Top Spin 3 SIM Player Strategy Guide

[djarvik]

Top Spin 3 SIM Player Strategy Guide

After having played with all the players on our SIM roster and against all players in SIM roster, I decided to write my SIM strategy guide to share my ways of playing with each player and against that player. Hopefully some of you will find this helpful (while others - useless). I will try to provide specific match-ups as well a bit later as well.

(I will be updating this as I have free time, feel free to ask questions. Sorry for the wall of text, I will clean it out a bit as time goes on)

Click here for Full list with stats.

V. BASHMAKOV
Probably the easiest player to use in TS3. Mainly because of a high serving rating and power. He is a bit on the slow side but you wouldn't feel slow most of times if you can serve well. The key to success is free points on serve, aces and 1-2 punches. I would suggest picking a service motion A when using him as the 69 Volley can be used to SV at times and service A is the only one that puts you deep enough into the court after serving, so you can reach the net. Should you get involved in a rally, depending on the opponent of course, but I would still suggest pulling a trigger on the second-third shot. Short points is where Bashmakov shines.

Playing against:
Unfortunately there aren't many winning strategies against Bashamokov, but there are a few. You have 2 sets to try both. In first set I would suggest to match-his-play. Be aggressive on serves and returns. Try to take away his rhythm. I would recommend a short cross top spin returns over flat deep ones, Bashma's speed is just OK at 63, he should have more trouble then most players to get to these balls. Regardless of the outcome of the first set, I would suggest switching strategies for the second. If you playing a good Bash user, chances are you won that set with 1 break or a tie break, and in the second you should expect more pressure from wide serves. So in the second set, I would concentrate on nothing but making my opponent miss. I would count how many times I made him miss. If you can make him miss a few easy shots early, the confidence wish is needed to risk consistently will see a dip, that maybe enough for you to jump in and sneak a break. How do you make him miss? -Defense and variety. Try to return with LT only, don't use RT. In the first set you needed RT as Bashma is still fresh and holding LB after serve will quickly place him in the right spots for 1-2 Punches, but in the second he will be late to such - and that is what you want, you want him to attack a first ball after return and miss it. As soon as you see that second ball slow down - that is your sign of confidence dip, its time to put on a pressure and for you to risk that ball back. On your service games it is important to remember that there are no fast enough serves to generate aces via speed (unless you playing Bashma as well), so you need to try and confuse the returner. Most good returners anticipate well, you can see then starting from one side and moving to the other. Try to notice there return movement pattern and make it work for you. For example: a returner the moves while anticipating a serve from the center to cover wide; try serving a LT kick serve down the T. This is the slowest serve with lost of "air" time. You will see that the returner will be late to recover. A fast serve wont work as returner will not move far enough to cover wide, you need to "allow" him to move.

W. BISHOP
One of my favorite players to use. Bishop is an excellent defender and counter puncher. You can also play an attacking game with him sometimes. But most times your serve will keep you playing defense, so it is important that you CAN play defense when using this player, otherwise you will feel like you are choking against most players. You also need to be able to risk well somewhat. My most successful strategy with Bishop is "playing the angles". I suggest using a FH and BH animations that you feel give you the most angles. It is different for each player as generating angles depends a lot on your timing, and most of us have different timing windows we use to time our shots. For me it is the Federer's FH (D) and a 1H BH (B). I feel with these two my angles are the sharpest. If you cant time 1H BH - then choose a 2H BH A. Easier to time that Nadal's B, and it is also more reliable going down the line. Service motion here is irrelevant, pick the one you can use well, the one that will get you closer to the lines. The biggest weapon for me that Bishop has is return. You don't need to risk, not because his returns are so strong, but rather because his 80 return rating, combined with speed and high strokes - guarantees you will reach the next ball with enough time to risk. So you have more options on returns that most of SIM roster. You can risk return or you can safe return and still be in the point. That is a HUGE asset. Depends on who you play, you should decide to risk that 2nd ball after return or play out the rally. If you decide to play out the rally, then use short topspin more then anything. Short top spin followed by down the line flat (if opponent is interested in cross court exchange) and short top spin followed by an opposite side short top spin (if opponent goes down the line first). Positioning is the key, as well as NOT pre-pressing. You will not need the power when changing direction of the rally, placement is WAY more important, you can tap the shot button while holding LT and the ball will slowly travel to the corner for a winner or an error from the opponent. On service games, try to vary your serve against a risk returner, and serve safe against a non-risk - you want the rallies.

Playing against:
Shorten the points. Bishop can run forever. Yes, his stamina is not high, but his strokes are and they simply are not affected enough by a stamina drain. A good idea is to hit the ball right down the center, right to Bishop at his feet - if you playing with a yellow power. Chances are you will get a puff ball back for an easy put-away. Hitting the net is always a good idea against a defensive player. They are usually a few feet behind the baseline so a simple non risk volley with decent angle will get you a point every-time. I think there is no need to be super aggressive on returns against Bishop. The better way is a solid LT return or even a non risk return deep. Bishop doesn't have enough power to consistently produce 1-2 punches, especially if you go to that 72 stroke when returning. You should be able to get our racket on to the next ball and attack from there. You want to make Bishop feel like his service games go on forever, this will slow down his return game.

F. BUCCI
If you like to risk, especially with LT only - this might be the best player in the roster for you. Bucci is tall and light, really fast player that stays fast thru-out the match. Has a Good serve at 68+75 power. When I use him, I like to use a forehand B. Very small and fast back swing with a full follow-thru. This stroke may not produce as powerful shot as stroke C or D, but it hides the shot the best. Very hard to anticipate the direction of that stroke. Plus I feel like this stroke motion can create a very short top spins. Not necessarily sharp angles, but very short landing balls. The way I play with Bucci is by making my goal to put the opponent stamina in red. I am not too concerned with winning points. As soon as you get 15-0, next point is a stamina draining point. I will hit a soft top spin right after serve, to get the opponent moving. Once he is on the move, I will keep the point going for as long as a I can and use depth of shots as a weapon, rather then angle. I find that in TS3 it is WAY quicker to drain stamina by varying depth of shots rather then jerking opponent left-right. So long as I am ahead in my service game - I will be concentrating on draining stamina. Once opponent hits red - I will jump on top by hitting well timed flat shots. No need to risk to much when he is in red and you are not. I would play the return games depending on how my service game went. If I managed to get my opponent to run a bit, then I would return safe with no risk or LT risk. Be sure to return either to opponent weak side or mid court, to cut off the angles. If I did not make my opponent run enough, I would be more aggressive, I would hit RT only returns (not LT+RT). They are not placed well enough to be a winner, but the extra pace makes my opponent either risk it back, or hit next ball soft, allowing me in to the rally. And with 90 stamina I want that ball to be jumping back as forth as much as I can.

Playing against:
Go to his 58 side on returns 90% of the time. Even if he know its coming, so long as you make the shot deep enough (even with no risk) he cannot hit out right winners unless risk is used. I would return there and go back there a few times early, just to let him know that "you have a weakness, and I plan to go there a lot". Even if he keeps hitting from that side relatively well, I would still go there most times, unless I have a clear opening to go to the other side. Anytime you play someone with yellow power, and you attacking his weak side, do so with flat shots, throwing in occasional slow (but deep) slice. Just hold LT and tap the slice button somewhere around the time the ball bounces. Chances are Bucci will not want to get involved in a lot of exchanges from his weak side and will pull a trigger, hopefully, your slow slice will come right at the time he decides to do so. If that happens - it is instantaneous dent in opponent confidence to pull this shot off. He will have to look extra careful at the ball, is it slow slice? ... or flat hard? ....thus taking his attention away of actually placing that ball right. He will be too busy trying to time it right. This strategy can apply to anyone who has a stroke of less then 60. (60+ in sim is a Good Stroke) On your service games, sever to the weak side almost exclusively. Mix in some to stronger side, just to keep the opponent honest. You should most time get either a weak reply, a risk winner, or a slow LT deep shot. To deal with slow deep LT shots, all you need to do is to remember to release your shot button just as the ball comes down and BEFORE it hits the ground. Otherwise you will be late and will hit off your back foot.

F. BURNS
For me playing with burns is very difficult. Mainly because I don't consider myself a good net player. But I did spend some time with him and will share my thought on what worked for me. First of all, as much as he looks like a SV guy, I dont think he can be effective playing this style even part time. I would suggest concentrating more on placing the serve well. Then taking a nice soft deep shot (to buy some time) and then hitting the net. He is a bit short to be cough in mid court, simply not enough reach to dig up tough short balls. But once he reaches the net, his speed and volley rating takes over and he becomes a beast. So I would suggest putting all your effort in serve. Make sure you can milk every free point you can, and only then try hitting the net. Return games are a pain. A smart SIMmer will serve to his 51 stroke 99% of the time. Even if you know its coming, not mush you can do about it. But there is a way. His speed is a big asset on returns games, so I would suggest to forget being aggressive on returns and start being defensive. A relatively well times LT return deep to mid court will allow him to reach the next ball 100% of the time. That is where you want to attack. Another way to return is short to mid court. A no charge top spin into mid court short or a slice into mid court short, will make the opponent step inside the court. Here where the speed will pay dividends. If you decent in reacting and anticipating, then you should be able to put your racket on the next ball. Be sure not to pre-press. No need to charge for what you are about to do. Gently tap A with LT pressed and aim as deep as you can. Chances are, your opponent will still be inside the court and the shot will put him on his back foot, allowing you to attack the next ball and come to net.

Playing against:
Playing against Burns is not hard. Keep serving to his weak side. 1-2 punch after. No need to risk. That simple play should generate you tons of points against him. Generally he is an easy opponent to hit of the court. He is speedy but short, which means if you can hit soft high bouncing topspin's during the rally - you will control it most times. On return games you want to return to his weak side. If he is SVing, pass him on the weaker side. Chances are he will pull off a volley, but it wont "stick" and you can jump on it and pass him, or lob him. A good RT risker will do best against Burns. He is simply not strong enough to hang. Anyone with yellow power should like his chances against Burns. When in rally, mix Flat hard shots to weaker side, followed by soft high bouncing top spins to the opposite side.

B. CANNON
Like Bashmakov, Canon is a relatively easy player to navigate. I had very little adjustment time, its a good pick-up-and-be-competitive player. At the same time, he has more glaring weaknesses then Bashma. A well seasoned SIMmer can pick on these. The strategy here is very similar to Bashma's when on serve. You want to end points relatively quick. And unlike Bashma, you dont have to risk when the returner goes to your stronger side. Holding serve should be a breeze with him. Just make sure to mix it up more. In SIM there are not as many aces, so the ball will likely come back to you. Realize that and start serving in such a way that will generate a weak reply rather then ace. For example if you go wide too many times, your opponent may start to get frustrated and risk everything back. While this is viable strategy, it makes games look a bit dull. I suggest to do the opposite. Come closer to the middle when serving and concentrate on serving down the T. Most times this serve is easier to return into the court, but harder to hit a risk winner of. Mix in wide serves to keep the returner guessing. A LT kick serve down the T, mixed with hard wide serves to the corner works great! The reason is because the kick serve "hangs" a bit more in the air, so the returner has to release the shot just a bit later, while hard flat wide serve deep into the corner requires the returner to release much earlier. Mixing these two keeps the returner guessing on his timing, rather that use one timing "window" for all incoming serves. With Cannon I would suggest to risk more from the weaker side. There will be no need to risk from stronger stroke, unless you are returning a ball that is being risked at you. On returns games however, Canon seems a bit slow, slower then Bashma. So he would need to return once again to opponent weaker side. Canon would need to risk more as well on returns. Despite his low rating, Canon feels just fast enough for attacking game. When one defense thou, he is for the most part useless. If you can find a serve that will yield most times a soft mid court return, you can try and run over your weaker side to hit with a stronger. Hit the serve, then press and hold both or one trigger, now watch the ball, move your player right or left (depending on your stronger stroke) of the ball, wait for the bounce, then tap the shot button while still holding triggers. This will take your opponent by surprise and most time will be a winner. If you have a pesky opponent that insists on picking your weaker side, then you can try the same strategy. You have to let your opponent believe you are willing to exchange with him on a weaker side, then once he "believes" you have to execute it early, on second shot in the exchange rally. Hit that cross court ball from your weaker side, then take one step towards recovery point (to show the opponent that you plan to cover the down the line shot), then press and hold both triggers (or one) while side stepping to your weaker side, as soon as you step over the incoming ball, wait for the bounce and tap a desired shot button.

Playing against:
Playing against Cannon is basically playing to his weaker side. Serve there and return there. If you use a fast player, then I would suggest a short ball to weaker side with or without LT, then counter punch with risk. Chances are he cant hurt you with that side unless he is risking. On serve, follow your serve with slow deep LT top spins. This will drain his stamina a bit and will make him slower. Remember also that slow speed rating not only means slow running, but also slow recovery. Going behind Cannon works better then on most players, changing directions are tougher for Cannon. I suggest to use a slow deep slice to the weaker side when going behind Cannon. A slower shot will make sure Cannon commits to LB button, thus making him take that extra step before changing directions. A faster ball will not give a slow Cannon enough time to start running, thus leaving him in position to strike back. Short top spins to weaker side, with or without LT is the "money shot" in the rally against Cannon.

F. FORTIS
A very tough player to use. Mainly because if you can serve well with 51 you will not make use of that 90 volley and 80 strokes. You will always be on defensive. But if you can hit somewhat consistently near the lines with low serving ratings, this setup is actually really strong. Fortis has sufficient speed and strokes to stay in the rally with most players from the roster, including a "yellow-powered-ones". And high stamina means that at some point, your opponent strokes will start getting weaker, while your 80's will be still solid. I think Fortis can be great in hands of a good defender, or risker. I found that it is easier to get into rallies while concentrating on serving down the T. Wide serves are too slow and most decent returners can put you on defense straight away. By serving down the T you will cut off the angle and increase your chances of putting a racket on the next ball and get a chance to use your 80 strokes. I felt that once I was able to start an equal rally, Fortis would take over it more times then his opponent. I also like to come to net when hitting a deep cross court top spins. I look for a ball that lands a few feet inside the baseline, then use the RB and a soft top spin deep to the corner to get to net. He feels very fast when he gets past the service line. This is when his 90 volley and stamina shine. I was actually able to SV with him with good success, as a surprise tactic. The slow serve gives you plenty of time to get there, but the serve itself will lack direction, so it is not possible to do it as a primary tactic. The opponent will quickly catch up and will throw the ball at your feet with now risk.

Playing against:
Basically the rule of thumb is to make it a serve-return game, rather then a baseline rally game. Aggressive stick serves work best, even thou his strokes are 80, the low return rating means that the faster the serve the slow it will come back. No use making him run side to side, so I would try and risk when I have an opening. On returns I would once again make sure I hit a well charged first shot. Direction is a plus, but I felt like hitting a "heavy" "charged" shot with and "OK" direction will still make Fortis to spit out a soft ball, which I could attack with risk (or without if I have a yellow power + stroke). Remember to use slow deep top spin shots against Fortis. He is short and anytime you can get the ball to bounce high would mean that he has to either hit an awkward shot, move back, or try and risk it on the rise. All three options suit you.

T. FUSSMAN
Fussman is three "strong returners" in the roster, others being Naka and Gray. Now why would you choose Fussman out of three? If you like to keep points a bit longer and you are not a good risk-returner, than Fussman is your best bet out of three. He has one good stroke, great return and enough stamina for these assets to last all match. Longer matches is where Fussman will pay more dividends then a monster Naka or a ball-basher Gray. Fussman will start slow, but will get stronger as match progresses and opponents stamina starts turning red. As with any high-stamina player, I would try and concentrate on draining stamina in first set. I would try and play out the points on my serve when I am 15-0 up. As long as I am ahead in my service game, I would try and play out the points, prolong them. Even if it cost me points. No problem playing defense, Fussman is tall and stamina makes him a very steady retriever. Granted he cant put a lot on the ball while stretched on defense, but he can keep the ball in play and keep running longer then most opponents. On my service games I would concentrate on serves that make my opponent return the ball to my stronger side. For example if I have a strong forehand, I would avoid serving wide on deuce court. As this will result in one of the two (most wide serves do), a risk down the line to my weaker BH or a short cross top spin to my stronger forehand, stretching me, making me come up with something special because otherwise I would leave an open court AND my weaker side. Usually you can tell relatively quick what returner likes to do - does he likes to return by pressing direction and keeping it pressed, meaning if you serve to T the return will come to your FH and if you serve wide the return will be down the line. Or the opponent likes to "flick it" - meaning that he likes to change direction on returns. After you know which returns are coming back more often, you can then work on getting that return to your stronger side deep, rather then short. On your returns games with Fussman you have a bit more options then with other 2 strong returners. Because you have more fuel in the tank, you can vary your returns more, you can play aggressive returns or you may choose to play out the rallies. I would suggest to try and be a bit more aggressive in the first set and in the second, when your opponent hits red stamina - try and play out the pint more, concentrating on his weak stroke.

Playing against:
I find that a yellow-powered players do much better against Fussman then fast players. Fast players tend to run out of stamina against him and his 72 power is more then enough to finish points. Big servers do best against him. Serve to his weaker side fast serves and kick serves. Even with 80 stamina his 52 stroke will be weak enough for you to attack. And attack you will need as Fussman is a relatively fast player with good reach and stamina to run side to side for more then a few balls. As always when playing anyone with weak stroke and white speed, a cross court shot ball to weak side is a money shot. In TS3, LB takes a very good care on side to side movement, but in order for it to work, you need to be standing a few feet behind the baseline - that opens you up for a short cross ball attacks. When done right, it doesn't have to be risk or even a strong shot, in fact a weaker tap-shot at the right time will do more damage. On return games try to return to his weaker side followed by an attack of a soft incoming ball. Generally, depending on a player you use, you will want to shorten the points against guys with high stamina.

G. GRAY
Gray is a perfect attacking player. He is big and powerful from both wings. I think he is one of the stronger players in the roster, maybe at #3 after Bashma and Cannon. He is a very good server with 72+75 power, excellent returner with 90 return and 6'5 frame. And he is fast with 68 speed, mainly because of his reach. His big weakness is stamina. All this raw power starts great and slowly losses its potency. But if you manage to serve well and be aggressive on returns - you can win and win fast with this setup. Anyone who is struggling to start up in SIM should take test drive with this one. On serves try using stick, less direction but more power and coming from that 6'5 frames stick-kick serves are almost guaranteed points using 1-2 punch. There is really no safe place for the returner to go with both strokes being near 70, so 1-2 punch is your best play. If you are a good LT risker, you can make the opponent life miserable. On returns I found that I can return all but the absolute best serves with NO RISK. Gray can reach almost all serves with half a step and 90 return with 70 strokes produces a nice deep ball, not necessarily a winner, but a ball that travels fats and unless the opponent has yellow power, he wont be able to charge the shot enough with no risk, putting pressure on him right away. If opponent has yellow power than return to his weaker side. Risk is the name of the game for Gray in rallies. Think DelPotro style, crush the ball.

Playing against:
Fast players give Gray most of the problems. He is strong, but his stroke lack precision when used without risk, meaning that a yellow speed should be enough for you to simply "push" the ball back time and time again. At the start of the match Gray should pull off all the risk at will, but if you hang in there and make him play 5-6 ball rallies, his stamina will start fading away and suddenly you no longer pushing the ball but getting there in time to counter-punch. As his stamina get worse, you will be more and more in the game. The key is to use less angles when starting the rally and only then use more angles. On returns try returning to mid court, deep or short. Recover and wait to counter punch. His strokes will not produce enough angle without LT to hit a winner. Granted they still will come at you fast, but if you do not pre-press, you should reach all of them and start pushing the ball back. Wide serves work best on Gray, he is tall so you want to get the ball away from his striking zone. I would say primarily serve wide with occasional T serves to keep him from moving too early to cover. If you using a slower player you would need to be aggressive on returns. You wont have time to reach the second ball most times, so you would need to use more LT deep returns followed by another risk. A good volley player like Lang should work very well against Gray, enough speed to chase down the balls and volley rating is great to finish off points, remember, none of Grays stroke are good enough to hit consistent passing shots without risk.

G. GRISSOM
After the recent update, I think Grissom is being overlooked. Sure he was short before but now at 5'9 he is more then competitive. The main issue was that he was all but helpless on returns, too easy to stretch him wide. I think this is issue is gone now. He still "feels" short, but that is OK, he should be. I felt I could put my racket on all serves and get the rally started. Biggest asset of Grissom is consistency. 78 stamina usually last all match long and lets you rip the benefits of all these yellow stats. Grissom is a can-do-all grinder. When he is in position he can hit winners of both wings and can run all day. When serving I would suggest to move to the center, to cut off angles and to cover the down the line return. He has a low serve rating but the yellow power keep the pop on most serves and does enough to start a point without being on defense automatically. I would serve down the T primarily with some wide serves to keep opponent in check. The reason is because Grissom has no weak strokes and can hurt the returner from either side, so I want to minimize return risk winners (if you take note, most return winners come of the wide serves) and make the returner play out the point. Sure I give away an occasional wide serve ace or a return error, but it is worth it with Grissom, as that low serve rating is not hard to time for returner and you will likely trade points rather then win them. When returning I try to once again seek out a weaker stroke and pattern, either short non risk + counter-punch, or slow deep + counter-punch, or aggressive risk returns and once I get the opponent in red - I will return with no risk.

Playing against:
Playing against Grissom just got complicated. Before you could make him feel his height by using LT top spins, but now he will be getting most of them back....but it is still a viable strategy if you are a taller guy. I suggest to serve against Grissom with mostly LT only, as the extra pace wont really help you here, you should be concentrating on placing the ball well with your slice serve. Slice wide and slice to the T. If you use LT only, that ball travels slower and "gets away" further from the opponent. Timing on LT serve is exactly the same as LT+RT so you should not have problem executing it. Kick serve with a stick is always a great weapon when you play a guy that is shorter than you. Grissom is a relatively fast grinder, but he is just yellow in speed and he is just 5'9... so stretching him wide is a good option, a better option then trying to hit thru him. His yellow power and strokes will deter most of your hitting-thru attempts and return the ball with interest. If Grissom is pressing to come to net, lobbing him works great - just as any short guy in the roster. Passing him is much tougher. A good play against short guys is to hit a slow top spin to their BH side, no matter the animation, chances are he will be falling backwards when hitting that ball, that is where you would want to use the drop shot and either come in behind it and put away the point at net or simply flicking the top spin in the opposite directions. Do not pre-press on this passing shot as it will leave your feet planted and unable to react, a simple tap will do the trick. You can try stretching him and using this play to his FH side, but if he is using motion C, you will be doing him a favor as this motion actually puts you a step forward after the shot, thus recovering closer to baseline. You want him moving backwards - then use drop shot.

G. HOUSE
House was one of the first players that I used. He is very balanced with only one attackable weakness in one stroke. He has a great weapon in 86 stroke and his high stamina + yellow return + 6'2 frame make him a more then formidable returner. Serve is not a weapon, but at 59 it is good enough to start rallies on offense most times. Once again, I would move closer to the middle when serving to cover the down the line return, especially when that return comes to my weaker side. I would serve down the T primarily, unless I have a clear weakness in opponent strokes, but that weakness has to be low 50's and not hidden behind yellow power. The best serves for House are kick serve to opponent weaker side, slice wide to opponent weaker side. His flat serve is not great, the lower rating provides plenty of time to react for the returner and risk it back. It is way tougher to risk back a kick serve then a flat serve. I would use a slice wide serve with LT only, this will mean that most times the return will come down the line as the opponent will have to take more then half a step to put a racket on it and likely wont have time to flick it cross. On return I would try and position myself to cover both serves against a white service rating. Against better servers I would try and take a step to one side, the side opposite of server's FH. House can defend extremely well. His high stroke and stamina make him a great counter-puncher from that side. I would suggest to try and develop a point with a though of hitting a winner from the stronger side. Usually I would avoid getting into a weak side exchanges, but in Houses case, high stamina makes him capable of sustaining a rally from a weak side without excessive risking, waiting for an opportunity to hit from a stronger side.

Playing against:
Attack the serve with LT to weaker side of House. That should give you a shot you can attack. Generally it is a good idea to be aggressive on returns against House. Short top spin cross to weaker side during rallies. If you using a player with low stamina, then try to keep the points short. If you are using a high stamina player, then I would suggest to try and play out the rallies to House's weaker side, waiting for an opportunity to attack. Kick serve to his weaker side and slice wide serve to his weaker side. You wont be too successful with flat hard serves, his yellow power will deflect these with ease. Coming to net is great against anyone with white speed, so if you can get there you will win lots of points. A good play against house is well timed drop shot to his stronger side. Make sure you are in-the-court when pulling off a drop shot and be ready to pass to his weaker side, but do not pre-press, a simple tap and flick of the direction stick will create a perfect passing shot.

B. JANSEN
Coming soon!

[fedfan]

Wow a lot of work has gone into this and I'm sure it will interest a lot of people but I just don't feel as though the Bashmakov I face on PS3 has the same strengths/weakness as he does on xbox. The power on PS3 seems overwhelming in comparrison but his movement can be exploited more.

[djarvik]

You are right, and I will add a strategy for PS3 in Bashmakov's case. ...and few others that I feel play differently on PS3. Thanks for pointing out!

[VillaJ100]

Haha djarvik i really like this idea and i think it probably has been more of a labour of love rather than a dredge. However if you can formulate an effective strategy for me to beat everyone with burns, i'll actually pay you.

[Puttu puttuu]

you should have done this yesterday ! i could have applied it against Norberto ... having a plan does help !

[djarvik]

Bucci added. Burns coming soon.

[Moralspain]

it works??, anybody has tried playing against Norbert following these tips?, my problem against him is that i can't do anything i mean can' follow any tactic, i'm under pressure with his returns and obviously when he's serving, no rallies at all.
btw i'm sure the tips are good, the problem is not Bashmakov but Norbert using it hahaha

[djarvik]

Well, it works for me. You have got to take into account that Norberto is currently #1 and is using a very forgiving player. So he is the ultimate version of Bashmakov. Even then, I alwyas take him to tie break using this. I usually lose first tie break but break him on second set and take the set. Third is a toss up. Lately he was wining it, but I do win third one sometimes.

[Moralspain]

Even then, I alwyas take him to tie break using this.

it definitely works then, well done mate

[ILuvBillVal]

Well, it works for me.

I can't wait to read the Thompson guide.

[Norberto H]

Well, it works for me.

I can't wait to read the Thompson guide.

I'm gonna post this one after I crushed you in the Australien Open Final.

[Coolhand Texas]

Well, it works for me.

I can't wait to read the Thompson guide.

I'm gonna post this one after I crushed you in the Australien Open Final.

Oh snap

[Hamburgerboy27]

Great Articel from you Djarvik about my Favourite Player Bishop.
I have read this Yesterday...Signup me "just for fun" for Australien Open...and i now sure,with your help i can´t never lose a Match in the Future and Win the Australien Open

(Win the Australien Open 2019 by TS12 )

[djarvik]

@ILuvBillVal
This is basically what works for me. It is also intended for players that looking for help. I dont think you are.

@Hamburgerboy27
Good luck! Glad I could help.


UPDATED: Burns and Cannon

[VillaJ100]

Nice attempt on burns! I SV with him maybe 90% on 1st serves and 75% on second lol. But net play and volleying is my strength so try to get there asap. It seems though i am playing with the hardest player to use