How good is Djokovic' forehand?
- Thread starter joeri888
- Start date
M
monfed
Guest
Nole's FH is marginally below Fed's but well below Nadal's imo. Nadal's got the best FH CURRENTLY imo.
kragster
Hall of Fame
At peak
1)Fed
2) Rafa
3) Djoker
Currently,
Fed=Rafa=Djoker.
They all look to be equally effective and deadly shots.
I think Nole's FH while being excellent is amplified by his ability to draw a weak shot from the opponent because of his excellent backhand. This then allows Nole to step into the court and take a full swing with the FH.
If Fed/Rafa had as good a BH as Nole, their FH would look even deadlier.
1)Fed
2) Rafa
3) Djoker
Currently,
Fed=Rafa=Djoker.
They all look to be equally effective and deadly shots.
I think Nole's FH while being excellent is amplified by his ability to draw a weak shot from the opponent because of his excellent backhand. This then allows Nole to step into the court and take a full swing with the FH.
If Fed/Rafa had as good a BH as Nole, their FH would look even deadlier.
Clarky21
Banned
tennis_pro
Bionic Poster
very good.
Bender
G.O.A.T.
He isn't hitting as short as he used to.
Granted, that extra little bit of lead tape's taken off a bit of spin, so a little bit of that banana-shotting magic, but it's a more offensive shot than it used to be, even when he's not feeling particularly confident, methinks.
M
monfed
Guest
Exactly. Glad to see some reasonable Ralph fans.
dudeski
Hall of Fame
I agree. It's very refreshing to see a Nadal fan that's is not desperately trying to prove that Nadal is no longer at his peak or even prime just to protect his legacy.
Vamos the mythical unbeatable peak 2008 Nadal who never loses (except for those 10 times in 2008 including two slam beat downs when he lost)!!!!
zagor
Bionic Poster
First of all, I doubt you can dominate today's game as it is to the extent Novak did without a great FH. However Fed and Nadal have some of the best FHs of all time.
Peak for peak I'd rank their FHs:
1)Fed
2)Nadal
3)Novak
Right now:
1)Nadal
2)Fed
3)Novak
Where Novak has them right now is BH (and FH+BH combo), ROS, stamina and mental toughness.
Peak for peak I'd rank their FHs:
1)Fed
2)Nadal
3)Novak
Right now:
1)Nadal
2)Fed
3)Novak
Where Novak has them right now is BH (and FH+BH combo), ROS, stamina and mental toughness.
M
monfed
Guest
Agree with almost everything except; why do you rate Fed's FH better than
Novak's currently? I ask because Fed's lost a lot of pop on his FH(as you may have noticed too).
Sartorius
Hall of Fame
I think the FH was one of the main improvements (perhaps overlooked even, cause of the emphasis on the mental side) in Djokovic in 2011 and got him to raise his level. His backhand was always great anyway, and he always he had a steady forehand with which he was able to move his opponent around the court. Now it's truly a weapon that can consistently pack big punches.
dudeski
Hall of Fame
I think Nadal has the best CC FH but Djokovic and Federer have better DL FHs. Right now overall Novak and Roger are about equal as far as FH. Nadal is a bit better overall because CC FH is what you use most of the time in any match.
2004 or 2005 Fed's FH was better than anyone else, ever.
2004 or 2005 Fed's FH was better than anyone else, ever.
M
monfed
Guest
That's a very crucial point indeed. Ralph's hitting that bread n butter CC FH better than anyone else atm.
M
monfed
Guest
Certainly is.
Keyword being mythical. People forget that Ralph came very close to losing that 2008 wimby final and if he did he'd have only 1 clay slam in his supposed peak year. It would be another repeat of his 1 slam years(05,06,07).
namelessone
Legend
LOL, anonymous people on the internet can't do anything to upgrade or downgrade Nadal's legacy, let alone "protect" it. Some of us are just giving out our honest opinions about the evolution of Nadal's game in the last year or so, regardless of what anyone else thinks about it.
I'm sure that you were saying Nadal's game was degrading all of 2010 when he took the FO, Wimbledon, and the USO AMIRITE.
MichaelNadal
Bionic Poster
TennisFan3
Talk Tennis Guru
A big LOL at this.
How the hell is Nadal's forehand better than Federer. I don't care how bad Fed is these days, his forehand is still streetlights better than Nadal's is and ever was.
I mean I'm not a Fed fan, but the kind of stuff you read here gets ridiculous sometime (not from you Zagor BTW).
Nadal's forehand off-clay is not in the same league as Federer's. Nadal's ONLY legitimate offensive shot off-clay is his OFF-forehand. However he doesn't (cannot) use the i/o forehand enough. His bread and butter cross court does NOTHING in terms of penetration and is basically a extremely mechanically inefficient shot.
Contrast this to Federer. When his forehand is on song, he can take time away like no-one's business. If the ball goes to that wing, he makes something happen, almost everytime. Despite the fact that he's a step slower than before...
I would agree.
Nadal is number 2 in the world. Club players have "extremely mechanically inefficient shots" not all time greats.
Evan77
Banned
good video man, I really enjoyed it. thanks. all I can say is that Nole's FH is just fine
above bored
Semi-Pro
Djokovic's forehand is not spectacular like Federer's or unique like Nadal's, but it is a solid shot with good versatility. He can spin and flatten it reasonably well and take the ball early fairly comfortably, especially on the serve. I think he has a better forehand than Nadal for this reason.
Nadal's forehand is more limited and lacks versatility. He also struggles to take the ball early. The fact he has not won a tournament since Monte Carlo last year emphasizes some of its limitations.
Federer's forehand has no competition. It's the best forehand in the history of the game. Even today it is still the best forehand out there.
Clarky21
Banned
above bored
Semi-Pro
It's all relative. Amongst pros Nadal's forehand is not very efficient. Does not matter whether he's an all time great or not.
above bored
Semi-Pro
Okay Roland Garros and I would not say it's well after Monte Carlo. It's only a few weeks after.
above bored
Semi-Pro
Another good thing about Djokovic's forehand is that he can change direction with it very well.
M
monfed
Guest
Maybe my comment was wrong then. :lol:
MichaelNadal
Bionic Poster
I was checking outside for flying pigs when I read your post lol.
IvanisevicServe
Banned
Federer's got easier FH power than Djokovic. When I watch Djokovic hit forehands, I always feel like the ball doesn't jump off his racket as much as it should given how hard he's swinging. Federer's FH isn't the monster shot it once was, but it still penetrates the court more from more angles than anyone else's.
Winners-wise, it's no contest...Federer's the most offensive player of the Top 4 by a land slide.
Winners-wise, it's no contest...Federer's the most offensive player of the Top 4 by a land slide.
M
monfed
Guest
DeShaun
Banned
I would take Novak's forehand over anybody's. It doe not ooze confidence strangely, but it is the least prone of anybody's to breaking down under enormous pressure; and since his game is predicated on maintaining balance off of both wings, his forehand complements his rock solid backhand and overall good service nicely.
Paul Murphy
Hall of Fame
Federer's is still number one but I rate Djokovic's highly.
Nadal is hitting it too short, too often these days.
Djokovic's FH often has more penetration.
The point someone made that his backhand sets it up beautifully is well observed.
Nadal is hitting it too short, too often these days.
Djokovic's FH often has more penetration.
The point someone made that his backhand sets it up beautifully is well observed.
But maybe also if you compare it to guys like Berdych, Soderling, Del Potro or Ferrer.. is it better than those and just behind Fed and Nad? Or are there more players with a better forehand.
To me, Djokovic has a great forehand, but it's not the shot that stands out. What stands out are his amazing court coverage, current selfbelief and that backhand of his.
To me, Djokovic has a great forehand, but it's not the shot that stands out. What stands out are his amazing court coverage, current selfbelief and that backhand of his.
Bender
G.O.A.T.
NetNinja68
Rookie
ND's FH is very solid but a half a level below Nadal's and Federer's. His overall game is just a half a step better than their's right now making him the "top dog" in the ATP currently.
djokovic2008
Hall of Fame
Djokers fh was more aggressive in 2008 but now it's more polished, he manipulates topspin and angle more now and is very smart with it especially against nadal. I think nadal fh is an awesome shot in both an attacking and defensive way. Fed fh is super aggressive with no compromise which is a strength but can also be his weakness these days.
Clarky21
Banned
Completely agree. Nadal's fh is crap these days. He gets no depth off of it and does nothing but go crosscourt with it. Fed's fh is still a million times better. Cvac's is too. I would also say that Delpo has a better fh than Nadal does,and maybe even Berdych too when he's on. This is just one more area in which Nadal is losing ground. His bh died and was buried a long time ago,and now his fh is on life support as well.
MaiDee
Professional
good video man, I really enjoyed it. thanks. all I can say is that Nole's FH is just fine
You are welcome. Glad that you like it.
jackson vile
G.O.A.T.
Novak's forehand used to be a lot better. He could keep you completely back in the court.
MichaelNadal
Bionic Poster
Out of your mind. Watch any match from the AO this year. Rafa's forehand is completely brutal still. He had Novak scrambling and literally looking afraid of it at times. Find a point in the match where Rafa looked scared of Novak's forehand.
Clarky21
Banned
dudeski
Hall of Fame
Wait a minute, I thought Djokovic is the GOAT?
TennisFan3
Talk Tennis Guru
Nadal's forehand is still EASILY better than Djokvoic's. Djokovic's strengths are more due to his speed, flexibility, movement, GOAT ROS and near-GOAT backhand etc.
All that said, there is NO REASONABLE way to argue that Nadal's forehand is good as Federer's. It isn't and it NEVER was...
Fed's forehand is one of the best shots in tennis history (besides Sampras' serve =, slam dunk and half-volleys).
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