In 2019, under the guidance of Nicholas Massu, Thiem’s strokes were shortened, and he adopted a more aggressive court position. I wrote about this
here. For an in-depth look at Thiem’s forehand evolution, check out
this video. The shorter swing made Thiem a hardcourt threat in the space of months. The gifs below all showcase the kind of shots and points that were made possible by the swing adjustment.
At the 2020 Australian Open, Thiem got his first win against Nadal on a hard court. You can see very early on in the match Thiem adopting a Federer-like 1-2 punch from inside the baseline. A combination that was made possible with this shorter forehand take back. If you watch the highlights from that match
here, note throughout the encounter how well Thiem held the baseline, often taking the ball on the rise.
Shorter swing and taking time > bigger swing from deep in the court. If you watch the Davydenko highlights from the YouTube clip earlier in this article you will notice how often he plays from on (or inside) the baseline, preferring to hit a rally ball from an aggressive position. This is how you beat the Big-3 on hard courts.
Same pattern here against Djokovic early in the final.
While Thiem’s peak years were cruelly interrupted with a serious wrist injury, his transformation from clay court specialist to all-court danger should be noticed by other young players. Thiem always had power, but it wasn’t until he was willing to
dial down the swing and stand up in the court that he became a better player. Wrist action is minimal. Power and spin are sacrificed for directional control. In this set-up, a players court coverage and all-court style is able to manifest fully.
On the eve of Wimbledon, another player who uses a very short forehand swing has quickly found form on the grass after being sidelined for the clay season. Matteo Berrettini has a huge serve, and the forehand is a hammer that he can hold the baseline with, partly because of how compact it is.
The huge serve and dynamic forehand has earned Berrettini hiw own gatekeeper status; in his last 4 slams the Italian has lost to Nadal (22’ AO SF), Djokovic (21’ US QF), Djokovic (21’ Wimbledon F), and Djokovic (21’ French QF). However, Berrettini’s backhand is a clear achilles heel, lacking the control or power of his forehand. Joel Myers explains the weakness in this swing, and compares it to Jannik Sinner’s brilliant two-hander in the 90-second clip below.
When I look at the young players littered in the top 20, few possess the sound mechanics of a Federer, Djokovic, Nadal, Davydenko, Nalbandian, or Wawrinka
off both wings.
3 Davydenko is right—the power and physicality is there—but the top youngsters are playing with deteriorated technique in some part of their game. It works when you have time or are playing deep behind the baseline, but it doesn’t translate into an effective transition game capable of stealing time, it doesn’t hold up as well on return, it doesn’t generate a controllable flat ball, and it bleeds errors when on the run.
Players and commentators often say tennis is about movement and the mental game. Yes, these two facets are hugely important, but if you don’t have efficient and technically sound swings you can’t
leverage your movement effectively; you can step in with fleet of foot, but your hands won’t keep up, and you’re more likely to misshit. If you can’t step in and apply pressure, you’re destined to play deep in the court and let your opponent dictate your fate. It doesn’t usually end well against the Big-3.
WIMBLEDON
While Berrettini has been impressive in his two grass tune up events, and is certainly one of the favourites, my two leading contenders are still Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal. They move too well and are too clean from both wings compared to the rest of the field. An unbelievable serving day on the grass will be required from a Kyrgios,
Hurkacz, Berrettini, or Auger-Aliassime; off the ground they are holding the weaker hand, especially on their backhand sides.
