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There are patterns of play in singles that, if adhered to, will present you with the best opportunity to succeed.

Serving wide to a weakness is the best way to begin a point whenever possible.

It leaves your opponent outside the court and creates an attacking or perhaps even an immediate scoring opportunity — if that perceived weakness presents you with a low quality return as you might rightfully anticipate.

If the wide serve doesn't create opportunity to attack, begin your rally crosscourt over the low part of the net and toward the longer diagonal target rather that up the line over the highest part of the net and into the shorter and more dangerous target area.

The game of maneuver from the baseline is the essence of singles play and the crosscourt rallying skill is the cornerstone of that game within the game.

Generally speaking, the first player to play up the line assumes the higher risk of missing the court in an effort to degrade the balance of the opponent or to hit a flat-out winner.

If you do choose to play the up-the-line shot, succeed in making the shot, but don't hurt the opponent with that quite dangerous shot. They can then run you to death corner-to-corner, playing the safer crosscourt drives as you are forced to scramble wider and wider for every ball.

The up-the-line shot from the backcourt area in singles should be played only when a damaging blow can be administered to the opponent, and not on a whim of hopeful offensive glory or as any type of defensive ploy.

Wait things out and grind it out crosscourt until they either miss or get impatient and break the pattern by presenting you with a shallow ball.

Then take them to task mercilessly with the punishing up-the-line drive or approach shot to leverage the point.