The Best And Most Fearsome Weapons In Tennis Ever!

[jamespolk]

I mean if you compartmentalize each specific weapon and assign it to the one player as having the best and the most fearsome ever specific weapon.
Here's my list:

Forehand - Roger Federer
Backhand - torn between Richard Gasquet and Andrei Pavel
Serve - Pete Sampras
Speed - Roger Federer
Return - Nalbandian
Forehand Volley - Stefan Edberg
Backhand Volley - John McEnroe
Court Movement - Roger Federer
Half Volley - Roger Federer
Overhead - Pete Sampras
Lob - Leyton Hewitt
Dropshot - Ilie Nastase
Backhand slice - Roger Federer
Anticipation - Roger Federer

What do you guys think?

 

[ivo#1fan]

I think you're a Federer fan and you must be pretty old (Nastase?!).

 

[MEAC_ALLAMERICAN]

Your first thread is also your 1st post, that's some solid stuff. :neutral:

But in the return category; Andre Agassi, Jimmy Connors, Lleyton Hewitt has better returns than Nalbandian, and their results speaks volumes, rather than a late season surge.

 

[Andres]

Serve: Goran Ivanisevic

 

[Silent]

How about Fabrice Santoro for the forehand slice ?

 

[pcpshortbus]

fed has better footwork than most, but i think there are more people with more sheer speed. maybe nadal, hewitt or blake have more speed (at least for modern day players?)

 

[Zaragoza]

I hope the backhand category is a joke...

 

[AM28143]

But in the return category; Andre Agassi, Jimmy Connors, Lleyton Hewitt has better returns than Nalbandian, and their results speaks volumes, rather than a late season surge.

Andre Agassi and Jimmy Connors are in a league above Hewitt or Nalbandian in that matter when it comes to returning. Just my opinion.

 

[hoodjem]

Too much emphasis on the present. Try this--

Forehand - Laver
Backhand - Edberg, Lendl, or Borg
Serve - Pete Sampras, Goran
Speed - Borg
Return - Connors, Agassi
Forehand Volley - Stefan Edberg
Backhand Volley - John McEnroe
Court Movement - Laver, Mecir
Half Volley - Tony Roche
Overhead - Pete Sampras
Lob - Tony Trabert
Approach - Laver
Dropshot - Ilie Nastase
Backhand slice - definitely Rosewall (GBSOAT)
Anticipation - Federer
(and don't forget that ubiquitous shot known as the. . .)
Volley lob - Laver

JMHO

 

[MEAC_ALLAMERICAN]

Andre Agassi and Jimmy Connors are in a league above Hewitt or Nalbandian in that matter when it comes to returning. Just my opinion.

Exactly, and I think Nalbandian falls at the bottom of the mentiones list. I was just trying to make a point.

 

[AM28143]

Exactly, and I think Nalbandian falls at the bottom of the mentiones list. I was just trying to make a point.

Probably, for now. Let's see how his career unfolds from here on out, though.

 

[JohnS]

Running Forehand - Sampras, Baghdatis
Running Backhand Drop shot - Federer
Forehand Return of Serve - Blake (all or nothing)
Running Forehand (clay) - Nadal
1st Serve - Ivanisevic, Roddick, Karlovic
At Net - Sampras, Bryan Bros.
Forehand in the middle of the court - PimPim
Dive - Becker


Spit - Chela
Splits - Srichapan, Jankovic, Cljisters
"Com'on!" - Hewitt
"Allez!!" - Monfils
Swedish Expletives - Bjorkman
Legs - Hantuchova, Kirelenko
Shriek - Sharapova
Shoulders & Biceps - Meuresmo
Mouth - McEnroe
Butt - S. Williams

 

[Grimjack]

"Best" and "most fearsome" are not necessarily the same thing.

For example, I don't think Lendl's FH was the best ever -- I believe that award goes to Federer. But he did have the most fearsome. You simply don't see other professional tennis players being visibly in fear of the Federer FH. Probably because he hasn't shown an inclination to use it as an assault weapon.

 

[2 Cent]

dude, your list was too much Roger Federer ass-kissing in it.

here's my opinion:

Forehand - Pete Sampras
Backhand - Andre Agassi
Serve - Pete Sampras and Goran Ivanisevic
Speed - Michael Chang
Return - Andre Agassi
Forehand Volley - John McEnroe
Backhand Volley - Stefan Edberg
Court Movement - Roger Federer
Half Volley - Pete Sampras
Overhead - Pete Sampras
Lob - Raphael Nadal
Dropshot - Ivan Lendl
Backhand slice - Pete Sampras
Anticipation - Roger Federer

 

[edmondsm]

My forehand made a guy poop his pants once.:|

But seriously, on a clay court:

Guga serve
Guga forehand
Guga backhand

 

[dh003i]

If his list had too much Federer, or relatively too much, your's has relatively too little.

Federer has had the most dominating 3 years of any tennis player ever, and 2nd most slams of any (and he's not even finished). He's had 5 wimbledons, and appeared in what 10 consecutive grand slam finals? More than 200 weeks as world #1 straight.

To be quite frank, I think you'd have to really list a bunch of players in each category to be anywhere near fair. I personally think Federer has the best FH ever, but there are several all-time greats who should make the list.

Also, I don't think we should bother with players who haven't won a slam when making these kind of lists. If they were that good in one of these categories, I'd have thought they'd have won a slam. IOW, not winning a slam is evidence that you aren't among the "best ever" in any category worth mentioning.

dude, your list was too much Roger Federer ass-kissing in it.

here's my opinion:

Forehand - Pete Sampras
Backhand - Andre Agassi
Serve - Pete Sampras and Goran Ivanisevic
Speed - Michael Chang
Return - Andre Agassi
Forehand Volley - John McEnroe
Backhand Volley - Stefan Edberg
Court Movement - Roger Federer
Half Volley - Pete Sampras
Overhead - Pete Sampras
Lob - Raphael Nadal
Dropshot - Ivan Lendl
Backhand slice - Pete Sampras
Anticipation - Roger Federer

 

[superman1]

These types of threads keep popping up - but for some reason I always try to fill out these blanks. It's just interesting.

Forehand - Federer
Backhand - Agassi
Serve - Sampras
Speed/Movement - Borg
Return - Agassi
Volleys - McEnroe
Half Volley - Agassi/Federer
Overhead - Sampras
Lob - Agassi
Backhand slice - Federer
Anticipation - Federer
Tenacity - Hewitt/Connors
Intangibles - Federer

 

[ferocious4hand]

My forehand made a guy poop his pants once.:|

Oh God! I want your 4hand!

 

[Alexio92]

I think coria had(has/will have again) the best drop shot.

 

[Ossric]

I hope the backhand category is a joke...

I agree. It may look the nicest, but is not the most consistant nor deadly. I'd lean towards Federer or Agassi on the backhand as a weapon.

 

[GasquetGOAT]

How about one for the existing players...

Forehand - Federer
Off-Forehand - Moya
1 Hand Backhand - Federer
2 Hand backhand - Nalbandian
Serve - Karlovic
Speed - Ferrer
Return Serve - Nalbandian
Return - Nadal
Forehand Volley - Ljubicic
Backhand Volley - Federer
Court Movement - Hewitt
Half Volley - Federer
Overhead - Roddick
Lob - Nalbandian
Approach - Federer
Dropshot - Coria
Backhand slice - Santoro
Anticipation - Federer
Volley lob - Federer
Tenacity - Nadal
Intangibles - Federer

Too much emphasis on the present. Try this--

Forehand - Laver
Backhand - Edberg, Lendl, or Borg
Serve - Pete Sampras, Goran
Speed - Borg
Return - Connors, Agassi
Forehand Volley - Stefan Edberg
Backhand Volley - John McEnroe
Court Movement - Laver, Mecir
Half Volley - Tony Roche
Overhead - Pete Sampras
Lob - Tony Trabert
Approach - Laver
Dropshot - Ilie Nastase
Backhand slice - definitely Rosewall (GBSOAT)
Anticipation - Federer
(and don't forget that ubiquitous shot known as the. . .)
Volley lob - Laver

JMHO

 

[hoodjem]

How about one for the existing players...

Forehand - Federer
Off-Forehand - Moya
1 Hand Backhand - Federer
2 Hand backhand - Nalbandian
Serve - Karlovic
Speed - Ferrer
Return Serve - Nalbandian
Return - Nadal
Forehand Volley - Ljubicic
Backhand Volley - Federer
Court Movement - Hewitt
Half Volley - Federer
Overhead - Roddick
Lob - Nalbandian
Approach - Federer
Dropshot - Coria
Backhand slice - Santoro
Anticipation - Federer
Volley lob - Federer
Tenacity - Nadal
Intangibles - Federer

Sounds good, but what the diff here:
"Return Serve - Nalbandian
Return - Nadal"

 

[A.Davidson]

The return should be Agassi.

No question.

The fact that he consistently put Sampras' serve back is a testament to his skill level.