Most Complete Player, WTA

[skaj]

Which WTA player do you think had the most complete game? Serve, return, ground game, net game, mobility, touch, head, who had it all or at least who was close to having it all?
So, not the best, most dangerous game, but the most complete.

I added a poll with the candidates I could think of.

 

[n8dawg6]

hsieh su-wei ... not really, but shes my favorite.

 

[skaj]

hsieh su-wei ... not really, but shes my favorite.

No power or good serve, but she has everything else in her repertoire. My favorite player on WTA now too, wonderful to watch.

 

[galain]

Navratilova

 

[skaj]

Navratilova

But her groundstrokes were kind of average.

 

[lebya]

Hsieh su-wei is also my favourite. But i would say her groundstrokes are avg power, low/flat, well disguised. That serve just gets her in trouble and puts her on the backfoot. Imagine the player she would be with a great serve.

No power or good serve, but she has everything else in her repertoire. My favorite player on WTA now too, wonderful to watch.

 

[muddlehead]

Not my gals Caroline Garcia, Daria Kasatkina. Andrea Petkovic, and Monica Niculescu that's for sure.

 

[vaillancourt]

But her groundstrokes were kind of average.

Her forehand was way above average. Her backhand wasnt great, but it was still better than average for her time when you look at the overall tour.

 

[MisterP]

I actually think Coco Vandeweghe has better weapons and variety than almost any other player on tour. Unfortunately she’s also a mental midget.

 

[skaj]

Her forehand was way above average. Her backhand wasnt great, but it was still better than average for her time when you look at the overall tour.

The way I remember it her forehand was nothing much, most of the time merely sending the ball back into her opponent's part of the court. Her backhand was ok, but there were quite a few better backhands among her contemporaries. Very good slice though.

 

[vaillancourt]

The way I remember it her forehand was nothing much, most of the time merely sending the ball back into her opponent's part of the court. Her backhand was ok, but there were quite a few better backhands among her contemporaries. Very good slice though.

Oh no, her forehand was a weapon, especialy for her time. Remember almost all the women were serve and volleyers in her prime so the standard of groundstrokers was not that high to begin with. Now compare her groundstrokes, especialy her forehand, to the top 10 of the time- Shriver, Durie, Bunge, Potter, Turnbull, Garrison, Kohde Kilsch, Rinaldi, and you will see what I mean. She easily had one of the best forehands in the game, and even Chris Evert called it a huge weapon and said she feared that shot. Here is Martina WAY past her prime, and her forehand is doing quite a bit of damage in her match vs Seles at Wimbledon 92 (and again this is Navratilova in mid 30s at like 70% of her prime level at most, the fact she is losing to Seles on grass which no way in hell would ever happen to prime Martina proving my point, LOL):

Navratilova even won a lot of forehand exchangs against GRAF in their 86-89 matches. That already tells you she had a very good forehand. And she was able to use her forehand to win quite a few baseline exchanges with Chris, or get into the net easily to set up easy volleys with it vs Chris.

 

[skaj]

Oh no, her forehand was a weapon, especialy for her time. Remember almost all the women were serve and volleyers in her prime so the standard of groundstrokers was not that high to begin with. Now compare her groundstrokes, especialy her forehand, to the top 10 of the time- Shriver, Durie, Bunge, Potter, Turnbull, Garrison, Kohde Kilsch, Rinaldi, and you will see what I mean. She easily had one of the best forehands in the game, and even Chris Evert called it a huge weapon and said she feared that shot. Here is Martina WAY past her prime, and her forehand is doing quite a bit of damage in her match vs Seles at Wimbledon 92 (and again this is Navratilova in mid 30s at like 70% of her prime level at most, the fact she is losing to Seles on grass which no way in hell would ever happen to prime Martina proving my point, LOL):

Navratilova even won a lot of forehand exchangs against GRAF in their 86-89 matches. That already tells you she had a very good forehand. And she was able to use her forehand to win quite a few baseline exchanges with Chris, or get into the net easily to set up easy volleys with it vs Chris.

First of all, this is about who's game was the most complete, not who's forehand was relatively above average for their era. Second, it's not like there were no dangerous forehand in Martina's time(Barker, Court). And against Graf and Seles she was obviously inferior in that department, I don't know where are you getting what you wrote. I even started playing the one of the clips you have posted, and right away I could see the advantage Monica has on her forehand(groundstrokes in general)

 

[vaillancourt]

First of all, this is about who's game was the most complete, not who's forehand was relatively above average for their era. Second, it's not like there were no dangerous forehand in Martina's time(Barker, Court). And against Graf and Seles she was obviously inferior in that department, I don't know where are you getting what you wrote. I even started playing the one of the clips you have posted, and right away I could see the advantage Monica has on her forehand(groundstrokes in general)

Of course Monica had the edge in groundstrokes over a 35 year old light years past her prime Martina, and probably even over a prime Martina. However my point is in showing her forehand was doing damage in numerous points vs peak Seles even as the light years past her prime ancient 35/36 year old. So obviously a prime Martina would have had a really strong forehand. Like I said Evert called Martina's forehand one of the best in the game, she in fact said it was the 2nd best in the 80s behind only Sue Barker. Of course I know I am speaking to skaj who thinks she/he is more knowledge than pros and tennis champions.

Navratilova could not have owned Evert and won 13 matches in a row with her if her groundstrokes was average. It would be impossible. You have to effectively hang in rallies with Evert and get to the net off strong shots consistently to do that. Especialy when during this streak she was breaking Evert's serve routinely, like over half of Evert's service games in many of the matches.

 

[skaj]

Of course Monica had the edge in groundstrokes over a 35 year old light years past her prime Martina, and probably even over a prime Martina. However my point is in showing her forehand was doing damage in numerous points vs peak Seles even as the light years past her prime ancient 35/36 year old. So obviously a prime Martina would have had a really strong forehand. Like I said Evert called Martina's forehand one of the best in the game, she in fact said it was the 2nd best in the 80s behind only Sue Barker. Of course I know I am speaking to skaj who thinks she/he is more knowledge than pros and tennis champions.

Navratilova could not have owned Evert and won 13 matches in a row with her if her groundstrokes was average. It would be impossible. You have to effectively hang in rallies with Evert and get to the net off strong shots consistently to do that. Especialy when during this streak she was breaking Evert's serve routinely, like over half of Evert's service games in many of the matches.

First of all please stop with these childish ad hominem comments, especially those which are (AGAIN) trying to assume what I am thinking, and poorly so. Monica did not "have an edge" over Navratilova when it comes to groundstrokes, she was obviously better. Seles along with Graf was the beginning of the baseline hard hitting era in women's tennis, they were on another level compared to Martina, who might have had a solid forehand for her era but this is about who was the most complete player ever, not in the 80s.

 

[galain]

First of all, this is about who's game was the most complete, not who's forehand was relatively above average for their era.

Yes - that's why I nominate Martina N as one of, if not the most complete WTA player in recent memory. Her groundies were serviceble. Not as good as some but they got the job done. Her serve wasn't the biggest - but it supported her net game, which was excellent. She moved well but wasn't necessarily the quickest. But she had no real technical or tactical weaknesses, which I don't think you can say about many other WTA players since then. And she was THE champion of her era - so despite having 'lesser' components to her game than some others, the sum total made for a very complete player.

Martina Hingis is the other one who comes to mind. Also a very complete player.

 

[skaj]

Yes - that's why I nominate Martina N as one of, if not the most complete WTA player in recent memory. Her groundies were serviceble. Not as good as some but they got the job done. Her serve wasn't the biggest - but it supported her net game, which was excellent. She moved well but wasn't necessarily the quickest. But she had no real technical or tactical weaknesses, which I don't think you can say about many other WTA players since then. And she was THE champion of her era - so despite having 'lesser' components to her game than some others, the sum total made for a very complete player.

Martina Hingis is the other one who comes to mind. Also a very complete player.

I thought of both of them. Hingis I did not include because she had no serve.

 

[skaj]

I see that Graf and Henin got the most votes so far.

SERVE: Graf/Both Steffi is more solid, but Henin's improved serve was also quite good, both in terms of speed and placement(too many double faults though).
RETURN: Both decent returners.
FOREHAND: Both had great forehands.
BACKHAND: Henin; Graf was using her slice most of the time.
NET GAME: Henin.
MOBILITY: Both.
HEAD: Both.

 

[WestboroChe]

Which WTA player do you think had the most complete game? Serve, return, ground game, net game, mobility, touch, head, who had it all or at least who was close to having it all?
So, not the best, most dangerous game, but the most complete.

I added a poll with the candidates I could think of.

No Chris Evert? Not saying she’d even get my vote but a curious omission.

 

[skaj]

No Chris Evert? Not saying she’d even get my vote but a curious omission.

The poll is limited to 12 or so. Serve, net game, power.

You could argue that some other girls from the poll lack the right mentality.

 

[WestboroChe]

The poll is limited to 12 or so. Serve, net game, power.

You could argue that some other girls from the poll lack the right mentality.

Exactly. Mentality is a big thing. Steffi Graf had it. Martina Hingis maybe not so much.

 

[skaj]

Exactly. Mentality is a big thing. Steffi Graf had it. Martina Hingis maybe not so much.

I think she was mentally tougher than an average player, but not among the best('99 RG finals, '02 Aussie O finals).

 

[golden chicken]

Hingis or Serena for me.