Best Groundstrokes Slicer, Ever.

Xenakis

Xenakis

Hall of Fame
This could go in current or former pro sections I suppose but this section will do (unless someone sees fit to move it.)

Which player or players have/had the best slice groundstrokes in their 'locker'/'arsenal'?

Backhand or forehand, backspin or back and sidespin can slices be offensive weapons or only defensive reactions?

I think Santoro would be on the list for his forehand slice (though is this primarily defensive?), and Nalby for that back and sidespin slice drop shot he is fond of (which is offensive, often dropping in just over the net and bouncing low to the side.)

Sub question, is more slice now possible with modern strings/racquets than in previous eras?

I hand this question on to the more knowledgeable TT brethren (or something)
 
R

ReopeningWed

Professional
Tim Henmen had a pretty nasty one I think.
Federer pre-2006(?) had this mean play where he'd slice it short, once the other guy came up to the net he'd get passed by the liquid whip forehand.
 
kishnabe

kishnabe

Talk Tennis Guru
Ken Rosewall is the goat of slices...
Roger Federer is second in that compartment.
Haven't see the Forehand Slice used as much so nothign to say for that. In terms of slice groundies 1: Ken Rosewall, 2: Roger Federer, 3: John McEnroe
 
matchmaker

matchmaker

Hall of Fame
Steffi had no topspin BH, hence she got a lot of practice for the slice and was pretty much perfect at it.
 
P_Agony

P_Agony

Banned
Fed's slices are the best. BH slice is a no-brainer, but even the FH slice, his defensive one is amazing, he can hit perfect dropshots with it, and he has the best (and only) overhead return to an overhead.
 
D

dannykl

Rookie
matchmaker said:
Steffi had no topspin BH, hence she got a lot of practice for the slice and was pretty much perfect at it.
Click to expand...

Steffi has good topspin backhand. You should watch more of her game before comment on her bh.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AETLYmlWZoI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68xnAfwgoqY&feature=related

As for the best slicer, Ken Rosewell is definitely the king in this area.
Steffi is the queen of the slice. Both of them have a very strong, powerful and offensive slice. Unlike most players who slice only for defense, Ken and Steffi turn their slice into an aggressive weapon. The best ever.
 
Bud

Bud

Bionic Poster
blue12 said:
Wonder why graf stopped using her topspin backhand?

The post about Roddick is hilarious!
Click to expand...

It appears she felt she could set up the point better to capitalize on her huge forehand. The slice BH always gave her the opening to use that weapon.
 
Polvorin

Polvorin

Professional
Bud said:
It appears she felt she could set up the point better to capitalize on her huge forehand. The slice BH always gave her the opening to use that weapon.
Click to expand...

Let's not rewrite history here. She wasn't comfortable hitting a topspin backhand, although she could if she had to with some success. Obviously she did pretty well with only a slice.
 
matchmaker

matchmaker

Hall of Fame
Bud said:
Completely untrue... her TS BH was actually very good... she just chose to use it less and less after 1990 or so.

Graf vs Evert AO 1988
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZO1kYcftLCY
Click to expand...

Before 1990, she would occasionally use a topspin bakhand, but apparently she felt so uncomfortable that she stopped doing so afterwards. In the clip you mention, she hits about 14 TS BH's versus 33 SL BH's and that must be one of the matches she hit most TS BH's in. I have seen matches, granted, after 1990, during which he did not hit a single TS BH.

dannykl said:
Steffi has good topspin backhand. You should watch more of her game before comment on her bh.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AETLYmlWZoI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68xnAfwgoqY&feature=related

As for the best slicer, Ken Rosewell is definitely the king in this area.
Steffi is the queen of the slice. Both of them have a very strong, powerful and offensive slice. Unlike most players who slice only for defense, Ken and Steffi turn their slice into an aggressive weapon. The best ever.
Click to expand...

I have watched many many many Graff matches, and mostly she would hit about 1 topspin backhand per match, and still, it wasn't really a topspin BH, it was rather a flat BH.

Polvorin said:
Let's not rewrite history here. She wasn't comfortable hitting a topspin backhand, although she could if she had to with some success. Obviously she did pretty well with only a slice.
Click to expand...

Exactly, glad someone sees reality. It is not because she hit a few topspin backhand is her whole life that she wasn't a predominantly slice BH-oriented player.
 
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Xenakis

Xenakis

Hall of Fame
Interesting responses. I'll have to watch some Rosewall, only seen a few clips on YouTube.

What about modern technology vs old technology for groundstroke slices?

Are modern string/racquets/balls/surfaces more slice friendly?

And why isn't the forehand slice more popular?

Santoro seems the only one uses it regularly (from what little I know anyway.)
 
Last edited:
D

Defcon

Hall of Fame
Don't know about the old Aussies, but Fed has a few different slices - the floater, the hard and fast, and the short knifer. And he can seemingly pull them off anytime he wants to, i.e. even when on the full run in a defensive position he will hit an offensive cross court dipping slice instead of a high floater. That sets him apart.
 
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