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It is 30-40 against you. Does the plan change?
The score does not change which ball is correct. It only changes how tempted you are to play a different one.
You are serving at 30-40. You get a mid-court ball you could attack or reset. What do you do?
The score does not change which ball is correct. It only changes how tempted you are to play a different one.
Why
The percentages on a shot are a property of the position, not of the scoreboard. A ball that is a bad idea at 15-0 is still a bad idea at 30-40. It just feels more justified, because losing the point now costs more. That feeling is the whole trap. The players who hold serve under pressure are the ones whose shot selection is boring and identical at every score, and whose opponents therefore learn nothing new from a break point.
What this means at your level
Beginner
On big points, do the simplest thing you know how to do well. Lob it deep and play on.
Intermediate
Pick the pattern before the point starts, not while the ball is in the air. Deciding under pressure is what produces the wild shot.
Advanced
The genuine exception is information: if a pattern has failed three times this set, a break point is a reasonable moment to switch to the alternative you already trust: a change of plan, not a change of risk.
Common questions
You are serving at 30-40. You get a mid-court ball you could attack or reset. What do you do?
Play your normal highest-percentage ball. The score does not change which ball is correct. It only changes how tempted you are to play a different one. The percentages on a shot are a property of the position, not of the scoreboard. A ball that is a bad idea at 15-0 is still a bad idea at 30-40. It just feels more justified, because losing the point now costs more. That feeling is the whole trap. The players who hold serve under pressure are the ones whose shot selection is boring and identical at every score, and whose opponents therefore learn nothing new from a break point.
Why not play safe and defend until they miss?
Passive is its own kind of change. Handing them the initiative on a break point is just a slower way of losing it.
What should a beginner do here?
On big points, do the simplest thing you know how to do well. Lob it deep and play on.
How does this change for an advanced player?
The genuine exception is information: if a pattern has failed three times this set, a break point is a reasonable moment to switch to the alternative you already trust: a change of plan, not a change of risk.
Puzzles like this one
Both of them are at the net. What is the highest-percentage ball?
Only the lob moves a net pair backwards. Everything else invites them forward.
intermediateWhat do you do with the return of serve?
The return lob is how the receiving pair steals the net. Aim over the player who is still moving.
advancedThey are camped at the net and you cannot lob. What now?
If you cannot lift it over them, make them lift it for you. The chiquita is a slow ball at their feet.