Modern tennis has evolved into a game of pace, pressure, and problem-solving. The players who rise to the top aren’t just technically clean — they’re able to absorb speed, create speed, and survive defensively under extreme pressure.

When teaching technique, this is where many coaches go wrong. Technique isn’t just about how a stroke looks today — it’s about whether that stroke will still work when the ball is coming harder, heavier, deeper, and higher in five or ten years’ time.

At the highest level, three abilities separate good players from elite ones:

1. The ability to handle pace

2. The ability to create pace

3. The ability to defend from the corners — and turn defence into offence

If a player can do all three, they’re on the right developmental path. If they can’t, something — technically or structurally — needs attention.

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1.⁠ ⁠The Ability to Handle Pace

Handling pace isn’t just about blocking the ball back. It’s about absorbing speed, controlling depth, and being able to counter-attack when the ball is coming fast and heavy.

This is why technique must always be developed with the end in mind.

At eight or nine years old, players don’t face extreme pace. But if their technique can’t scale up as the game speeds up, they will eventually hit a ceiling.

This is where grip choices and finishes matter.

Extreme Western forehands can make it easier to generate spin and pace, but they can also make it harder to handle incoming pace, especially when the ball is rushed or taken late. That’s why many players with more extreme grips rely heavily on the buggy-whip and right-side finish to survive at speed.

You see this clearly with Casper Ruud and Iga Świątek. Both use extreme grips, but they’ve adapted their finishes to allow them to handle pace without losing control.

You also see an interesting version of this with Nick Kyrgios. Kyrgios does not rely on a rotational whip to handle pace on the forehand — in fact, he has a small rotational twist in his swing that can rush him at times and make handling heavy pace more difficult, particularly on the forehand return.

However, because he’s so talented, he adapted. Kyrgios uses the buggy-whip finish on the forehand — especially on return of serve — to absorb pace and regain control. His forehand return could be exposed at times when balls came fast and deep, but he found a solution through feel, timing, and finish rather than changing his entire technique.

On the backhand side, Kyrgios may be one of the best pace handlers the game has ever seen. His low takeback and flat two-handed backhand allow him to absorb speed better than almost anyone in the world. The trade-off is that, because of that same technique, he can sometimes find it harder to create pace on the backhand compared to players with more vertical or whippier swings.

At the top level, players don’t avoid pace — they adapt their technique to survive it.

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2.⁠ ⁠The Ability to Create Pace (From Anywhere)

Creating pace isn’t just about hitting hard from a perfect stance in the middle of the court.

Elite players can:

• Create pace on high balls

• Create pace on the run

• Create pace from defensive positions

• Create pace using the opponent’s speed

This is where grip, stance, and swing adaptability matter more than textbook positions.

Several coaches on CoachLife talk about this explicitly. Todd Larkham has spoken about why the semi-western forehand is often the most versatile grip — allowing players to generate pace from high balls while still handling incoming speed effectively.

Check out Todd Larkham’s content on CoachLife

The same theme comes up in discussions around teaching technique with the ability to both create and absorb pace as the guiding principle — not just aesthetics. Sly Black has talked extensively about developing strokes that hold up under speed rather than strokes that simply look good in low-pace environments.

Check out Sly Black’s content on CoachLife

One of the most underrated aspects of pace creation is counter-attacking — taking a hard, deep ball and sending it back harder.

A great example of this is Naomi Osaka. Under Patrick Tauma, she developed the ability to pivot aggressively on balls down the middle — sometimes dropping the back knee close to the ground — rotating the hips and instantly counter-attacking with pace.

Check Out Osaka's backhand/ stance video

This kind of shot — the pivot attacking buggy-whip forehand on the run — is one of the most effective weapons in modern tennis. I’ve recently shot CoachLife content breaking this exact movement down in detail, and it’s a shot that can completely change how players handle pressure when stretched wide.

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3.⁠ ⁠Defensive Ability From the Corners (And Turning Defence Into Offence)

Elite defence isn’t just about survival.

It’s about:

• Neutralising the rally and getting back to 50–50

• Or turning defence into offence, even when stretched

When a player is pulled wide or rushed deep, the goal isn’t always to hit a winner — it’s to regain balance, depth, and court position. But the best players can do both.

This requires:

• Excellent footwork (lots of small adjustment steps)

• A wide base and open stance

• Staying low with square shoulders

• And the ability to choose the right finish under pressure

On rushed forehands, this often means variations of the right-side finish — sometimes held vertically — using the opponent’s pace while pivoting the hips.

On the backhand side, creating pace above shoulder height often requires a different solution. On a two-hander, players may need to take the ball earlier, smother it slightly, or use timing and court position rather than pure racket-head speed.

Defensive balls today are heavier and higher than ever — on both the men’s and women’s tours. Players must be able to:

• Attack high balls by moving back and ripping with spin

• Step in and flatten when possible

• Or take time away by playing earlier

If a player can’t do this, it’s usually not a confidence issue — it’s a technical or structural one.

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Training This the Right Way

One of the most effective ways to develop all three abilities is through fast-paced feeds.

A drill used daily by Piotr Sierzputowski involves the coach standing at the net, feeding hard, deep balls to both forehand and backhand sides.

Check Out Piotr’s fast-paced feeds drill

Ideally, this should take 10–20 minutes per session, with the coach:

• Observing how the player adapts naturally

• Giving minimal cues at first

• Watching whether the player self-organises under pressure

If the player adapts — great.

If they don’t, that’s when technical guidance comes in:

• Buggy-whip vs traditional finishes

• More open stances

• Lower take-backs (especially on the backhand)

• Grip or swing-path adjustments if necessary

If adaptation still doesn’t happen, it’s usually a sign that something more fundamental needs fixing.

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The Big Picture

At the professional level, these three abilities are non-negotiable:

• Handle pace

• Create pace

• Defend from the corners and turn defence into offence

If a player can do all three consistently, they’re on the right path.

If they can’t, the solution isn’t to avoid those situations — it’s to train them deliberately, with the right technique and the right drills.

Build the fundamentals correctly, then spend time:

• Attacking balls above shoulder height

• Counter-attacking from defensive positions

• Handling deep, fast feeds under pressure

That’s how modern tennis players are made.

Peter Clarke
CoachLife Founder and Former Professional Player
Head Coach at the CoachLife Academy