The main advantage of using topspin is to reduce your errors in the net by giving yourself more clearance and reducing your chance for an error in hitting long. Topspin by definition creates top pressure on the ball through the air which drives the ball down sooner.EuroMagnum said:I think it'd be safe to say that most people, including pros, hit the majority of their forehands with topspin -- how much depends on the player and grip but it's there. Seeing as you're much more likely to hit a winner with a hard flat shot [much higher velocity, very hard to return], why doesn't everybody just hit flat all the time? Is it because it's got more of a chance of going in with topspin [spin pulls the ball into the ground before it can go out]? I mean, this shoudn't really be a problem for the pros, especially someone like Federer, I would imagine if they wanted to they could hti all their shots flat and keep them in the lines.Click to expand...
To hit the ball flat [which you certainly can] leaves less room for error. This is because there is less air pressure on top of the ball due to less forward spin and you have to hit it lower to keep it in the court.
Certainly, there are players that can hit a good flat ball and it can be quite useful. But from an error perspective, hitting with topspin is the way to go.