============
Introduction
============
Hey guys, my name is Yami Shuryou ;), and Top Spin 3 Wii is my first FAQ in
awhile. I've been playing amateur tennis for the last couple of years, and with
the latest iteration on 2K Sports 'realistic tennis' series releasing, I decided
to pick up the Wii version. While content wise it is fairly disappointing,
especially in comparison to its PS3 and Xbox 360 cousins, the motion controls
are still fairly good. Besides, a game is still a game, and no game should go
FAQ-less :(. That said, hope you have a good one playing this game, and this FAQ
provides you with the extra edge where needed.
This is a listing of all the events that you can partake in in the "Road to
Glory" campaign, along with descriptions of how they play out and general
strategies. Note that this is NOT a career mode; rather, you can play the events
any time you wish, so long as you have completed the previous set of events.
============
Speedy Event
============
Location: Kobe, Japan
Prerequisites: None
The Speedy Event takes place in an urban ghetto on asphalt, and consists of
three matches. Each match is a best of three sets, and each set is a first-to-
seven (if the score ends up at 6-6, whomever comes out ahead by two points wins
the set).
General game strategy here should be to use strong and fast shots to take
advantage of the fast surface of the asphalt. You can try alternating shots
between opposite ends of the court to try forcing your opponent to run back and
forth as well, and hopefully end up sneaking in a point when he is on the wrong
end.
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Classical
=========
Location: Mexico City, Mexico
Prerequisites: None
Classical takes place on a regular hard court, so much like the Speedy Event,
you will generally want to try for strong shots going to either side (as opposed
to down the middle) - they will bounce fast off the court. At this point in
time, if you are feeling familiar with the controls, you can also try one of the
cheaper techniques in the game; when serving, stand on the far end of the court,
then try a risk serve going to the opposite end. Your opponent will have to run
out to the corner and send back an easy shot that you can then send to the side
he is not in, and he will not be able to run back fast enough.
Once again, you have to win three matches in the Classical to win the whole
thing. Each match is a best of three sets again, itself of which each is first
to three games won (also needing two more games won if a 2-2 tiebreaker occurs:
if a 3-3 tiebreaker occurs, it goes to whoever gets to 7 points first, and if a
6-6 point tie occurs, then whoever gets two more points than the other first
wins). Each game is, however, normal - first to get four points (or get a point
after holding an advantage in a deuce) wins.
============
Final Square
============
Location: New Hampbridge, England
Prerequisites: Completed Speedy Event and Classical
In the Final Square, you are inserted into a pool with three other players, and
have to play all three of your rivals. A victory will net you 2 points, while a
loss results in only 1 point. Although you can still win with only five points,
try to win all three matches to make it a surefire thing. Each match is a first
to three sets (as opposed to best of three - if you hit a 2-2 set tie, then the
winner of the fifth takes it all) and each set is still first to three (The
2-2 game tiebreaker rule is still in effect - whoever has 2 more games in hand
first wins. The 3-3 game tiebreaker rule is also the same, with the first to 7
points winning).
All three matches are played on grass, which is typically a faster surface than
hard courts. In general, you will wish to hit low shots, that will have very
quick bounce on the opponent's side (meaning a quick second bounce as well).
Your best bet is to go for volley shots to force your opponent to keep running,
and to get those quick bounces. Try to minimalize the number of sloppy, high
hits that you use, and especially lob shots.
==============
Male VS Female
==============
Location: Rome, Italy
Prerequisites: Final Square
In Male VS Female, you will have to go through four straight matches. The first
three matches are against the same gender as your character, while the finals
will be against a person of the opposite gender. Each match is a best of three
sets.
The courts in Rome are clay, so bounces will be MUCH slower compared to grass
and hardcourts, and will result in a longer period of time before landing again.
Like the Final Square matches, however, the general strategy should be the same
- try to force your opponent back and forth and sneak a shot onto the opposite
side of his current position. Make minimalistic swings (do not exaggerate them)
to get low shots that your rival will have a difficult time responding to. Most
of all, you will probably want to mob the net and use volley shots to get a
quick first bounce in.
===
2X4
===
Location: Indian Wells, United States
Prerequisites: Final Square
In 2X4, you will be placed into a pool with three other players. A victory nets
two points, while a loss nets one. After the three matches are over, the people
with the two best point totals will duke it out again. As a result of this
semifinal, you CAN lose one game out of the three in the pool, and if you are in
a rush, then you may as well drop a game. After your semifinal match, you will
have a fifth match, a final between you and the winner of the other 4-pool.
Indian Wells is another hard court, so bounces will be somewhat fast, but not as
fast as on grass. This means that you can ideally operate entirely from the
baseline, although this will result in a long game; if you stay at around the
service line and make your opponent run back and forth for most of the game, you
should be in a good position to sneak in a shot to the side he has left exposed.
Furthermore, when serving, make your serves count; you should try forcing your
opponent to the side edges of the court as much as possible. If he returns the
serve, you can then send the ball to the other side.
========
Survival
========
Location: Rome, Italy
Prerequisites: Male VS Female, 2X4
Survival is hell in tennis form. Or at least, it would be if the requirements to
win a match were like any of the regular events. In any case, in Survival, you
have to win seven straight matches, without any saving in-between. The upside is
that each match is a single-set game, and each set is a first to ten points
victory. The server starts with the first point, then the other person gets two
serves, and then back and forth. If you get a 9-9 tie, then a super tiebreak
will occur, in which the two players alternate serves every point, and the first
person to get ahead by two points wins.
That said, Survival is played entirely on clay, so bounces will be slow and your
matches will be long. You will want to employ all the matters of trickery that
you can on this court; for one, try to get ace serves (or force you opponent as
outside as possible) by serving from one end to the other, etc. When you are
rallying, try to get close to the net and start vollying to each side, and abuse
the hell out of slice shots and drop shots.
=============
Roland Garros
=============
Location: Paris, France
Prerequisites: Survival
Roland Garros is one of the four Grand Slams of tennis. To win the French Open,
you need to win four straight (mixed gender) matches. Each match is a best of
three sets, no super tiebreak.
That said, you may be at the end of you wits by now in regards to the clay
court. Do not worry, as this is the last event that uses a clay court. That
having been said, you will again want to abuse every trick and cheat that you
can come up with, starting with long cross-court serves (in the case of the
French Open, you may want to use your Easy Serve and simply toggle the direction
to go as far out as it can), volleying, and sending the opponent back and forth
again. Again, you will need to abuse the hell out of Slice Shots and Drop Shots,
and make the Slice shots quick and fast so your opponent cannot turn into a
brick wall and return every one of them. You CAN save your game in between
matches, so take advantage of that just in case.
Contrary to what 2K Sports would love you to think, Dublin is _NOT_ one of the
four Grand Slams of tennis. Nevertheless, the format stays the same as the three
Grand Slams in this game: you need to win four straight (mixed gender) matches.
Each match is a best of three sets, no super tiebreak.
Dublin uses grass, which you will only have played on once before in this game,
in the Final Square match. This means once again that bounces will be very quick
and brief, so you should be prepared for everything. As a result, when being
served to, basically have one finger on the Z button and the other hand ready in
anticipation for a lob shot; with most of the quick serves, you will want to get
that lob shot into the air and then get back into position.
When making your own serves, you should also try adjusting back to Risk Serves
and having serves that go out the side of the court (because of the game
physics, a serve that might be in on a clay court will be out on a grass court,
so be careful). Rallying back and forth is of course the key to winning the
matches you play, but you want some really quick shots, so especially now make
sure that your swing is in sync with your on-screen avatar's swing.
Lastly, if a rally is getting annoyingly long, try to occupy your opponent's
attention by keeping him or her to one side of the court, while you stay close
to the baseline, and then try to sneak one to the other side (careful your
opponent does not try to do this to you instead, however).
=======
US Open
=======
Location: New York City, USA
Prerequisites: Survival
The US Open is one of the four Grand Slams of tennis. To win the US Open, you
need to win four straight (mixed gender) matches. Each match is a best of three
sets, no super tiebreak.
The US Open uses a hardcourt, which is basically what most of the events in the
game will have used. A 'shadow effect' will also be in effect for most of the
game, where a shadow will be cast over part of the field, obscuring things to a
very slight degree. With the difficulty going up to astounding levels in the US
Open, you will have to make use of all four of your basic shots (top spin,
slice, lob and drop) to shake off any player who tries to act like a wall. Lob
it to the side if they're hugging the net, drop shot if they're hogging the
baseline, and use slices relentlessly if you can get them into a position where
they have to run back and forth constantly.
Serves again will play a big role. While you cannot hope to get as much out of
them as you did at Dublin, making aces, throwing opponents off balance, and so
forth is still important. When returning a serve, you should still keep yourself
prepared with a lob shot, as even though the US Open is not grass, some of the
shots can still go right by you before you have a chance to blink.
===============
Australian Open
===============
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Prerequisites: Survival
The Australian Open is one of the four Grand Slams of tennis. To win the
Australian Open, you need to win four straight (mixed gender) matches. Each
match is a best of three sets, no super tiebreak.
Like the US Open, the Australian Open also uses a hard court, although it is of
a different material, so slight differences will exist. The 'shadow effect' will
also be existent in this area, although slightly different. Other than that, the
Australian Open should use pretty much the same strategy as the US Open: With
the difficulty going up to astounding levels in the Australian Open, you will
have to make use of all four of your basic shots (top spin, slice, lob and drop)
to shake off any player who tries to act like a wall. Lob it to the side if
they're hugging the net, drop shot if they're hogging the baseline, and use
slices relentlessly if you can get them into a position where they have to run
back and forth constantly.
Serves again will play a big role. While you cannot hope to get as much out of
them as you did at Dublin, making aces, throwing opponents off balance, and so
forth is still important. When returning a serve, you should still keep yourself
prepared with a lob shot, as even though the Australian Open is not grass, some
of the shots can still go right by you before you have a chance to blink.
================
The Great League
================
Location: Randomized
Prerequisites: Roland Garros, Dublin, US Open, Australian Open
The Great League consists of a massive 16-player mixed gender pool. You will
have to play 15 matches, one against every other player. A win nets you 2
points, whilst a loss will only gain you 1. Whomever ends up with the largest
point total at the end wins the whole thing.
However, the battleground of each match is randomized, so there is not much I
can do here for strategizing, so just take the lessons from past events learned.
Good luck ;)!
In here is a listing of all the serves, shots and volleys that you can make in
the game.
================
General Controls
================
Control Stick - While you are not taking a shot, you can use this to move your
character around. When you are in the process of taking a shot,
you can move your aim left and right via the control stick.
==========
Easy Serve
==========
A normal cross-court serve that will ALWAYS be in. To use it, simply press the Z
button, and your character will automatically serve it. Best used for second
serves. While the ball is in the air, you can rotate the direction of your serve
by pressing left or right on the control stick; left will cause it to go left,
while right shall make it go more to the right.
============
Normal Serve
============
A serve that has its direction and speed controlled by you, the player. To start
a Normal Serve, you must first hit the C button (this is mandatory). You must
then swing the Wii Remote 90 degrees to be pointing upwards at the ceiling, and
your online avatar will throw the ball up in the air.
When this happens, a bar will appear on the screen, and a cursor will start at
the bottom and rise to the top. To keep the ball inside the court on your serve,
you must swing the racket (by bringing it back to its regular position pointed
towards the sensor/TV) to keep the cursor inside the color part of the gauge
(the cursor does not immediately stop as soon as you swing, so you shall have to
anticipate the exact right time to swing - this is something you will need to
practice a few times to get a feel for it).
The closer that the cursor is to the red strip in the middle, the faster the
serve. After you toss the ball up in the air, but before the swing, you can also
press left and right on the nunchuk's control stick to change the direction of
your aim - pressing left will cause the ball to go more to the left, while
pushing it right makes it go right. Be careful, however; if you push the stick
for too long, the ball can go out of bounds.
When hitting the ball, you can hit it either with the edge of your Wii Remote,
or hit it with the front face. Hitting it with the edge will apply side spin to
the ball, while hitting it with the face will make it a flat serve.
Because it is possible for a Normal Serve to go out of bounds, ONLY use Normal
Serves as your first serve. If you fault, use an Easy Serve for your second
serve.
==========
Risk Serve
==========
A Risk Serve operates on the same control mechanism as a Normal Serve. To use
it, before serving, you must press the B button, and must hold it while tossing
the ball up in the air. The main difference between it and a Normal Serve is
that the color gauge is much smaller, and as such the margin of time for you to
swing is less than a Normal Serve. However, if you manage to swing at the right
time, you can get an even stronger/faster shot.
Because it is possible for a Risk Serve to go out of bounds, ONLY use Risk
Serves as your first serve. If you fault, use an Easy Serve for your second
serve.
=============
Top Spin Shot
=============
In order to first be able to perform a top spin shot, you must first have the
Wii remote in normal position, pointing towards the TV with the edge up. Next,
you must wait for the ball to cross the net from the opponent's side of the
court to your side. When this occurs, you need to bring the Wii remote down and
to the right/left of your hip. The Wii Remote THEN needs to shake - this is
important, as until it does, any movement you make will be awkward and does not
have a 100% chance of being picked up by the Remote. Once it does shake, then
you can swing the remote upwards and back into the regular position. Between the
shaking and the swing, if you hold the control stick left or right, the angle of
the shot will change in that direction.
The Top Spin shot will be fairly fast, but it also bounces fairly high as well,
resulting more in a time-creating maneuver than it is as a play-ending shot.
However, thanks to their high bounce, your opponent will also have a difficult
time returning them, which can open his flank to a counterattack after his
return.
==========
Slice Shot
==========
In order to first be able to perform a top spin shot, you must first have the
Wii remote in normal position, pointing towards the TV with the edge up. Next,
you must wait for the ball to cross the net from the opponent's side of the
court to your side. When this occurs, you need to bring the Wii remote UP and
to the right/left of your shoulder/neck. The Wii Remote THEN needs to shake -
this is important, as until it does, any movement you make will be awkward and
does not have a 100% chance of being picked up by the Remote. Once it does
shake, then you can swing the remote upwards and back into the regular position.
Between the shaking and the swing, if you hold the control stick left or right,
the angle of the shot will change in that direction.
Slice shots are usually low and slow shots that have short skippy bounces on
impact, and should be used when your opponent has left a large opening
unprotected. Do NOT use it when s/he is at the baseline, as s/he will be able to
return it with ease. The other instance that you should use it is as a cross-
court shot when you are on the edge of the court and need to buy time to get
back into position; thanks to its relative slowness, your opponent will be
forced to take his or her time to hit it back.
========
Lob Shot
========
To execute a Lob Shot, you must set up like you are going to make a Top Spin
Shot; however, you must hold down the Z button during the swing to turn it into
a Lob Shot.
Lob shots are normally high shots that will land near the backline of the other
side of the court. Use them when your opponent is staying near the middle of the
court (NOT if s/he's hogging the front, as a poorly-placed lob means he or she
can just slam it down). You can also use it when you need to buy some time,
ESPECIALLY when returning a serve (as most of the computers will be cheap and
try to send it out the side).
=========
Drop Shot
=========
To execute a Drop Shot, you must set up like you are going to make a Slice Shot;
however, you must hold down the Z button during the swing to turn it into a Drop
Shot.
Drop Shots are normally short shots intended to make it over the net, then
drastically lose their upward acceleration and drop, and take a very short
bounce. Most of the time, you will not be able to achieve this effect, as if you
are returning a ball with a large amount of velocity on it, the Drop Shot will
go fairly far.
As a result, there are a couple of different strategies you can take with Drop
Shots. When an opponent is hogging their baseline, if you get a weak return, you
can use it to get a proper dropshot and force them to come to the net. If your
opponent is hogging the net, you can send a Drop Shot over their head or to
their sides to move them away.
======
Volley
======
To perform a volley, there is one prerequisite to it; the ball cannot have
bounced yet. This means that normally the volleys will occur at the net,
although you are also capable of executing them away from the net somewhat.
When the ball comes towards you, simply move the Wii remote in the direction
where the ball is coming (move it left if the ball is coming to your left, to
the right if the ball is headed to your right) and the player avatar will
automatically return it.
Please note that all of the descriptions are copied out of the manual, therefore
descriptions are copyright 2008 2K Sports.
Roger Federer
Baseline Sharpshooter
Baseline: *****
Volley: ****
Serve: ****
Winner of 12 Grand Slam Singles titles, dazzlingly versatile Swiss-born Federer
remains one of the best players professional tennis has ever seen.
Boris Becker
Baseline: ****
Volley: ****
Serve: *****
A former world #1, the winner of 6 Grand Slam Singles titles, an Olympic Gold
medalist, and a winner of Wimbledon at age 17, Becker is a legend of tennis.
Tommy Haas
Baseline Hitter
Baseline: *****
Volley: **
Serve: ****
Incredibly, Haas started playing with a wooden plank and tennis ball when he was
just two years old and has been winning tournaments since age five! Naturally
gifted, Haas has beaten some of the most well-known modern tennis legends.
Gael Monfils
Fast Runner
Baseline: ****
Volley: **
Serve: ***
Nicknamed 'La Monf', the 6'4" Parisian Monfils is a surefire crowd-pleaser with
plenty of pace and staying power.
David Nalbanian
Backhand Master
Baseline: *****
Volley: ***
Serve: ****
Nalbanian plays aggressive baseline tennis and his accuracy opens up
opportunities on court. This Masters Cup winner also stunned supporters and
critics by fighting to the Wimbledon final in his first pro tournament on grass!
Andy Roddick
Power Server
Baseline: *****
Volley: **
Serve: *****
3 times Grand Slam Singles finalist and 1 time winner, 6'2" Omaha-born Roddick
strikes fear into his opponents with his mighty forehand and serve.
Andrew Murray
Slice Expert
Baseline: ****
Volley: ***
Serve: ***
A rising presence on the international circuit, British Number One Murray
employs his precision and pace to great effect at the net.
James Blake
Baseline Hitter
Baseline: *****
Volley: ***
Serve: ***
Blake's story is an inspiring one, battling curvature of the spine, a broken
neck and family tragedy he managed to persevere and climbed up to 49th place in
the rankings. His speed and powerful forehand also led him to a Masters final
against Roger Federer in 2006.
Mario Ancic
Volley Master
Baseline: **
Volley: *****
Serve: **
This Croatian pro is a master of adapting to his playing surface, equally
capable of hefty aces and fast, precise volleys.
Tomas Berdych
Forehand Master
Baseline: ****
Volley: **
Serve: ****
At the age of 5 Berdych was on court and learning fast! He grew to be a top
junior player and has not looked back, consistently improving every year. Having
a number of impressive Grand Slam appearances makes Berdych one to watch!
Mark Philippoussis
Serve Sniper
Baseline: **
Volley: **
Serve: *****
Philippoussis' powerful serve and robust baseline game makes him a force to be
reckoned with on the court.
Maria Sharapova
Forehand Master
Baseline: *****
Volley: ***
Serve: ****
Winner of 3 Grand Slam Singles titles, including Wimbledon at 17, Russian
Sharapova dominates the baseline with the strength and precision of her
forehand, backhand, and serves.
Kuznetsova began playing at age 7 and trains at Sanchez-Casal Academy in
Barcelona. A US Open Finalist and Number 2 world ranking make her a compelling
player to watch on court. Success is also something that runs in the family with
Svetlana's mother, Galina Tsareva being a six-time world champion and holder of
20 world records!
Justine Henin
Fast Runner
Baseline: *****
Volley: ****
Serve: ***
Winner of 7 Grand Slam Singles titles, Henin is a formidable all-rounder, able
to perform to a high standard right across the court, and on any surface.
Nicole Vaidisova
Power Server
Baseline: ***
Volley: **
Serve: *****
The young Czech Republic-born Vaidisova packs a powerful punch, while
demonstrating considerable flexibility.
After winning the Junior Championships at Wimbledon in 2006, rising star
Wozniacki quickly became known for her impressive combination of pace and
strength.
Double Fault - Two faults committed in a row. The person being served to will
automatically gain a point.
Fault - An error committed during a serve. A fault can be had either by hitting
the net, hitting the ball past the service line on the other side, or
hitting it outside the singles/doubles line (depending on if you are
playing singles or doubles). If a Fault is incurred, the server may
reserve once.
Game - One 'first-to-four point' rally. Six games make up a set. A game's score
will go from 0 (usually as 'love') to 15 to 30 to 40. When a game is at
40-0, 40-15, or 40-30, if the person with 40 wins the next point, that
person wins the game. One person will stay the server throughout the
whole game.
Match - The whole entire playtime against one opponent. A match is usually won
through best of three sets or best of five sets.
Point - A single play in a match.
Serve - The first shot made in every point. A serve must always be made to the
opposite half of the other side of the court. The serve may be made
anywhere from the baseline to the service line halfway between the net
and baseline.
Service Line - The line going across the court parallel to the net, halfway
between the baseline and net. This marks the end of the possible
serving area.
Set - One set of games. Whoever gets to six games won first wins a set (or 7
in a six-game tiebreaker). In Top Spin 3, the default number of games
required to win a set is 3, or 2 more than the other person in case of a
3-game tie.
Volley - Any return shot that is made before the ball bounces on the ground.
Usually, volley shots will occur close to the net. The main advantage
of making a volley shot is that you do not have to respond to a bounce,
which may be unpredictable.
If you have any contributions to make, wish to note any errors to be corrected,
or just wish to send along a general comment, feel free to drop me a line at
yamishuryou AT gmail DOT com.
