1stVolley
Professional
The issue of a lefty sparring partner is certainly true at the club level, but any of the top pros can usually find an accommodating southpaw to practice with.
do lefties have a better chance to be successful in professional tennis?
- Thread starter BrokenForehand
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topher
Hall of Fame
As I recall I think Nadal is right-handed and right-eye dominant, but is left-foot dominant. Or at least that’s what his and Toni’s quotes infer.
1stVolley
Professional
As I understand it, the standard means of classifying handedness is which hand you naturally use to write with. For the majority of people their dominant eye is on the same side as their handedness. I am left-handed and left eye dominant. I think that if I were right eye dominant I would be able to sight the ball better because then my dominant eye would be more in line with the incoming ball.
Ray Mercer
Hall of Fame
You would think that but the day before the actual match it’s probably difficult. I remember years ago Federer had to resort to getting an old Ivanisevic to spar with him. An old Ivanisevic hits with nowhere near the spin of Nadal. Verdasco is probably the only guy that would really be adequate to simulate the pace and spin. Lopez wouldn’t be bad either.
Markus Kaila
Rookie
It seems now that almost half do not believe in the lefty advantage in professional tennis. Either deny it or not sure.
It is also possible to become a pro player in doubles. Have they all forgotten doubles?
Cashman
Hall of Fame
The advantage lefties have is their rarity. Left handers play right handers a hell of a lot more often than right handers play left handers.
I remember reading a pretty thorough statistical analysis a few years ago that tracked the top 500 players since the beginning of the Open era. The conclusion was that lefties had (and continue to have) a measurable advantage, but it has diminished over time. The researchers' opinion was that this was mostly due to increasing professionalism leading to players training more extensively and effectively to expose themselves to more left-handed play.
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terribleIVAN
Hall of Fame
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PMChambers
Hall of Fame
Although I voted No, I do accept there's a very slight advantage but it's not worth considering.
In the wood era there was a definite advantage especially given most big Tourneys where on fast low bouncing surfaces. The slice serve wide into the Ad court was a definite advantage. Most break points are played on this side. It was hard to topspin a backhand with 65" 450g wooden racquet. For a lefty slicing down the line and charging to net was great play. Even later in 90s Courier inside out forehand worked well, bludgeoning through weaker BH.
When poly can to town, the double handed BH became the norm, going to net died, getting a ball up and down on the BH as side no longer a challenge. The BH is rarely stronger than FH but many players BH are more consistent and can't be hit through. The slider out wide at break point down really only opens the court up and BH returns although weaker than FH tend to be more consistent. I don't see a BH as a liability like it once was. The surfaces are basically Med {Slow - Med} HC or Clay. High bouncing and slow. There a small advantage in rarity but in the upper levels this is not an issue.
Personally I feel hitting 2HBH down line to lefties BH much simpler now than it ever was in 80/90s due to poly.
In the wood era there was a definite advantage especially given most big Tourneys where on fast low bouncing surfaces. The slice serve wide into the Ad court was a definite advantage. Most break points are played on this side. It was hard to topspin a backhand with 65" 450g wooden racquet. For a lefty slicing down the line and charging to net was great play. Even later in 90s Courier inside out forehand worked well, bludgeoning through weaker BH.
When poly can to town, the double handed BH became the norm, going to net died, getting a ball up and down on the BH as side no longer a challenge. The BH is rarely stronger than FH but many players BH are more consistent and can't be hit through. The slider out wide at break point down really only opens the court up and BH returns although weaker than FH tend to be more consistent. I don't see a BH as a liability like it once was. The surfaces are basically Med {Slow - Med} HC or Clay. High bouncing and slow. There a small advantage in rarity but in the upper levels this is not an issue.
Personally I feel hitting 2HBH down line to lefties BH much simpler now than it ever was in 80/90s due to poly.
1stVolley
Professional
Sorry. Please substitute Stolle, Emerson, etc.
Markus Kaila
Rookie
Being a left-handed tennis player isn’t the advantage it once was
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stringertom
Bionic Poster
Playing every ad-in and add-out point where a good first serve puts the lefty in the driver’s seat is a UUUGGGEEE advantage for closing a service game or avoiding the break of serve.
That advantage was much bigger back in the days of faster and lower bouncing courts. Homogenization, racquet and string technology evolution have also watered down the sinister advantages.
That advantage was much bigger back in the days of faster and lower bouncing courts. Homogenization, racquet and string technology evolution have also watered down the sinister advantages.
octobrina10
Talk Tennis Guru
Rafa is mixed-handed. Besides tennis, he also plays billiards left-handed.
Speaking of his feet, yes, he kicks a ball mostly with the left foot.
Through the years:
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topher
Hall of Fame
Rafa is mixed-handed. Besides tennis, he also plays billiards left-handed.
Speaking of his feet, yes, he kicks a ball mostly with the left foot.
Through the years:
I play billiards left handed as well and I’m not the slightest bit ambidextrous. I can’t do anything with my left hand besides that. My point being I think billiards is a special case, does Rafa do anything else with his left hand? Otherwise I’d day he’s right handed.
octobrina10
Talk Tennis Guru
Rafa says he does everyday things with his right hand, but plays sports with his left hand. He plays golf right handed, but specialists say that his golf swing kind of looks like his tennis backhand.
Rafa Nadal's golf swing kind of looks like his legendary backhand
With a big match at Wimbledon on Friday, we took a quick look at Rafa Nadal's golf swing — and how it compares to his tennis.
golf.com
Slowtwitcher
Legend
Lefties have an advantage because 90% of the time they're playing against righties, while righties are playing lefties only 10% of the time.
I'm leaning yes on this one.
topher
Hall of Fame
Rafa says he does everyday things with his right hand, but plays sports with his left hand. He plays golf right handed, but specialists say that his golf swing kind of looks like his tennis backhand.
Rafa Nadal's golf swing kind of looks like his legendary backhand
With a big match at Wimbledon on Friday, we took a quick look at Rafa Nadal's golf swing — and how it compares to his tennis.
Are there any other tasks he does left-handed besides tennis and billiards, because I can’t find any. Per the source below, sports that require bilateral use of the hands like billiards are more likely to have left handed use even by right handed people.
So I’d stick with Rafa being right-handed unless there’s more cases than just billiards.
Left Preference for Sport Tasks Does Not Necessarily Indicate Left-Handedness: Sport-Specific Lateral Preferences, Relationship with Handedness and Implications for Laterality Research in Behavioural Sciences
In the elite domain of interactive sports, athletes who demonstrate a left preference (e.g., holding a weapon with the left hand in fencing or boxing in a ‘southpaw’ stance) seem overrepresented. Such excess indicates a performance advantage ...
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
octobrina10
Talk Tennis Guru
The main thing is that playing tennis left handed was a natural choice for Rafa. Some people like to spread a false story that Uncle Toni made Rafa switch to playing left handed.Are there any other tasks he does left-handed besides tennis and billiards, because I can’t find any. Per the source below, sports that require bilateral use of the hands like billiards are more likely to have left handed use even by right handed people.
So I’d stick with Rafa being right-handed unless there’s more cases than just billiards.
Left Preference for Sport Tasks Does Not Necessarily Indicate Left-Handedness: Sport-Specific Lateral Preferences, Relationship with Handedness and Implications for Laterality Research in Behavioural Sciences
In the elite domain of interactive sports, athletes who demonstrate a left preference (e.g., holding a weapon with the left hand in fencing or boxing in a ‘southpaw’ stance) seem overrepresented. Such excess indicates a performance advantage ...
topher
Hall of Fame
That’s true, but I do wonder if the choice was driven more by his left foot dominance than any ambidextrous abilities in his hands. Dominance in his left foot may have allowed him to step into his forehand on the left side better at a young age before he developed much upper body strength.
travlerajm
Talk Tennis Guru
They can probably find a left sparring partner, but finding one who can consistently deliver a ball with Nadal’s rpm is trickier.
Jaitock1991
Hall of Fame
Depends on how far left they are.
1stVolley
Professional
True, but Nadal is not the only lefty they may face on the tour.
I think it's been proven by science that, in general, lefties are slightly more analytical. We can prove or disprove that by studying Nobel prize winners. Or a study of chess grandmasters. Or a study of sumo grandmasters, I bet all those are righties.
Anyways, as brute force takes over tennis, lefties lose their analytical advantage. If tennis returns to more cat and mouse game, lefties will again gain an advantage.
Anyways, as brute force takes over tennis, lefties lose their analytical advantage. If tennis returns to more cat and mouse game, lefties will again gain an advantage.
This. Even the blindest troll cannot deny that basic fact. Righties have to face shots they do not practice against 90% of the time. Give me a righty and lefty of equal ability and any coach will choose the lefty. Nice call Toni.
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