2nd best FH of all time. Period!

kragster

kragster

Hall of Fame
I don't know if there is still any doubt that Nadal's FH is the 2nd best of all time behind prime Fed's. Sure guys like Delpo and Gonzo can on their day be explosive. Pete had a great running FH. But day in and day out Nadal's FH is hands down the more effective shot. And he bends that ball like no other.
 
Be interesting to know exactly how many FH winners and unreturnables Nadal has had in his career versus Federer ;)

I think you may be surprised
 
gunnd5000 said:
I'd agree that what he does with the ball is the second best, but its largely his footwork that allow it tbh. In terms of ball striking others have done it better, also cross eras and technologies it become difficult to say you simply couldnt do with the ball what rafa does if youre using a wooden racket obviously
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Good points, it really is impossible to compare wooden racket forehands with modern racket forehands.
 
Let's not forget Safin's elegant forehand. I love how relaxed his groundstrokes are.


Western+Southern+Financial+Group+Masters+Day+t0jOEWnrSzxl.jpg
 
kragster said:
I don't know if there is still any doubt that Nadal's FH is the 2nd best of all time behind prime Fed's. Sure guys like Delpo and Gonzo can on their day be explosive. Pete had a great running FH. But day in and day out Nadal's FH is hands down the more effective shot. And he bends that ball like no other.
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Actually it's the best FH of all time on clay and probably the best FH of all time on slow HC too. Definitely on the quicker courts like Fast HC,fast grass,indoors it certainly not due to the mechanics of the stroke itself and the fact that he doesn't get nearly as much kick as he does on the slower high bouncing surfaces. Another thing you're overlooking is the luxury Ralph has of his FH being pitted against the tour's BHs,something players with great FHs like Fed,Lendl don't enjoy.
 
kragster said:
I don't know if there is still any doubt that Nadal's FH is the 2nd best of all time behind prime Fed's. Sure guys like Delpo and Gonzo can on their day be explosive. Pete had a great running FH. But day in and day out Nadal's FH is hands down the more effective shot. And he bends that ball like no other.
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Lol. 2nd best?! Good one. Intentional troll or are you just that biased with Fed fan boy love without realising it?
 
Sorry guys, Nadal's forehand is revolutionary. No pun intended. Federer's forehand is copied by goofballs in tennis clubs all over San Diego courts. It's basically physically impossible to do what Nadal does, even if you're really darn good.

In ten years Nadal's game will have had way more influence on the pro game than Federer's ever will. That is, if anyone can adequately incorporate what he has done into their own game.

All these guys saying second best...you have no idea what you're saying. Nadal's forehand is a milestone in tennis.
 
I think Federer and Nadal's forehands tie for the greatest. Much like Federer and Nadal themselves, their forehands are great in different ways and are incomparable.
 
TennisandMusic said:
Sorry guys, Nadal's forehand is revolutionary. No pun intended. Federer's forehand is copied by goofballs in tennis clubs all over San Diego courts. It's basically physically impossible to do what Nadal does, even if you're really darn good.

In ten years Nadal's game will have had way more influence on the pro game than Federer's ever will. That is, if anyone can adequately incorporate what he has done into their own game.

All these guys saying second best...you have no idea what you're saying. Nadal's forehand is a milestone in tennis.
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People can "copy" nadal and federer just the same. Nobody in San Diego is hitting forehands anywhere near federer's level. To get as much spin as he does with such a conservative grip...THAT is revolutionary. Getting insane spin with an extreme grip, whoop de do, thats the point.
 
yeah, overall , nadal's FH is better than the likes of gonzo, verdasco, delpo and soderling.
 
SStrikerR said:
People can "copy" nadal and federer just the same. Nobody in San Diego is hitting forehands anywhere near federer's level. To get as much spin as he does with such a conservative grip...THAT is revolutionary. Getting insane spin with an extreme grip, whoop de do, thats the point.
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Well said. :)
 
I tend to agree with Courier that Rafa's forehand is the best ever, better than Fed's because it's more reliable versus the very best players, while Fed's can be a bit patchy vs the very best, that's why Rafa is 55-30 (69%)vs the big 4, while Fed is 35-45(44%) vs the big 4.
 
Contrary to my username I like Federer more(more than any player really) and I think he is the greatest of all time.
 
Rafa4Ever said:
But that is one of the deadly aspects of it. You can't take that out of the equation.
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LOL that's coz he is left handed and his bread n butter CC FH falls to opponent's BHs. Ralph can wake up in the middle of the night blindfolded and hit his CC FH ala moonball to his opponent's BH. :lol:
 
Why is it always about who has the best this or that? Fed is the goat, no nadal is the goat?? All this ******** on this forum. Are all people here a bunch of little children. I am a die hard fed fan, but i don't give damn if he is beter then nadal, or that he is the goat. I just love to watch him play. This is not a tennis forum anymore, it has become a forum to bring tennis players down. I see people say Federer should retire, Nadal is only a claycourt specialist. I also so a thread where the poster Said if djokovic should apolozige to his fans because he lost some matches, wtf??? These are all people who do not even now how to hold a tennisracket!!
 
TennisandMusic said:
Sorry guys, Nadal's forehand is revolutionary. No pun intended. Federer's forehand is copied by goofballs in tennis clubs all over San Diego courts. It's basically physically impossible to do what Nadal does, even if you're really darn good.

In ten years Nadal's game will have had way more influence on the pro game than Federer's ever will. That is, if anyone can adequately incorporate what he has done into their own game.

All these guys saying second best...you have no idea what you're saying. Nadal's forehand is a milestone in tennis.
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That is utterly idiotic.

You think just because some goofballs have copied the cosmetics (which I'm sure they will never succeed in replicating) of Federer's forehand they are hitting forehands just as well as Federer? Hilarious.

Also, Nadal's forehand is not "physically impossible" for goofballs imitate. I have seen scrubs at tennis clubs and public courts playing with aeropro drives trying to imitate their hero. Now, I'm not crazy enough to believe that these scrubs have "copied Nadal's forehand" like you seem to think about Federer wannabes in San Diego.

Hero worship to the max. You left out the part about how Rafa will ascend to Godhood after his death though.
 
People have forgotten how good Federer's forehand used to be. I'd probably place them about even considering they're each the best on different surfaces.
 
Sid_Vicious said:
That is utterly idiotic.

You think just because some goofballs have copied the cosmetics (which I'm sure they will never succeed in replicating) of Federer's forehand they are hitting forehands just as well as Federer? Hilarious.

Also, Nadal's forehand is not "physically impossible" for goofballs imitate. I have seen scrubs at tennis clubs and public courts playing with aeropro drives trying to imitate their hero. Now, I'm not crazy enough to believe that these scrubs have "copied Nadal's forehand" like you seem to think about Federer wannabes in San Diego.

Hero worship to the max. You left out the part about how Rafa will ascend to Godhood after his death though.
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he's left that for the other posts in other threads .....:)
 
monfed said:
LOL that's coz he is left handed and his bread n butter CC FH falls to opponent's BHs. Ralph can wake up in the middle of the night blindfolded and hit his CC FH ala moonball to his opponent's BH. :lol:
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LOL. Nadal has crushed so many DTL FH on Federer, Djokovic, Murray, the ATP tour it is not even funny.

Also, complaining about Nadal's use of CC FHs is utterly absurd. That is like criticizing Federer for using the out-wide slider against Nadal on the deuce court like he does so often.
 
MichaelNadal said:
It's the best for me. Federer is up there too but it's just not as versatile.
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lol, wut ? fed's FH is more versatile than nadal's.

I can understand if people want to take nadal's for being more consistent, but versatility ? :lol:
 
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TennisandMusic said:
In ten years Nadal's game will have had way more influence on the pro game than Federer's ever will. That is, if anyone can adequately incorporate what he has done into their own game.
.
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I agree with you - Nadal's forehand will have greater influence than Fed's. Its the most brutal shot in tennis today.

Kids aspiring to make it big in tennis need a weapon. They'll be copying Nadal's forehand before they copy Fed's, simply because of the margins of error his enormous topspin provides.

The beauty of Fed's game is his completeness. Fed is the most elegant and gifted player I've ever seen, yet he still shanks all over the place. In contrast, Nadal's dominance revolves around one shot - his forehand. Take his forehand away and give him Fed's forehand and he's a journeyman pro tennis player nobody.
 
abmk said:
lol, wut ? fed's FH is more versatile than nadal's.

I can understand if people want to take nadal's for being more consistent, but versatility ? :lol:
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Lol wut? Rafa can hit with INSANE topspin, he can hit flat, he can swing pretty softly and still make it clear the net by like a bajillion meters and land on the baseline, has better passing shots, what are you on about besides hate? Federer's forehand is so good because he hit it with precision and could paint lines well without much time to set up a shot at all, but he pretty much hits it the same way most of the time.
 
peak to peak nadal's on clay, but federer's everywhere else ( and its not that close IMO) .. people seem to have forgotten how ridiculously good fed's fh was at its peak. No real weakness. rafa's fh - still coughs up many short balls when attacked with flat,hard strokes ...
 
abmk said:
peak to peak nadal's on clay, but federer's everywhere else ( and its not that close IMO) .. people seem to have forgotten how ridiculously good fed's fh was at its peak. No real weakness. rafa's fh - still coughs up many short balls when attacked with flat,hard strokes ...
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Everyone coughs up short balls when attacked with flat, hard strokes.
 
cjs said:
I agree with you - Nadal's forehand will have greater influence than Fed's. Its the most brutal shot in tennis today.

Kids aspiring to make it big in tennis need a weapon. They'll be copying Nadal's forehand before they copy Fed's, simply because of the margins of error his enormous topspin provides.

The beauty of Fed's game is his completeness. Fed is the most elegant and gifted player I've ever seen, yet he still shanks all over the place. In contrast, Nadal's dominance revolves around one shot - his forehand. Take his forehand away and give him Fed's forehand and he's a journeyman pro tennis player nobody.
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Dude, Federer's forehand is not even close to what it used to be. There was nothing wrong with that shot in his best years. Yes, even in his prime, Federer shanked forehands, but if you play aggressive tennis you will shank. I saw Nadal shank a couple of forehands yesterday against Federer. Bottom line, Federer's forehand was not a liability in his prime, it was a brilliant shot.

Also, it's not like Nadal's forehand has always been consistently brilliant. When Nadal had his confidence shaken up in 2009, his forehand turned into loopy garbage that was exploited greatly by big hitters.
 
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MichaelNadal said:
Lol wut? Rafa can hit with INSANE topspin, he can hit flat, he can swing pretty softly and still make it clear the net by like a bajillion meters and land on the baseline, has better passing shots, what are you on about besides hate? Federer's forehand is so good because he hit it with precision and could paint lines well without much time to set up a shot at all, but he pretty much hits it the same way most of the time.
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after nadal and andreev, federer hits with probably the most topspin on an average on the tour. It doesn't look so because his trajectory is flatter.

federer can hit pretty much every kind of fh that nadal can and more. he hits it the same way most of the time ? :lol:

how many times does rafa take it early on the rise like federer ?????? very very rarely ......
 
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abmk said:
after nadal and andreev, federer hits with probably the most topspin on an average on the tour. It doesn't look so because his trajectory is flatter.

federer can hit pretty much every kind of fh that nadal can and more. he hits it the same way all the time ? :lol:
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monfed said:
Coming from a reasonable Nadal fan... :lol:
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I literally couldn't care ANY less if you of all people agree or not. Federer's forehand isn't as versatile to me, period. He's BRILLIANT with what he does with it but he doesn't have as many options as Nadal does with it. If you have a problem, deal with it! :twisted:

abmk said:
yeah, LOL, try finding a single match where nadal hit more than 10-15 FHs early on the rise and we can talk .... yeah, easier to popcorn than to do that. :lol:
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Is this topic about who takes it earlier? No. If it was, i'd have no problem saying Davydenko>Nadal so sit back down.
 
Sid_Vicious said:
Dude, Federer's forehand is not even close to what it used to be. There was nothing wrong with that shot in his best years. Yes, even in his prime, Federer shanked forehands, but if you play aggressive tennis you will shank. I saw Nadal shank a couple of forehands yesterday against Federer. Bottom line, Federer's forehand was not a liability in his prime, it was a brilliant shot.

Also, it's not like Nadal's forehand has always been consistently brilliant. When Nadal had his confidence shaken up in 2009, his forehand turned into loopy garbage that was exploited greatly by big hitters.
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I didn't say Fed's forehand is a liability - you did. You suicided your own argument. Enough said.
 
abmk said:
yeah, LOL, try finding a single match where nadal hit more than 10-15 FHs early on the rise and we can talk .... yeah, easier to popcorn than to do that. :lol:
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Nadal hit like 33 winners on Djokovic at the FO this year. But then again, Nadal's forehand is vastly superior to Federer on clay. I have always believed this.
 
MichaelNadal said:
I literally couldn't care ANY less if you of all people agree or not. Federer's forehand isn't as versatile to me, period. He's BRILLIANT with what he does with it but he doesn't have as many options as Nadal does with it. If you have a problem, deal with it! :twisted:
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Fed's FH is widely acknowledged as the single greatest shot in tennis history not JUST the greatest FH of all time. It's YOU who has to deal with facts, but since you've gone full ****** since Ralph won Montreal, there's little hope for it. Won't be long before you claim Ralph's slice is better than Fed's, Ralph's serve is better than Fed's, Ralph's volleys are better than Fed's. :lol:
 
monfed said:
Fed's FH is widely acknowledged as the single greatest shot in tennis history. It's YOU who has to deal with facts, but since you've gone full ****** since Ralph won Montreal, there's little hope for it. Won't be long before you claim Ralph's slice is better than Fed's, Ralph's serve is better than Fed's, Ralph's volleys are better than Fed's. :lol:
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At your family reunion?

No, no and no. And funny how whenever I call Federer the GOAT you never seem to want to quote me then.
 
MichaelNadal said:
Is this topic about who takes it earlier? No. If it was, i'd have no problem saying Davydenko>Nadal so sit back down.
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we were talking about versatility of the fh. federer is brilliant at taking it on the rise. nadal isn't, miles away from it.

ability to take it on the rise is a part of versatility .
 
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monfed said:
Fed's FH is widely acknowledged as the single greatest shot in tennis history. It's YOU who has to deal with facts, but since you've gone full ****** since Ralph won Montreal, there's little hope for it. Won't be long before you claim Ralph's slice is better than Fed's, Ralph's serve is better than Fed's, Ralph's volleys are better than Fed's. :lol:
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Your argument is rubbish.

Widely acknowledged? By who? We are sitting here at our keyboards arguing the point. If it was widely acknowledged we wouldn't need to debate it, but because it isn't widely acknowledged (except within the domain of Fed fan boy group think) we are debating the best FH. Take the blinkers off.
 
cjs said:
I didn't say Fed's forehand is a liability - you did. You suicided your own argument. Enough said.
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Not really. You said that Federer is the most talented player you have ever seen but he "shanks all over the place".

That statement is rubbish when you consider Federer's game in his prime. Guys on tour wished that Federer shanked his forehand "all over the place". In Nadal's own words in 2007, Federer had a "super perfect forehand".

You didn't keep track of your own argument. Enough said.
 
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