Wrong-foot
How to understand the tennis expression “Wrong-foot”?
What is “Wrong-foot”?
What is meant by “Wrong-foot” in tennis?
A very effective tactic used to wrong-foot your opponent is aiming the ball behind him. What does aiming the ball behind your opponent mean? It is when you aim the ball back to the same place where your opponent struck right before.
In tennis after you strike the ball you have to recover and be ready to cover the higher percentage shot. This usually means you have to side-shuffle away from the place you just struck the ball at unless you hit the ball cross-court (since if you aim it CC, the return would be a CC back to you). So when is the most effective time to execute this tactic? The best time would be when your opponent hits a down-the-line shot because now they have to go and recover to the higher percentage shot leaning towards the other side.
When executed correctly, your opponent will be in trouble having to immediately change directions and cover more space. There will also be many cases where your opponent will be completely thrown off balance by your shot that they won’t be able to reach the ball in time, if executed perfectly. Maybe your opponent could be completely wrong-footed and stumble.
This tactic does not only apply to groundstroke exchanges. You can most definitely apply this to your net game as well – hit an approach shot and hit your first volley towards the same spot.