--- title: U.S. Open: Explore the Physics Behind the Tennis Drop Shot description: How does a tennis drop shot work? With a little help from the air canonical: https://time.com/4025292/tennis-us-open-drop-shot/ author: Ainissa Ramirez article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-09-09T15:00:59.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-03-30T11:51:40.529Z article:section: Ideas og:title: Explore the Physics Behind the Tennis Drop Shot og:description: How does a tennis drop shot work? With a little help from the air og:url: https://time.com/4025292/tennis-us-open-drop-shot/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt58d8d48faa71310c/6988628c428a9ec147ccefd1/gettyimages-487251982-e1441733285169.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: 2015 US Open - Day Eight og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Explore the Physics Behind the Tennis Drop Shot twitter:description: How does a tennis drop shot work? With a little help from the air twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt58d8d48faa71310c/6988628c428a9ec147ccefd1/gettyimages-487251982-e1441733285169.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Explore the Physics Behind the Tennis Drop Shot by [Ainissa Ramirez](https://time.com/author/ainissa-ramirez/) and [Salima Koroma](https://time.com/author/salima-koroma/) Sep 9, 2015 3:00 PM UTC  NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 07: Roger Federer of Switzerland returns a shot against John Isner of the United States during their Men's Singles Fourth Round match on Day Eight of the 2015 U.S. Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 7, 2015 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Chris Trotman/Getty Images for the USTA) NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 07: Roger Federer of Switzerland returns a shot against John Isner of the United States during their Men's Singles Fourth Round match on Day Eight of the 2015 U.S. Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 7, 2015 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Chris Trotman/Getty Images for the USTA)Chris Trotman—2015 Getty Images by [Ainissa Ramirez](https://time.com/author/ainissa-ramirez/) and [Salima Koroma](https://time.com/author/salima-koroma/) Sep 9, 2015 3:00 PM UTC The drop shot—a tennis move that sends the ball just barely over the net—has grown in popularity since Roger Federer [used it to win the French Open in 2009](http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/07/sports/another-hot-stroke-drop-shot.html). It’s a risky shot that can catch opponents off guard, sending them scrambling forward to the net. The drop shot isn’t executed by luck—it’s a combination of an angled hit by the racquet and the movement of air above and below the ball as it spins. Above, watch materials scientist Ainissa Ramirez explain the physics behind the tennis drop shot. U.S. Open: Explore the Physics Behind the Tennis Drop Shot ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4025292/tennis-us-open-drop-shot/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4025292/tennis-us-open-drop-shot/"},"headline":"Explore the Physics Behind the Tennis Drop Shot","datePublished":"2015-09-09T15:00:59.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-30T11:51:40.529Z","description":"How does a tennis drop shot work? 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