Open vs closed stance forehand: when to use each

Let the ball pick your stance. Slide instead of stopping.

Key facts

01
Trunk and racquet kinematics are similar for open and square forehands, so the stance changes the feet, not the swing.
02
Open stance loads the outside leg and drives the ball with hip and trunk rotation, while square stance drives it with forward weight transfer.
03
Semi-open stance is the everyday compromise, and most balls end up hit from it.
04
A controlled slide into the shot stops the body smoothly, saves a braking step and pre-positions the recovery.
05
Novak Djokovic carried the clay-court slide over to hard courts.

Why it works

Open stance loads the outside leg and drives the ball with hip and trunk rotation. Square stance steps across and drives it with forward weight transfer. The racquet path through contact survives the change, so the stance is a footwork decision, not a swing decision.

Open wins the baseline for two reasons. You can hit it on the move when there's no time to set up sideways, and you're already facing the net when the ball leaves, so recovery starts a step sooner. Square is still right when there's time and you want to go through the ball, as on slices and approaches.

The slide is a brake that works. Start it before the ball and arrive sliding, and the braking step turns into the load for the shot. The body stops smoothly and you're already set for recovery.

The line to say on court
“Time picks the stance. The slide is the brake.”

Drill: The stance call

12 min · with a partner

Your partner alternates slow deep balls and fast wide balls, unannounced. Call "open" or "step" aloud before contact, then hit. 20 balls.
Your partner feeds wide with pace. Hit open, push back off the outside leg and split before the next feed. 10 on each side.
On clay only: walk-slide to a cone, then jog-slide, then slide into a fed ball. 10 of each.

Number to beat16 of 20 balls hit in the called stance and balanced at the finish

More drills like this: footwork

Faults and fixes

Stepping in on a fast wide ball

It's a textbook habit.

FixGo open: load the outside leg and let the hips do the work.

Open on every ball, even slow short ones

Open stance feels modern.

FixStep in when you have time, so your weight goes through the ball.

Arm swing from open stance

There's no outside-leg load.

FixSit into the outside hip before you swing.

Sliding after contact

You're braking late.

FixStart the slide before the ball and arrive sliding.

Sliding on hard courts for show

It looks good on TV.

FixCheck your shoes and the surface first, and keep it out of your drills until you have.

Questions players ask

Is open stance more powerful?

Not by itself. The power comes from outside-leg load and rotation instead of weight transfer, and the swing is similar either way. Open stance's real gain is faster recovery.

When should I use a closed or square stance?

When you have time and want to go through the ball: slow, short balls, slices and approaches.

How do you learn to slide on clay?

Start the slide before the ball and arrive sliding. Build up from a walk-slide to a cone, to a jog-slide, to a slide into a fed ball.

Can you slide on hard courts?

Top players do, and Djokovic brought it there. It depends on shoe and surface conditions, so check both before you try.

What this doesn't cover

A widely quoted share of high-level forehands hit open stance hasn't been pinned to its source, so this guide doesn't rely on it. The swings compared are men's forehands. There's no measured friction behind the slide advice, and hard-court sliding depends on shoe and surface conditions that haven't been verified.

Sources

Upper-limb kinetics between two forehand stances (ISBS proceedings)
Biomechanics of the groundstrokes: open against square stance
Forehand biomechanics review

Move and reactWhere to recover after your shot in tennisUse the angle bisector as a recovery reference, then adjust for the opponent’s position, likely replies and the time available. The reference depends on which reply lines you include; it is not always toward the same side of the centre mark. Prepare for the next strike instead of chasing a fixed spot through contact.StrikeHow to hit a modern topspin forehandPrepare early and give yourself room to meet the ball in front. Racquet path and face orientation affect topspin, but they do not guarantee accuracy. In Kwon and colleagues’ collegiate sample, upward racquet velocity and a more closed face were associated with more spin. Use the contact drill to explore comfortable spacing, then test placement with a target.Move and reactHow to get a faster first step in tennisChoose a start that gets you to the ball in balance. A foot moving away first is not automatically wasted: in a study of planned lateral sprints, counter steps outperformed gravity and pivot steps over 5 m. Practise reading the feed, moving and adjusting at contact; review the whole sequence rather than judging only the first foot direction.Play the pointHow clay, grass and hard courts change your gameClay, grass and hard courts play differently because of two things at the bounce: friction, which takes forward speed, and restitution, which sets bounce height. Clay grips the ball and kicks it up, so points run longer. Grass is slick, so the ball skids low and rewards the serve and first strike. Hard courts sit between, tuned by the sand in the coating.