Tennis ---Direction of Shot anticipation?

Question

What's the best way to tell where your opponent will be going with their shot in tennis?

I am speaking of the way they approach hitting the ball. Are there any signs to look for? such as their shoulders, their feet, etc?

I am a relatively new player, but I think a lot of this has to do also with being able to recognize the next logical shot of your opponent (in other words, knowing tactics) and also placing yourself in a position on the court where you can get to it.

Answer 1

The best way would be to watch the way they set theirselves up-if you notice pros on t.v., you can tell they almost always go for the shot where there is space on the court. Notice their stances-whether they open themselves more to hit a down the line shot or if they rotate more to hit that cross-court forehand. for their serves, you have to learn how to find a pattern-maybe they like to hit their 1st serves wide and their 2nd down the middle. Other than that, id watch the serve right about when they hit the ball. Be on ur feet and notice how they pronate-this should tell you the direction of the ball. Notice their grip and how they hold their racket-this could give you a clue about how the spin and such should be on their next hit. If you really look at the pros on t.v., this should help you the most. Then apply some of the skills on the court. Afterall, practice makes perfect!

Answer 2

One of the best ways to determine where your opponent is going to hit the ball is to learn what options he/she has based on the shot you have hit. For example, if you give your opponent something slow and short, he will have more angles to choose for the return. If your shot is hard, low, deep, and wide, you can generally expect a cross-court return which maximizes the chances of his ball going over the net and landing space (execptions in this case might be a ball that you've hit so hard that your opponent can only attempt a shot down the line or a defensive lob). In other words, you will learn what your opponent is likely to do, based on the the qualities of the shot you make (placement, speed, spin, and angle). This will come to you naturally as you play more and more. You are already figuring out where to place your own shots to maximize the success rate of your returns and your opponents will do the same.

Answer 3

watch the opponents wrist, how he holds the racket