[MisterQ]

Court Sense

It's a fuzzy term to pin down, but you know it when you see it. The player simply knows where/how to hit the ball and where to position herself on the court at any given time.

Hingis' return has brought back a lot of talk about this issue. I remember Graf saying that Hingis had better court sense than anyone she had ever played.

Who are some other players with great court sense? Are there great players who succeed without great court sense?

 

[RJWCapriati]

Hingis would have the best, but Pierce, Capriati, Seles, Schynder and Davenport are right there with her!

 

[Derek.]

Martina Hingis does this really and I think most people know this. Anastasia Myskina also has great court sense. When she is playing well she has great anticipation and court sense. It's really cool to watch.

 

[Ryan]

Hingis would have the best, but Pierce, Capriati, Seles, Schynder and Davenport are right there with her!

:lol: Davenport, Capriati, PIERCE? You've got one whack idea of court sense. :tape:

 

[No Name Face]

Davenport?

I'd say Hingis, Clijsters, Henin-Hardenne, Dementieva, Venus, and Myskina

 

[Zauber]

capriati, seles, Pierce have no court sense whatsoever.
They are great bashers period.
players with court sense please

 

[switz]

switz posting for JR through telepathy:

the words Schnyder and sense being used in the same thread :lol:

 

[switz]

players with court sense please

williams sisters, davenport, schultz-mcarthy, casanova, mikaelian

 

[MisterQ]

capriati, seles, Pierce have no court sense whatsoever.
They are great bashers period.
players with court sense please

Actually, I think Seles did have court sense. It was based around her very unusual game, but she really managed to compensate for her weaknesses by hitting to the right place and moving to the right place. It wasn't conventional court sense (she certainly wasn't following her shots in to the net :lol: ), but she did pretty well with it.

 

[Orion]

The best way, currently, to differentiate from a player with variety and a player with great court sense is the following comparison: Hingis has amazing court sense, Hantuchova has great variety.

Here's where it's tricky: Hingis knows that she can hit about three or four different shots on every stroke. But rather than over-thinking and wasting time, she goes for the one that makes the most sense and seems the most natural. This is, 98% of the time, the ideal shot for the rally, simply because she has great court sense.
Hantuchova also has a variety of shots she could hit at any given time. However, she doesn't always know which one to use, and sometimes uses them inappropriately. She goes for dropshots at silly moments, she hits bizarre volleys at bizarre times. It's just not as natural looking as Hingis. It seems that Hingis just knows how and where to hit the ball, and Hantuchova just knows how.

 

[Derek.]

She goes for dropshots at silly moments

She does this quite often.

 

[MisterQ]

The best way, currently, to differentiate from a player with variety and a player with great court sense is the following comparison: Hingis has amazing court sense, Hantuchova has great variety.

Here's where it's tricky: Hingis knows that she can hit about three or four different shots on every stroke. But rather than over-thinking and wasting time, she goes for the one that makes the most sense and seems the most natural. This is, 98% of the time, the ideal shot for the rally, simply because she has great court sense.
Hantuchova also has a variety of shots she could hit at any given time. However, she doesn't always know which one to use, and sometimes uses them inappropriately. She goes for dropshots at silly moments, she hits bizarre volleys at bizarre times. It's just not as natural looking as Hingis. It seems that Hingis just knows how and where to hit the ball, and Hantuchova just knows how.

Thanks for making that distinction.

Then I guess that leads to the question... to what extent can court sense be learned? Can we expect a talented player like Hantuchova to significantly improve her shot selection, or is she missing some natural intuitive sense?

 

[azmad_88]

:lol: Davenport, Capriati, PIERCE? You've got one whack idea of court sense. :tape:

exactly

 

[ginger_fish668]

Hingis by far has the best court sense.

 

[blue249]

exactly

Your mixing up the term court sense with variety - Capriati's game is built around court sense. She is always there to hit the next shot. That is what allows her to win matches without alot of variety.

 

[Perseust]

Venus, Clijsters n Hingis