The thread is supposed to be about players whose movement is "beautiful" and "aesthetically pleasing." Granted, these are subjective terms, but it's clear that simply being a highly effective mover shouldn't be enough. Graf was nimble on her feet and extremely fast, no doubt. But her movement was not especially graceful, IMO. It was just athletic in a "typical for a high-level tennis player" sort of way.
The most beautiful tennis movement
- Thread starter skaj
- Start date
Glad you mentioned Mecir. He is one of the few retired players I really miss greatly. He was unlike anyone else at the time. He was nicknamed the 'Swede Killer', as Swedish players had a bad record against him (Sweden being one of the tennis superpowers in the late 1980's).
skaj
Legend
He was a wonderful mover actually, both in sense of effectiveness and aesthetics. Very underestimated in this department.
Here's a clip of him when he was lean and fitter. He is always balanced, his footwork is as good as anyone's, excellent sense of court, sublime anticipation, considerable speed. On a top of it all he looks good on the move, even with young Federer in the same video(who moves like a panther
).
D
Deleted member 77403
Guest
He was a wonderful mover actually, both in sense of effectiveness and aesthetics. Very underestimated in this department.
Here's a clip of him when he was lean and fitter. He is always balanced, his footwork is as good as anyone's, excellent sense of court, sublime anticipation, considerable speed. On a top of it all he looks good on the move, even with young Federer in the same video(who moves like a panther
Nalbandian was awesome.
He was the first before Djokovic to beat Federer in both HC slams in the same season.
tennis tom
Legend
skaj
Legend
Quick, aggressive, perhaps a lynx?
Anyway, a great mover, especially in 2007 when she was at the peak of her powers.
Cabeza del Demonio
Professional
Raonic knows how to move in one direction, and one direction only LOLRaonic; the drunk bull
Cabeza del Demonio
Professional
It's remarkable how Rod Laver was still playing in 77. We overlook him too often when discussing the hypothetical "GOAT". He's every bit as deserving as Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic.
junior74
Talk Tennis Guru
Tsonga's one hander is a little underrated, too!
Boom-Boom
Legend
Graf was the best mover ever indeed!
StringGuruMRT
Semi-Pro
I've always felt that Sampras moved like a big cat... Like a Panther or a Tiger. Nadal to me seems to have the most aggressive movement.
mental midget
Hall of Fame
+1 for edberg. incredible athlete, unbelievable balance and footwork.
Azure
G.O.A.T.
Great share!!! Thank you.
vive le beau jeu !
Talk Tennis Guru
did i just read 'simon' and 'aesthetically pleasing' in the same sentence?
(without any negation)
... tennis in the mist!
Last edited:
skaj
Legend
did i just read 'simon' and 'aesthetically pleasing' in the same sentence?
(without any negation)
considering the today's field, yes. I like how light and elastic he looks when he's on the move. of course, he wouldn't qualify for my top 20 all-time list, even top 25.
Wander
Hall of Fame
He was a wonderful mover actually, both in sense of effectiveness and aesthetics. Very underestimated in this department.
Here's a clip of him when he was lean and fitter. He is always balanced, his footwork is as good as anyone's, excellent sense of court, sublime anticipation, considerable speed. On a top of it all he looks good on the move, even with young Federer in the same video(who moves like a panther
Whenever I see highlights of Nalbandian at his best, I can't fathom how he didn't win a slam. Such talent and ability.
Shaolin
G.O.A.T.
Because he didn't care about fitness. If he trained liked Hewitt or Fed he would have won a slam or two.
skaj
Legend
Or more. Except for the serve, he had everything it takes to be a multiple slam winner.
Siewi
Rookie
Good point, Felix moves very smoothly on court. Probably one of the few in the new crop.
Last edited:
skaj
Legend
I hear that... Maybe she would be described as a Jackrabbit on your list!
Here are some other players' movement descriptions:
Nadal – wildebeest
Djokovic – octopus
Sampras – shark
Laver – mongoose
Monfils – cheetah
Chang - rabbit
Lendl - horse
Kucera – stoat
Gerulaitis - spider
Connors – bat
Noah - gibbon
Coria – fly
Ferrer – jack russell
Simon – frog
Agassi – cockroach
Venus – impala
Clijsters – kangaroo
Capriati – rhino
Sharapova – giraffe
Sanchez Vicario – bumble bee
Mandlikova – doe
Rios – ocelot
De Minaur – falcon
Sugiyama – swift
Dementieva - ostrich
Graf – springbok
Fererro – mosquito
Bartoli – hippo
Davenport – sloth
ElChivoEspañol
Hall of Fame
Nadal is absolute poetry in motion, especially on clay.
Textbook strokes, perfect blend between freakish strength and genius stroke mechanics.
Textbook strokes, perfect blend between freakish strength and genius stroke mechanics.
d-quik
Hall of Fame
Isner - tractor
Shaolin
G.O.A.T.
Giraffe on ice.
ghostofMecir
Legend
Nice thread here amongst the morass of GOAT this and GOAT that.
Okker, Rosewall, Nastase, Mecir (my profile pic), Borg, Rios, Federer.
Graf, Mandlikova, Henin for the women.
Just a brilliant player the Big Cat was, with not that great of a work ethic or will to win. He was tall with a trash serve but an absolutely beautiful BH. Watching him hold that ball on the racket and put players on skates was a joy. He had very good hands as well. Take his racket talent, give him a serve commensurate with his height and a desire and will to win and you would have had something.
Okker, Rosewall, Nastase, Mecir (my profile pic), Borg, Rios, Federer.
Graf, Mandlikova, Henin for the women.
Just a brilliant player the Big Cat was, with not that great of a work ethic or will to win. He was tall with a trash serve but an absolutely beautiful BH. Watching him hold that ball on the racket and put players on skates was a joy. He had very good hands as well. Take his racket talent, give him a serve commensurate with his height and a desire and will to win and you would have had something.
GhostOfNKDM
Hall of Fame
Nadal's footwork on clay is indeed exceptional.
Disagree about stroke mechanics being textbook.
Fed is my overall pick for best footwork I've watched among many other good candidates mentioned in this thread
ElChivoEspañol
Hall of Fame
Feast your eyes on the GOAT FH.
Nadal's footwork is on par with Federer, I dare say even better, the way he has been running around his BH to hit those monster FH winners all of his career is proof.
MiamiWeekendWarrior
Hall of Fame
??? Medvedev looks like a baby giraffe on ice skates.
Olli Jokinen
Hall of Fame
This.
albatros_forehand
Professional
This. One day it will step on its own ear or racquet and fall.
Sampras-Bruguera 1993
Legend
I prefer the meth addict court movement
MiamiWeekendWarrior
Hall of Fame
Chang wasn't a very hard hitter but he could definitely move like a crackhead on meth. He also had a great reflexes and was very difficult to hit past.
skaj
Legend
It's amazing how efficient his movement was at the same time. I guess it's thanks to his fantastic anticipation and court sense, as well as ability to burst into fast sprints when necessary.