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Intro:

The Virtua Tennis series is arguably the most popular videogame representing the sport of tennis, and has been accepted world-wide as being one of the premier tennis titles on both the arcade and home console platforms.   This year marks the very first appearance of Virtua Tennis on the Xbox, and has been highly anticipated from tennis fans and sports-gaming enthusiasts alike, from all over the world.

Admittedly, my last bit of experience with Virtua Tennis (prior to this third installment) was on the Sega Dreamcast and in a Game Works several years ago, so re-introducing myself to VT has taken a considerable time investment.  As you have most likely learned from my previous tennis gaming guides, I have had extensive experience with the first two editions of Top Spin.  That being said,  I initially found the nuances of VT3 quite challenging to overcome, but was able to refine my skills to the level they were with the original Virtua Tennis through hours of practice.  Despite being one of the premier Top Spin 1 and 2 sim-players on Xbox Live, I had found that mastering the slight variations in VT3 (when compared to the gameplay mechanics of TS1 and TS2) a daunting task to overcome.

Many Top Spin fanatics will find the learning curve to be quite steep as Virtua Tennis handles in a completely different manner.  TS fans will pretty much need to forget all that they've learned and mastered in Top Spin 1 & 2 to be very successful in Virtua Tennis.  While Top Spin 1 and 2 were geared to be more of a simulation (despite their flaws), Virtua Tennis is definitely more of an arcade-like tennis game.  I do like some elements of VT3 over TS2, but would prefer to avoid repeated comparisons throughout this guide for the sake of keeping it focused on the game at hand.  Within my actual review of Virtua Tennis 3, I have addressed the similarities, differences, and my opinions regarding the two tennis titles.


Table of Contents:  *Chapter headings are linked to the corresponding topics on this Web page.  Click to advance.

A - Creating a Player
B - Career Mode Summary
C - Career Mode: Training and Tournaments
D - Getting to #1, Seasonal Breakdown
E - Offline Strategies (Beating Pro Players)
F - Xbox Live Gamer Achievements
G - Xbox Live! Play
H - Online Strategy
I - Cheesy Gameplay, Beware!
J - Xbox Live/Virtua Tennis 3 Server Update
K - FAQs
L - Game Glitches
M - Game Review (Author's Opinion)
N - Virtua Tennis 3 vs Top Spin 2
O - Improvement Suggestions for Sega 
P - Reality Flaws In VT3
Q - Wrap Up (conclusion)
R - Miscellaneous Links
S - The Author (and acknowledgements) 
T - Gamer Log

 

* Special Notice Key:

- Pro Tactic: a technique I developed to improve a scenario found in the game, or, an alternative (and original) way of winning points.
- Pro Strategy: strategy I developed to increase the chances of winning a point.
- Pro Insight: an issue or thought that I felt was important enough to make mention of; could pertain to offline career planning, or online gaming
- Glitch! an in-game glitch or anomaly that I discovered during my experience with Virtua Tennis 3
- Fun Fact:  an identified part of the game that really holds no perceived value, but is entertaining/amusing nonetheless

** Court Basics:

Throughout this FAQ, I will use terms like deuce court, ad-court, baseline, etc.  These terms may or may not be familiar to everyone. Below are simple illustrations depicting these areas of the court.

Court Basics: Details various parts of a tennis court: baseline, singles and doubles lines, service boxes, and doubles alley.
Court Basics 2: Illustrates the ad and deuce courts as well as "no man's land."  The term "deuce court" refers to the left service box (and right baseline area when serving).  The term "ad court" refers to the right service box (and left baseline area when serving).

 

A - Creating a Custom Player

Facial Features: Virtua Tennis 3 offers one of the weakest create-a-player modes ever found in a videogame. Modification of pre-defined facial features is quite limited to where even at extremes, very little change takes place to a custom character's overall appearance (and if you opted to go to the extreme side of customizing your character, he/she would look goofy).  Of course, your standard color options for eyes and hair are present, a few choices for facial hair, as well as height and weight, but there aren't really any variables that will truly distinguish your custom character from most any other.  I have found it virtually impossible to make a likeness of myself (as I was able to do in TS2) or any retired professional player that I wanted to resurrect in a virtual format.

Height and Weight: If you are living in a region where the system of standard weights and measures is used, you can use the following Web utilities to convert metric values to standard values for your player's weight and height:

KG to LB (weight) Converter
CM to Feet (height) Converter

When considering your player's height and weight, I would recommend the following ranges which are common among male tennis professionals:

Height: 5'10 - 6'4 (177.8cm - 193.04cm)

Weight: 170lbs - 185lbs (77.111kg - 83.915kg)

Swing Style: With regard to the serving and groundstroke techniques, that is pretty much a matter of personal preference.  The forehands are arranged where the first option represents a somewhat continental grip with a low-to-high swing motion, the second which I believe was intended to be a semi-western grip (though, it is more on the side of a true western grip) that doesn't represent a real looping swing, the third a more traditional western grip, and finally an extreme western grip.  For what it's worth, most clay-court players use a western grip to put an insane amount of topspin on the ball.  That fact doesn't translate well with the game, as most players hit about the same with only the follow-through animations differing just a bit. The grip styles don't really influence much in terms of ball spin.  If you are unfamiliar with the aforementioned grips, here are examples:

Service Motion:

The service motions really don't impact the outcome of points, and are there to more or less provide "cosmetic value."  They are arranged as follows:

1) Classic service motion with slight toe drag.
2) Deep knee bend, feet set.
3) Front foot moves, service motion similar to Andy Roddick's.
4) Rock to back foot, similar to Pete Sampras' motion.
 

 Service Return Motion:

Again, these options are merely another way of making your custom character unique.  Any one of the following do not have advantages or disadvantages over the others.

1) One handed, split step.  (Very uncommon).
2) Feet close, ready position, commonly seen in doubles or by serve and volleyers (such as Stefan Edberg who sometimes shared a similar ready position).
3) Hunched and sway with split step.  Fairly common by many players.
4) Upright sway with split step.  Another fairly common ready position.
 

B - World Tour: Summary 

Unlike Top Spin 1 where you could train as long as you had the necessary funds to pay for it, and Top Spin 2 where you had scheduled training sessions with various coaches, Virtua Tennis 3 offers limitless training opportunities that you can take advantage of before, after, or in place of tournaments.  You can train for as long as you want before setting foot on a tennis court, or, you can delay your training until you feel the need to increase your skill levels to be more competitive.  Of course, a rigorous training regimen will make winning matches easier, but it will also delay your rise to the top of the World Tour.  If achieving the #1 ranking is your goal, then it would be best to devise a plan to work through each season in the most efficient manner possible; striking a balance between training, competing, and resting.

The World Tour consists of 20 seasons, not all of which are needed to max out your player or to achieve the world's #1 ranking.  You should accomplish both of those feats well before your 20th season.  After your 20th season, your player effectively retires.  The only real incentives for actually playing through 20 seasons are the accessories you can acquire after tournament wins, Academy drills,  and special accomplishments (such as winning all four Grand Slams in the same season, winning 50 smash points in a season, winning challenges made by other players, etc.).

Tournaments are scheduled year-round, each with restrictions on who may participate.  Some tournaments (300 level Challenger events) are wide open in terms of participation and provide small rank improvements with each win.  Other events such as the Advantage Series (204 level), "Masters Events" (100 level), and "Grand Slams" (56 level) feature pros with improved A.I., longer matches, and allow for better chances at improving your standing in the leaderboard.  The more prestigious events will even host doubles tournaments which strangely enough, improve your singles ranking with each successful round.  With certain tournament wins, you will obtain new accessories such as shirts, shoes, shorts, wristbands, glasses, and tennis racquets.

The opportunity to become #1 will be made available at the "King of Players" tournament in which you must be in the top 16 to enter.  A different pro-player participates in each KoP event (depending on the year), and should you win, you will receive not only the #1 ranking, but a material item (such as a new racquet) for your accomplishment as well.  KoP events are comprised of a six game match against ridiculous opponent A.I., and your custom player's stamina will begin to diminish after the fourth or fifth game of the match - so it's essential that your goal be a blowout win.  Depending on your opponent, that's sometimes easier said than done.  I found Lleyton Hewitt to be the most difficult, and Taylor Dent to be the easiest.

One of the unique elements of VT3 that separates it from other tennis games, is that your ranking will never slip if you don't participate in tournaments.  For example, if you improve to #100 in the World Tour and then take an entire year off to train and rest, you can re-join the circuit with your 100 ranking still intact.   There is absolutely no penalty for not participating in tournaments (other than it stunting your advancement through the rankings, and losing time from your 20 season career). 

After you have successfully entered and completed each and every available tournament, including at least one KoP event, you will be invited to the SPT Final.  The SPT Final is a special doubles match that will pit both King and Duke against you and the doubles partner you have had the most experience with over the course of your career.  While this may seem like a formidable matchup, a win is definitely in the realm of possibility with the knowledge of a few key items (see Section E).  Should you win the SPT Final, you will have unlocked the "Complete All Areas" Achievement worth 30 points.  You will also earn a new racquet (a guitar), access to the royal court in Prague for use in other modes, and another viewing of the game development credits.  A summary of your career up to that point will be available, including the interesting statistic as to how many accessories you've acquired.  With the remaining years left on your character, you can finish up at the Academy or accept all practice matches that come your way.  Either of those should unlock a few more items (if you are still missing certain accessories) which can be selected back at the house.  You will also have the opportunity to face off against King (Level 1) in another SPT Final, this time in a singles format.   Duke (Level 2) will appear for the SPT Final in the following season should you still have years remaining.   At the conclusion of your 20th season, your player will effectively retire.

C - Career Mode: Training and Tournaments

The best way to approach World Tour mode is to find a  balance between training, playing, and resting. Train during off weeks with an eye on the calendar for ideal times to rest before or after a big event.

Training Exercises: When participating in training exercises, be aware that your movements will directly affect specific areas of your player's ability.  In other words, if you hit more forehands than backhands in a training session, your forehands will level up much more quickly.  Additionally, in footwork training exercises, lateral movements, cut-backs, forward rushing and backpeddling are all measured independently.  So, if you are only moving side to side, it might take you considerably longer to level-up your ability to rush the net.

Skill Levels: Skill levels vary on the attribute being measured.  For my first custom character, he was designated as having a "big serve."  His skills were rated as follows:

Each subcategory under areas such as groundstrokes and volley (e.g. Power, Control, Angle) are subject to a limited number of key attributes being maxed out, and those will be the first ones that level-up to full capacity.  This is indicated by a red bar and a briefly flashing "maxed."  During your training exercises, be fully aware of how your skills are progressing, and which ones you want as your strengths.  If you want to be an star player at the net, then you better focus on moving forwards and backwards during training drills such as Avalanche as opposed to running mostly laterally (Panic Balloon).  When you reach levels 25 and higher, skill level improvement becomes increasingly difficult to equalize.   

For example, if you want a powerful forehand to be your maxed groundstroke (indicated by red bar), and it is currently at level 27 control with the bar at 75%, and your power is at 10% (level 27), it will be VERY difficult to increase your power so that it surpasses control.   More than likely, your control will become your maxed groundstroke attribute since it will top out first.
 

Resting: "Resting" is an option that is new to tennis videogames, and one that is of tremendous importance in VT3 if you want to proceed through the game with the utmost efficiency.  Inadequate rest will likely result in a bodily injury to your custom character that could put him (or her) out of commission from weeks to several months.  I've heard of shoulder injuries, knee injuries, elbow injuries, stress fractures, and even a broken femur (that was my guy!) all taking place due to insufficient rest.

Training can put a strain on your custom player, especially if you are training for more than three consecutive times in a given month.  Be mindful that pushing your player will undoubtedly result in a setback due to injury.  To test your physical conditioning, be alert to whether or not your player is still able to hit running forehands.  If you notice that he is diving for shots that he'd normally hit on the run, then he is tiring out, and you should rest as soon as possible.

If my custom player is pretty well-to-do stamina-wise prior to an event, I won't rest.  However, at the conclusion of a tournament, I make sure to take a rest.  That way, I am assured that my custom player is no longer prone to an accidental injury.  If my player has taken a beating from practice with little time to recover before a tournament, I will take a rest at home just prior to the event, followed up by a vacation afterwards.  The energy drink does not prevent injuries; it is merely a stamina booster to top off your energy level prior to an activity.

- Pro Insight: The energy drink is particularly useful when a doubles event follows a singles tournament in back-to-back weeks.

True rest (i.e. a vacation) helps your player fully recover, and returns his (or her) stamina its maximum level.

Below are a few things that really beat your player's stamina down:

- three or more consecutive weeks of training (especially events that target the same part of your body)
- very long matches (such as KoP events)
- excessive diving

Just because your stamina meter shows "full"doesn't mean that your player won't be injured.  Too much court time and too little rest may spell disaster.  Energy drinks don't protect you, and home rest can only do so much if you are constantly playing long, endurance-type matches.  A vacation is the only option to ensure a complete recovery.  Vacations aren't as essential later in your career when you are handling the competition with ease; home rest is sufficient there - - but early on, you may want to consider a vacation every now and then after winning a tournament.

Academy Training:  Training at the Academy provides you an experience that falls somewhere between the standard training challenges and practice sessions with other players.  Equipment rewards are issued after certain accomplishments and your skill levels improve after successfully completing each task at the Academy.

Please note that training at the Academy is not required to achieve the #1 ranking.  The purpose of the Academy is to assign you specific goals to attain within a certain amount of time.  The scenarios you are presented with are supposed to mimic in-game situations you might face.   I use the words "supposed to" because at the Advanced and Expert levels at the Academy, the assignments given are utterly ridiculous, not to mention tremendously difficult to accomplish.

Player Practices:  Player practice requests are a good way to test your skills against a pro who is set at a level slightly weaker than yourself.  While participating in a pro-player practice session offers the opportunity to improve your overall skill sets (i.e. forehand, backhand, footwork, serve, volley), the true benefit comes from the fact that after multiple practice sessions, you will begin receiving challenges by pros to compete in specific challenges, such as the Pin Crusher.  Winning a pro-player challenge will earn you new equipment such as a better racquet.

Tournaments: Tournaments are arranged by ranking level.  To start, you will be allowed to enter all 300+ level (Challenger) tournaments.  The Challenger tournaments are comprised of three rounds, and a single two game set.  If you are good, you should be able to win a 300+ level  tournament in under five minutes.   Winning entry-level tournaments will get you 28 points very early on, however, the point value decreases as your ranking improves (only 8 points to win Challenger VI).  Doubles tournaments are also available for select Challenger events, and wins there will count towards your player's overall ranking.

200+ level tournaments (Advantage Series) are tournaments you will likely enter during your second season.  These events feature both singles and doubles, and provide a slightly increased level of difficulty.  As was the case with Challenger tournaments, point values are reasonably high for the first few Advantage Series tournaments, but slowly decrease as your ranking improves.

100+ level tournaments.   The level of difficulty kicks up a notch at this stage of the game. Here, you will really need to focus on training essential elements of your game so that you can be successful in these tournaments.  As outlined in the next section (Section D), this is a critical part of your career where rest, training, and match play must be planned out.  Wins at the 100 level tournaments will help you qualify for the next level of competition: The Grand Slams.

56 level tournaments (Grand Slams):  It goes without saying that these are the big events that should you win, will propel you to the number 2 position.  Depending on what season you begin playing the Grand Slams (assuming you win them), you may need to win either two or all four.  If  you follow my guide to becoming #1 as quickly as possible, you will be required to win all four titles to earn the #2 ranking.   

Here, the tournament format is two rounds, each round consisting of a single four game set.  The difficulty will become much more intense as your player will likely be overpowered by many others.  James Blake, David Nalbandian, and Lleyton Hewitt are the most difficult guys to beat due to their overwhelming groundstrokes.  

King of Players: This is the tournament you must win to effectively become #1.  You could win grand slam after grand slam for the entire course of your custom player's career, and still never get to be #1 unless you win this event.  To qualify, you must rank in the top 16.

This will be the most difficult match you will face against a pro player due to stamina drain on behalf of your custom player, and to the increased level of difficulty from your opponent.   Each season, a new pro-player will appear in the KoP tournament.  So, if you don't have success against Taylor Dent in Season 4, you may perform better against another player in Season 5 or 6.

KoP Tournaments consist of a single set where the first to six games is declared the winner.  For this event, I would recommend being completely rested up (i.e. take a vacation so that it concludes on the day of the KoP), consume an energy drink on the day of the KoP event, and check to make sure you use the best tennis racquet in your arsenal.  You will be rewarded with earning the wooden racquet used by both King and Duke.  I'd recommend using this racquet for the remainder of your career.

SPT Doubles Final:  After winning the KoP event, you will qualify for the SPT Doubles Final which pits you and the pro-partner you teamed with most over the course of the season versus both King and Duke (level 0).  This is a difficult match to win, however, I provided tips in Section K that should help you considerably.  Winning this match will prompt ending credits to roll, and a display of your career statistics.

SPT Singles Final 1:  If you continue to play your career, the SPT Final will become a singles event in which you play King (level 1) by himself.  Again, this is a very difficult match, and one where your custom player should have all his skill attributes maxed out before entering.  I have tips posted on winning this event as well.  Winning this match will again roll the game's credits and provide you a summary of your career thus far.

SPT Singles Final 2: If you pursue your career further by another year, a new SPT Final will be made available; this time versus Duke (level 1).  In my opinion, Duke is substantially harder to beat than anyone in the game, largely in part because of his cheesiness and diving lobs.  I have posted some notes on how to beat Duke HERE.  At the conclusion of this match, the ending credits will roll and a summary of your career to this point will be displayed.

If you continue to play additional seasons, the SPT Finals will recycle themselves until your 20th year where the game effectively ends.

- Fun Fact: Did you know that one of the most uncommon animations in VT3 is a between the legs shot? You will most likely see it in the SPT Final as King and Duke do it regularly when unintentional shots go over their heads, but it is very difficult to pull off on your own.  I've done it twice, once offline in World Mode, and once in an online game where it shocked my opponent.  In order to successfully pull off this tricky maneuver, you must time the landing of your opponent's lob perfectly.  As soon as a lob goes up, you must already be retreating, and you must have the ball land right behind you (literally) so that your guy's animation already has him turned around (facing you).  Should you do this just right, your player will slap the ball between his legs and back over the net.  Because it happens so fast, I don't think it's possible to actually place the ball, or to power up so that it gets hit with more force.  It's pretty cool when you do it, but lame when it happens so frequently by King/Duke in the SPT Final.

D - Getting to #1; Seasonal Breakdown

I would think that most everyone's initial goal with Virtua Tennis 3 is to complete the World Tour mode with their first player, and for any subsequent custom characters, to get them online-ready as soon as possible.  With that in mind, below is my recommended course of action to get your custom player to #1 in World Tour mode as quickly as possible.   Please note that dates such as "Jan 1" and "Jan 2" represent the first and second weeks of January respectively.  I feel that the plan I've outlined below is the most efficient (and quick) way to achieving the #1 ranking.  

E - Offline Strategies (Defeating Pro Players)

Below you will find proven strategies that I've developed to defeat specific pro players in the offline World Tour mode.  The details listed below are most effective when your ranking is between 50-200.  If your ranking falls somewhere around 50-100, you should have no skill set below a level 10.  In order to be truly effective, your groundstrokes should be between levels 14-17 and all aspects of your serve at level 14 or above.  You can get by with footwork and volleys being around 10 or 11 at this stage, but I would recommend boosting them up a bit if they are in fact that low.   All advice listed below assumes that your custom player is right handed.  If this is incorrect, make a mental note that when I say "backhand," it will refer to your lefty's forehand.

These strategies have proven quite effective for top 50 offline competition as well - though, your groundstroke and serving skills should be at or around level 20 by that time.


Click Name to Advance to Appropriate Section:

Beating Mario Ancic:

Mario is not a very formidable opponent, and you should defeat him handily throughout world mode, but if you are struggling, here are a few tips to help you win some easy points:

- Pro Tactic:  When receiving Ancic's serve on the deuce side (and assuming you have a solid backhand ), take two steps behind the baseline and one step to the left.  Power up your backhand to receive his serve to that side.  Put your return of serve down the line.  This will almost always cause Ancic to dive after the ball, leaving you the option of taking the ball in the air with a smash, or allowing it to land so that you can drill to the open court.  Ancic is very predictable with his serves to the deuce court, and you should be fairly confident in where they will be placed each time.

Beating James Blake:

James Blake is one of a few players where right around the ranking of 100, can be challenging to beat due to his crushing groundstrokes.  Most often, they are overpowering at that stage in your custom character's career.  

Given the fact that every player in this game has a pattern when facing certain scenarios, I've discovered two that have given me the edge in beating Blake while my ranking was between 80 and 100.

Pro Strategy:  When James is serving (ranking around 100).  Take two steps back and drop shot his serve.  As soon as you do, rush the net and prepare to get James' first scoop.  Hit the ball to one side (preferably, the side you are closest to), and fake as if you are going to move to that side as well.  James will most likely reply with an attempt at a cross-court volley (the opposite direction).  Be prepared for his shot, and block the ball to the open court for a winner.  

When you are serving (ranking around 100):  Line up as close to the center hash mark at the baseline, and use "B" and "X" to spin your serves out to the far corners of the service boxes.  Similar to how King reacts, James will hit his service return down the line.  Because his groundstrokes are much more powerful than yours, run to the sideline and power up your SLICE for a strong cross-court shot.  As soon as you strike the ball, charge the net and get ready to volley (or overhead smash) his next shot.  This tactic works almost 100% of the time at this stage in World Mode.

Pro Strategy:  If your ranking is around 88 or better, James will adjust his game plan slightly when you are serving.  Instead of him hitting your spin serves down the line, he'll hit them around mid-point between the sideline and center point of the baseline (e.g. about 6 feet over from a down-the-line shot). You will only need to adjust your player a bit to hit your powered-up slice cross-court.  Because he's not hitting down the line, he's reducing your angled return.  So, depending how you are positioned, your angle can be maximized.  Be sure to charge the net as soon as you hit his service return, and if done correctly, you can still win almost 100% of the points you begin.

Beating Taylor Dent:
Beating Taylor Dent is a relatively easy thing to do, since he follows a very predictable set of behaviors when presented with specific scenarios.  When returning serve, take a step or two back from the baseline.  This will help you return his serves with a bit more pace.  Additionally, I'd recommend slicing back his serves as opposed to using top spin, and do so where they are placed down the line.

A few key strategies when playing Taylor Dent:   

- Pro Tactic: When Taylor is serving to the ad-court, always slice your return down the line.  His momentum will be carrying him forward after his service motion.  As a result, he will either take a stab at your ball, or he'll stumble trying to get it back.  Either way, he'll float a ball back to you. Get yourself in position to hit it off your strong side and deep into the deuce court.  This should provide you a VERY EASY way of earning points off of Dent on this side of the court.

- If by chance Taylor gets to the net, never try to pass him with a cross court shot.   That is his bread and butter volley - he'll put that away for a guaranteed winner.  Always try to pass up the line (shortest distance between points A and B).   Also, never lob.  You'd just be giving him the point by doing that..

- Pro Strategy: Taylor sometimes looks for you to hit behind him, so don't try to play that game against him.  If he hits it to the left, you keep that ball to the left.  If he hits it to the right, then hit it back to the right no matter where he is on the court.

- Pro Tactic:  Never lob cross-court against Taylor Dent.  NEVER.  If you see Taylor Dent take a half volley or full volley inside the service line, he will likely rush the net and commit to that part of the court.  If you are in good position and the ball is coming towards you with decent speed, lob down the line (if you are near the line).  For some reason, that is the ONLY lob that Dent can't chase down.  Make sure you press up for added depth.  

Beating Roger Federer:

Despite currently being the best tennis player on the tour (in real life - 2007), Roger is somewhat of a weakling in Virtua Tennis 3.  He is considered an "all around player" which means that he has no specific weaknesses, however, the drawback is that he has no real strengths either.  Unlike Top Spin 1 and 2, "precision" (which Roger is credited to have in VT3), isn't as much of a factor in Virtua Tennis 3.   From my experience with two runs through World Tour Mode, Roger Federer was one of the easiest guys to defeat at any difficulty level.  Here are a few things to look out for when playing him:

- Pro Strategy: When returning Roger's serve from the ad-court side, slice the ball back cross-court with as much power and depth as possible.  Look for Roger to slice it back cross-court.  This sometimes indicates that Roger's A.I. is (or has) fallen into a specific gaming pattern.  Slice the ball back cross-court two more times and on the third opportunity, power up and drill it down the line.  Roger will either get wrong-footed and miss your shot, or, he may get to it, but will be forced to float the ball back over the net as a weak reply.  

Now sometimes Roger will not follow this pattern.  If he does not allow the cross court exchange on the first time  you try this, limit your cross-court shot to only your return of serve (or perhaps one more time before hitting down the line).  If Roger does allow you to get away with the three slices cross-court (including the service return), then he'll likely fall for that strategy several other times throughout the match.

Also to note, Roger likes hitting overhead smashes cross court when he's located in the ad-court (right side) back at the baseline.  If he is at the baseline in the deuce court, he prefers to hit overheads down the line.

Another tactic you can try is to hit "behind him."  That is, get  him running in one direction out of anticipation, and hit behind him to where he previously was.  Roger seems to be more prone to this tactic than other players in the game.

Beating Juan Carlos Ferrero

During Grand Slam competition, Ferrero's only real strength is his forehand.  Do your best to keep the ball to his backhand side during rallies until you are able to put the ball away to his forehand side.  A few of these strategies have proven to work well against Ferrero at the more difficult stages of World Mode:

- Pro Strategy: When serving against Ferrero, hit your serves down the line and as close to max power as possible.  Doing so will almost always have Ferrero hitting a neutral return close to the middle of the court, but slightly on the Ad-Side.  If you anticipate this return early enough, you can hit a powerful backhand (assuming you are right handed) to the open court for a winner - - or at the very least, have Ferrero dive to get the ball.   If you have decent foot speed, you should follow in behind your backhand in case JC does in fact get the ball.  If he pops it up or floats a weak reply, you should be able to easily put it away with an overhead or volley to the open court.

- Pro Strategy: When returning JC's serves...

On the Deuce Side: slice the ball cross court.  Or, if you anticipate his serves well, take an extra step behind the baseline and power-up your service return and hit it as far left as possible (pulling back on the analog stick for extra angle is even better).  His reply should be weak enough for you to put away on your next shot (or - REALLY put you on the offensive).

On the Ad-Side: Slice the ball down the line.  For some reason, Fererro sometimes hesitates (and even stumbles) when a service return is made from the Ad-Side and hit down the line.  Again, if you are good at anticipating his serves, take a step back behind the baseline, power-up your forehand or backhand, and drive the ball down the line.

Beating Sebastian Grosjean

Much like Tim Henman in Virtua Tennis 3, Sebastian Grosjean is a punk with ridiculous frequency of drop shots.  Always be prepared for him to hit a drop shot at least one time per point if a rally exceeds three shots over the net.  

- Pro Strategy: When Sebastian hits a drop shot, power up your ground stroke as you are running forward, and be sure to hit the ball with top spin down the nearest sideline.  Once you do so, begin to cheat a little towards the center of the service box nearest the sideline you just hit your shot to.  If Sebastian hits a regular groundstroke, you should be able to easily cut off his shot with a volley to the open court.  If he dives and pops up a lob, you shouldn't have to move to far to get underneath it for an overhead smash.

Beating Tommy Haas:
Tommy Haas can be another walkover in Virtua Tennis 3 with the proper game plan in place.  Tommy has an all-court game and may have a specific set of artificial intelligence behaviors, but I've never given him enough time to display them.   My points against Tommy are usually over in five strokes or less.   Try this:

- Pro Strategy: When serving against Tommy, always serve as far out wide as you can. A max serve will only help your cause here.  Tommy will return the ball just beyond the service tee on your side, and in the center of the court.  Line up your strong side to punish this ball as soon as it lands, and you should have an easy 1-2-3 winner every time.  

Example:  Your strong side is your forehand.  You serve out wide from the deuce court.  As soon as you serve, you should be anticipating the ball being returned around mid-court.  Begin stepping around to expose your forehand (and powering it up).  Hit the ball to the ad-court on your opponent's side for a clean winner.

Beating Tim Henman:

Pro Strategy: The strategy I posted for Taylor Dent will work for Tim Henman as well, however, you will need to be on your toes anticipating his cheesy drop shots which are a staple in his game plan.  If Henman drop shots the ball, always power up your shot as you approach the ball, and hit it down the nearest sideline.  Your next action should be covering the net area around the service "T" (though, slightly towards the side the ball was hit).  Tim will most likely respond with a non-powered-up cross-court shot that you should easily volley to the open court for a winner.  Because the Tim Henman in VT3 drop shots so frequently, you can win quite a few points from this technique.

Always hit his shots to the nearest sideline.  Cross-court attempts will likely be volleyed away for a winner.
 

Beating Lleyton Hewitt:

Season In my opinion, Lleyton Hewitt is the toughest non-boss character to beat in the game, ESPECIALLY in the King of Players event.  Here are a few tips that should help you beat Lleyton:

- Pro Strategy:  When you get involved in a rally, take two to three steps behind the baseline.  You will not only allow yourself more time to react to his shots, but you will be able to get much more power on the ball.  Doing this will overwhelm Hewitt and put you at a considerable advantage!   However, be advised that if you mess up on a power shot (i.e. hit a weak ground stroke) and allow him time to prepare, Lleyton will attempt to win a point off a drop shot.  Keep a look out for this.

 - Pro Strategy:  When serving on the deuce side, serve down the middle.  Hewitt will almost always hit his return down the line.

Beating Gael Monfils:

During Season 1, there is no better player to drop shot than Gael Monfils.  He likes to stand so far behind the baseline that he's almost begging for you to hit a drop shot.  Try to get him well behind the baseline and to one corner.  Move your custom player inside the baseline (preferably just shy of no-man's-land) and drop shot the ball to the opposite corner (by pulling back on the analog stick and slightly towards the side you want the ball to go).  In Season 1, this is almost a guaranteed winner, and will help contribute towards your goal of obtaining the Drop Shot Achievement for Xbox Live.

In later seasons, his power increases, thus making the frequency of drop shots more difficult to obtain. When you play Monfils in the top 50, you can still drop shot him, however I'd recommend running in behind the ball. He'll likely scoop the ball up in the air if he reaches it, which should allow you to either volley it to the open court, or smash it away for a winner.

Beating Rafael Nadal:

Rafael Nadal begins to become a minor nuisance when you settle in around the top 100 ranking.  His speed is by far the best in the game which may prolong some of your rallies.  If you entered a tournament already fatigued, your performance will begin to deteriorate the longer the match persists.  Patience is the key when playing Nadal, and your best success will sometimes come when you allow him to dictate the points (as strange as that sounds).   From my experience, there are two strategies that seem to work consistently well against Nadal.

- Pro Strategy: Return and Charge:

This tactic works best if you have a level 10 or better rating for approaching the net, and a volley level of at least 12.  When Nadal serves, slice the ball towards the far corner of the court (the same side he's serving from).  For instance, if he's serving from the deuce court, then slice his serve back to the far outside corner of the deuce court.   As soon as you slice the ball (powering up the slice is a good idea), charge the net as quickly as possible and position your self right around the center area of the net. Depending on your approach vector, Nadal will either try to pass you cross-court, or go down the line.  Either way, you should have the advantage. If he tries for a down-the-line pass, you should have that covered with a sharp volley away from him.  If he goes cross-court, you can very well cut that ball off with good anticipation.  If you hit it forcefully, you should earn yourself a winning shot.   Be alert to how he reacts to you doing this. Again, his shot selection seems to be related to how you approach the net, whether it be directly to the net in a straight line, or in more of an arcing movement.   

This tactic has proved quite successful for me, but it isn't fool proof.  Sometimes my player's volley isn't perfect, or, my player will dive.  Because of that, I try to mix things up a bit so that I can go back to this tactic when I need a critical point.  When I mix things up, I resort to....

- Pro Strategy: Cross-Court Rallies:

Raf likes to stretch his opponents out wide with sharp angled ground strokes.  Should you play into his set-up, you will both be outside the singles area trading forehands and backhands.

My recommendation is this:  unless you are in perfect position to trade normal forehands or backhands with a decent amount of pace, I would suggest slicing the ball back to him at a comparable angle to keep him pinned to that far corner.  Pulling back on the stick and towards the direction you are hitting the ball (i.e down and left or down and right) will ensure that Nadal stays put.  The reason slice is the better option here is because if you mis-time your top spin shot, it will be an off-speed ball, guaranteeing that Nadal will crush it down the line for a clean winner.  Timing is too critical with the top spin shot in this scenario.  Using slice will keep Rafael at bay even if your timing is just a bit off.

Typically, Rafael will hit three wide angled shots to set up for the one down the line.  In some cases, it’s two shots out wide before the down the line attempt, but most of the time, it’s three (or four).  The trick is to keep slicing the ball back to him at a comparable angle.  Try to position yourself to retrieve his shots out wide, but without committing to staying outside the singles lines, which will signal him to go down the line.  On his third shot out wide, power up your shot and slice it down the line.  If you slice it short, it may cause him to dive after it.  Be ready to move in if this happens.  The ball will be an easy put-away if it’s a lob or a regular put-away volley to the open court if it’s just a weak shot return.  I wouldn’t recommend hitting a top spin shot down the line in this case if you have ground strokes under level 15. 

When I start off a point as the receiver against Nadal, I usually try to return his serve down the line to put him in a corner position – and let the rally develop from there.  The scenario described above usually unfolds, and with the aforementioned strategy, points are easier to obtain. 

- Pro Strategy: End Nadal's cross-court rally nonsense early

As you have undoubtedly observed, Nadal likes to hit cross-court shots with extreme angles.  If you find yourself involved in a cross-court battle, slice a cross-court shot as wide as you can, and as short as you can.  As soon as you do, rush the center of the net.  If your footwork and volley skills are sufficient, you should get there in plenty of time to cut off his next shot with an easy put away volley into the open court.  

- Pro Strategy: Drop-Service Return

The "cheapest" way of beating Nadal is to drop shot his serve down the line as best you can, and quickly rush the net to volley his attempt at a cross-court winner.  Raf will almost *always* go cross-court when chasing one of your drop shots.

Beating David Nalbandian:

David Nalbandian is one of the tougher players to beat, primarily due to his forceful backhand. More often than not, it is overpowering and can lead to many floating shots by your player (and unforced errors!)

- Pro Strategy: Slice the ball

Always use slice shots against David's backhand, preferably powered up and cross-court.  This will make your shot not only an effective return, but will also reduce any margin for error (if you hadn't powered up sufficiently).

- Pro Strategy: Cross-court rallies, know where you should be

If you face David in a Grand Slam with your ranking between 20 and 56, he will almost always hit his groundstrokes cross-court.  So, if you hit to the left side of the court, position yourself on to the right sideline because that's where he'll hit his next shot.  Conversely, if you hit the ball to the right side, run to the left to cover the area his next shot is heading.  What I liked to do in these situations was power up my slice shots as soon as he was about to hit the ball.  I'd also pull back on the analog stick and towards the direction I wanted the ball in order to produce a wider angle.  This caused him to lose a little power on his returns.  Additionally, after about the third or fourth time the ball traveled over the net, I'd drop shot the ball to the middle of the court, and IMMEDIATELY run in behind it.  David would often be caught flat-footed, and either not get to the ball in time, or, he'd stretch and pop it up.  The latter is an easy put away with a volley or overhead smash.

If you play Nalbandian in a Grand Slam with your ranking under 20, his cross-court shots aren't as predictable, where some times he chooses to hit the ball down the line after one or two cross court shots.  Keep him on his toes by allowing a few cross-court shots to take place, then slicing the ball down the line to make him run.   As soon as you hit your shot down the line, quickly get into position on the other side of the court, and repeating the cross-court rally again.  When you get into a cross-court rally, try once again to drop shot the ball, and quickly run in behind it.  If your net-approach foot speed is sufficient (approximately a level 14), you should have no problem getting there in time.  David will either miss the ball, or pop it up that you can easily put away.

- Pro Strategy: Place your serve

When serving, try to aim your serves with max power right down the center line.  David's returns have little angle, and you should be able to observe where they will land, almost in predictable fashion.  When you serve from the deuce court and down the line, David's returns will be to your backhand side.  Place your max serve down the line, move a bit to your left and power up your backhand.  To make it more effective, pull down and to the right on your analog stick.  You should drill your groundstroke at a tight angle that he'll either miss completely, or pop up with a diving attempt.  Rush the net for an easy put-away if necessary.


Beating Andy Roddick:
Just like in real life, two things make Andy an effective and feared player:  1) his serve, 2) he capitalizes on opportunity.  In VT3, you need to nullify those two things from deciding your game.

- Pro Strategy: When Andy serves, take three full steps back from the baseline.  If your top spin shots are still going out of bounds, then fall back to the slice.  Power up your slice and put it cross court, and begin the point from there.  This is pretty effective when receiving the ball from the deuce court.

- Pro Tactic:  In the ad-court, try powering up a slice deep down the line.  As soon as you hit the ball, feint a move to the right as if you are going to cover the deuce court, but don't actually commit to it.  Andy will likely hit your ball back down the line, which you can easily get back into position for, and blast a cross court shot for a winner.  I relied on this tactic heavily during my two KoP matches against him (two different seasons).

Beating King (SPT Singles Final):

Pro Strategy: When you serve against King from the deuce court, get as far left as you can to serve (that little hash mark at the center of the baseline is as far as you can go).  Serve a 1/4 to 1/2 speed serve into the outside corner of the service box.  As soon as you serve, cover the LEFT sideline and power up for a cross-court shot.  King will ALWAYS hit his return down the line there.  You will be ready to rip, and it will either be a clean winner, OR, he will dive and float the ball back up into the air for you to smash.  Since your custom player is much less powerful than a pro found in the game (see FAQ section about beating King), I'd recommend pulling back on the analog stick and towards the corners when you hit a powerful shot.  This will make the ball land short, which sometimes has King diving to get it before the second bounce.

Pro Strategy: When you serve against King from the ad-court, get as far right as you can before you serve (again, basically the center of the baseline).  Hit a quarter to half-speed serve out wide, and hustle to cover that right singles line.  King will hit his return down the land and you should be ready to blast the ball cross-court.  If your forehand is your strength, you should hit a clean winner.  I used James Blake and he made it VERY EASY for me.