It’s important to recognize the factors that produce a lob, that way you can prepare for it as soon as you hit the ball and be ready by the time your opponent hits it back.
If a ball is bouncing at least hip high, your opponent has enough time to get under the ball. That means the lob is coming, and you know to back up.
For balls that fall below the knee of your opponent, you know they’ll try to lob, but it will end up being short, so you can start to move in.
It’s also useful to know what to do with different types of spin scenarios. If you hit a ball with a lot of backspin, they’ll most likely come back with the lob. When it comes to topspin, expect a short ball in return.
Remember, the ball you hit produces what you’ll get back. So when you see that ball coming in, understand what it’s doing and then make your move.