Berasategui

[paulfreda]

Love reading this thread.
I hit with a Hawaiian grip for fun and just love it.
You have to really suppinate your forearm and fold/snap your wrist to hit it well.
But the results are fantastic. If you drive thru with a Lansdorp type swing finishing with racquet pointing to target you get very heavy topspin drive.

I do not have any wrist problems and low balls are no problem if you time it well. I do not understand why more people [out of 50-100 million players] don't use this grip or at least learn it for the education and options it brings to a normal W or SW.

I would really love to get some good slow motion clips of Breasategui in action but cannot find any. I want to see how he hits EXACTLY and compare to what I do.

Cheers to all

[julian]

Originally Posted by Dunlopkid

That's the definition of the Hawaiian grip.

it is designed to hit high balls

[paulfreda]

It is a grip which allows total release of the wrist and forearm suppination to generate racquet head speed. This means you can get tremendous topspin.

Aside from that it is so much fun to hit.

[jmsx521]

paulfreda, as soon as I find some video screen-capture programs I'll post some Berasategui shots. I have him on DVD and VHS, but cutting out points, making GIF/Flash animations and optimizing them for the web is different story.

I've also loved to emulate Berasategui's forehands too, but that type of swing is not healthy; there is too much pressure on the wrist... and I developed wrist problems, although I still enjoy hitting shots with such a grip. By the way to get the real effect of how his shots felt to be hit, you also have to use a Prestige frame.

I also once asked him what strings and tension he uses, but I forgot what it was.

[ohlori]

http://2006.rolandgarros.com/en_FR/i...ive/index.html

Click on 1994 (first the women's match). The video doesn't run that smoothly.

[jmsx521]

Thanks ohlori. In general his performance at the 94 final was mediocre; up till the final his matches were better. When I watched the final in 94 I thought if he doesn't change his game soon, he'll loose the match... and he did.

Berasategui was kind of streaky... sometimes he played well and sometimes not, even within single matches too. And the problems with cramps on his legs, as Berasategui experts will tell you, were a major factor for the performances in his career. Bruguera was always the more steady clay-courter and that’s why he did better. But when Berasategui was on fire, I'd pick his skills over anyone on clay and even hard courts. When Berastegui was rallying, his performance was mediocre and not fun to watch. When Berasategui was on fire, that was the time to watch him; it was incredible.

Consider this: in 1998 Moya finished #5 in the world. Berasategui beat him in the semifinal of Estoril 6-1 6-1 (clay!)… in what Berasategui-experts (one of them in Finland ) consider one of his best performances. I've never seen the match; I'll be searching for it.

[spadesss]

Originally Posted by BreakPoint

It's the one name that Ted Robinson somehow always works into the conversation with John McEnroe during their TV commentating at every Grand Slam over the past decade. LOL

I remembered when Mac used to say something like, "Bring on the gravy" as referring to Berasategui's name.

[vascoboy]

Anthony Dupuis from Iparralde?..hope he does well in the qualys at the AO...
christian iribarren

[Moose Malloy]

TTC will be showing highlights of the '94 French tonight(Berasategui made the final that year)

[Indy Tennis]

He was the first player I remember to really do the windshield wiper motion on the forehand.