A well-placed forehand can be the difference between dictating play and scrambling to stay in the point. One of Roger Federer’s greatest strengths was his ability to turn almost every key exchange into a forehand battle—on his terms. By doing so, he minimised his weaknesses, controlled the court, and left his opponents with few good options.

The Strategy: Owning the Ad Court

Federer’s 2012 Indian Wells final against John Isner is a masterclass in how to dominate a match without having to cover the entire court. In crucial moments, Federer systematically maneuvered play into his Ad court forehand trap, ensuring he could dictate rallies while forcing his opponent to play under pressure from deep in the court.

The three break points that Isner had early in the match tell the whole story. Each time, Federer executed the same tactical pattern:

• He turned backhands into forehands. Instead of accepting a neutral exchange, he ran around his backhand, upgrading to a forehand whenever possible.
• He controlled depth and direction. His forehand placement pinned Isner behind the baseline, making it nearly impossible to hit a clean backhand down the line.
• He forced errors. Isner was left with only two choices—risk an extremely difficult down-the-line backhand or send the ball crosscourt into Federer’s strength.

On those three break points, Federer hit seven forehands and an overhead, while Isner was forced into six backhands and four forehands, all from deep positions and under pressure. Federer never hit a single backhand. That’s not luck—it’s design.

Why This Works: The No-Win Situation

Federer’s forehand trap is so effective because it leaves opponents in a no-win situation:

1️⃣ The Crosscourt Problem: If Isner plays his backhand crosscourt, Federer gets exactly what he wants—a forehand to attack.
2️⃣ The Down-the-Line Dilemma: If Isner tries to go down the line, he has to hit a perfect shot. Otherwise, he risks leaving the entire deuce court open for Federer’s next forehand.
3️⃣ The Court Coverage Battle: Federer is essentially playing on half the court, while his opponent has to respect—and cover—the full width.

This is how Federer made his forehand the most dominant shot of the match, hitting 14 winners to Isner’s five and winning two out of every three baseline rallies. Even when Federer made forehand errors, they were aggressive mistakes rather than defensive ones.

How to Use This in Your Game

You don’t have to be Federer to implement this strategy. The key is to structure points so that your best shot gets the most use while minimizing your weaknesses.

✅ Upgrade your backhands to forehands. Move your feet aggressively to position yourself for forehands, especially on key points.
✅ Hit with depth and spin. A deep forehand into your opponent’s backhand corner makes it difficult for them to counter down the line.
✅ Recognize your opponent’s options. If they struggle with down-the-line backhands, keep testing them until they crack.

Master the Forehand Trap

Federer’s brilliance wasn’t just in his shot-making but in how he structured points to play to his strengths. By learning to take control of the court with your forehand and force your opponent into tough decisions, you can dictate matches the way Federer did—one forehand at a time.

Your game, your story—keep playing.