tennis_hack
Banned
The three kings of the 1hbh. The poll only refers to the backhands, btw. You can't for example, pick Wawrinka over Gasquet with the reasoning that you think Gasquet's backhand is slightly better than Wawrinka's, but Wawrinka's forehand being much better than Gasquet's makes up for it. Pretend that all three guys have exactly the same serve, forehand, volleys...etc... as each other, and only have different backhands...
I'm veering between Almagro and Wawrinka. I have realized that Gasquet's backhand is pretty overrated and is actually just as vulnerable as Federer's to the high ball. When it kicks up on him, Gasquet is powerless to do anything other than looping it back softly, and it always lands short and sits up to be punished. What's worse is this happens to him on standard rally forehands as well, but at least he can keep his rally backhand deep if not hit at him too high.
Wawrinka and Almagro look to be much stronger in the shoulder and can rip high balls instead of breaking down.
I am leaning towards Almagro because he can and does hit the 1hbh from an open stance when pushed wide, and because he has taken Nadal to very close sets every time they've met at the French Open, and has taken sets off him on clay elsewhere. But Wawrinka is good at the high backhand as well, and perhaps his problems are tactical and/or mental (not that Almagro is mentally solid either).
The poll is up, you choose and say why. If none of these three, pick another active 1hbh player (and they have to be right handed as well, otherwise they don't face Nadal's crosscourt forehand) - and say why you've picked them...
I'm veering between Almagro and Wawrinka. I have realized that Gasquet's backhand is pretty overrated and is actually just as vulnerable as Federer's to the high ball. When it kicks up on him, Gasquet is powerless to do anything other than looping it back softly, and it always lands short and sits up to be punished. What's worse is this happens to him on standard rally forehands as well, but at least he can keep his rally backhand deep if not hit at him too high.
Wawrinka and Almagro look to be much stronger in the shoulder and can rip high balls instead of breaking down.
I am leaning towards Almagro because he can and does hit the 1hbh from an open stance when pushed wide, and because he has taken Nadal to very close sets every time they've met at the French Open, and has taken sets off him on clay elsewhere. But Wawrinka is good at the high backhand as well, and perhaps his problems are tactical and/or mental (not that Almagro is mentally solid either).
The poll is up, you choose and say why. If none of these three, pick another active 1hbh player (and they have to be right handed as well, otherwise they don't face Nadal's crosscourt forehand) - and say why you've picked them...
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