How to hit a drop shot and a lob with disguise

Show them a drive. Then drop it or lift it.

Traced from real footage

See it, eight instants at a time.

Every frame is traced from real match footage, so you see the shape of the stroke, not a drawing of an idea.

Alcaraz's drop shot, instant 1 of 8 — Alcaraz's drop shot: eight instants traced from the footage, frame for frame. Hover or tap to flip.

Alcaraz's drop shot: eight instants traced from the footage, frame for frame. Hover or tap to flip.

Key facts

1
Across more than 4,600 charted men's matches since 2015 and about 35,000 drop shots, the player hitting the drop shot won the point 53.8% of the time.
Jeff Sackmann, Tennis Abstract, March 2024
2
Carlos Alcaraz won 62.1% of his drop-shot points, hitting one on about 5.4% of points, fifth of the 60 most-charted players.
Jeff Sackmann, Tennis Abstract, March 2024
3
Alcaraz's drop shots gained him about 6.5 points per 1,000.
Jeff Sackmann, Tennis Abstract, March 2024
4
After an opponent's drop shot, Alcaraz's next-point win rate was 44.0%, against 40.1% otherwise.
Jeff Sackmann, Tennis Abstract, March 2024

Why it works

The drop shot is half execution, half disguise. It has to look like a drive or a slice until the last instant. Then the hand softens and the face opens, racquet speed at contact drops, and backspin kills the forward momentum. The ball lands short and bounces low and back.

The lob is the same threat aimed the other way. The offensive topspin lob starts like a pass, dips behind the net player and kicks away. The defensive lob is high and deep, often sliced, and its job is to buy time.

A believable threat of each makes the other work. The disguise of the setup is the weapon, not the shot. Drops work best against deep opponents, on clay and against fatigue.

The line to say on court
“Same setup, three exits.”

Drill: The guess

15 min · with a partner

Hit ten deep backhand slices with your partner at the baseline. Groove the takeback.
Hit ten drop shots from the same takeback. Only balls that bounce twice inside the service box count.
Mix all three: drive, drop and lob. Your partner calls the shot as early as they can. Score the ones they called late or wrong.

Number to beat6 of 10 drops bouncing twice inside the service box

More drills like this: point play

Faults and fixes

Softening early

The shot is decided in the takeback.

FixUse the same takeback as the drive and soften only in the last moment.

Drop shot too high

The face is too open, with no forward carry.

FixCarry it low over the net. The backspin does the dying.

Lob too short

Height and depth aren't committed.

FixAim for the baseline, over the backhand shoulder.

Trying to win from full stretch

The defensive lob's job is time.

FixGo high and deep, then recover.

Questions players ask

When should you hit a drop shot?

Drop shots work best against opponents standing deep, on clay and against a tired player.

Should I lob or pass when my opponent is at the net?

Read their balance. If they're tight to the net, balanced and racquet up, lob over the backhand shoulder. If they're leaning or have left a gap, hit the dipping pass at their feet.

Do drop shots actually win points?

In charted men's matches since 2015, the player hitting the drop shot won 53.8% of those points. Alcaraz won 62.1% of his.

What's the difference between an offensive and a defensive lob?

The offensive topspin lob starts like a pass, dips behind the net player and kicks away. The defensive lob is high and deep, often sliced, and buys you time to recover.

What this doesn't cover

The finding that a drop shot affects the next point is one player's result, not a law. The win rates come from charted men's tour matches, not club play.

Sources

Jeff Sackmann, "Effects and After-Effects of the Carlos Alcaraz Drop Shot", Tennis Abstract, March 2024
Jeff Sackmann, "More About Drop Shots: Alexander Bublik Edition", Tennis Abstract
ATP Tour: "What Shot Has Carlos Alcaraz Popularised?"
Match Charting Project

StrikeHow to hit a backhand slice in tennisTo hit a backhand slice, use a continental grip, start with the racquet head above your hand and the face open, and swing high to low and forward, carrying the ball toward the target. Don't chop down. Backspin makes the ball hang in the air and land deep, then skid low after the bounce, so your opponent has to hit up.Serve and returnHow to disguise your serve and hit the T, body and wideTo disguise your serve, hit the T, the body and wide from the same toss and the same motion. Skilled returners read the toss and the racquet face to predict direction about 300 ms before contact, so any change there is a tell. Disguise isn't a trick motion. It's sameness, so the returner learns nothing before the ball is struck.StrikeHow to hit an overhead smash in tennisTo hit an overhead, turn sideways the moment you see the lob, point your off hand at the ball, and cross-step or shuffle back rather than backpedalling. Get under it with the ball slightly in front of your hitting shoulder, then hit a shorter, controlled version of your serve. Backpedalling is the single biggest cause of a missed smash.StrikeHow to hit a volley in tennis: punch, don't swingTo hit a volley, catch the ball on the strings in front of you with a continental grip, keep the racquet ahead of your front shoulder, and step across into the ball. Don't swing. Depth at the net comes from your body moving forward plus the pace the other player gave you, not from your arm. A slightly open face adds a little steadying backspin.