The Ideal Strategy to Use Against Each Tennis Star

Even the best tennis players have weaknesses.

The key is to exploit those weaknesses.

Every underdog that enters a match against a top-5 player has studied footage and statistics to determine the best strategy for knocking off a star.

With some stars, like Serena Williams and Roger Federer, an off day can produce more unforced errors and provide an opening for an opponent. 

However, to topple a top-tier player, wishing and hoping is not an ideal strategy. 

Andy Murray's recent Wimbledon win over Novak Djokovic provides the best example of a strategy played to perfection.  

Murray moved Djokovic around. He ran him into exhaustion. He then used his serve to apply pressure. Aided by a rowdy British crowd, Murray kept the pressure on Djokovic. 

That's tennis at its best: going in with a plan and executing it. 

Here, we break down the ideal strategy to use against top players on the ATP and WTA tours. 

Novak Djokovic: Rule the Rallies

Beating the versatile Djokovic is not easy.

Take note of how Juan Martin del Potro nearly beat Djokovic in the Wimbledon semifinal.

Del Potro kept pounding away at Djokovic. 

If Del Potro provided notes, Murray wrote the book on how to take Djokovic down during the Wimbledon final. 

An article in the Guardian broke down exactly how Murray ran Djokovic into the ground. A combination of superb court coverage, high-percentage first serves and patience during rallies helped the Scot defeat Djokovic.

Djokovic's fitness level is among the best. To defeat him, the opponent can't let their foot off the gas.  

Beating Djokovic requires relentless pressure. 

Andy Murray: Go Aggressive

Andy Murray's dream Wimbledon could have ended against Fernando Verdasco.

Verdasco went up two sets on Murray behind aggressive play.

Although he lost, Verdasco provided a blueprint of how to beat Murray.

The Spaniard's strategy was sound and for a while executed flawlessly. He ceded nothing and wielded his forehand like a sledgehammer.

He had 45 winners in the match. Unfortunately he also had 45 unforced errors.  

Another problem for Verdasco was his low first-serve percentage.

To remain aggressive against Murray, an opponent has to serve well. 

It was the ideal strategy. The only thing Verdasco lacked was the psychological fortitude to close out the match. 

David Ferrer: Bring off the Baseline

David Ferrer is a stubborn little dude. 

Like a tennis wall, he sends everything right back at you.

However, top-tier players have had no problems beating Ferrer. He is 1-7 against Top-10 players this year. His career record is 45-80 against Top-10 players. 

Ferrer truly follows the "CPP" rule of tennis: Consistency, Placement and then Power. It's kept him in the Top Four. 

The best strategy against Ferrer is to draw him into the net. He is content to sit back on the baseline, tracking down balls and whacking away with his forehand. 

When he is forced to come in, his game is less steady. Under pressure, he may even panic like he did against Murray in Miami. 

Rafael Nadal: Be Big and Blast Everything

Rafael Nadal is a phenomenal athlete. On clay he appears unstoppable.

Although Nadal won the French Open, his first-round opponent, Daniel Brands, revealed a possible Achilles heel.  

Big, tall guys with booming forehands give Nadal fits. 

Even Nadal admitted that Brands had the right strategy against him. After the match he told ESPN, "He had a fantastic tactic...I think that he arrived on the court completely decided upon striking all the balls, 100 percent, and he was inspired today."

That's it. Against Nadal, go for broke.

But you better be able to keep it up for four or five sets. Otherwise, as Brands noted, that strategy gets exhausting.

Roger Federer: Stay Steady

The Maestro is getting easier to beat these days.

Just this past week Roger Federer lost to the No. 114-ranked Federico Delbonis at Hamburg.

Still, to defeat Federer, an opponent can't count on him having a bad day.

If there is a shot to attack it's his beautiful backhand. As famed tennis instructor Nick Bollettieri told Time magazine in 2007, when Fed was at his best, "You have to hit a heavy serve above his backhand..."No matter how good you are one-handed, that does cause some problems."

Jim Courier suggested that Federer loves showing off his skills so much that you can gain an edge by boring him with the same shot to the same spot, over and over again. 

The key is to keep it steady. Because these days the doubts are creeping in and with them so are the unforced errors. 

Serena Williams: Frustrate

After watching Sabine Lisicki come from an 0-3 deficit in the third set to defeat Serena Williams at Wimbledon, it's easy to think whatever strategy she used is ideal.

However, Lisicki caught lightning in a bottle. She played a near-perfect match and Williams got tight and choked. 

If Williams is in the zone, there's nobody who can beat her. The ideal strategy against Williams is to keep her out of the zone.

This means disrupting her rhythm, frustrating her into making unforced errors. 

Williams rarely gets upset by veteran players. She gets up for those matches. She knows those opponents' game inside out. She's studied every aspect of their tendencies.

Against those players, Williams settles into a rhythm.

Where she often stumbles is against unknown entities or people who throw her new looks.

Look at the big upsets over Williams in her career. Sharapova was an unknown when she defeated Williams at Wimbledon in 2004.

It's best to mix it up against Williams. Take pace off, slice, heck, even throw in moon balls. 

Keep her guessing and frustrated.   

Maria Sharapova: Make Her Run

Maria Sharapova once joked about looking "like a cow on ice" when she plays on clay.

All kidding aside, Sharapova is not the best mover on any surface. 

At 6'2" she has the reach that allows her to get to balls despite her awkward movement on the court. Although she has improved her mobility, she's still susceptible to drop shots.

Forget about what Williams does to defeat Sharapova. Few opponents have the combination of great ground strokes and killer serve like Williams. 

And it's not about hitting Sharapova off the court. That's just not going to happen.

The ideal strategy against her is to keep her running. Throw in a drop shot in the middle of a baseline rally. Use angles to push her from side to side. 

Be prepared to absorb the blows, as Agnieszka Radwanska did in her win over Sharapova in Miami in 2012.

After the match Radwanska told Reuters about her strategy against Sharapova. "I will never be able to serve like Maria but I try different things and mix it up." 

Victoria Azarenka: Rattle Her Nerves

Victoria Azarenka is known for her nerves.

She became so rattled during the semifinal match against Sloane Stephens at the Australian Open that she took a 10-minute medical timeout to calm herself down.

Pressure applied on her second serve seems to get the nerves rolling. 

For someone who hits with such force, Azarenka's serve is pretty weak. Her second serve is attackable. She wins just 42.1 percent of the points on her second serve. She also has 124 double faults on the year. 

The ideal strategy to beat Azarenka is to attack her serve. Move inside the baseline and take the ball early with persistent aim at that forehand. 

Agnieszka Radwanska: Power and Patience

Agnieszka Radwanska replaced Caroline Wozniacki as the premier counterpuncher on tour. She is about as steady and crafty as they come. 

The key to beating Radwanska is to hang in there. Be patient during long rallies. 

As Lisicki demonstrated at Wimbledon, a patient player with power has the ideal game to defeat Radwanska.

Li Na: Force the Errors

Li Na has a great all-around game. But more than any other top player, she can hit unexplainable unforced errors.

The best strategy against her is to be consistent and keep errors down. These days she is more prone to self-destruction and losing focus.  

One example of just how erratic Li Na can be when she loses focus came during the Australian Open. She shanked a serve high and deep into the stands. 

Against Radwanska, Li Na struggled to hold serve. This year she has won only 47.5 percent of the points on her second serve. 

Considering she's winning only 64.7 percent of the points on her first serve, that's the shot to go after.