He smiled when he let rip a top-spin backhand, and he even smiled when he netted a volley.

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That's what happens when you see the ball bounce really high at Roland Garros during a top spin rally.

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It did not affect South Africa's momentum, however, and Boucher had a century there for the taking when he tried to slog-sweep Sehwag's off-spin and top-edged a catch to slip.

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Addressing the tennis ball as if playing a golf shot, McIlroy tried surprise tactics on Sharapova by quickly starting a rally with a top-spin forehand.

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Top spin pulls a hard hit ball down into the court.

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So the slice is effective on clay ... and you can also produce a lot of top spin.

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"I think she has a nice top-spin forehand, " Kelsey said.

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So when a review copy of Top Spin 4 recently landed on my desk, I greeted it with mixed emotions.

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The board said it met Saturday to consider various ideas that had been floating around in recent weeks, including a change in top leadership and a break-up or reorganization of the firm beyond the spin-off of Discover card services, which it is already studying.

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