Ok Alex, so I feel the best thing to do in this situation is try to play with very little speed or spin over to the pimple side, this makes it very difficult for themnto create spin and of course without much speed on the ball also generate speed too. By giving them nothing you basically get back nothing. Tey to keep a relaxed arm and stay smooth in your shots without too much power and wait for a ball ypu can attack stronger, maybe into the body or opposite side. Like you said if you keep playing woth more abd nore topspin the returns get more difficult for you, so tey to avoid that.
With the timing, still top of the bounce is ideal but definitely not too early as this can cause errors, so take your time and take a very small step back if you need but I think if you do whaf I’ve said here you’ll find you can probably stay at your usual playing distance.
Dan
