Virtua Tennis 3 - Academy - Hit 3 Smashes in a Row

The first 3 minutes shows a full attempt at the "Hit 3 Smashes in a Row" academy mission in which I come very close to getting gold. The rest of the video contains several more examples of me hitting three smashes in a row.

Some tips for this academy mission:
1. Have a maxed-out "Hard Hitter" (see my stats at 3:11). You want groundstrokes at 35, footwork and volleying at 29, and serving at 27.
2. Play Nadal (yellow shirt). The others aren't worth your time.
3. Learn to control the point. Keep Nadal on the run with hard-hit and well-placed groundstrokes. I exclusively use topspin (the 'A' button) for this challenge.
4. Once you've forced him to pop the ball up, circle back behind the baseline and position yourself so that you are hitting the ball at the apex of its first bounce.
5. Be patient! It took me a while to realize that I wasn't waiting long enough before hitting the 'A' button. If you press it too early, your character will simply volley the ball instead of hitting an overhead smash. This also applies to the second and third smashes.
6. Remember to curse at Nadal any time he biffs your first or second smash out of bounds.