The Roddick Forehand

Andrew · 02-12-2007, 05:05 PM

Lately (from the Australian Open up to his recent Davis Cup Matches) it seems like his forehand has no zip on it at all. It looks like he's taking a whip at it instead of a full swing and putting his body into it, so he gets way too much spin and a hell of a lot less pace.

Did anyone else notice this? If so, when did it begin to occur? I remember last year his forehand was definitely a force, even when the rest of his game was extremely poor. Why do you think it changed? If I recall correctly, Connors told him to flatten out that forehand for better penetration, but it sure doesn't look like that to me.

Indrid Cold · 02-12-2007, 05:21 PM

It definitely lands short a lot. I don't know what changed either but its a pretty weak looking shot lately.

@wright · 02-12-2007, 05:22 PM

The past couple years his FH has been nowhere near as big as it was back in '03. It may just be court positioning combined with a little flatter stroke, but he needs to learn how to hit flatter FH's, they make much better approaches. If Nadal can do it, he should be able to also.

4brotherdrive · 02-12-2007, 05:23 PM

Yes, in an attempt to get safety on his shot he has become vulnerable and he is transtioning where his backhand is more solid, and he has ok volleys. These improvements seem to take away from his strength.

Jack Romeo · 02-12-2007, 05:35 PM

i think he messed up his timing on the forehand a bit. he used to stay really far back, but now, he is trying to play closer to the court and take the ball earlier. also, he is trying to put more topspin for more control and weight of shot. but he is not as good at timing the ball as someone like agassi. so instead of improving the shot, it has become seemingly weaker. time will tell if he can fix it to become a big weapon again.

alienhamster · 02-12-2007, 10:51 PM

People have been noticing this change for over a year now. Do some thread searches on here to see what I mean.

Look, he needs to be able to hit a penetrating forehand, and he can still do it. The added spin on regular rally shots isn't necessarily a problem as long as it's well-placed. The *placement*, IMO, is more of a problem at times. He's better able to work the ball around the court with the added spin, getting sharper angles and such, but at times he just hits a spinny shot to the middle of the court. That is definitely a problem.

Cfidave · 02-13-2007, 02:40 AM

Many of Roddicks forehands were are definately landing short. Some just around the service line. An aggresive, smart player, is going to make him pay, big time. He is more consistent, but has lost any real weapons from the ground. He won't get away with this type of game against most of the top 10.

Andrew · 02-13-2007, 04:54 AM

Yeah, when I was watching him play Berdych on play he had an opportunity to put the ball away a fair amount of times and he would just spin it up the line and it'd sit up, letting Berdych stay in the point.

GRANITECHIEF · 02-13-2007, 08:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andrew

Yeah, when I was watching him play Berdych on play he had an opportunity to put the ball away a fair amount of times and he would just spin it up the line and it'd sit up, letting Berdych stay in the point.

Did i miss something? Roddick won and had many FH and BH winners.

Mr. Sean · 02-13-2007, 09:32 AM

I watched roddick from 2002-present is his forehand has definately changed. From 2003-2004 his forehand was very flat and alor faster. His swing was more of a straight back and forth motion which made it faster. Compared to now his forehand is a more down and up motion which causes more topspin. I don't know why he's prefers this one because his error stats are still roughly the same. He should revert back to his older flatter forehand especially for all the approaches he does now. His new forehand just isn't deep enough to beat federer. Also if you havnt noticed but as I got better I noticed roddick stroke techniques aren't the best ones on the tour. I mean his eyes are completely off the ball when he makes contact and he tends to jump off the ground on every forehand. He just has so much damn power he can get away with it.

fastdunn · 02-13-2007, 09:36 AM

Could this be at least partially because he's been trying to be more all around player ?
It's so hard to be a true all-courter... a really good all courter...

tennissavy · 02-13-2007, 10:39 AM

Roddick is not hitting through the ball. Another poster, in another thread, said that safarova was hitting harder groundstrokes than roddick and it's true. Even on hardcourts Roddick is not generating much pace these days. Many wta players are hitting faster groundstrokes because they are technically better than his.

02-13-2007, 11:09 AM

Roddick has technically changed his forehand since '03 and it is now a slower shot with more spin. Simple as that.

In my opinion - FAR LESS EFFECTIVE and I feel like I'm on crazy pills because if he kept his forehand and combined it with his game as of now, he would be soo much better.

Raj · 02-13-2007, 11:53 AM

As others have said, Roddick has transitioned the flatter, more penetrating forehand shot to a heavier, safer shot. While this is certainly not effective for approach shots or keeping your opponent off balance, it does provide more stability, and can draw errors from the opponent. However, if the opponent is hitting hard flat balls, then Roddick's ball is landing right into the hitting zone.

Serena Williams did the same with her forehand for a while, particularly between 2005-06. Granted this was likely due to not being able to move as well, however it was apparent that opponents were able to hit winners off her shots easier. At the Australian Open this year, she started hitting her forehand much flatter and deeper, and look at the results. Hopefully Andy can get back to hitting flatter forehands when he's in position, so that the ball moves through the court as opposed to sitting up and short.

-Raj

ShcMad · 02-13-2007, 12:22 PM

Andrew, there have been many threads about the deterioration of Roddick's forehand. Do a search, and I'm sure you'll find lots of insightful posts, including my opinion on the issue.

Ripper · 02-13-2007, 12:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Raj

As others have said, Roddick has transitioned the flatter, more penetrating forehand shot to a heavier, safer shot. While this is certainly not effective for approach shots or keeping your opponent off balance, it does provide more stability, and can draw errors from the opponent...

Exactly, it can't all be bad, because is winning more, isn't he?

The Gorilla · 02-13-2007, 01:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ripper

Exactly, it can't all be bad, because is winning more, isn't he?

no..........

GRANITECHIEF · 02-13-2007, 01:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ripper

Exactly, it can't all be bad, because is winning more, isn't he?

Actually you are exactly correct. He IS winning more. As is evident from his climb up the rankings. I fully expect much more winning in the near future.

The Gorilla · 02-13-2007, 01:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GRANITECHIEF

Actually you are exactly correct. He IS winning more. As is evident from his climb up the rankings. I fully expect much more winning in the near future.

nope

old forehand: world no. 1

new forehand: world no. 4

stormholloway · 02-13-2007, 01:46 PM

The problem is in his take back of the racquet.

There is too much tightness when he takes the racquet back. He thinks by tightening the forehand he can release more energy in an explosive move. There is no fluidity and the momentum that the racquet can generate is not being taken advantage of. It's not as energy effecient as Federer's and it appears as though he's expending more.

02-12-2007, 05:05 PM	#1
Andrew Rookie Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 101	The Roddick Forehand Lately (from the Australian Open up to his recent Davis Cup Matches) it seems like his forehand has no zip on it at all. It looks like he's taking a whip at it instead of a full swing and putting his body into it, so he gets way too much spin and a hell of a lot less pace. Did anyone else notice this? If so, when did it begin to occur? I remember last year his forehand was definitely a force, even when the rest of his game was extremely poor. Why do you think it changed? If I recall correctly, Connors told him to flatten out that forehand for better penetration, but it sure doesn't look like that to me.

02-13-2007, 10:39 AM	#12
tennissavy Hall Of Fame Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 2,820	Roddick is not hitting through the ball. Another poster, in another thread, said that safarova was hitting harder groundstrokes than roddick and it's true. Even on hardcourts Roddick is not generating much pace these days. Many wta players are hitting faster groundstrokes because they are technically better than his. __________________ My name is spelled incorrectly, on purpose, so don't bother bringing it to my attention.

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