How to Use topspin in a Sentence

topspin

noun
  • Every pro on the tour can hit extreme topspin with the flick of a wrist.
    oregonlive, 25 Sep. 2020
  • What singled him out as a player was the topspin on the forehand.
    Patrick McEnroe, New York Times, 28 Jan. 2026
  • Both men prefer to slide and skid the ball through the court, rather than loading it up with topspin.
    Ava Wallace, New York Times, 1 July 2026
  • His opponents all try to hit with heavy topspin to bury him in the backcourt.
    New York Times, 1 May 2022
  • Raleigh Upton served the final two points with topspin to finish off the match.
    Colin Murphy, Baltimore Sun, 12 Sep. 2022
  • Matt McLain lofted a high fly ball with topspin that carried over the wall in left field.
    Charlie Goldsmith, The Enquirer, 30 July 2023
  • There was a running forehand topspin lob that thrilled the stadium.
    Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 22 Mar. 2026
  • The depth, accuracy and topspin act as the last push, off the cliff and into the gaping ravine below.
    Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 26 May 2026
  • Swiatek does it with tremendous play at the baseline, picking up balls early and smacking big groundstrokes with thick topspin.
    Howard Fendrich and Jerome Pugmire, sun-sentinel.com, 8 Oct. 2020
  • Barty is a righty who relies on heavy topspin for a forehand packed with power, and her slice backhand can produce tricky bounces on the grass.
    BostonGlobe.com, 8 July 2021
  • But Saturday belonged to Swiatek and her own heavy-topspin forehand.
    New York Times, 4 June 2022
  • Late in the match, Austin thumped two straight aces with speed and topspin that prompted a wide grin from head coach Leslie Jackson.
    Greg McKenna, Dallas News, 14 Sep. 2023
  • The teenager tossed up a topspin lob near the baseline that Nadal could not catch up to and Alcaraz led 5-4.
    Beth Harris, ajc, 20 Mar. 2022
  • Schrader knew ultimate topspin could only be achieved if the actor playing Fife as a young man also had a hook.
    Stephen Rodrick, Variety, 9 May 2024
  • The expert covers service grips, how to judge an opponent’s topspin, and when to stay at the baseline versus serve and volley.
    Aytekin Tank, Forbes.com, 13 Jan. 2026
  • The violence of the motion generates prodigious amounts of topspin.
    Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 29 June 2026
  • The beauty of his backhand was no match for the heavy topspin of Nadal’s forehand that day, and on numerous other days to follow.
    Gerald Marzorati, The New Yorker, 16 Sep. 2022
  • Swiatek found the right balance of knowing when to attack and when to retreat, and used her topspin forehand to devastating effect.
    Charlie Eccleshare, The Athletic, 12 Feb. 2025
  • The theory here is that cooler fall conditions don’t suit Nadal’s game, pulling down on his heavy, explosive topspin.
    oregonlive, 7 Oct. 2020
  • Sock got the serve back, and went back to his playbook, using inside-out forehands and penetrating, heavy topspin passing shots to even the game at eight.
    Todd Boss, Forbes, 4 May 2023
  • Now, in order to produce extreme topspin and power, some players have their palms tucked so far under that their wrists almost seem contorted.
    Louisa Thomas, The New Yorker, 4 Sep. 2019
  • Modern players serve the ball with such force and topspin that the only way to get a handle on these violent high-bouncing assaults is to keep moving back.
    Joshua Robinson, WSJ, 30 Sep. 2020
  • Barty, meanwhile, kept up her mixture of clean topspin and clever slices that skimmed low off the grass to force the 6-foot-1 Pliskova all over the court.
    Joshua Robinson, WSJ, 10 July 2021
  • Or the kind of topspin kick serve that Shelton was delivering for his second serve, which would bounce up around Cachin’s forehead.
    Gerald Marzorati, The New Yorker, 30 Aug. 2023
  • His heavy topspin serve gave Beasley (a former collegiate tennis player from Cal-Poly) fits.
    Todd Boss, Forbes, 4 May 2023
  • Grains are plump and slightly sweet, with a gentle, vinegary topspin that provides an unshakable foundation for each of the restaurant’s six items.
    Lucas Kwan Peterson, Los Angeles Times, 3 May 2023
  • The pace and space era of tennis where lighter rackets can generate more topspin and powerful groundstrokes has a physical payoff.
    Tim Ellis, Forbes, 1 Oct. 2024
  • But suddenly their opponent is swinging away with reckless abandon, grazing the lines with topspin winners.
    Shawn Tully, Fortune, 27 Aug. 2022
  • Players have five types of shots such as the slice, topspin and lob, and stronger versions of them along with different rackets that carry different abilities.
    Gieson Cacho, Mercury News, 7 May 2026
  • Swiatek, on the other hand, hits with equal intensity from the baseline but uses heavy topspin, which can make her shots sometimes magically drop in the court.
    Corey Seymour, Vogue, 11 July 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'topspin.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Last Updated: