Aiming is probably the most noticeable difference between Top Spin 3 and Virtua Tennis 2009.

Aiming is done very arcade-like in Virtua Tennis 2009 whereas in Top Spin 3, aiming takes a much more realistic spin. On the surface, aiming is virtually the same in both games (you use the Left analog stick to direct the direction of the ball), but in Top Spin 3, where you aim the Left analog stick really makes a big difference.

Aiming is as much a factor of where your shot will go as much as the player's position to the ball and the power behind the shot. Assuming that the player is in the ideal position and assuming that the right power was applied to the shot, aiming works flawlessly. Top Spin 3 reacts much better to the physics of tennis. Slices really slice, drop shots really drop (if you're not careful you're going to end up with a lot of drop shots falling into your own side of the net), spin shots spin and there's a lot of power behind a well played power shot. You can really force your opponent to run all across the court trying to get to balls you hit in Top Spin 3 as compared to just forcing your opponent to run left to right in Virtua Tennis 2009.

Whereas in Virtua Tennis ranking is determined by the player’s performance during a tournament and experience is conducted through training exercises, in Top Spin 3, winning matches is what determines both the ranking as well as the amount of experience earned. In Top Spin 3 you have a direct influence over what skills to improve upon (depending on where you distribute your experience points) whereas in Virtua Tennis 2009 experience is automatically distributed for you in one of only 4 areas: groundwork, footwork, technique and serve and volley. Earning experience in Virtua Tennis 2009 is much more fun but it is much more effective in Top Spin 3. Once again, depending on what you look for in a game, either choice works as the choice of what's more fun or more effective is a hard one to make. Top Spin 3 is about realism and precision whereas Virtua Tennis 2009 is very arcade-like but does have a lot more bling.