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Originally Posted by hoodjem
Thoughtful list. Makes a lot of sense.
The part I can't comprehend is how Rosewall was so good on clay. Good enough to beat Laver. His game was a patient, placement, no power lots of S&V game.
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Rosewall actually could hit the ball very powerfully when needed and he hit the ball very early which gave him opponent less reaction time. Rosewall was super consistent, had great mobility with great passing shots, a great volley, excellent touch, a great lob and overhead. Hard for anyone to beat that combination. His backhand slice often dug low into the ground which made it very hard to drive back.
Rosewall was a very hard hitter of the ball in his prime but we tend to think of his later years. Even if you check out the highlights of his 1972 WCT match against Laver, you can see how hard he could hit and how he was often able to move Laver all over the court on the indoor surface.