Nobody likes a dinker. At a cocktail party nobody will talk to him. He's usually a loner - aloof. He's also the champ - numero uno on the ladder. You hate him!
How can you beat this player? You've tried everything and he always comes out on the top. You've experimented with net rushing, hitting short balls, topspin, underspin, wide angled shots, lobbing and drop shots ... nothing works. He's invincible.
How can you beat 'em? You can't. In tennis you never beat anybody. They beat themselves. And it's how you must play the dinker. Give him an opportunity to beat himself. The dinker is the champ only because he has a longer tennis ball attention span. TBAS is the amount of patience each player displays in his game. Some player's attention is good for two shots, some three, some four - some can hit eight balls in a row before getting impatient and making a nervous mistake. If you are going to competitive with the Champ, you'll have to play like one.
Give the dinkers an opportunity to demonstrate his TBAS. Pretend you are a human backboard; get everything back.
Try to move him around. Obviously, this can be accomplished only if you have the skills. (If you don't, then relax, taking you whipping in stride.) Can you hit a short angled underspin ball to his forehand and follow it up with a deep drive to his backhand? Now take a step into the court and anticipate a weak return.
It's tough to beat the dinker from the baseline. This is the playing situation where he feels most comfortable. You must try to make him uncomfortable.
The dinker often sets up camp deep behind the baseline. Many players don't have the skills to hit a drop shot, so he doesn't concern himself with the short ball. This bit of info may prove helpful to us. If we can occasionally play a short underspin approach shot that bounces inside the service line, we may catch the dinker sleeping. He'll be forced to run in to play the low short ball. We can get close to the net and force him to hit the ball up.
Then we can smash it down his throat! (Just kiddin'!)
From the net we have a wider angle with which to work. Again, it is imperative to have the necessary skills before venturing up there. For example, being at the net without an adequate overhead is like going hunting without ammunition. You won't scare anybody.
Remember - the dinker depends on your careless errors to get him through the battle. He doesn't have a weapon. His offense is a good defense. If you use your imagination and not give him free points, you stand a better chance. At least you'll get a great workout. Have Fun!
Previous 'From The Pro' articles