Eliminate the cross-court shot!

The cross-court is the second loosest shot to play after the boast. It is difficult to control where the ball will land. Unless it is hit perfectly to die in the back corners, it will bounce out and leave the court open. With an open court, you give your opponent choices to play a number of shots to put you under pressure.

Also the cross-court is very easy to volley by a good volleyer. The only work-around is to hit it wider but then you run the risk of having it come out too much, thereby opening the court up. You can play a high cross court lob, but this shot is difficult to control where it will land since it has to travel such a great distance.

So when do you want to play cross-courts and why play them at all? The cross-court is an excellent variation shot once you have established a basic straight pattern. If your opponent starts cheating to one side, then it is time to keep them honest with a hard hit cross-court. If hit properly your opponent will be late to retrieving it. On the other hand if your opponent is ready and waiting on the T, then you never want to hit a cross-court as they will either volley it or play an attacking shot after it bounces away from the sidewall.