How to Beat Tennis Players at Their Own Game (Pickleball Version)
Anyone who’s ever faced a tennis player on a pickleball court knows how it starts: blistering serves, heavy drives, and a barrage of pace. They look like they’re controlling the match—until they’re not. The secret? Stop playing their game. Four key tactics can neutralize the power and flip the pressure. First, take a step back on the return and aim deep crosscourt. This adds time, changes tempo, and allows you to move into position without eating a forehand to the chest. While you’re advancing, have your partner shift more toward the middle to cover for your temporary vulnerability. You’re not trying to win the point here—you’re just surviving the opening.
Now comes the real game. After that return, expect a drive. This is their comfort zone: power, pace, and panic (on your end). But instead of swinging back, plant your feet and block it low and soft. Most tennis players hate the reset and have no idea how to dig a ball up from their shoelaces. This is where your patience punishes. And here’s the bonus: shoulder-high drives? Let ‘em sail out. Use the paddle as a barometer—contact at shoulder height or higher often means the ball’s going long. Save yourself and your scoreline. Then, when it’s your turn to serve and drop, keep things soft and consistent. Aim for the player who just hit the return—catch them moving, catch them flat-footed.
Want to really wreck a tennis player’s vibe? Jam them. Dink into the middle of their body. Forget sideline wizardry; shrinking their space limits their options and frustrates their footwork. When a tennis player has time and room, they’re dangerous. Take both away. Dinking to their hips instead of their sidelines narrows their angles and robs them of offense. Bonus tip: keep your shots centered. The middle of the kitchen is a black hole for former tennis players—far fewer angles to work with and almost no room for the crosscourt tricks they love. If they’re impatient, they’ll eventually cough one up. And when they do? Welcome them to your game.
