The Drop Volley is a Volley played into the front corners at a slow pace. As the name suggests, it is a Drop shot played before the ball bounces.

It can be used both as a Serve Return and also during the rally to make use of the front court area. It is most commonly played straight but it can also be a lethal shot when played Cross-Court, as you have a good angle for hitting the nick.

The Drop Volley is a very effective way of increasing the pressure on your opponent when you have the T-Position, as you can use it to attack loose shots and force your opponent to do a lot of running.

The Straight Drop Volley should be played to stay tight to the side wall or even hit the nick, although this is not quite as easy to achieve as it is with a Cross-Court Drop Volley.

The advantage of the Straight Drop Volley over the Cross-Court is that the Straight Drop Volley will stay tight when played well and so it will prove to be difficult to retrieve even if hit slightly too hard, whereas a Cross-Court Drop can bounce up more. It also has the advantage of being a reliable way to intercept a Straight Drive, even if it is fairly tight, whereas the Cross-Court Drop Volley usually needs a looser shot from the opponent to be a realistic shot option.

Four quick steps to play an excellent drop volley:

Face the front corners – When playing a Drop Volley, try to step towards the front corner of the side of the court you are on. This helps create a good angle for hitting your Drop Volley tight to the wall or even in the nick.
Open racket face – You should always have an open racket face (if you don’t you should check your grip) but here you might want to open the racket face that little bit more to give you a bit more spin.
High to low swing – Get your racket up above the ball so that you can easily execute a high to low swing and bring the ball down low.
Long & slow follow through – When you are making contact with that drop volley, guide the ball into the corner with as long a follow through as you need. The contact between the ball and your strings should be long and smooth. Like with a drop shot, your follow through should also be slowing the ball down.

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