Model yourself after the best of all times

[BevelDevil]

Originally Posted by 10isfreak

There are players using semi-western grips that can‘t top Federer‘s spin production...

But that's because Federer's forehand is radically different from most other forehands.

If Federer hit a textbook modern forehand (but with an Eastern grip), he would tend to hit flatter than his SW counterparts.

Originally Posted by 10isfreak

One of the thing the researcher noted is the difference between reality and beliefs regarding grips: a great array of different grips enable players to hit very comparable shots. It‘s actually a matter of swing path and racket tilt at impact.. It‘s their intention and habits, not their grips, which makes the biggest difference.

But grip affects the typical swing path and racket tilt at impact. Sure, someone with an extreme grip can flatten out, and vice versa. But it's a matter of what feels comfortable and natural. And different grips have different ranges of what feels natural.


Taken from a different angle: Sure, you can hit a low forehand volley with a semi-Western grip and put some underspin on it; but it would take more work and feel less "natural."