If you have ever watched Carlos Alcaraz hit a drop shot and wondered how on earth his opponent had absolutely no idea it was coming, you are about to find out exactly why. Learning to hit a drop shot like Carlos Alcaraz starts with understanding the one thing that makes his version so uniquely dangerous and that is disguise.
The first thing that makes his drop shot so dangerous is the disguise. When Carlos prepares for a forehand, his shoulders turn, his grip is set, and his left hand supports the racket just like he is about to unload a heavy topspin drive. The setup looks identical whether he is about to hit a drive or a drop shot. That is not an accident. That is the whole point. Your opponent cannot react to something they cannot read and by the time they figure out what is happening it is already too late.
Here is the technical reason that disguise is possible. On a topspin shot the racket face is closed, meaning the strings face slightly downward, which allows you to swing upward aggressively without launching the ball long. On a drop shot you need the opposite, an open racket face with the strings facing slightly upward to create backspin and lift. What Carlos does brilliantly is start his preparation with a closed face just like a topspin shot and then at the last possible moment he opens his fingers, rotates the handle, and transitions from a semi-western grip to an eastern forehand grip. That late grip change is what flips the racket face and puts him in drop shot mode without tipping off his opponent.
My honest recommendation for most players is not to wait quite that long to make the grip change. The later you hold it the more complex the timing becomes and the more errors you will make. Shift your grip earlier in the backswing and you will still get plenty of disguise without the added difficulty.
Now let us talk about the swing itself.
On a topspin forehand the racket travels from below the contact point upward through the ball. On a drop shot it is the opposite. The racket comes from above and falls down to contact with an open face. That combination of downward path and open strings creates backspin, and backspin is what makes the ball stop after it bounces instead of continuing to travel through the court.
The other critical ingredient is the arc of the shot. The only way to hit a truly short and soft drop shot is to send the ball upward at an angle so that the peak of the arc happens on your side of the net. When the ball travels in a high arc and lands short it dies. When the ball travels flat and low it carries through the court and your opponent has all day to run it down.
After hitting a great drop shot, do not stay back. Watch what Carlos does. Once he sees that his drop shot is going to be a winner he immediately moves forward. When your opponent is barely scraping the ball off the court from a low reaching position the net itself blocks most of their options. All they can really do is hit something soft and short back to you. So move in, read the situation, and be ready to finish the point.
Now here is the part most players skip and it is the reason their drop shots never quite work. You need to develop what I call hand IQ.
Start with this drill. Set your racket up behind an incoming ball and do not swing at all. Just leave the racket there and let the ball bounce off the strings. Begin with about a five out of ten grip firmness and gradually loosen your grip rep by rep. The looser your grip the more the racket gets pushed back on contact and the more energy you absorb from the ball. That absorbed energy is what creates softness. Most players grip too tight, the racket does not give, and the ball goes flying.
Once you start to feel that relationship between grip firmness and softness, add an angled racket face and aim for a target just past the net. Your job is to find the right combination of open face and loose grip so that the ball peaks on your side of the court and lands softly on the other side. Make small adjustments each attempt and pay attention to what changes.
One more thing worth mentioning. Do not try to hit a drop shot like Carlos Alcaraz by starting high and cutting down aggressively. He can do that because he is absorbing ATP level groundstrokes with tremendous pace. For the rest of us, a simpler upward lifting motion with a relaxed hand and an open face will get you much better results with far fewer errors.
Work through these drills, be patient with the process, and your drop shot will become one of the most fun and effective weapons in your game.
Your Coach,
Ian
