Does Karlovic have a proper backhand?

[Zarfot Z]

I've only ever seen him slice off the backhand... He never seems to hit it flat. Ever.

[Rock Strongo]

He only slices it because most of the time it's horrible. But, at times he can actually hit a very decent ball and even winners, though that's rare.

[FedError]

The slice backhand complements his game of being agressive and coming to the net. However, Karlovic hit at least two backhand down the line winners against Ferrer at Indian Wells 2011.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2j_5_24aNnk#t=11m0s
Some more non-slice backhands at
3:47
6:56
8:35
9:14

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BA-MDVcmk0#t=2m57s
Another non-slice backhand at
1:02

[jaggy]

Slice is not proper?

[basil J]

he doesn't like to bend his knees much does he? He actually hits a nice 1HBH when it comes thru his strike zone, but obviosly, he does not show the same comfort coming over the ball as hed does slicing it.

[sureshs]

Sometimes he drives the ball

[Cup8489]

Originally Posted by FedError

The slice backhand complements his game of being agressive and coming to the net. However, Karlovic hit at least two backhand down the line winners against Ferrer at Indian Wells 2011.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2j_5_24aNnk#t=11m0s
Some more non-slice backhands at
3:47
6:56
8:35
9:14

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BA-MDVcmk0#t=2m57s
Another non-slice backhand at
1:02

He definitely doesn't seem as comfortable hitting it, looks like he doesnt get in proper position and bend his knees, and so it's an inconsistent shot.

He hits it with good power, though. Too bad, he could be dangerous if it was a more consistent shot.

[kishnabe]

Everyone with a single one hander on this board would kill to have his crappy One Hander.

[ubermeyer]

^Exactly. His topspin backhand isn't good for a professional, but it's still far better than any of ours.

[Steve Dykstra]

I saw Karlovic up close practicing at Indian Wells this year, he was rallying and his groundstrokes were pretty poor. While he could hit some nice hard winners, he really struggled with his consistency in this practice session. He could not seem to make more than 3 shots in a row without an error. The crazy thing was that he was not always trying to go for big shots, but was just rallying with a coach and they were not hitting the ball all that hard and he still could not get a rally going because he kept missing anytime he had to move his feet or get low.

After watching that practice session, I think that Karlovic would not be in the top 1000 if you take away his serve (meaning everyone starts the point with a rally ball). Outside of GOAT serve, his game is rather pedestrian for a pro player.

[SStrikerR]

^People should take note of that though. People always want a better serve, yet they aren't motivated enough to practice it. No, you don't have the skill or height of Karlovic, but a strong serve makes winning matches a LOT easier.

[Zarfot Z]

Originally Posted by jaggy

Slice is not proper?

Not if you overuse it.

[ubermeyer]

Originally Posted by Steve Dykstra

I saw Karlovic up close practicing at Indian Wells this year, he was rallying and his groundstrokes were pretty poor. While he could hit some nice hard winners, he really struggled with his consistency in this practice session. He could not seem to make more than 3 shots in a row without an error. The crazy thing was that he was not always trying to go for big shots, but was just rallying with a coach and they were not hitting the ball all that hard and he still could not get a rally going because he kept missing anytime he had to move his feet or get low.

After watching that practice session, I think that Karlovic would not be in the top 1000 if you take away his serve (meaning everyone starts the point with a rally ball). Outside of GOAT serve, his game is rather pedestrian for a pro player.

He may be inconsistent, but I don't see many people outside the top 1000 ever getting a service break on guys like Federer, Roddick, and others in the top 50, even if they played 100 service games against them.

[*Val*]

Originally Posted by ubermeyer

^Exactly. His topspin backhand isn't good for a professional, but it's still far better than any of ours.

Which is totally irrelevant

[BrooklynNY]

Can Djokovic hit a proper slice?

This is the type of question this thread is posing.

Sure they can, but they stick with their strengths. You just have to watch more than 5 matches in order to see them happen

[ZeroSkid]

chill he never had proper training as a kid, he was not a spoiled rich kid like Fed

[Zarfot Z]

Originally Posted by ubermeyer

^Exactly. His topspin backhand isn't good for a professional, but it's still far better than any of ours.

The difference?

Karlovic is on the ATP Tour; we're not.

Thus, I would be genuinely concerned if any one of us happened to have a better backhand than him.