One thing I notice, the higher level the player, the more I see them try for every ball no matter what and the more likely they are to make some kind of return on any ball.
That is the case in the pros I know. It is the case in the top pros too. I can't think of how many times I have seen Ma Long throw himself at the table trying to get a net dribbler when he was back in mid-distance. He doesn't always get them. But he gets enough of them to impress me with his ability to change gears and be creative.
Edmund Suen, the guy who fixed my forehand--or helped me fix some of it really--he explained that, you should be set before the ball bounces on the opponent's side, or try to be, so you can move to where the ball is going. But the backswing is part of the stroke so you get the whipping action at the last moment. And that, if you are already swinging before the ball hits the net, you are swinging too early. And ideally, if the backswing happens as the ball bounces, so you get maximum whipping action, then you can adjust to the edges too: even on be big strokes.
That is why the higher level players are ready for everything.
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