What makes Roddick good on grass?

[Messarger]

He's one of the favourites of Wimbledon along side Federer and Nadal, and has been in the final a couple of times. So why is A-Rod good on grass? His serve will always be his main weapon of destruction regardless of the surface. What about his ground and net game?

I cant figure it out as the Wimby courts are slower compared to the early 2000s, so wouldnt his opponents have time to set up cross court/ down the line shots to his backhand? Speaking of groundies, does he flatten out his forehand on grass?

I'm not exactly a Roddick fan btw. just curious.

 

[darthpwner]

He has a consistent ground game

 

[hawk eye]

Softest hands ever at the net, non-crap approach shots, Nurejew-like movement.

 

[Li Ching Yuen]

Last year it was his newly-found exceptional backhand, especially down the line.

 

[Scientist]

Have you been watching tennis at all the past 10 years OP?

Serve good mean grass good durr

 

[NamRanger]

He has experience, moves better on the grass then given credit for, has solid groundstrokes, decent transition and net game, along with a phenomenal serve. Do the math.

 

[jamesblakefan#1]

Serve. 10 char

 

[NamRanger]

Serve. 10 char

Karlovic has a better serve yet folds like a chair most of the time. It's not just his serve, trust me. Otherwise he wouldn't have given Federer such a run for his money in 2 of the finals they played. Yes, his serve is a big reason why he is so good on the grass, but there are other factors as to why he is so good on the grass.

 

[jamesblakefan#1]

Karlovic has a better serve yet folds like a chair most of the time. It's not just his serve, trust me. Otherwise he wouldn't have given Federer such a run for his money in 2 of the finals they played. Yes, his serve is a big reason why he is so good on the grass, but there are other factors as to why he is so good on the grass.

Of course it's not JUST his serve, but his serve is his main weapon and the reason he was able to remain top 10 and a slam threat even when his ground game wasn't up to snuff. The other things you noted are things that have come around the past couple of years, but went missing from 06-08, hence his weaker results at Wimbledon those years. But his serve has always remained one of the biggest weapons in the game.

I'm not disagreeing with you.

 

[akv89]

Roddick also has an underrated backhand slice that he uses well on grass. Back in 03-05, his flat inside out forehand was a huge weapon on grass as well, especially when used after a slice serve out wide on the deuce court.

 

[egn]

Serve, that new rebuilt backhand of his, his forehand when he tries to be aggressive, his fighting spirit and his recently improved net play.

 

[rainingaces]

His serve, fact that he understands when to attack the net, his slice works well on grass and he makes few errors.

He is still very beatable as tipsy 2008 wimbly, Dudi Sela and others have shown on the grass. Players who are not big names but they still beat him on grass because if his opponent plays great consistent tennis the match is not on Roddicks strings he cant raise his level enough usally.

Gasquet winning from 2 sets down at wimbly a prime example.

 

[OddJack]

Serve, ace, serve

 

[jigar]

Serve, groundies and passion for the surface.

 

[powerangle]

He's mostly a consistent retriever, but when he puts his mind to it, grass accentuates his aggressiveness (serve, groundies, attacking the net)

 

[Andres]

Besides the obvious reason (his serve), he moves particularily well on the surface (and this is extremely important), and he knows the surface.

 

[JeMar]

Serve, consistent groundies so he can threaten serve every once in a while. Also, he's pretty willing to come to net, which is a plus on its own merit.

 

[mucat]

He is a vegetarian. He eats grass for breakfast.

 

[ChuDat]

aside from 06 and 08. As stated already his serve and ground game is a factor plus he also said its one of his favorite tournaments, so I guess he does well because he doesn't want to leave early

 

[decades]

I don't know. Let me ask Dudi Sela.

 

[gold soundz]

Basically his big serve. And his groundstrokes, although they lack power, are very consistent. It's irritating though how he can just win matched with his serve.

 

[Halba]

serve, good flat strokes, nice variety from the baseline, good slice and easy put away volleys due to serve. his forehand is okay and whilst not as damaging as in 04, is a capable shot.

 

[gold soundz]

serve, good flat strokes, nice variety from the baseline, good slice and easy put away volleys due to serve. his forehand is okay and whilst not as damaging as in 04, is a capable shot.

His forehand is not a flat shot. It's a spinny weak shot.

 

[Toxicmilk]

because it isn't clay =D

 

[welcome2petrkordaland]

Have you been watching tennis at all the past 10 years OP?

Serve good mean grass good durr

LOL, Scientist

 

[Gen]

His serve since he doesn't have anything else.

 

[abmk]

He has experience, moves better on the grass then given credit for, has solid groundstrokes, decent transition and net game, along with a phenomenal serve. Do the math.

Besides the obvious reason (his serve), he moves particularily well on the surface (and this is extremely important), and he knows the surface.

agree with all except the bold part. ( maybe last year and on a few other occasions, but that's about it )

 

[tvp900]

I think it's the height of the bounce that does it. Look at how low he gets when he loads up on his forehand. He's almost crouched down. I think his strike zone, like mine, is down closer to his hips than up by his shoulders like most other players, which makes grass an ideal surface for him. Plus, as everybody has said, his serve is boosted, his return is boosted, and his footing is better.

 

[nereis]

Roddick plays well on grass because he wants to. His biggest dream is to win Wimbledon. While many people may not like him because he doesn't player a flashy game, he is tactically one of the most astute players on tour. He can moonball when he needs to, hit rockets, wins a large percentage of points at net and more importantly, his rocket serve will always win him cheap points.

 

[Cfidave]

Mostly the serve, secondly his consistency from the baseline. His serve is still the best shot in the mens game. If he has a bad serving day, he will most likely lose, can't really say that about Fed, Nadal, or Murray.

 

[Praetorian]

Roddick has a very under rated ground game, and his net game still needs more work. But hey, at least he's willing to work on his net game, unlike some of the Sharapova baseline bashers that some of the men aspire to be.

However, I digress. His serve, and more importantly the confidence he has in the effectiveness of his server, allows him to play a slightly different game. He take a little bit more risk because he knows - chances are, he'll probably win the next point just on serve alone.

However, he is NOT of those types of guys who'll have just crazy days when you step on a banana peel, fall backwards, and still hit a crosscourt 110mph forehand.

 

[Anaconda]

His serve since he doesn't have anything else.

Just curious did you watch Wimbledon 2009?

 

[Commando Tennis Shorts]

His forehand is not a flat shot. It's a spinny weak shot.

Ask Murray circa Wimbledon 2009 about that "spinny weak shot" :wink: