Lob (tennis)
Encyclopedia
A lob in tennis
is hitting the ball high and deep into the opponent's court
. It can be used as an offensive or defensive weapon depending on the situation.
in his defeat of Spencer Gore
. For this reason Hadow was known as the "loftiest champion".
A lob is usually hit when an opponent is standing near the net, waiting to volley
. The ball should sail over the top of the opponent and into the open court behind him. A good offensive
lob cannot be reached by the opponent, yet it is low enough and has enough pace so that the opponent can not run back and chase it down. It can win the point outright, although with some risks involved. Topspin
greatly enhances the effectiveness of offensive lob but also makes the stroke more difficult. When executing the lob, players usually hit the ball at an angle between 0 degrees (flat) and 45 degrees (diagonal). Some players, such as Andre Agassi
, Michael Chang
, and Lleyton Hewitt
have developed good offensive lobs.
A defensive
lob, on the other hand, simply intends to push the opponent back to the baseline and prolong the point
. When a player is pulled out of court, a defensive lob is also useful to buy time to run back and get into a better defensive position.
A lob that is not successful (can be reached by the opponent)(too shallow) is susceptible to being smashed
.
In doubles, spin or slice is applied to the lob, so it will go over the head of a player at the net and bounce away from the baseline player.
Some players are able to manipulate a lob so that it appears the shot is overhit, but dips enough to fall within the baseline, often deceiving the opponent. This is created by generating a great amount of backspin, slicing or cutting the ball over the head of the other player. This shot, which can also be hit with tremendous topspin, is called a "moon volley."
In his 1979 autobiography Jack Kramer
devotes a page to the best tennis strokes he had ever seen. He writes: "LOB—Riggs
of course. But Segura
, Bitsy Grant
and Rosewall
were almost as effective. Connors
is coming on strong."
Other players known for having excellent lob shots are:
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
is hitting the ball high and deep into the opponent's court
Tennis court
A tennis court is where the game of tennis is played. It is a firm rectangular surface with a low net stretched across the center. The same surface can be used to play both doubles and singles.-Dimensions:...
. It can be used as an offensive or defensive weapon depending on the situation.
History
The lob was introduced by the second Wimbledon champion Frank HadowFrank Hadow
Patrick Francis Hadow was an English tennis player, who won the Wimbledon championship in 1878....
in his defeat of Spencer Gore
Spencer Gore
Spencer William Gore was an English cricketer who played for Surrey County Cricket Club in 1874 and 1875 and a tennis player who won the first Wimbledon Championships in 1877.-Early years:...
. For this reason Hadow was known as the "loftiest champion".
A lob is usually hit when an opponent is standing near the net, waiting to volley
Volley (tennis)
A volley in tennis is a shot in which the ball is struck before it bounces on the ground. Generally a player hits a volley while standing near the net, although it can be executed farther back, in the middle of the tennis court or even near the baseline....
. The ball should sail over the top of the opponent and into the open court behind him. A good offensive
Offense (sports)
In sports, offense or offence , also known as attack, is the action of attacking or engaging an opposing team with the objective of scoring points or goals...
lob cannot be reached by the opponent, yet it is low enough and has enough pace so that the opponent can not run back and chase it down. It can win the point outright, although with some risks involved. Topspin
Topspin
In ball sports, topspin is a property of a ball that rotates as if rolling in the same direction as it is moving. Topspin on a shot imparts a downward force that causes the ball to drop, due to its interaction with the air . It can be generated by hitting the ball with an up-and-forward swing, with...
greatly enhances the effectiveness of offensive lob but also makes the stroke more difficult. When executing the lob, players usually hit the ball at an angle between 0 degrees (flat) and 45 degrees (diagonal). Some players, such as Andre Agassi
Andre Agassi
Andre Kirk Agassi is a retired American professional tennis player and former world no. 1. Generally considered by critics and fellow players to be one of the greatest tennis players of all time, Agassi has been called the best service returner in the history of the game...
, Michael Chang
Michael Chang
Michael Te-Pei Chang is a former American professional tennis player. He is best remembered for becoming the youngest-ever male player to win a Grand Slam singles title when he won the French Open in 1989 at the age of 17....
, and Lleyton Hewitt
Lleyton Hewitt
Lleyton Glynn Hewitt born 24 February 1981) is an Australian professional tennis player and former world no. 1.In 2000, Hewitt had won ATP titles on all three major surfaces and reached one final on carpet. By 2001, he became the youngest male ever to be ranked no. 1 at the age of 20...
have developed good offensive lobs.
A defensive
Defense (sport)
In many team sports, defense or defence is the action of preventing an opponent from scoring. The term may also refer to the tactics involved in defense, or a sub-team whose primary responsibility is defense...
lob, on the other hand, simply intends to push the opponent back to the baseline and prolong the point
Point (tennis)
A point in tennis is the smallest subdivision of the match, the completion of which changes the score. A point can consist of a double fault by the server, in which case it is won by the receiver; otherwise, it begins with a legal serve by one side's server to the receiver on the other, and...
. When a player is pulled out of court, a defensive lob is also useful to buy time to run back and get into a better defensive position.
A lob that is not successful (can be reached by the opponent)(too shallow) is susceptible to being smashed
Smash (tennis)
A smash in tennis is a shot that is hit above the head with a serve-like motion. A smash can usually be hit with great force relatively safely and is often a shot that ends the point. Most smashes are hit fairly near the net or in mid-court before the ball bounces, generally against lobs that have...
.
In doubles, spin or slice is applied to the lob, so it will go over the head of a player at the net and bounce away from the baseline player.
Some players are able to manipulate a lob so that it appears the shot is overhit, but dips enough to fall within the baseline, often deceiving the opponent. This is created by generating a great amount of backspin, slicing or cutting the ball over the head of the other player. This shot, which can also be hit with tremendous topspin, is called a "moon volley."
In his 1979 autobiography Jack Kramer
Jack Kramer (tennis player)
John Albert Kramer was an American tennis player of the 1940s. A World Number 1 player for a number of years, he is a possible candidate for the title of the greatest tennis player of all time. He was considered the father and the leading promoter of the professional tennis tours...
devotes a page to the best tennis strokes he had ever seen. He writes: "LOB—Riggs
Bobby Riggs
Robert Larimore "Bobby" Riggs was a 1930s–40s tennis player who was the World No. 1 or the co-World No. 1 player for three years, first as an amateur in 1941, then as a professional in 1946 and 1947...
of course. But Segura
Pancho Segura
Pancho Segura, born Francisco Olegario Segura , was a leading tennis player of the 1940s and 1950s, both as an amateur and as a professional. In 1950 and 1952, as a professional, he was the World Co-No. 1 player...
, Bitsy Grant
Bitsy Grant
Bryan Morel "Bitsy" Grant, Jr was an American professional tennis champion. At 5 feet 4 inches and 120 lbs , Grant was the smallest American man to win a championship on the international tennis circuit...
and Rosewall
Ken Rosewall
Kenneth Robert Rosewall AM MBE is a former world top-ranking amateur and professional tennis player from Australia. He won 23 Majors including eight Grand Slam singles titles and before the Open Era a record fifteen Pro Slam titles . Rosewall won 9 slams in doubles with a career double grand slam...
were almost as effective. Connors
Jimmy Connors
James Scott "Jimmy" Connors is an American former world no. 1 tennis player....
is coming on strong."
Other players known for having excellent lob shots are:
- Chris EvertChris EvertChristine Marie "Chris" Evert is a former world number 1 professional tennis player from the United States. She won 18 Grand Slam singles championships, including a record seven championships at the French Open and a record six championships at the U.S. Open. She was the year-ending World No...
- Ilie NăstaseIlie NastaseIlie Nastase is a Romanian former professional tennis player, one of the world's top players of the 1970s. Năstase was the World No. 1 tennis player between 1973 and 1974 . He is one of the five players in history to win more than 100 ATP professional titles . He was inducted into the...
- Roger FedererRoger FedererRoger Federer is a Swiss professional tennis player who held the ATP no. 1 position for a record 237 consecutive weeks, and 285 weeks overall. As of 28 November 2011, he is ranked World No. 3 by the Association of Tennis Professionals . Federer has won a men's record 16 Grand Slam singles titles...
- Novak DjokovicNovak DjokovicNovak Djokovic is a Serbian professional tennis player who has been ranked world no. 1 by the Association of Tennis Professionals since 4 July 2011. He has won four Grand Slam singles titles: the 2008 and 2011 Australian Open, the 2011 Wimbledon Championships, and the 2011 US Open...
- Andy Murray
- David NalbandianDavid NalbandianDavid Pablo Nalbandian is an Argentine professional tennis player and former world no. 3. He was runner-up at the 2002 Wimbledon Championships and the winner of the Tennis Masters Cup in 2005.-Biography:...
- David FerrerDavid FerrerDavid Ferrer Ern is a Spanish professional tennis player who lives in Valencia, Spain who is currently no. 5 in the ATP Rankings and the second-highest ranked Spaniard behind world no. 2 Rafael Nadal. He turned professional in 2000...
- Michael ChangMichael ChangMichael Te-Pei Chang is a former American professional tennis player. He is best remembered for becoming the youngest-ever male player to win a Grand Slam singles title when he won the French Open in 1989 at the age of 17....
- Andre AgassiAndre AgassiAndre Kirk Agassi is a retired American professional tennis player and former world no. 1. Generally considered by critics and fellow players to be one of the greatest tennis players of all time, Agassi has been called the best service returner in the history of the game...
- Pete SamprasPete SamprasPete Sampras is a retired American tennis player and former world no. 1. During his 15-year tour career, he won 14 Grand Slam singles titles and became recognized as one of the greatest tennis players of all time....
- Lleyton HewittLleyton HewittLleyton Glynn Hewitt born 24 February 1981) is an Australian professional tennis player and former world no. 1.In 2000, Hewitt had won ATP titles on all three major surfaces and reached one final on carpet. By 2001, he became the youngest male ever to be ranked no. 1 at the age of 20...
- Martina HingisMartina HingisMartina Hingis is a retired Swiss professional tennis player who spent a total of 209 weeks as World No. 1. She won five Grand Slam singles titles...
- Jelena JankovićJelena JankovićJelena Janković is a former world no. 1 professional tennis player from Serbia. She reached the final of the 2008 US Open and won the 2007 Wimbledon Mixed Doubles title. Janković is ranked world no...
- Kim ClijstersKim ClijstersKim Antonie Lode Clijsters is a Belgian professional tennis player. As of 7 November 2011, Clijsters is ranked No. 13 in singles. Clijsters is a former World No. 1 in both singles and doubles....
- Caroline WozniackiCaroline WozniackiCaroline Wozniacki is a Danish professional tennis player. She is the current world no. 1 on the WTA Tour. As of 7 November 2011, she has held this position for 56 weeks...
- Justine Henin