Which top 50 player actually strokes the ball the slowest?

[djsiva]

I'm not talking about, the guy who hits the softest or flatest, but the guy who actually accelerates the racquet SLOWEST through the groundstroke during regular play.

Most people think Nadal accelerates the racquet the fastest. But who effectively does it the slowest? And I'm not talking about for a drop shot either. Just a regular groundstroke (non-slice, non defensive, non-novelty) shot.

 

[Nadal_Freak]

Bjorkman? I don't know this too well but he seems to take compact swings.

 

[Bogie]

And I'm not talking about for a drop shot either. Just a regular groundstroke (non-slice, non defensive, non-novelty) shot.

well im pretty sure the answer to your original question is santoro, but you're guidelines pretty much take away his entire game so its a bit of a catch-22

 

[AAAA]

Could be Sanguinetti(sp?)

Edit: He's probably not top 50.

 

[Brent Pederson]

Definitely Sanguinetti if he's top 50 still. He looks like he's swinging underwater in slow mo. Spadea's is looks pretty lopey as well these days. Interestingly, both guys have used a POG most of their careers. Coincidence?

 

[couch]

Definitely Sanguinetti if he's top 50 still. He looks like he's swinging underwater in slow mo. Spadea's is looks pretty lopey as well these days. Interestingly, both guys have used a POG most of their careers. Coincidence?

Yep, I was thinking Sanguinetti too. But, as you said, not sure if he's top 50 or not. Close enough though.

 

[saram]

Although maybe not the slowest as per the question in the OP, but Safin does swing relatively slow for the amount of pace he generates. Every stroke seems to be highly controlled outside of his service motion.

 

[TENNIS_IS_FUN]

Hyung taik lee swings the ball pretty slow.

 

[djsiva]

So do you think there's a correlation between flatness of shot and slow swing?

Also do you think guys that use their lower body more can swing slower?

A compact shot doesn't necessarily mean slow swing. In fact I think it probably means the reverse.

 

[krz]

Andy Murray usually swings pretty slow

safin actually looks like hes swings fairly slow also

 

[rod99]

players who hit a flatter ball generally have less racket speed b/c they don't need it. it's only needed to generate topspin. i'd say stepanek's racket head speed on his forehand is one of the slowest around. it appears that he is simply guiding the ball but b/c he doesn't have much spin, his ball will go through the court quicker.

 

[djsiva]

players who hit a flatter ball generally have less racket speed b/c they don't need it. it's only needed to generate topspin. i'd say stepanek's racket head speed on his forehand is one of the slowest around. it appears that he is simply guiding the ball but b/c he doesn't have much spin, his ball will go through the court quicker.

Nice explanation. A guy needs to be well grounded to slow down his shots. Like Mecir.

 

[Gundam]

Nice explanation. A guy needs to be well grounded to slow down his shots. Like Mecir.

Haha, Mecir...he was a big mystery. It seemed as if he was playing in his own time bubble yet he was quite effective. His swing (FH especially) was quite slow looking and he seemed to move slowly yet Becker said Mecir was one of the fastest players he played against...

 

[psamp14]

i think andy murray mixes up his shots and in doing so he hits some of the slowest groundstrokes during matchplay

 

[amadextor]

liubichish, Fish, Federer-backhand.

 

[Zaragoza]

i think andy murray mixes up his shots and in doing so he hits some of the slowest groundstrokes during matchplay

I agree here. Sanguinetti would be a contender but his time passed, he is ranked 253 right now. I can´t understand how someone who follows the ATP matches can think he is still top 50.

 

[slice bh compliment]

Jan Hernych and the aforementioned Andy Murray.

Davide Sanguinetti and Gianluca Pozzi, for the recently retired category.
McEnroe at times, too.

 

[keithchircop]

So do you think there's a correlation between flatness of shot and slow swing?

if you're not using a low powered setup, you cannot hit all out and flat and keep the ball in, you just can't. for instance, if you're using a 100 sq in racquet (flex 65, SW360) you have to slow your swing down when hitting flat or the ball will sail long. nadal has the mother of all hard swings because he applies the mother of all topspins.

why don't they use low powered setups to be able to swing faster when hitting flat? that would mean less power when they do hit with lots of topspin.

 

[zagor]

Andy Murray,I don't think Sanguinetti is top 50 anymore

 

[superstition]

Murray uses a heavy racquet, which requires less speed to generate power.

 

[callitout]

Watching Murray on TV I thought he barely hit the ball. But courtside its clear he hits with plenty of top and depth but with a very relaxed swing, which shouldnt be mistaken for a slow swing.

 

[AAAA]

I agree here. Sanguinetti would be a contender but his time passed, he is ranked 253 right now. I can´t understand how someone who follows the ATP matches can think he is still top 50.

I don't follow ATP matches much at all. Federer is the only show in town worth watching for me. I edited my post as I dodn't think Sanguinetti was top 50. Davydenko and Nalbandian might have slow strokes as they seem to redirect shots.

 

[djsiva]

i think andy murray mixes up his shots and in doing so he hits some of the slowest groundstrokes during matchplay

Slow groundstrokes I think are key to a good baseline game. You can use it as a measure of how good a player is. Lendl used to hit harder than anyone on tour. But he choose not to all the time. Guys that hit the ball hard all the times like Courier are like guys that telegrapgh serves with their toss. Top pros figure them out pretty easily.

Young guys feel that they have to hit the ball hard with lots of spin to prove they can hold their on.

Only the truly relaxed and good players can hit the ball soft 9Federer, Lendl, Connors, Mac, Wilander, Edberg).

Next time you watch Federer watch how weak his backhand slice is. He hits it soft, because he's not afraid to hit it soft.

Remember if the guy hits constanly at 70 miles an hour, recieving his 80 miles an hour approach shot is no sweat.

But if the guy goes from 50 to 80, the reciever is more apt to miss and make a mistake.

Watch Mac. He slices his backhand in rallies but usally comes over the top with more pace on his approaches. This shocks the reciever and sets up Mac for a relatively easy volley. Its exactly opposite of what most other players do.

If he hits hard all the time, which is the trend these days, they give up this opportunity to control your oppoenet.

Hitting hard also wears you out.

Its all about slowing the ball down.

 

[WillAlwaysLoveYouTennis]

The first I thought of was Santoro, because with his marvelous hands skim along more of the ball, so it seems it is hit slower because it has more contact on the racquet...but it's harder to read. Fast hands in a way, but slow stroke. Like with watching a slice or topspin hit instead of flat ball, longer contact on the strings itself so it seems slower until it flies, hits the court and accelerates.

 

[psamp14]

Slow groundstrokes I think are key to a good baseline game. You can use it as a measure of how good a player is. Lendl used to hit harder than anyone on tour. But he choose not to all the time. Guys that hit the ball hard all the times like Courier are like guys that telegrapgh serves with their toss. Top pros figure them out pretty easily.

Young guys feel that they have to hit the ball hard with lots of spin to prove they can hold their on.

Only the truly relaxed and good players can hit the ball soft 9Federer, Lendl, Connors, Mac, Wilander, Edberg).

Next time you watch Federer watch how weak his backhand slice is. He hits it soft, because he's not afraid to hit it soft.

Remember if the guy hits constanly at 70 miles an hour, recieving his 80 miles an hour approach shot is no sweat.

But if the guy goes from 50 to 80, the reciever is more apt to miss and make a mistake.

Watch Mac. He slices his backhand in rallies but usally comes over the top with more pace on his approaches. This shocks the reciever and sets up Mac for a relatively easy volley. Its exactly opposite of what most other players do.

If he hits hard all the time, which is the trend these days, they give up this opportunity to control your oppoenet.

Hitting hard also wears you out.

Its all about slowing the ball down.

very, very, very well-said

 

[superstition]

There also are many players, usually in the WTA, who hit too soft to make an impact against top tier opponents.

As for average groundstroke speed showing the quality of a player, I don't think that's the case. It depends on your game plan. Some players rely on fast strokes in order to keep rallies shorter. Moya's forehand is a good example. When he has a chance to hit it hard, he does. Murray, in contrast, is often content to push the ball back, waiting for an error. Some are more prone to make errors when trying to hit soft, like Roddick and Djokovic.

If your big forehand is misfiring, it's smart to be more defensive. When Federer lost to Volandri in Rome, he refused to adjust his gameplan. Blake often barely squeaks through matches because he is so resistant to being patient in rallies. Santoro, if he hadn't cramped, should have beaten him in the match I saw fairly recently.

 

[BeHappy]

hingis has the weakest ground strokes of any proffesional tennis player

 

[Andres]

Karlovic swings his forehands and backhands surprisingly slow. Actually, his service swing is rather slow compared to other huge servers like Roddick or Ljubicic.

 

[Tempest344]

I'd say Stepanek and Fish and also maybe Moya on his backhand sometimes

 

[djsiva]

hingis has the weakest ground strokes of any proffesional tennis player

Yeah, but she is probably the most accurate groundstroker on tour both men's and women's.

She just lacks pace.

 

[Shabazza]

Haha, Mecir...he was a big mystery. It seemed as if he was playing in his own time bubble yet he was quite effective. His swing (FH especially) was quite slow looking and he seemed to move slowly yet Becker said Mecir was one of the fastest players he played against...

He was like a cat on the court, no wasted movement and great anticipation. It made him look faster than he actually was.

 

[93sq.]

Slow groundstrokes I think are key to a good baseline game. You can use it as a measure of how good a player is. Lendl used to hit harder than anyone on tour. But he choose not to all the time. Guys that hit the ball hard all the times like Courier are like guys that telegrapgh serves with their toss. Top pros figure them out pretty easily.

Young guys feel that they have to hit the ball hard with lots of spin to prove they can hold their on.

Only the truly relaxed and good players can hit the ball soft 9Federer, Lendl, Connors, Mac, Wilander, Edberg).

Next time you watch Federer watch how weak his backhand slice is. He hits it soft, because he's not afraid to hit it soft.

Remember if the guy hits constanly at 70 miles an hour, recieving his 80 miles an hour approach shot is no sweat.

But if the guy goes from 50 to 80, the reciever is more apt to miss and make a mistake.

Watch Mac. He slices his backhand in rallies but usally comes over the top with more pace on his approaches. This shocks the reciever and sets up Mac for a relatively easy volley. Its exactly opposite of what most other players do.

If he hits hard all the time, which is the trend these days, they give up this opportunity to control your oppoenet.

Hitting hard also wears you out.

Its all about slowing the ball down.

AMEN!AMEN!

 

[MariaS]

Anyone else think Hewitt. :-o

 

[rosenstar]

Anyone else think Hewitt. :-o

not really...