The annoying trend of floating back ****ty FH slices

[NedStark]

Sure, it is quite a clever trick these days to bunt back high floating defensive FH slices to buy time. But the key reason why today’s players get away with this is that they generally don’t know how to take the net anymore. Imagine hitting a very good FH towards the corner, and then just sit their asses around and wait for the floating FH slice to drop.

Pete, Boris, Stefan, and even Roger would have eaten up those FH slices for breakfast. Pete seeing them would have been like the Diablo I Butcher seeing “fresh meat”.

 

[tex123]

Slowing of the courts made all these players baselines. Not many know when to go in. Even if they do, they are horrible volleyers.

 

[NedStark]

Slowing of the courts made all these players baselines. Not many know when to go in. Even if they do, they are horrible volleyers.

Yeah, they have a complete inability to sense blood when it comes to finishing points at the net.

 

[MrFlip]

Not only the FH float return but the FH but cross court mid rally off a not so fast ball.

 

[NedStark]

Not only the FH float return but the FH but cross court mid rally off a not so fast ball.

Yeah, very annoying, and worse, they repeatedly get away without being punished.

 

[MrFlip]

I personally think the speed of tennis has slowed down and the fact that someone like De Minaur and Rune only prove it.

 

[RF-18]

Pete, Boris etc played in a totally different time when the game was significantly slower. No point at all to add their names in these eras, or vice versa.

 

[Azure]

Nobody plays doubles anymore.

 

[sliceroni]

Poly strings and racquet technology allow you to smoke the ball at higher velocity on every shot even 10-12 ft behind the baseline, even at our level. The trade off is to keep the ball in play the court conditions are slower and balls are significantly heavier. So yeah fh slice is effective in today’s game but in pre-2000 conditions against the players you mentioned I agree it wouldn’t be a high percentage play, unless on clay.

 

[NedStark]

Pete, Boris etc played in a totally different time when the game was significantly slower. No point at all to add their names in these eras, or vice versa.

The point still stands - forget about volleying skills, players these days don’t even know how to select the right shots and the right times to approach. I totally cringe at guys hitting inside-out FHs that do not land on the sideline when approaching.

Poly strings and racquet technology allow you to smoke the ball at higher velocity on every shot even 10-12 ft behind the baseline, even at our level. The trade off is to keep the ball in play the court conditions are slower and balls are significantly heavier. So yeah fh slice is effective in today’s game but in pre-2000 conditions against the players you mentioned I agree it wouldn’t be a high percentage play, unless on clay.

I don’t know, in most points involving the slice FH that I have seen since 2021, the defending guy is mostly so stretched that floating a slice FH is the only option - and in general those slices are comfortably above net level when they are at the service box.

 

[norcal]

Yeah it's too bad that players are so bad at coming forward these days, so many matches have no contrasting styles, just baseline botting. Some guys even get a short ball, hit it, then retreat to the baseline.

It's refreshing when a guy like Mel Purcell comes along and reminds us how entertaining all court tennis is...

 

[Rovesciarete]

The floater is often the only option and a smart player can easily put it away. But there are also rarely speedy slices winning points from downtown: