Whether the ball is chest high or around his ankles, Roger Federer maintains ideal form on his volleys. Roger Federer is fundamentally sound in all areas of the court—he can produce great shots either from the baseline or up at net, which contributes to his success on every surface. These photos illustrate the excellent technique [...]

Mark Philippoussis uses excellent preparation and an explosive swing to hit his powerful overhead. THE SETUP GRIP: Just as with a serve, Philippoussis holds his racquet with the Continental grip. This allows him to pronate his forearm and snap his wrist for maximum racquet-head acceleration and power. It’s also the grip he uses on his [...]

The world No. 2 hits ground strokes with the best of them. But volleys? Yes, he has those, too. His backhand drop volley is a beauty. 1. The drop volley—I prefer “stop” volley—is a shot that isn’t used often. But when executed correctly and at the right time, it can win a point outright. It [...]

In teaching players a simple volley technique I revert to a trick. I ask them to hit the volley as though $10,000 is at stake. If they make the shot, they get the money; if they miss, then they owe me the money. It is amazing how careful and precise they become about handling this [...]