Has anyone (else) noticed the difficulty Nadal has hitting the down-the-line backhand? At least, how much more difficult it is for him to hit that shot on the run, or how rarely he flattens it out like his crosscourt? I think one reason is his backhand grip - I forget where I read it, but the grip he uses, which allows him to put so much spin on shots off that wing, requires making contact with the ball a little farther forward than the standard backhand grip. With a slightly farther-out contact point, it would be easier to hit the cross-court, right? Timing for a down-the-line would mean being late but still having control - something that would be difficult on the run. I mention this b/c his penchant for smacking the ball cross-court seems to have been discovered by a lot of up-and-coming players, and it's definitely a weakness they look for and pick on.
Nadal's down-the-line backhand
- Thread starter jodd
- Start date
clayman2000
Hall of Fame
Beng honest, I think Nadal has literally forgot how he played from FO 08 - Madrid 09.
I think the tools are there for him to win, but its like he's lost his game plan.
For me the thing about Nadal was that he used his DTL forhand to keep the opposing player honest. Hed be in a Forhand to Backhand rally, and then when you least expect it hed go DTL for a winner.
Now however, hes only hitting that DTL forhand when you most expect it. For example, he will wait to go DTL when to opponent hit s short ball. Since it is more predictable, the opponent is already going to cover the DTL shot and is there for a pass.
Anoth thing i found is that Nadal is trying to force the DTL BH way too much. Thus he is shanking or not hitting it properly a lot more. For me if Nadal is going to go DTL use the slice. That is what he did so much of at Wimbledon. Slice DTL, the opponent usually responds by hitting a cross court BH, then nadal would have the whole court to work with on his FH. He could go DTL for a winner, or flat foot the opponent by going cross court.
For me, Nadals tactics simply need improving right now
I think the tools are there for him to win, but its like he's lost his game plan.
For me the thing about Nadal was that he used his DTL forhand to keep the opposing player honest. Hed be in a Forhand to Backhand rally, and then when you least expect it hed go DTL for a winner.
Now however, hes only hitting that DTL forhand when you most expect it. For example, he will wait to go DTL when to opponent hit s short ball. Since it is more predictable, the opponent is already going to cover the DTL shot and is there for a pass.
Anoth thing i found is that Nadal is trying to force the DTL BH way too much. Thus he is shanking or not hitting it properly a lot more. For me if Nadal is going to go DTL use the slice. That is what he did so much of at Wimbledon. Slice DTL, the opponent usually responds by hitting a cross court BH, then nadal would have the whole court to work with on his FH. He could go DTL for a winner, or flat foot the opponent by going cross court.
For me, Nadals tactics simply need improving right now
MichaelNadal
Bionic Poster
I agree with all this, I was watching His clay court season matches yesterday on TTC, it was sick how he was playing just this year up until Madrid. Man he was ripping the ball. They mentioned (commentators in Madrid) That he had reached 8 of the last 10 finals in tournaments he played at that point. He has lost his confidence and aggressiveness.
good observation. for most players the backhand on the run passing shot is easier to hit down the line. nadal's rarely hits this shot. i don't understand why players at the net don't anticipate the cross court backhand pass from nadal. he hits it great but he also hits it more than 75% of the time. a lot like the murrary cross court forehand pass.
Blinkism
Legend
Excellent analysis, clayman.
Nadal seems to be on court with body and spirit, true, but his mind seems absent too often since his comeback.
I'd think it's linked to his confidence. It's a heck of a lot easier to be a tactical genius when you're 100% confident in your body and in your shot execution.
welcome2petrkordaland
Professional
yes, nadal def has trouble going dtl on his bh side with pace/flattening it out, if you will. when he wants to go dtl, he seems to be limited to his trusty old looper down the line,which is admittedly usually very accurate and realistically does the job of creating a favorable pattern of shots; in other words, he often gets a crosscourt shot in return, so he can hit his favorite forehand.
problem is, however, these up and comers who excel on hard courts have effectively raised the bar, since their bhs are almost every bit as good as their forehands. they just sit back and wait for his loopy bh dtl or his floating slice and then proceed to grip and rip, putting nadal on the defense. so absolutely Nadal needs to work on this dtl bh drive shot, to keep his opponents honest.
as far as his slice bh, he still floats it pretty bad and has a tendency to go crosscourt. he seems to struggle with dtl slices. one problem i see with his slice in general is that the contact point is often way behind him/his body and his racket face is at a 45 degree angle, half open, half closed which causes him to loft it up high, as opposed to vertical 100% open racket face, which would stay lower if hit properly.
problem is, however, these up and comers who excel on hard courts have effectively raised the bar, since their bhs are almost every bit as good as their forehands. they just sit back and wait for his loopy bh dtl or his floating slice and then proceed to grip and rip, putting nadal on the defense. so absolutely Nadal needs to work on this dtl bh drive shot, to keep his opponents honest.
as far as his slice bh, he still floats it pretty bad and has a tendency to go crosscourt. he seems to struggle with dtl slices. one problem i see with his slice in general is that the contact point is often way behind him/his body and his racket face is at a 45 degree angle, half open, half closed which causes him to loft it up high, as opposed to vertical 100% open racket face, which would stay lower if hit properly.
Gen
Banned
Rewatched AO-09 semifinal and final matches yesterday. That time dtl backhand was on, it was flat and it worked beautifully.
Saw several of these shots during DC final matches, but they were not half as close to the lineas they used to be at the beginning of the year.
IMO it's the matter of reinstatement of his physical confidence. He has been injured so many times and so severely during this year that his body automatically operates in "protective mode". When it "forgets" all the pain it suffered, the body will switch to full-scale mode, and the game will come back. Actually Nadal played some good matches after comeback (vs Tsonga, for instance). Stability will come with confidence.
Saw several of these shots during DC final matches, but they were not half as close to the lineas they used to be at the beginning of the year.
IMO it's the matter of reinstatement of his physical confidence. He has been injured so many times and so severely during this year that his body automatically operates in "protective mode". When it "forgets" all the pain it suffered, the body will switch to full-scale mode, and the game will come back. Actually Nadal played some good matches after comeback (vs Tsonga, for instance). Stability will come with confidence.
AlexTennisAllDayLong
Rookie
he gets ridiculous angle on inside out and cc backhands, he don't have to risk down the line as much
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