The Gonzalez backhand is devastating
- Thread starter RalphNYC
- Start date
rubberduckies
Professional
Interesting, but I'll believe it when I see it.
federerdomination
Semi-Pro
uhh... have u seen gasquet's?
If you replaced the word "backhand" with "forehand" however, I would def agree
If you replaced the word "backhand" with "forehand" however, I would def agree
Blank
Rookie
Exactly, gonzo slices his backhand, rarely do topspin.
But forehand, that's another story...........
RalphNYC
Semi-Pro
Many times, not as solid. Too much backswing, too much movement. Gonzo is hitting it very very solid. Watch the match.
Not gonna deny that he did a great job with the backhand (and obviously forehand) today, but I think partly it was just Blake's weak play. Blake wasn't hitting a heavy ball as he usually does, and he basically just played a practice match for Gonzo.
I think Gonzo's got a great backhand but it's not a thing of beauty like Fed, Haas, Kohlschreiber, Gasquet, etc.
Djokovicfan4life
Legend
Gonzo's backhand is a good shot in the sense that he uses it to set up his strength (forehand) and doesn't usually get overly ambitious with it. Of course, when the time is right he can crack the flat/topspin winners as well, as those who saw the Blake match will attest to.
His slice has a lot more bite on it, at least from what I've seen lately. It used to sit up a lot and give his opponents time to run around and crack their forehands. Now it has the shtick on it to give players problems and/or set him up for the forehand winner.
Not all pros need to hit winners at will with a particular stroke for it to be considered decent.
But it's certainly not "devastating", by any means. Then again, I wouldn't call Federer's backhand devastating either. Just saying.
JMO.
His slice has a lot more bite on it, at least from what I've seen lately. It used to sit up a lot and give his opponents time to run around and crack their forehands. Now it has the shtick on it to give players problems and/or set him up for the forehand winner.
Not all pros need to hit winners at will with a particular stroke for it to be considered decent.
But it's certainly not "devastating", by any means. Then again, I wouldn't call Federer's backhand devastating either. Just saying.
JMO.
Last edited:
M
Morrissey
Guest
I agree, it's not a shot that hurts opponents, but he sets up his forehand very well with it. Also, you get such a contrast in speed and spin from both wings of his baseline game. His backhand is attackable and he can slice you to death on that side unless you go after that forehand side, if you rush him he'll miss the forehand, if you don't and he has enough time to set it up he'll kill you with it. His main weakness is that he can't cover the court very well in terms of defense and foot speed, but he makes up for his with his killer forehand. It's a huge weapon. He made his backhand a set up shot and rally extender. Not much else than that.
Last edited by a moderator:
RalphNYC
Semi-Pro
He was killing his backhand today. The down the line shots were awesome, his cross court was deep and heavy, and his backhand returns were fantastic. I have no love for Gonzo, especially after what happened at the Olympics, but that bh tonight, was something special - I havent seen him hit it as well as he did today. Check out the match.
ronalditop
Hall of Fame
any high ball to his backhand would turn into an UE.
Michael Bluth
Semi-Pro
The backhand was definitely on today.
I'd love to see Gonzo back in the top 10, that forehand is a pleasure to watch.
I'd love to see Gonzo back in the top 10, that forehand is a pleasure to watch.
mikeler
Moderator
I'm not a Gonzo fan especially after the Olympics. Normally he slices 80% of his backhands but against Blake yesterday this was not the case. He was really driving the ball deep and hard into the corners with his backhand. It did not look like the Gonzo I'm used to watching. If he plays like he did against Blake, he'll have a decent shot at an upset of Fed.
musicalmedic81
Semi-Pro
I love Gonzo's backhand. It gets overshadowed by his FH most of the time but it really can be a deadly shot. Especially when his opponent hits an inside out FH to his BH side and leaves the court open DTL. He can just use the pace of his opponents shot and rip it clean down the line. He did that several times against Blake yesterday.
Fedace
Banned
I Agree. Gonzo's backhand Slice literally rips off half the felt of the ball. and there is no felt left after about 2-3 minutes. it is better than federer's. could be the best slice backhand of all time.
Fedace
Banned
mikeler
Moderator
His backhand drive will break down against guys that hit with more topspin like Federer and Nadal. When Blake was blasting knuckleballs at him, he had no problem.
RalphNYC
Semi-Pro
I didnt see the Fed match. I'm not saying that Gonzo always has that shot against all players (lord knows Fed doesn't have it against Nadal).. but against Blake it was great and I think was a big part of the reason why Blake lost. Blake saw no safe spot on the court to hit to, and then just decided to try to hit as hard and flat as possible. That didnt work out too well. 
mikeler
Moderator
I didnt see the Fed match. I'm not saying that Gonzo always has that shot against all players (lord knows Fed doesn't have it against Nadal).. but against Blake it was great and I think was a big part of the reason why Blake lost. Blake saw no safe spot on the court to hit to, and then just decided to try to hit as hard and flat as possible. That didnt work out too well.
I saw both matches and Gonzo still had a few nice backhands, but many more errors than against Blake when driving off that wing.
And yet if you had just his backhand you would find it difficult to lose a match
crazylevity
Hall of Fame
Just saw Gonzo v Davydenko, Montreal 3rd round. It certainly seems as if Gonzo is making an effort to play with a lot more drive and topspin backhands than before. I agree though, that he will find this easier against some players (e.g. Blake, Davydenko) than others (e.g. Nadal, Federer)
wyutani
Hall of Fame
ahhh, the great backhand and great forehands. imagine gonzo and gasquet playing doubles together...devastating mate'....
Similar threads
