Sampras or Djokovic Forehand - Page 3

BauerAlmeida · 07-29-2012, 02:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ZeroSkid

such a fail comment, he saved match points 2 years in a row, that is amazing mental strength

No!, He is right. It's luck. Like here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5Y9oaHlNC8. He was just lucky that ball went in...

And here also: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhjGrQgej78

The ball just went in.

And against Tsonga in RG this year too. And against Murray when he was facing a BP for serving for the match at 5-5. That shows his mental weakness too (?).

YellowBall77 · 07-29-2012, 02:13 PM

Djokovic 2011 and on, and maybe even USO 2010 and on is the most mentally strong player I have ever seen. If all players were equally skilled for one match on a neutral surface for my life, I'd pick Djoker every time.

Imagine Fed playing for your life and you shuddering every time he hits a backhand in the net.

TheF1Bob · 07-29-2012, 03:32 PM

Djokovic forehand > Sampras forehand regardless of form.

More consistent of the two.

droliver · 07-29-2012, 04:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The-Champ

Both Pete and Novak have very good fh, but not even among the 5 best fh of their eras.

I think that's true particularly about Sampras (more so then Novak).

Sampras' running FH is the one you see on the highlight reels, but there were a bunch of his contemporaries that had better or more solid FH. He had a good forehand, he did not have a GREAT forehand. If you have arguably the best serve of any GOAT candidate and such a great FH shot, then you don't have such a drop off in your clay court results.

USOpenfan · 07-29-2012, 04:46 PM

As much as I love Sampras I will have to say that Djokovic has a better forehand. Djokovic has a pure stroke that is dangerous for any player to handle.

MTF07 · 07-29-2012, 05:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by YellowBall77

Djokovic 2011 and on, and maybe even USO 2010 and on is the most mentally strong player I have ever seen. If all players were equally skilled for one match on a neutral surface for my life, I'd pick Djoker every time.

Imagine Fed playing for your life and you shuddering every time he hits a backhand in the net.

Yes, of course, because that ties in perfectly with your "Nadal 2010 US Open is the greatest fast court player ever" line of thinking.

drakulie · 07-29-2012, 05:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Say Chi Sin Lo

Most people don't even know what Djokovic is using underneath his paintjob, and on top of that, explain to me how "Youtek" and "Innegra" are supposed to contribute to the tennis racquet. I'm not buying that marketing crap.

How is a blend of graphite and kevlar "inferior" to current graphite racquets?

Lastly, a lot of the pros are still using the frames from that era underneath their paintjobs.

In today's tour, I would have to go with Djokovic. It's hard to compared as they have very different forehands, effective in their own rights. Djokovic's forehand has more spin, while Sampras had a flatter shot. Since points are won by errors not by out-right winners, I'll take Djokovic's forehand.

This.

Sampras's FH, as great as it was, wasn't even the best while he was playing. His running FH has reached mythical proportion. people don't realize he didn't hit that shot every time he was on the run,,,,,, fact is, he missed it more than he hit it.

TennisBatman · 07-29-2012, 05:40 PM

Wow...the poll is near dead even (25 for Sampras, 23 for Djokovic).

Looks like there are good arguments for both sides.

mental midget · 07-29-2012, 08:47 PM

it's hard to compare shots that were built to do different things. pete's mechanics compliment a faster, lower-bouncing surface, and his forehand was not designed for wars of attrition, because attrition wasn't his game.

novak's forehand is more consistent, can handle high balls much better, and allows him to hit inside out from an open stance, which is a big part of today's ground game. on the slicker courts of the not-too-distant past, though, pete's was a bigger weapon on a shot-to-shot basis.

YellowBall77 · 07-29-2012, 09:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mental midget

it's hard to compare shots that were built to do different things. pete's mechanics compliment a faster, lower-bouncing surface, and his forehand was not designed for wars of attrition, because attrition wasn't his game.

novak's forehand is more consistent, can handle high balls much better, and allows him to hit inside out from an open stance, which is a big part of today's ground game. on the slicker courts of the not-too-distant past, though, pete's was a bigger weapon on a shot-to-shot basis.

Yeah, I think Pete's= bigger weapon. Djoker's = better overall.

fed_rulz · 07-29-2012, 09:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by droliver

I think that's true particularly about Sampras (more so then Novak).

Sampras' running FH is the one you see on the highlight reels, but there were a bunch of his contemporaries that had better or more solid FH. He had a good forehand, he did not have a GREAT forehand. If you have arguably the best serve of any GOAT candidate and such a great FH shot, then you don't have such a drop off in your clay court results.

Quote:

Originally Posted by drakulie

This.

Sampras's FH, as great as it was, wasn't even the best while he was playing. His running FH has reached mythical proportion. people don't realize he didn't hit that shot every time he was on the run,,,,,, fact is, he missed it more than he hit it.

LOL, way to deflate the Pete kool-aid balloon

Also, those claiming that "Pete had the best running FH or all time" -- so what? that's a rare enough shot that you don't use that as an argument to claim he had a better FH.

Novak's FH is not as aesthetically pleasing as Pete's but certainly more effective across all surfaces. I've never seen anyone track down short-angled cross-court shots to the FH as Novak has, and return them with interest.

illkhiboy · 07-29-2012, 09:36 PM

Tough to compare since their forehands are so different, and are built around their respective games. That said

Explosiveness: Sampras
Angles: Djokovic
Margin for error: Djokovic
Versatility: Djokovic
Running forehand: Sampras
Rally ball: Djokovic

Sampras' forehand was a big shot, but it wasn't very versatile. If his forehands were not coming off, it's not like he could play it safe and hit penetrating rally balls. Technically he could but that wasn't going to win him a lot of points against the likes of the best baseliners.

I don't think he was particularly good at handling high balls either with his eastern grip, which is probably why he struggled on clay.

But it was such a huge shot that opponents were not comfortable hitting to it - observe how selectively Agassi would hit to that wing, especially on fast courts.

Djokovic's on the other hand is not as forceful as Sampras's was, or for that matter, Federer's. But then he doesn't need to go for as much, because he has such a great backhand, plus superb defense.

He can pretty much do anything with it when it's on, but he doesn't have Pete's sheer explosiveness. And Sampras' running forehand is legendary for a reason. There's no comparison there.

Evan77 · 07-29-2012, 11:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by illkhiboy

Tough to compare since their forehands are so different, and are built around their respective games. That said

Explosiveness: Sampras
Angles: Djokovic
Margin for error: Djokovic
Versatility: Djokovic
Running forehand: Sampras
Rally ball: Djokovic

Sampras' forehand was a big shot, but it wasn't very versatile. If his forehands were not coming off, it's not like he could play it safe and hit penetrating rally balls. Technically he could but that wasn't going to win him a lot of points against the likes of the best baseliners.

I don't think he was particularly good at handling high balls either with his eastern grip, which is probably why he struggled on clay.

But it was such a huge shot that opponents were not comfortable hitting to it - observe how selectively Agassi would hit to that wing, especially on fast courts.

Djokovic's on the other hand is not as forceful as Sampras's was, or for that matter, Federer's. But then he doesn't need to go for as much, because he has such a great backhand, plus superb defense.

He can pretty much do anything with it when it's on, but he doesn't have Pete's sheer explosiveness. And Sampras' running forehand is legendary for a reason. There's no comparison there.

this, you summed it up very well. I was gonna post something very similar but you hit the nail for sure. I'm so happy, when I see smart guys/gals here

papertank · 07-30-2012, 12:04 AM

Djokovic definitely.

illkhiboy · 07-30-2012, 12:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Evan77

this, you summed it up very well. I was gonna post something very similar but you hit the nail for sure. I'm so happy, when I see smart guys/gals here

Haha thanks. I'll be looking out for your posts.

The-Champ · 07-30-2012, 03:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by illkhiboy

He can pretty much do anything with it when it's on, but he doesn't have Pete's sheer explosiveness. And Sampras' running forehand is legendary for a reason. There's no comparison there.

I would put Rafa's running forehand ahead of Pete's. Pistol missed a lot more.

Russeljones · 07-30-2012, 03:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The-Champ

I would put Rafa's running forehand ahead of Pete's. Pistol missed a lot more.

Do I have to remind you of the surfaces those balls bounced off before Sampras missed/made them?

drakulie · 07-30-2012, 06:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Russeljones

Do I have to remind you of the surfaces those balls bounced off before Sampras missed/made them?

Yes, please remind us all of how much more he missed that running forehand vs made it.

Devilito · 07-30-2012, 07:08 AM

back in the 90s they had more surfaces than just clay so hitting winners was actually a viable strategy as opposed to non-stop grinding until your opponent makes an error or dies on court due to massive coronary from exhaustion.

Petros had one of the best forehands of all time and a very good backhand. There’s a reason he held his ground just fine against Andrei off the ground. Andrei got into trouble countless times the second he put a ball to Petros’ forehand. When you hit a ball to Petro’s forehand and give him enough time to set up you know the point is about to end. With Djokovic it’s not like hitting to his forehand means the point is over. I’d be much more worried about hitting to Petros’ forehand than Djokovic so with that it’s obvious Petros’ had a superior forehand. Djokovic and Nadal are just lucky that the only difference in today’s clay surfaces is color.

BeHappy · 07-30-2012, 07:28 AM

This is ridiculous. Djokovic has a good forehand, but Federer, Nadal, Soderling, Berdych, Verdasco all have better forehands than him.

Sampras had the best forehand of his generation. He destroyed Courier and Agassi in baseline forehand to forehand exchanges throughout their career. In his generation only Becker had a forehand to match his (only 2 years older).

People say "Sampras only won because of his serve". Sampras's serve is overrated. Ivanisevic hit 50% more aces than Sampras, and Rusedski/ Philippoussis/Krajicek hit 15mph faster than him.

Watch Federer v Agassi in their 2004 and 2005 AO and USO matches, then watch Sampras v Agassi Wimbledon/Cincinnati/TMC 1999. It's uncanny. There's a reason everyone instantly began comparing Federer to Sampras. Federer and Berdych are the only players with forehand weapons as good as Sampras's.

View Poll Results: Which player (in their prime) has the better forehand?
Sampras	45	49.45%
Djokovic	46	50.55%
Voters: 91. You may not vote on this poll

07-29-2012, 03:32 PM	#43
TheF1Bob Legend Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Leicester Posts: 5,397	Djokovic forehand > Sampras forehand regardless of form. More consistent of the two. __________________ N.S.K = Rafa2005rg/b-u-ll-z-i-ll-a/6-1 6-3 6-0/Team Nadal/nadalwon2012/VAMOSDNA/nadalwon18slams/JackReacher/King of Clay/NADALwonTHEmostSLAMS

07-29-2012, 09:36 PM	#52
illkhiboy Hall Of Fame Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Karachi Posts: 1,940	Tough to compare since their forehands are so different, and are built around their respective games. That said Explosiveness: Sampras Angles: Djokovic Margin for error: Djokovic Versatility: Djokovic Running forehand: Sampras Rally ball: Djokovic Sampras' forehand was a big shot, but it wasn't very versatile. If his forehands were not coming off, it's not like he could play it safe and hit penetrating rally balls. Technically he could but that wasn't going to win him a lot of points against the likes of the best baseliners. I don't think he was particularly good at handling high balls either with his eastern grip, which is probably why he struggled on clay. But it was such a huge shot that opponents were not comfortable hitting to it - observe how selectively Agassi would hit to that wing, especially on fast courts. Djokovic's on the other hand is not as forceful as Sampras's was, or for that matter, Federer's. But then he doesn't need to go for as much, because he has such a great backhand, plus superb defense. He can pretty much do anything with it when it's on, but he doesn't have Pete's sheer explosiveness. And Sampras' running forehand is legendary for a reason. There's no comparison there. __________________ I wish there were more men like Atticus Finch around.

07-30-2012, 12:04 AM	#54
papertank Professional Join Date: Jan 2012 Posts: 822	Djokovic definitely. __________________ Federer in 2

07-30-2012, 07:28 AM	#60
BeHappy Hall Of Fame Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 4,444	This is ridiculous. Djokovic has a good forehand, but Federer, Nadal, Soderling, Berdych, Verdasco all have better forehands than him. Sampras had the best forehand of his generation. He destroyed Courier and Agassi in baseline forehand to forehand exchanges throughout their career. In his generation only Becker had a forehand to match his (only 2 years older). People say "Sampras only won because of his serve". Sampras's serve is overrated. Ivanisevic hit 50% more aces than Sampras, and Rusedski/ Philippoussis/Krajicek hit 15mph faster than him. Watch Federer v Agassi in their 2004 and 2005 AO and USO matches, then watch Sampras v Agassi Wimbledon/Cincinnati/TMC 1999. It's uncanny. There's a reason everyone instantly began comparing Federer to Sampras. Federer and Berdych are the only players with forehand weapons as good as Sampras's. __________________ shazaam!!!