Best volleys among clay players.

[I get cramps]

I remember Emilio Sánchez playing Mcenroe in the AO 92 4TH round, well, after loosing the first two sets Emilio started serving and volleying on every point for the netx two sets -unless my memory is playing tricks on me-, and he won them. He eventually lost in the fifth set in very long and contested match.

Off the top of my head, i remember Emilio Sánchez doing it too against Kent Carlsson in a Hilversum (perhaps it was on Kithbuel) final. After he lost the first two sets he started to serve and volley, and won the following two sets -if memory serves me well- by serving and volleying.

I'm not saying, by any means, that Sánchez's volleys were the best amongst players whose bread and butter was clay, and that had also been raised playing on clay. i was very young back then, but Emilio seemed to know what he was doing at the net. I haven't had the chance to watch those matches again but that's a lingering memory from them.

Who were the best serve and volleyers amongst the guys who played the clay tournaments -Gstaad, baastad, Hilversum, Kithbuel, Palermo, Madrid, and so forth- and that learnt the game playing on clay?

Any thoughts on this one?

[Moose Malloy]

I watched that Mac-Sanchez match last year, Sanchez certainly didn't S&V every point the last 3 sets, but he did do it quite a bit - I had him at 22 of 44 on S&V attempts in the last 3 sets.
For the match I had him with 2 fh volley winners, 11 bh volley winners & 1 overhead winner. He was part of a great doubles team, won some majors with Casal, I'm sure that's part of the reason he was so good at net in singles.

I watched the 1991 Monte Carlo Final recently(Bruguera d Becker 57, 64, 76, 76) & was surprised by how much Bruguera came in & how soft his hands were. He actually came in off Becker's 2nd serve a few times.

I had him at 13 of 26 at net in the last 2 sets.

[NLBwell]

Panatta and Kodes would be possibilities.

[I get cramps]

Originally Posted by Moose Malloy

I watched that Mac-Sanchez match last year, Sanchez certainly didn't S&V every point the last 3 sets, but he did do it quite a bit - I had him at 22 of 44 on S&V attempts in the last 3 sets.
For the match I had him with 2 fh volley winners, 11 bh volley winners & 1 overhead winner. He was part of a great doubles team, won some majors with Casal, I'm sure that's part of the reason he was so good at net in singles.

I watched the 1991 Monte Carlo Final recently(Bruguera d Becker 57, 64, 76, 76) & was surprised by how much Bruguera came in & how soft his hands were. He actually came in off Becker's 2nd serve a few times.

I had him at 13 of 26 at net in the last 2 sets.

Thanks for your post and the correction, Moose Malloy.

If you enjoyed the Mac-Sánchez 92 match be sure, in case you haven't done it already which is very likely, to watch their USO 90 4th round match.

Incidentally, Emilio Sánchez said recently on TV that Casal's volleys were better than his.

[hoodjem]

Originally Posted by I get cramps

I remember Emilio Sánchez playing Mcenroe in the AO 92 4TH round, well, after losing the first two sets Emilio started serving and volleying on every point for the next two sets--unless my memory is playing tricks on me--and he won them. He eventually lost in the fifth set in very long and contested match.

7-5, 7-6, 4-6, 2-6, 8-6 to Mac. Yes, looks like a long tough match.

[I get cramps]

Originally Posted by hoodjem

7-5, 7-6, 4-6, 2-6, 8-6 to Mac. Yes, looks like a long tough match.

If memory serves me well, which i doubt, Mac was extremely fatigued at the end of the match and lied down on the court just after the match was over -it was pretty hot in Melbourne that day-. Mac needed some kind of special rehydration afterwards. Conversely, Sánchez seemed to be in much better shape. It reminds me a bit -whitout that much drama- of Sampras Vs Corretja 96 USO. Corretja should have won that match and, perhaps, Sánchez too had the match in his racquet; but both Pete and Mac showed why they are ATG's.

What really surprised me is how after loosing the first two sets playing from the baseline, Sánchez started to serve and volley with success, he had a plan B. We're talking here about a player with very little talent -however, a player with great work ethic- that could make adjustments during the course of a match. That's one of the reasons why i started this thread, i wonder which players who were raised as claycourters could held their own serving and volleying, aside of Wilander, Vilas (or so i was told), and i guess Gimeno, Panatta or Santana.

[rosenstar]

Nadal has great volleys. He doesn't come to the net much on clay, and his volley's aren't the prettiest, but he manages to sneak in at opportune moments and put himself in a good position to win the point.

[hoodjem]

Originally Posted by NLBwell

Panatta and Kodes would be possibilities.

Yep, these two--plus Rosewall--come to mind.

[kiki]

Panatta and Pecci in the 70´s, Noah and....¿Mc Enroe? in the 80´s, Laver and Rosewall in the 60´s.No other player has had success playing an agressive style on French red clay ever since Mac almost won the 1984 FO.Edberg and Stich were the last S&V guys to ever reach the FO final, but lost just as Mac in 84.

[heathcliff]

henri leconte - though he was an all courter he had his biggest success on clay.
martin jaite - another great clay courter who could hit some very nice volleys.

[kiki]

Sanchez spent much of his time playing doubles with Sergio Casal.This one was one of the few clay court born players whose tactics were serve and volley.I´d say, in the 80´s other than Noah,Leconte ( sometimes) and Mac Enroe, he´s the only pure S&V player that played that style on clay.

As for Gimeno, he could play s&V ( was a W SF and AO F) but he seldom did it on clay.Pecci and Panatta ( and even Gerulaitis when he was playing great cc tennis) were the guys that always S&V´d on the cc of the 70´s... with success, of course (Ashe,Smith and Newcombe too, but never had any success on red clay).

[jaggy]

I'm assuming Edberg grew up on clay given his background.

[I get cramps]

What about Nystrom and Andrés Gomez's volleys, were they any good? Gómez was a good doubles player.

[kiki]

Originally Posted by I get cramps

What about Nystrom and Andrés Gomez's volleys, were they any good? Gómez was a good doubles player.

I liked Gomez a lot, but his volleys were just Ok.He is an underrated one, even if he blew off Muster and Agassi in the SF and F of the 1990 FO.Big serve, one of the best overheads of the 80´s, great reach at the net, a very good BH ( slice dor top spin)...and, on top of that, the second or third best clay court forehand of the 80´s ( just behind Lendl and as good as Arias).

In addition to his FO title, he also took 2 times the Italian Open, wipping out Krickstein and Arias, and won 2 times in a row Barcelona ( beating Lendl also).

He was a nice guy but a bit shy, so he´s left few memories on the " go for the flash" fans, but some great ones for the real tennis fans of that decade.

[kiki]

I was just thinking... if a guy like Gomez is barely talked of when people mentions the greats of the 80´s...how brilliant must have that decade have been???...and people still talks about Nalbandian or Roddick so much... what a big, big difference¡¡¡

[I get cramps]

Originally Posted by kiki

I was just thinking... if a guy like Gomez is barely talked of when people mentions the greats of the 80´s...how brilliant must have that decade have been???...and people still talks about Nalbandian or Roddick so much... what a big, big difference¡¡¡

Agreed. it would be nice to have more info about Andrés Gómez from the pundits on this board. ;

[kiki]

Originally Posted by I get cramps

Agreed. it would be nice to have more info about Andrés Gómez from the pundits on this board. ;

I remember Lendl once said, after one of his rare loses to Gomez, that on the few days that Andres let his mind off and tunned up his timing, nobody could beat him on clay.I´ve seen few moments of this fantastic play.

[Ludwig von Mises]

nastase was a great volleyer but of course was more than just a clay courter.

yannick noah won his only gs on clay, was a pretty good volleyer

[gpt]

check you tube videos of Vilas serving and volleying on the kooyong grass in the 1974 masters and at the 77 and 78 AO. great stuff

[kiki]

Noah was a 1980´s Panatta with more physichal power, but less inspired.However, they both enjoyed live off the court as much, if not more, than in the court (I´d say more, definitely)