Did Steffi Graf have the best slice ever?

[skaj]

At 5:18, one of the rare occasions when Graf hit a beautiful TS backhand (the commentator too calls it as such) and also without it being a passing shot.

Another point on that note, I liked her groundies (as well as her serve) better with the Wilson. I know she was one of the illustrious Max 200G players, but I think the Wilson was likely lighter and let her get more RHS which is what she was always after.

Compare this with 38:12, the slo-mo of a passing shot in the AO 93 final. More stiff and robotic looking.

Since this is a slice thread - superb slice by Lindsay at 0:42.

 

[DMan]

She had a semi-viable backhand slice she relied on for consistency off that side, but it was mostly a set up play for her fearless forehand, the shot that made her really great among women.
But some actual experience or research will show that there were many great slices back in the day before the two hander became popular.

Steffi Graf had a "semi-viable BH slice"? Kinda like Federer has a modest BH? Nadal a 'decent' serve? Evert a somewhat good FH?

Graf had an extremely good, and underrated BH. She used more versatility in her early teen years, hitting with a mix of topspin and slice from the back court. Watch Steffi's first ever win over Evert at the 1986 Family Circle Cup. Steffi was 16 and already #3 in the world. She beat #2 Evert on clay by mixing her BH up, and keeping Evert guessing.

Steffi gradually went to the slice backhand because she hit it so effectively. Yes, her forehand was her killer shot. But remember, everyone was TRYING to hit to her BH. So she had to hit her fair share of backhands. If it was so easy to just pepper Graf's backhand side all the time, a semi-viable BH slice wouldn't have enabled her to rank #1 for longer than any player ever in the history of the sport.

Had Steffi used a topspin backhand more often in rallies, etc. it wold not have resulted in the same results for her; - ) The slice was effective against two handers, because she hit it relatively hard and it stayed low. Plus with each passing year, more top players had 2 handed backhands and hit harder and flatter. Her slice was a different type of ball that others had to adjust to. (Serena Williams was undone by the slice of Roberta Vinci at 2015 US Open when she tried but failed to match Graf's calendar year Grand Slam achievement.)

In her day, no woman hit a better backhand slice than Steffi Graf. And she had to hit A LOT of them to win all those matches!!!

 

[DMan]

Yea and it was very effective on grass, which is why she dominated Wimbledon. I felt like on hardcourt that's when that shot became less of a weapon and made her more vulnerable because it sat up more. Seles, in particular, just hammered that side on hardcourt and clay really. I think she was only true player of that time whose game was tailor made to take down Graf.

But Seles beat Graf only 5 times in 15 matches. Graf's game was tailor made to expose the weaknesses in Seles' game. Which she did often!

 

[NoleFam]

But Seles beat Graf only 5 times in 15 matches. Graf's game was tailor made to expose the weaknesses in Seles' game. Which she did often!

Seles beat Graf in 3/4 Slam matches from 1990-1993 within her domination period.

 

[skaj]

Seles beat Graf in 3/4 Slam matches from 1990-1993 within her domination period.

And we all know what happened after the last win in that period.

 

[skaj]

Steffi Graf had a "semi-viable BH slice"? Kinda like Federer has a modest BH? Nadal a 'decent' serve? Evert a somewhat good FH?

Graf had an extremely good, and underrated BH. She used more versatility in her early teen years, hitting with a mix of topspin and slice from the back court. Watch Steffi's first ever win over Evert at the 1986 Family Circle Cup. Steffi was 16 and already #3 in the world. She beat #2 Evert on clay by mixing her BH up, and keeping Evert guessing.

Steffi gradually went to the slice backhand because she hit it so effectively. Yes, her forehand was her killer shot. But remember, everyone was TRYING to hit to her BH. So she had to hit her fair share of backhands. If it was so easy to just pepper Graf's backhand side all the time, a semi-viable BH slice wouldn't have enabled her to rank #1 for longer than any player ever in the history of the sport.

Had Steffi used a topspin backhand more often in rallies, etc. it wold not have resulted in the same results for her; - ) The slice was effective against two handers, because she hit it relatively hard and it stayed low. Plus with each passing year, more top players had 2 handed backhands and hit harder and flatter. Her slice was a different type of ball that others had to adjust to. (Serena Williams was undone by the slice of Roberta Vinci at 2015 US Open when she tried but failed to match Graf's calendar year Grand Slam achievement.)

In her day, no woman hit a better backhand slice than Steffi Graf. And she had to hit A LOT of them to win all those matches!!!

Unlike the shots of the people you have mentioned in the beginning of your post, Graf's slice was among the best.

Some players handle slice better than others. Serena(who btw wasn't "trying to match Graf's achievement", she tried to win a Grand Slam) always hated backspin. Seles on the other hand was handling it quite well with two hands off both sides.

 

[skaj]

Kings slice backhand was viewed by many as the best in the sport in her era. Her forehand was her weaker wing, but Kings slice backhand was incredibly versatile. It was her better return and her better approach and her better lob. She could cause charging players endless grief because she had a knack for using it to force the most uncomfortable first volleys. It was also her most steady groundstroke.

I guess she deserves to be in the top10 as much as Barty, so I added her(and another player too).

 

[markwillplay]

thing is, she could come over the top very effectively. She did not avod coming over the top because she could not, she used that slice to neutralize the point at all times. It worked most of the time. I watched a match the other day where she came over the top of that backhand every time she needed to pass Nav for a winner. She did not miss much. But when Nav stayed back, she sliced. I think that she just felt lke she did not need to WIN points from the back with her backhand. Record speaks for itself.

 

[Dedans Penthouse]

There are plenty of really crappy players contending for slams in women's tennis today
Graf would be far better than them, so would still be bagging slams.
And of course she'd destroy the current version of Serena.
Graf had power, finesse and athleticism, the complete package.
Today's women lack finesse, also a lot of them aren't as athletic as Graf.
Also don't forget tennis IQ.

An in-her-prime Graf would destroy the over-the-hill Serena who's lost 5 of her last 7 GS finals? Is THAT what you're hanging your hat on?
The "current version" of Serena Williams is preparing for a fashion shindig down in Miami with popster Lenny Kravitz and a slew of clothing designers.....is THIS the Serena that Queen Nostrils would destroy? Graf quit the tour at the age of 30. Serena Williams at the age of 31 won 8 GS finals in a row that she appeared in--EIGHT after the age of 30. Try the Proboscis Princess and Williams in their respective primes....no one's "destroying" Williams unless their name's Karsten Braasch.
Williams in her prime was to "getting destroyed" what the Steffi Trumpetschnozz family was to paying taxes. About the only thing Steffi would destroy Serena in would be the number of clandestine lezbo get togethers she was surreptitiously involved in.....

Hey, shut up about that!!!

Hey, shut up about that!!!

I am just saying at Seles's peak from 91-early 93 even then Graf was 3-2 vs Seles and won super easily in 2 of the 3 wins (Seles had no easy wins), and a win on every surface. And this during a period Graf was majorly crappy for her standards, wasn't she 1-7 vs Sabatini during around this same stretch, LMAO! And I don't even care about either Graf or Seles much other than as a general tennis fan. .

. .Uh sure....whatever you say....

 

[skaj]

Not sure how that is so hard to believe. When Graf and Seles played I did not root for either one of them. I preferred Novotna, Hingis, Sabatini, Pierce, and Capriati to both until the overhype machine around Sabatini turned me off of her. A bizarre myth seems to have developed, especialy around Seles fans that you either a)believe Seles was the wuz robbed to be GOAT without the stabbing or b)are a Graf fanatic. Truly bizarre to put it mildly.

Since you seem to be a Serena fan (which I am as well) perhaps I should remind you that in the universe of Selestials even Serena somehow greatly benefitted from the stabbing as Seles would still be magically dominating well into the 2000s otherwise, cleaning up majors including Wimbledons until she was nearly 40. Don't believe me? I can link you to numerous Seles fanboys who say things just like that.

Every now and then there is a person in this forum(usually, or maybe exclusively a new user) who is mentioning numerous crazy Seles fans calling her the undisputed goat etc. I know that every great player has some crazy fans, but where exactly do you find these "numerous Seles funboys" who say those crazy things?

 

[skaj]

Where isn't there.

www.tennisforum.com
facebook groups
youtube, although youtube is thrash anyway, still many videos have comments shut down specifically due to Seles fans and stated by the user. Just one of many examples:

How Seles fanatics would find an Evert-Graf video from 88 an appropriate place to whine about the stabbbing and Seles's robbed 50-60 slams is beyond comprehension to me, but apparently it was.

Yes, but you can also find Graf crazed fans, Serena crazed fans and others saying silly things like that, and not in smaller numbers. There are always crazy fans.

 

[BTURNER]

The Seles ones are just more plentiful, crazier, and louder. Everywhere I have seen the most problems are caused by them. Thankfully this is mostly a mens tennis forum which barely gives a toot about womens tennis, otherwise I am sure they would show up in droves here too.

Don't think for a moment, we have been immune to attentions of Selestials and Grafites. Trust me, we have been exposed! But they tend to get banned and I shed no tears!.

 

[BTURNER]

Yes not saying the Graf fans aren't also amongst the worst. Although in fairness they are usually defending against Selestials who almost always initiate things, but a more mature fan base would take a different approach even there than fully engaging in the p1ss wars.

I will never understand these people. We have never had women champions who at the very least, failed to hold grudging respect for each other. these fans are not mirrors of their stars in any sense. They are a complete embarrassment to them. Monica would never think of trashing Graf or Evert, or Serena because Monica is RATIONAL, anda fairly decent, kind and respectable player and person. As are all of the women champions. Even Margaret Court and Martina Navratilova would treat each other with basic civility and publicly recognize the unique contributions of each other as players and champions. Its not our champions that is the problem, its these mercenaries, these trolls, and whack-jobs.

I like and respect all of our former champions as champions. They are all pretty good people as a group.

 

[Art Tennis]

Judging from the poll results, most voters assumed that this is WTA only thread. I will try to rank the best WTA backspin backhands.

1. Graf
2. Goolagong
3. Court
4. Navratilova
5. Henin
6. Barker
7. Mauresmo
8. Novotna
9. Schiavone
10. King/Mandlikova/Barty

Where is Sabatini ?

 

[BTURNER]

Where is Sabatini ?

Ring her doorbell at her Baco Raton home.

 

[skaj]

Where is Sabatini ?

Great topspin, but her slice is not top10 in my opinion.