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Their left-hander plays their right side. Where do you lob?

Both forehands in the middle means both backhands on the walls. Lob the lines.

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Their pair has a left-hander on their right side (your left as you look at them), so both their forehands are in the middle. Where should your lobs go?

Both forehands in the middle means both backhands on the walls. Lob the lines.

Why

A right-hander on the left and a left-hander on the right put both forehands in the centre of the court, which is a strong volleying shape and a strong smashing shape for anything down the middle. The trade is that both players' backhands sit on the side walls, and the backhand overhead is the shot most players like least. So the lobs go down the lines: the right-hander's backhand on their left wall, the left-hander's backhand on their right wall, rather than through the middle, and the drives go at the same targets. Against a standard pair the middle is the lob target; against this pair it is the last place to send a lob.

What this means at your level

Beginner

Look at which hand each opponent holds the racket in during the warm-up. If they are different, lob the sides, not the middle.

Intermediate

Lobs down the line are shorter than cross-court lobs, so they need to be a touch higher to land deep enough.

Advanced

The mixed-handedness pair often has one player who covers the middle aggressively. Lob the other one's wall, and the aggressive one has to decide whether to cross, usually late.


Common questions

Their pair has a left-hander on their right side (your left as you look at them), so both their forehands are in the middle. Where should your lobs go?

Down the lines, to their backhand overheads on the walls. Both forehands in the middle means both backhands on the walls. Lob the lines. A right-hander on the left and a left-hander on the right put both forehands in the centre of the court, which is a strong volleying shape and a strong smashing shape for anything down the middle. The trade is that both players' backhands sit on the side walls, and the backhand overhead is the shot most players like least. So the lobs go down the lines: the right-hander's backhand on their left wall, the left-hander's backhand on their right wall, rather than through the middle, and the drives go at the same targets. Against a standard pair the middle is the lob target; against this pair it is the last place to send a lob.

Why not down the middle, between them?

The middle is where both forehands are. That is a smash for whichever of them calls it.

What should a beginner do here?

Look at which hand each opponent holds the racket in during the warm-up. If they are different, lob the sides, not the middle.

How does this change for an advanced player?

The mixed-handedness pair often has one player who covers the middle aggressively. Lob the other one's wall, and the aggressive one has to decide whether to cross, usually late.

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