Drop shots are an essential skill for developing a winning game. I was competing against an Australian player at the 18s Astrid Bowl ITF in Belgium. Let’s call him CB. Before playing CB, I felt like a rising star. I was 15 years old and feeling tremendous progress that year. A week before Astrid Bowl, I played three tight sets against the world number four at the Italian Open in Milan — it was a loss but a great match. Best of all, I was playing well every day -- in practice and during matches. Even my losses felt like progress. My shots were landing deep, I was hitting hard, and playing aggressively. But CB, at the Astrid Bowl, beat me like it was child’s play. He was good, but not that good. He was not dominant on the ITF Junior Tour. However, his game matched well against mine and I lacked an important skill to tip the match in my favor: the drop shot.

I lost because I didn’t hit a single drop shot. CB stood ten feet behind the baseline and handled my attacks and depth. He was in control despite my A-game. I felt more pressure as my shots were not effective. I began pushing my luck too far and started missing long. Feeling like my game was not helping me, I lost confidence and took a 6-3, 6-2 loss. That was 18 years ago — I still remember that match. The match went all wrong for me because I didn’t give him a reason to stand closer to the baseline. I needed to draw him closer to the baseline to make my strokes effective. And drop shots would have gotten the job done. By hitting drop shots, you force your opponent to stay on their toes. If you’re good at attacking deep and hitting drop shots, your opponent won't commit to staying far behind the baseline because they know you’ll hit a drop shot the second they're close to the fence. 

Drop shots are not easy to master but, like every shot, with enough practice, you can get really good at hitting them. Practice disguising your drop shots by pretending you’re about to hit a groundstroke. The later your opponent sees you’re hitting a dropper, the more effective. With a drop shot that is well disguised, you will make your opponent sprint to the net suddenly. If they make it before the ball bounces twice, the best shot they will hit is another drop shot — so, be ready. Usually, they’ll pop the ball up for you to put away. 

The greatest value of a drop shot is that your opponent will not be able to commit to playing further back from the baseline. They will always need to find a middle ground to improve their chances of getting that drop shot. By standing closer, your opponent will make it harder for you to find opportunities for a drop shot. However, to your benefit, your deeper and more aggressive shots will be more effective.