Arguably the best volleyer in the game now, Tim Henman is well-known around the tennis community for his excellent "touch".

A volley in tennis is a shot that is hit before the ball bounces on the ground. Generally a player hits a volley while standing near the net, although there are instances where it is executed farther back, in the middle of the tennis court or even near the baseline. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2272x1704, 1278 KB) Tim Henman performs a backhand volley at the Wimbledon tournament in 2004. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2272x1704, 1278 KB) Tim Henman performs a backhand volley at the Wimbledon tournament in 2004. ... Timothy Henry Tim Henman OBE (born September 6, 1974 in Oxford) is a British tennis player. ... There are eight basic shots in the game of tennis: the serve, forehand, backhand, volley, half volley (pick-up ball), overhead smash, drop shot, and lob. ... For information on the forehand of a horse, see forehand (horse) A forehand. ... Justine Henin has one of the best one-handed backhands in todays tennis The backhand in tennis is a stroke hit by swinging the racquet away from ones body in the direction of where the player wants the ball to go. ... The Australian Frank Sedgman was one of the great serve-and-volleyers A serve (or, more formally, a service) in tennis is a shot to start a point. ... A half volley in tennis is a shot that is hit immediately after the ball bounces. ... A lob in tennis is hitting the ball high and deep into the opponents court. ... An overhead smash in tennis is a shot that is hit above the head with a serve-like motion. ... A drop shot in tennis is tapping the ball just over the net so that the opponent is unable to run fast enough to retrieve it. ... For other uses, see Tennis (disambiguation). ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

The primary objective of the volley is to go on the offensive, cutting the opponent's reaction time. The opponent will have much less time to chase down the ball from a volley. Another consideration is that, by volleying, a player eliminates any possibility of a bad bounce from an uneven surface such as those on some grass and clay courts. Also, while being near the net, the volleyer has a wider choice of angles to hit into the opponent's court. A volleyer, however, must have quick reflexes to make his shot, which also requires a good hand-eye coordination. A volleyer must also be prepared for passing shots and lobs from the opponent. Offensive may relate to In sports or combat, the team which is attacking, pitching or moving forwards In language or morals, terms and concepts which are unacceptable to some people, such as swearing and profanity. ... A lob in tennis is hitting the ball high and deep into the opponents court. ...

Generally, a player who advances to the net in the serve and volley type of game will make his initial volley fairly near the service line. He will then move closer to the net in hopes of making a put-away volley for a winning point. It is difficult to hit an effective volley in the area between the baseline and the service line and this is consequently often called no man's land. Serve and volley is a strategy used in lawn tennis (and rarely in real tennis)Not many players bother to try to serve and volley in this time of tennis due to the hard hitting players we have these days in the game. ...

A volley can also occur in other sports. It is simply playing the ball before it touches the ground.

Hitting a volley

A regular volley is hit with a short backswing and a punching stroke. While standing at the net, a player usually has no time to take a long backswing. When the ball comes at less pace, though, the volleyer can take a longer backswing to impart more force on the ball, which is called a swing volley.

The lower the ball comes at the volleyer, the harder it is to hit an effective volley. In some cases, a player is better off to let the ball bounce rather than attempt to volley it; he then hits it on the rise right after the bounce. This is called a half volley (although technically it is not a volley) and is one of the most difficult shots in tennis; John McEnroe, who had superb hand-eye coordination, was a master of it. A half volley in tennis is a shot that is hit immediately after the ball bounces. ... John Patrick McEnroe, Jr. ...

Another type of volley is the drive volley. This is done by hitting a volley with more backswing and followthrough than a normal volley. Effectively this is a volley groundstoke and a very aggressive shot, giving your opponent less time, which can be used as a way to approach the net (approach shot).

Great volleyers

In his 1979 autobiography Jack Kramer, who had a fine volley himself, devotes a page to the best tennis strokes he had ever seen. He writes: "FOREHAND VOLLEY—Wilmer Allison of Texas, who won the 1935 Forest Hills, had the best I ever saw as a kid, and I've never seen anyone since hit one better. Budge Patty came closest, then Newcombe. BACKHAND VOLLEY—Close among Budge, Sedgman and Rosewall, with Sedgman getting the edge probably because of his quickness. Schroeder and Trabert were almost as outstanding." Also: 1979 by Smashing Pumpkins. ... Jack Kramer as an amateur in 1947 John Albert Kramer (b. ... Wilmer Lawson Allison, Jr. ... Forest Hills is the name of some places in the United States of America: Forest Hills, Kentucky Forest Hills, Massachusetts (a suburb of Boston) Forest Hills, Michigan (a census-designated place) Forest Hills, Pennsylvania Forest Hills is also the name of a neighborhood in the borough of Queens in New... John Budge Patty (February 11, 1924) was an American male tennis player. ... John Newcombe. ... Don Budge hitting a backhand as an amateur in 1935 John Donald (Don or Donnie) Budge (June 13, 1915 – January 26, 2000) was an American tennis champion who was a World No. ... Frank Allan Sedgman, born October 29, 1927, in Mt. ... Ken Rosewall and Lew Hoad in a 1952 Davis Cup doubles match Ken Robert Rosewall (born November 2, 1934 in Sydney, Australia) is a former champion tennis player with a renowned backhand who enjoyed an exceptionally long career at the highest levels, from the early 1950s to the early 1970s. ... Fred(e)rick Rudolph Ted Schroeder (born July 20, 1921) was an American male tennis player. ... Marion Anthony Trabert (born August 16, 1930 in Cincinnati, Ohio) is a former star tennis player and longtime tennis author, TV commentator, instructor, and motivation speaker. ...

Among open era (post 1968) male players, John McEnroe is generally regarded as being the finest and most natural volleyer, though some consider Stefan Edberg to have been equally as profficient. Patrick Rafter is also regarded as having had one of the finest volleys in recent times. John Patrick McEnroe, Jr. ... Stefan Bengt Edberg (born January 19, 1966 in Västervik, Sweden) is a former World No. ... Patrick Michael Rafter (born 28 December 1972) is an Australian former World No. ...

Among open era female players, Martina Navrátilová is considered to be the outstanding volleyer. Jana Novotná was also noted for her superior volleying skills. Martina Navrátilová (b. ... Jana Novotná (b. ...

Tennis players known for their superior volleying skills include

• Vinnie Richards
• Jack Kramer
• Frank Sedgman
• Lew Hoad
• Rod Laver
• Ken Rosewall
• John McEnroe
• Stefan Edberg
• Jonas Björkman
• Patrick Rafter
• Boris Becker
• Pete Sampras
• Max Mirnyi
• Martina Navrátilová
• Jana Novotná
• Maria Ester Bueno
• Tim Henman
• Martina Hingis
• Amelie Mauresmo
• Roger Federer
• Radek Stepanek

Vincent (Vinnie) Richards (1903—1959) was a top American tennis player in the early decades of the 20th Century, known as a superlative volleyer. ... Jack Kramer as an amateur in 1947 John Albert Kramer (b. ... Frank Allan Sedgman, born October 29, 1927, in Mt. ... Lewis Alan Hoad, born November 23, 1934 in Glebe, New South Wales, Australia - died July 3, 1994 in Fuengirola, Spain, was a champion tennis player. ... For the arena in Melbourne Park used for show matches in the Australian Open, see Rod Laver Arena Rodney George (Rod) Laver MBE (born August 9, 1938, in Rockhampton, Australia) is a former tennis player from Australia who was the World No. ... Ken Rosewall and Lew Hoad in a 1952 Davis Cup doubles match Ken Robert Rosewall (born November 2, 1934 in Sydney, Australia) is a former champion tennis player with a renowned backhand who enjoyed an exceptionally long career at the highest levels, from the early 1950s to the early 1970s. ... John Patrick McEnroe, Jr. ... Stefan Bengt Edberg (born January 19, 1966 in Västervik, Sweden) is a former World No. ... Jonas Lars Björkman (pronounced: YO-nas BYERK-mann) (born March 23, 1972, Alvesta, Sweden) is a Swedish professional male tennis player and former World No. ... Patrick Michael Rafter (born 28 December 1972) is an Australian former World No. ... Boris Franz Becker (born November 22, 1967) is a former World No. ... Peter “Pete” Sampras (born 12 August 1971), is a former World No. ... Max Mirnyi (nicknamed The Beast) (Belarusian: Максім Мірны, Maksim Mirny; born July 6, 1977) is a tennis player from Belarus. ... Martina Navrátilová (b. ... Jana Novotná (b. ... Maria Bueno and Neale Fraser as runners-up in the Mixed Doubles at the 1959 U.S. Championships. ... Timothy Henry Tim Henman OBE (born September 6, 1974 in Oxford) is a British tennis player. ... Martina Hingis (pronounced: ) (born September 30, 1980 in Košice, Czechoslovakia, now Slovakia) is a former World No. ... Am lie Mauresmo (born 5 July 1979) is a French professional tennis player. ... “Federer” redirects here. ... Radek Stepanek (Born November 27, 1978, Karvina) is a professional tennis player from Czechoslovakia. ...

External links

• Video: Tips for a good volley
• Video: How to volley