The speed and depth of your opponent's incoming shot are two of the three factors in determining the length of your backswing.
The deeper and more powerful shot coming at you requires you to slightly muffle or dampen the collision speed of racket and ball in order to manage the correct contact point and impart the spin you'll need to control the length of your reply.
High-level players are careful to maintain a full-length follow-through whenever possible in order to maximize dwell time (the time the ball actually rides in the pocket of the racket face) so that the ball is under the influence of the strings as long as possible.
When I watch lower-level players in action, I see the backswing length the same on every ball and then the misguided attempt to manage the shot by shortening the follow through or eliminating it completely.
The backswing is the fuel and the follow-through is the rudder!
When a sail boat is in very heavy wind, the skipper will lower some sail to get control of his craft, which, in tennis terms, is shortening the backswing.
He will not keep the sails fully hoisted and take the rudder out of the water. What would that accomplish? You would still be going too fast but with absolutely no directional control.
The backswing must be the variable, not the follow-through. Control the fuel supply and you can put out any fire.
Winged Foot winner Brett Clark
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