Bender
G.O.A.T.
The purpose of this thread is to loosely categorise various types of forehands you see on the ATP tour, and what I think it means for their respective games. This is also an opportunity to correct popular misconceptions, where applicable.
For now, I will be categorising the forehands in the following fashion
This is a WIP and will take some time to complete, so if you have suggestions on what other aspects of forehands I should cover, please let me know and I will try to include them in the OP.
I will not be talking about WTA forehands in much detail beyond general descriptions as frankly I do not follow the WTA at all.
1. Grips
Types
There are five types of grip that are or were used on the tour, with examples (some of these players use modified versions of these grips, and are denoted with (M)):
This is an interesting one because these can be significant or insignificant in its effects on the stroke that it is attached to. There are however a few things to consider:
Racquet Angle / Elbow Direction
This is where I distinguish between:
4. Finish
Broadly speaking, there are three finishes worth talking about, but each style has many variations:
TBC
For now, I will be categorising the forehands in the following fashion
- Grip
- Takebacks
- Arm style
- Finish
This is a WIP and will take some time to complete, so if you have suggestions on what other aspects of forehands I should cover, please let me know and I will try to include them in the OP.
I will not be talking about WTA forehands in much detail beyond general descriptions as frankly I do not follow the WTA at all.
1. Grips
Types
There are five types of grip that are or were used on the tour, with examples (some of these players use modified versions of these grips, and are denoted with (M)):
- [Continental ("C")]: Edberg (M), McEnroe (M), Laver, Navratilova
- Eastern ("E"): Federer, Dimitrov, Del Potro, Gasquet, Sampras
- Semiwestern ("SW"): Nadal, Murray. Verdasco, Agassi
- Western ("W"): Djokovic (M), Roddick (M), Kyrgios, Sock, Courier (M)
- [Hawaiian ("H")]: Berasategui
- Continental and Hawaiian grips are in [square brackets] as they are grips that are functionally extinct. The Hawaiian grip is what you get when you hold a continental grip and turn it upside down.
- The most versatile grip is the SW grip as it sits right inbetween the conservative E and the extreme W and H grips.
- The natural strike zone / contact point (ie where the racquet face will be perpendicular to the ground) moves up in height but closer to the body, the more extreme the grip. An E grip for instance will be hit out in front of the body at waist height. A W grip will be hit closer to the body at chest height.
- Other than the extremes (C, W, and H), the choice of grip is not hugely influential on what kind of ball leaves the forehand.
- The most important factor involved when choosing a grip that works is the natural contact point for the player, and is therefore a matter of personal choice rather than a tactical one.
- However, the choice of grip can be affected by external factors:
- Surface: On high-bouncing surfaces such as clay or gritty hard courts, a SW to W grip (perhaps even H) is better suited as the contact point will be higher. On low-bouncing / fast surfaces such as grass and slick hard courts, conservative grips ranging from C to a modified SW grip will work.
- Player rhythm: How early or late a player likes to hit the ball will also affect the choice of grip. Someone who hits super early will not have to deal with high bounces, but will regularly have to deal with low bounces, in which case an E grip is ideal. Federer's a good example of this. Someone who hits on the apex of the bounce will be better off with a grip that allows them to make contact close to the body at a higher strike zone, so a W grip is ideal. Kyrgios is a good example of this.
This is an interesting one because these can be significant or insignificant in its effects on the stroke that it is attached to. There are however a few things to consider:
- Size: Del Potro, Gasquet, F Meyer, F Gonzalez
- Wrist involvement: Federer, Nadal
- Racquet angle / elbow direction: Roddick, Khachanov, Kyrgios, Lendl, Sampras
- In this context, size refers to the length of the backswing. Larger backswings can generate more power as there is more room for the racquet to pick up pace, at the cost of being susceptible to being rushed. Thiem notably abbreviated his takeback to become more competitive on hard courts, where the surface is fast enough compared to clay to cause problems on that wing.
- Tradeoff between potential power and timing is crucial. Larger takebacks are beneficial if the resulting firepower is sufficient to end points (F Gonzalez, Thiem, and arguably Del Potro), but if that is not the case, then the associated difficulties in timing will mean that the player will have to adopt a more deep court positioning to get it to work with questionable results (Gasquet).
Racquet Angle / Elbow Direction
- This refers to the angle in which the top of the racquet is pointing during the first half of the takeback, before the racquet is dropped so that the forward swing can begin.
- There are three loose categories:
- Forward-pointing: elbow points behind the player, so the player looks like he is elbowing someone behind him when taking back the racquet
- Neutral (pointing directly up): elbow points towards the ground
- Backwards-pointing: elbow points towards the ground and slightly forwards
- Some players notably have played around with this:
- Federer went from something inbetween the neutral and backwards-pointing takeback in his early years (until c 2007), then has stayed with a forward-pointing takeback ever since
- Nadal has used a neutral takeback for most of his career, but had a short stint with the forward-pointing takeback from 2013 to 2015, before switching back to the neutral takeback.
- The three styles of takeback can have a pronounced effect on the forehand:
- Forward-pointing takebacks are difficult to time but will generate the most spin and--to a lesser extent, power--due to the increased racquet head acceleration ("RHA")
- Backwards-pointing takebacks are easiest to time but at the cost of spin and a bit of power
- Neutral takebacks sit somewhere inbetween
- An interesting development in this area in the last 5-10 years is the growing prevalence of younger players using some form of the forward-pointing takeback. Players like Khachanov, Tiafoe, and Kyrgios are notable for this, with Khachanov and Tiafoe in particular a version of this takeback so extreme that their racquets point towards the ground by the end of their takebacks.
- IMO, the pros / cons of this style of takeback is more extreme than the more traditional forms of takeback.
- Pro: You get even more spin and power, as the racquet head has more distance to travel as the head rotates from pointing forwards to lagging behind the player in the transition from takeback to forward swing, during which it can continue to accelerate.
- Cons: Timing issues become even more difficult, more wrist / forearm / shoulder strength is needed, and the motion itself is not as easily repeatable (debatable)
- IMO, the pros / cons of this style of takeback is more extreme than the more traditional forms of takeback.
This is where I distinguish between:
- Straight Arm ("SA") Forehands: Federer, Nadal, Dimitrov, Cilic, Verdasco
- Double Bend ("DB") Forehands: Djokovic, Murray, Thiem, and just about everyone else
4. Finish
Broadly speaking, there are three finishes worth talking about, but each style has many variations:
- Classic finish, over the shoulder
- Windshield Wiper ("WW") finish, around the shoulder
- Reverse finish, over the head and back over the dominant shoulder (aka buggy whip, lasso forehand)
TBC
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