Sinner's athletic posture is similar to WTA players

[HunterST]

I am interested in finding the optimal posture for tennis. You have players like Djokovic who have a fairly upright posture. This is common among high level male players like, for example, Alcaraz, and I always think Karue from MytennisHQ exemplifies it well.

WTA players, however, play in a more crouched position. The consensus on here seems to be that it is because of anatomical differences, or maybe the flatter ball in the women's game. I've noticed, though, that Sinner plays in a very similar crouched position.

1. What do you think is behind these differences we see in posture with elite players?
2. How can we find the ideal athletic position for us personally?

 

[johnmccabe]

Not convinced sinner is very different from other ATP players. Also not sure there is a major difference between male and female. Leaning forward is a pretty basic stance on tennis courts, I think.

 

[HunterST]

Not convinced sinner is very different from other ATP players. Also not sure there is a major difference between male and female. Leaning forward is a pretty basic stance on tennis courts, I think.

To be clear, I think players of all genders use both postures. It's just more common for the men to be more upright.

 

[johnmccabe]

Would it be better to see more side view videos?

 

[HunterST]

Would it be better to see more side view videos?

I think it's pretty clear from the back, especially since they turn sideways when moving.

 

[Better_Call_Raul]

The universal athletic position is facing the net.
Knees slightly bent, with feet shoulder-width apart or slightly wider for better stability.
Weight on balls of feet.
Torso slightly bent forward at the hips, with core engaged for stability.

All ATP players follow the universal athletic position.

 

[HunterST]

The universal athletic position is facing the net.
Knees slightly bent, with feet shoulder-width apart or slightly wider for better stability.
Weight on balls of feet.
Torso slightly bent forward at the hips, with core engaged for stability.

All ATP players follow the universal athletic position.

Yes, but some are more bent than others.

 

[Better_Call_Raul]

Yes, but some are more bent than others.

Some ATP players may choose to bend knees more than others. It is personal preference.
Do what is comfortable so that you are ready to split-step and move either left or right for the next shot.

 

[slipgrip93]

Maybe some or plenty of the WTA players being shorter than 6' or 5'8" bend more on some balls to purposely generate more chain power from the legs because their legs are shorter, but maybe only
for some shot types that may call for it. I'm shorter than 6" and could never be at the height or body frame of these top 100 tall atp players. I personally tend to be more upright, but I do bend more
for some particular shots I'm trying to make. Some of the pro women hit flatter, but then again, players used to hit flatter in prior decades, and rec players often hit flatter in general.
Kalinskaya hits a bit flatter with her game even though she's decently tall for the WTA.

 

[Digital Atheist]

Not convinced sinner is very different from other ATP players. Also not sure there is a major difference between male and female. Leaning forward is a pretty basic stance on tennis courts, I think.

Yeah, and unfortunately the provided video comparisons are too small in sample size to gauge anything meaningful. Having said that, given the shots they are hitting above, I didn't personally notice any significant difference in their centre of gravity. Maybe Sinner has a slightly wider base (?), but match footage or even a live practice set would be a better indicator. One shot I do think a lot of the WTA prefer is a really low squat on fast deep balls - Radwanska was the queen of that shot - and its something you almost never see on the ATP. That might be anatomical, but I have no strong evidence to verify.

 

[johnmccabe]

Yeah, and unfortunately the provided video comparisons are too small in sample size to gauge anything meaningful. Having said that, given the shots they are hitting above, I didn't personally notice any significant difference in their centre of gravity. Maybe Sinner has a slightly wider base (?), but match footage or even a live practice set would be a better indicator. One shot I do think a lot of the WTA prefer is a really low squat on fast deep balls - Radwanska was the queen of that shot - and its something you almost never see on the ATP. That might be anatomical, but I have no strong evidence to verify.

Agree. I need more data to be convinced it's a real difference. Also casual practice hitting is more likely to produce upright posture. It's mostly like true that female players on average have lower center of gravity. I doubt Sinner is built that different from FAA or Fritz for example.

 

[Roforot]

Keep in mind, the female pros tend to hit flatter balls which stay low vs. the ATP where the ball is kicking up. I know you're looking at stances and not reactions to specific shots but this will influence.

 

[GAS]

There's ATP stance, WTA stance and Medvedev stance. I prefer the latter.

 

[Bill Lobsalot]

Kyrgios and Dustin brown stand very upright with little knee bend. But they are superior hand/eye all court players with special skills.
There's all kinds of ways to play.

 

[Better_Call_Raul]

Maybe some or plenty of the WTA players being shorter than 6' or 5'8" bend more on some balls to purposely generate more chain power from the legs because their legs are shorter, but maybe only
for some shot types that may call for it. I'm shorter than 6" and could never be at the height or body frame of these top 100 tall atp players. I personally tend to be more upright, but I do bend more
for some particular shots I'm trying to make. Some of the pro women hit flatter, but then again, players used to hit flatter in prior decades, and rec players often hit flatter in general.
Kalinskaya hits a bit flatter with her game even though she's decently tall for the WTA.

Athletic stance (ready position after hitting the shot and waiting for the next shot) is a separate issue from hitting the shot itself.
WTA may indeed tend to get down lower when executing their shots. But do not see that the WTA waiting athletic position is any different that ATP.

 

[Fintft]

Athletic stance (ready position after hitting the shot and waiting for the next shot) is a separate issue from hitting the shot itself.
WTA may indeed tend to get down lower when executing their shots. But do not see that the WTA waiting athletic position is any different that ATP.

To the former: I don't think so, as just yesterday the coach corrected me that I should get into athletic position and keep in all the time (moving to the ball etc Also hitting).
To the latter: Women are also slower and with a lower center of gravity, so sometimes they even squat, almost put a knee down, instead of backing down a few steps.

 

[ChaelAZ]

I think a lot of the stance just has to do with preference of strike zone, not necessarily a general rule for the "best". I also think using practice videos for comparison only shows controlled environments. Watch the players in matches to see just how much variety there is in stance and set-up for shots. But yeah, overall Sinner does like to get lower on the ball with knee bend. Rune also like lower, but uses quite the wide stance. Fognini is VERy upgright on the FH, but uses a VERY deep knee bend on a majority of BH's.

Not sure there are really any take-aways expect try it and see which works best for you.