It's not uncommon for right-handed players, amateurs and pros alike, to struggle when facing southpaws. Some people just hate playing lefties. There's a certain mystique surrounding left-handed athletes, and the lefties wisely play it up.

Thirteen percent of the general population is believed to be left-handed, but it appears a higher percentage have snared Grand Slam trophies over the past few decades. The player I've always measured myself against, the great Aussie Rod Laver, is a lefty. When I started my career, two of the game's best southpaws ever were still playing -- Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe. Two top female champions of the Open era, Martina Navratilova and Monica Seles, are left-handed.

One of the highest points of my career was beating lefty Goran Ivanisevic this past July for my fifth wimbledon title. And one of the lowest came at the left hands of a pair of Frenchmen in the 1991 Davis Cup final. I lost to both Henri Leconte and Guy Forget, resulting in France's 3-1 victory over the U.S.

While many people blamed the losses on the fact that I was a Davis Cup rookie, my late coach Tim Gullikson felt there was a technical reason: I wasn't positioned properly to return their serves.

Some key technical and mental adjustments can turn an Achilles' heel into an advantage. Since 1994, my record against left-handed players is 56-5. Let me give you some advice on how to keep that pesky lefty from beating you.

Return Stance: Move Left

The scoring system in tennis provides left-handed players with a distinct advantage. A left-hander's slice serve spins out wide of the service box in the ad court. Therefore, a lefty can use the wide serve effectively on the most important game points (30-40, 40-30, ad-out, ad-in).

A further advantage is that a lefty's slice serve to the ad court goes to a righty's backhand, usually his weaker side. So when he needs it the most, it's natural for a southpaw to play his strength to a right-hander's weakness.

When I lost to Leconte and Forget in '91, I failed to adjust my return position. On points to the ad court, I stood where I always did, with my left foot on the singles sideline. This position makes it more difficult for a right-handed server to hit to my backhand, my less dominant stroke, without overexposing my forehand side.

In France, however, it wasn't enough. I lunged to get my racquet on the wide serves hit by Leconte and Forget to the ad court. It was too easy for them to hit to my backhand.

At the time, I had just started working with Tim Gullikson. He recommended I move to the left as much as 3 feet. Simple advice, but it helped me tremendously. (Tim knew all the tricks; his twin brother, Tom, is a lefty, so held been playing against one his entire life. As a pro, Tim beat McEnroe and had a good record against big-serving lefty Roscoe Tanner.)

To determine the best position to use, try different return-of-serve positions when you practice against lefties. You've gone too far if in reducing the number of problematic wide serves, your opponent starts drilling aces past you down the middle of the court. The ideal spot will let you cover the wide serve and still reach shots hit down the middle.

Return Stroke: Level It Out

I used to take a full swing when hitting my backhand return. This proved particularly troublesome on the grass at Wimbledon, where you don't have time to wind up and swing away. My first three years there, I never got past the second round. It also hurt me against lefties.

I have learned to block and chip the backhand return. A lengthy low-to-high swing path may be 0.K. on a ground stroke, but it's too risky when facing a hard serve. By shortening the backswing and maintaining a level racquet head throughout the stroke, you increase the likelihood of making solid contact with the ball.

This advice will help your return against all players, but it's particularly important when facing left-handed ones. Since a lefty's serve naturally slices away from a right-hander's backhand in the deuce and ad courts, it's extremely hard to get the ball in play if you swing wildly. You can also make your forehand return more steady by compacting the backswing.

Return Step: Cut Off The Angle

When returning a left-hander's wide serve in the ad court, the natural tendency is to step straight across the court to hit it. But as you move farther out, you need to remember that a lefty's slice serve is also going farther and farther off the court. Even if you do get the ball back, you'll be out of position for the next shot.

Instead, cut off the angle of a lefty's slice serve. When a lefty serves out wide, try to move at a 45-degree angle to meet the ball and hit it before it spins farther away from you. By moving forward, you're also hitting the ball earlier, which will help if your opponent attempts to serve and volley. Don't let the spin play you. Hit the return out in front of your body and play aggressively, not tentatively.

Ground Strokes: Attack The Backhand

While two of the world's best lefties, Petr Korda and Marcelo Rios, have better backhands than forehands, they are an exception. Most players, right-handers and southpaws alike, have weaker backhands than forehands. If you are right-handed, it's easier to exploit a lefty's backhand because your crosscourt forehand goes there. This should be a good match-up for you.

Of course, this also means that a lefty hits his stronger shot, his forehand, to your backhand. But don't dwell too much on this fact. Most right-handed players focus on the left-hander's advantages and not on his disadvantages. Think positive. For example, consider the advantage you now have serving to the deuce court, where your serve spins away from a lefty's backhand.

I also think right-handed players worry too much in general when playing left-handers. They get so consumed by where they need to hit against lefties that they tighten up. Sure, you should probably attack a lefty's backhand, but if you hit every ball there, your opponent is going to get into a groove against you. When playing lefties (or righties), it's best to mix things up and keep your opponent guessing. If you become predictable, you become the victim.

Preparation : Practice Makes Perfect

When facing a lefty, the patterns of play are opposite of those you normally encounter against a righty. You need to think things through because nothing is automatic. For example, when you hit your forehand approach down the line, you are hitting to a southpaw's forehand, not his backhand. And remember to lob to the right-hand side of the court to make it tough for him to hit the overhead.

Practice with as many left-handers as possible to get used to the differences. It's particularly important to see the difference in spin before you play a lefty in an important match. The more you are exposed to left-handed players, the more comfortable you'll feel playing them.

Whenever I know I'll be facing a lefty in a tournament, my coach, Paul Annacone, tries to arrange a hitting session with a pro who is left-handed. On the tour, everyone hates to practice with lefties until you have to face one in the next round. Then, suddenly, lefties are your best friends.