US player Serena Williams (L) chases a lob shot from Romania's Simona Halep (R) during their women's singles final on day twelve of the 2019 Wimbledon Championships at The All England Lawn Tennis Club in Wimbledon, southwest London, on July 13, 2019. (Photo by Glyn KIRK / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE (Photo credit should read GLYN KIRK/AFP via Getty Images)
Tennis has several tricks shots to flummox the opposition and the moonball is one of them
Tennis is a sport that mostly pits one sportsperson against another. It is also one of the most strenuous sports out there with some matches even lasting a few hours at a time.
Players have to keep a ton of options at their disposal and one of them is the moonball shot. While many compare this shot to a lob, a moonball is a different tactic that is used by some stars.
A moonball basically sees a tennis player hit the ball with a lot of topspin and is a kind of a lob. The trajectory of the ball sees is cross the net at an extremely high point and then the topspin ensures it comes down near the baseline.
This takes a lot of energy off the ball and can often lead to slowing down a rally. The ball bouncing near the baseline from a high point also leads to a high bounce which has to be navigated properly.
Most of the time, a moonball shot leads in another moonball reply or a shot which doesn’t have a lot of power.
Apart from reducing the speed of the ball during rallies, a moonball can also be helpful to the player.
Since the pace of the ball is cut off and the opponent also cannot return the ball quickly, this allows a player to recover from fatigue in long rallies.
Teeing off multiple moonball shots in a rally can also lead to a frustrating time for the opposition and that can result in a fault.
Further, opponents can also lead to problems for the opposition who isn’t comfortable with a bouncing ball.
Executing a perfect moonball shot isn’t easy and needs a lot of practice but many top stars have perfected it over the years.
The moonball shot isn’t something that is used a lot in professional tennis, but it is a handy shot to have in the arsenal, especially when things are getting too quick and you need time to recover.
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