it may work at the lower levels, advanced players have no trouble blocking, punching, or volleying baseline drives hit at them. Varying your third shot keeps your opponent off balance.
Dinking is a waiting game
Dink is a shot that does not exist in tennis. Learning to play low, unattackable cross-court dinks at the kitchen line is a crucial skill that players need to advance to higher levels. However, trying to win points from dink rallies appears to be a strategy less prevalent in advanced pickleball circles. Players look for the attackable dink and pounce on it when they get one.
Patience is a virtue in pickleball
It often pays to extend a dink or baseline rally until you get an attackable shot. Trying to prematurely end points by attacking an unattackable dink or by pounding the third shot from the baseline may end up benefiting your opponent. It is all about waiting for the right opening.
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Good players can drop the ball in the opponent’s kitchen at will
You are in good shape if you can drop the ball in the opponent’s kitchen from anywhere on your side of the court. Whether you are hitting a third shot drop or resetting from no man’s land (transition area), the ability to hit an unattackable drop when needed is one of the most challenging shots for players to master.
Replace your slice volleys with roll volleys
Since tennis has no roll volleys, the closest comparison you have is the drive volley. The concept behind roll volleys is simple. Unlike slice volleys that float, roll volleys drop just past the net, making it harder for players to attack. Roll volleys can also be used to attack a loose dink or drop, a must-have skill for advanced play.
Expect your attack shot to come back
Advanced players recognize that the first attack shot doesn’t always conclude the point. They anticipate the ball returning and use the initial shot as a setup for a stronger finish. By strategically positioning themselves to handle the return, advanced players are better prepared to put away the return shot decisively, ultimately closing out the point in their favor.
Stay alert, or you will get tagged
In pickleball, the exchanges can get fast when all four players are up at the net. Unlike other racquet sports, aiming a quick flick or roll volley at your opponent’s dominant shoulder or hip is a strategy in pickleball. “Tagging” or “body bagging,” as it is referred to, is part of the game and happens to players of all levels.
The two-handed backhand has advantages and limitations
For a game played with a plastic ball and a light paddle, it is surprising how many professional players resort to the two-handed backhand. While the two-handed backhand can be more reliable for baseline drives and backhand drive volleys, it does pose some limitations when playing balls in front of the body. Punches, blocks, and picking balls out of the air often need the reach you get from using a single hand.
Resist the urge to serve and move forward
Think like a baseline tennis player. Serve and stay back. Moving forward behind your serve can jam you if your opponent’s return is deep. Staying at or behind the baseline gives you options to pick your third shot — drop or drive. You do not want to give away free points by inadvertently volleying a shot that you shouldn’t.
Pickleball is an evolving game. Advanced pickleball players use a combination of power and finesse to outmatch their opponents. Conventional pickleball wisdom may not be the way of the future. The pickleball strategies for tennis players included here provide insights into the game’s nuances. Most of it is common sense; the rest will come with experience.
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