Best Stroke Exhibitions

[piece]

A couple of awesome exhibitions of particular strokes:

Best Serving Display of all time: Ivo Karlovic fires 78 Aces against Radek Stepanek in a 2009 Davis Cup match http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mxZy4VtYVk

Best Forehand Display of all time: Roger Federer demolishes Lleyton Hewitt in the 2004 US Open Final http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKETvVqxTmk and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCo4eC7Vz_8&feature=related

Best Volleying Display of all time: Stefan Edberg routes Jim Courier in the 1991 US Open Final http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ouvXBs1wCo

Best Returning Display of all time (very unsure about this one, but): Agustin Calleri, after losing the first set plays the match of his life against Lleyton Hewitt at the 2007 US Open http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRjolagxfoE (more of the return highlights are towards the end of the video)

Would appreciate people's contributions on other strokes and/or opinions on the examples I've given.

 

[P_Agony]

I think Fed vs. Blake in TMC 2006 was a brilliant stroke display of Fed's BH. It was on fire that day.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0cxyFB_TL4

 

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I think Fed vs. Blake in TMC 2006 was a brilliant stroke display of Fed's BH. It was on fire that day.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0cxyFB_TL4

Yeah that was the best backhand display I could think of as well, but I didn't want to put it up as I thought it would be a bit presumptuous on my part, especially when there's quite a number of players that I think have better backhands than Federer who probably have similarly excellent, or even better displays to their credit. Although I wouldn't be surprised to find that Federer's was the best, that highlight reel stuns me every time.

Anyway, Nalbandian has the best backhand overall that I've ever seen, does he have any outrageous backhand dominated matches, I wonder?

 

[P_Agony]

Yeah that was the best backhand display I could think of as well, but I didn't want to put it up as I thought it would be a bit presumptuous on my part, especially when there's quite a number of players that I think have better backhands than Federer who probably have similarly excellent, or even better displays to their credit. Although I wouldn't be surprised to find that Federer's was the best, that highlight reel stuns me every time.

Anyway, Nalbandian has the best backhand overall that I've ever seen, does he have any outrageous backhand dominated matches, I wonder?

Sure, Fed's BH is not among the best (although it is highly underrated around here), but I don't think I've ever seen such an impressive BH display. He was ripping those DTL BHs almost at will.

 

[sdont]

I didn't watch the match but the Gasquet-Roddick W`07 is said to be one of the best BH exhibitions. IIRC, Gasquet ended the match with more than 90 winners, and I'm pretty sure most of them came from the BH side.

 

[downdaline]

Best Passing Shot display: I nominate Nadal against Fed FO 2008, and Fed against Roddick AO 2007. Any better ones?

 

[Mortifier]

Best backhand display (double handed) may very well be Safin against Fed A05, or Nalbandian TMS 05 against Federer. Perhaps his indoor run in 08 is also worth a mention.

I just love some backhands by Wawrinka in the quarters against Murray in SW19. There were some awesome rippers in that match...

 

[abmk]

Best Passing Shot display: I nominate Nadal against Fed FO 2008, and Fed against Roddick AO 2007. Any better ones?

safin USO 2000 F vs sampras
hewitt 2001 USO F vs sampras
connors USO 84 SF vs mcenroe
agassi san jose 98 vs sampras

........

easily trump the above 2 !

the above 4 also for excellent returning ....

 

[abmk]

another backhand exhibition would be kohlschreiber vs roddick at AO 2008 , 3R

 

[abmk]

forehand display: gonzo vs haas at AO 2007, el ayanoui vs roddick AO 2003 , federer vs hewitt at hamburg 2004 ( he played almost as good as the USO final here ! )

serving displays: sampras wimby 95, 99 F ... ivanisevic wimby 92 SF vs sampras, 94 SF vs becker, sampras/goran 95 wimby SF, mcenroe 84 F vs connors, federer/roddick wimby 2009 F, krajicek vs sampras wimby 96,johansson vs agassi at AO 2005 ......

returning displays: apart from the 4 I already stated, courier vs edberg wimby 93 SF, federer vs roddick basel 2002 , connors vs tanner wimby 75 ( haven't seen this, just heard about it ) .....

 

[Underhand]

Best slicing display: Federer v Santoro USO 2005

 

[PSNELKE]

unbelievable karlovic ..

 

[el sergento]

Best Returning Display of all time (very unsure about this one, but): Agustin Calleri, after losing the first set plays the match of his life against Lleyton Hewitt at the 2007 US Open http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRjolagxfoE (more of the return highlights are towards the end of the video)

Would appreciate people's contributions on other strokes and/or opinions on the examples I've given.

Good example, but the best returning display was Fed V. Dr. Ivo at Wimbledon:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSD6p8Z2JVo

I get aced by my little sister, how he returns those bombs is beyond me

 

[RCizzle65]

Thanks for all the vids, some very nice ones in this topic

 

[himynameisNIKE]

This was a beast match by Moya and Nadal

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ia9DdQQ7Drg

Edit: just read the OP lol. i guess it could go under forehands

 

[Madhoshi22]

How about the Guga? Who can forget that backhand

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1oZw1vD4Hs&feature=related

 

[*Val*]

Best drop volley display - Tsonga v Nadal AO2008 SF

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DW0iKmRkgbA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NeZa5BU9NqI

 

[abmk]

Best drop volley display - Tsonga v Nadal AO2008 SF

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DW0iKmRkgbA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NeZa5BU9NqI

oh yeah !!!!!

 

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Best drop volley display - Tsonga v Nadal AO2008 SF

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DW0iKmRkgbA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NeZa5BU9NqI

Oh man I was absolutely going to put that one in my OP under volley display along with Edberg's but I somehow forgot. While Edberg's was certainly a more well rounded volleying performance, Tsonga played the most ridiculous drop volleys I've ever seen in that match!

 

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forehand display: gonzo vs haas at AO 2007, el ayanoui vs roddick AO 2003 , federer vs hewitt at hamburg 2004 ( he played almost as good as the USO final here ! )

serving displays: sampras wimby 95, 99 F ... ivanisevic wimby 92 SF vs sampras, 94 SF vs becker, sampras/goran 95 wimby SF, mcenroe 84 F vs connors, federer/roddick wimby 2009 F, krajicek vs sampras wimby 96,johansson vs agassi at AO 2005 ......

returning displays: apart from the 4 I already stated, courier vs edberg wimby 93 SF, federer vs roddick basel 2002 , connors vs tanner wimby 75 ( haven't seen this, just heard about it ) .....

Great display of a dominant forehand there from Gonzalez. Especially when you look at the winners to u/e ratio on that side.

I've never seen the whole match of Federer v Roddick Basel 2002, although I'm well aware of that infamous return game Fed played. Is that game the reason you included it, or was the rest of the match up to scratch?

 

[piece]

Best backhand display (double handed) may very well be Safin against Fed A05, or Nalbandian TMS 05 against Federer. Perhaps his indoor run in 08 is also worth a mention.

Agreed on Nalbandian's backhand that match. Crazy shotmaking. His indoor run in '07 was probably more solid play from him overall, but I've always found his TMC match against Fed to be more brilliant than his '07 run matches.


Here's some good dropshot displays:

Nalbandian v Federer 2006 Rome SF http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x06zG-FODxo

Gulbis v Nadal 2008 Madrid R32 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btYGqak2_bM (more in the second half of the vid, and alot nadal gets to, but they're still awesome set up shots)

These wouldn't by any means be the best ever, but I honestly have no idea which performances might be (I'm sure someone like Guga would have something)

 

[FEDERERNADAL13]

That Nalby and Fed match was some fantastic tennis!:twisted: