Dinith Pathiraja On Court
A major drawback among the young Sri Lankan players is the fact that their tactical knowledge and nous is not up to the required standard. The only tactic most of the players have is the fact that they need to put one more ball over the net.
In this multipart series, it is hoped to discuss the tactics which can be used against specific types of players.
Whilst the points mentioned here are by no means exhaustive, it is hoped that these points would form the foundation for players to flesh out their own tactics when confronted against such players.
In deciding on tactics against any player, the first and most important thing that needs to be understood is that tactics should be devised with the strengths of the player devising them, being at the forefront of the mind at all times. For the purposes of this discussion, it will be assumed that the player devising the tactics is proficient in playing all the shots.
Today’s discussion will centre on how to play against taller players.
What are the normal, specific strengths of a taller player? They can be listed as given below:

- Have a good first serve
- Have a high-kicking second serve
- Have good reach
- Normally quite aggressive
- Doesn’t like low balls
- Doesn’t change direction well
- Doesn’t normally like long rallies
- Doesn’t like the first serve being returned much