Good analysis on Mannarino forehand

[stroke]

https://youtu.be/jgqqzGvIF9o

On this forum, we have talked about the Mannarino forehand before. I have always liked his minimalist, efficient technique off that side. He seems impossible to rush off that side. He seems to have all day.

[jimlosaltos]

I'll watch that when I'm back home. Thanks! Amazing how he completely redid his game and perhaps improved at this late stage. Kudos to him.

A bit like Andreas Seppi, but more so.

I've read that after his wrist surgery (unconfirmed) he dropped his string tension to 25 lbs. Now I see mention that he has supposedly gone down to 19 lbs. Not sure I believe that.

Must be more like playing Jai alai than tennis I imagine Adrian trying to hit a drop volley and having the tennis ball just sit in his strings like a butterfly caught in a butterfly net

On the other hand, searching just now, he supposedly uses Lux Power strings. If he's trying to reduce the impact on his surgically-repaired wrist, why pick a string that stiff?

[johnyandell]

Got to wonder if Jason's main point would be confirmed by match play footage... This is an issue in a lot of Youtube footage.

[stroke]

Got to wonder if Jason's main point would be confirmed by match play footage... This is an issue in a lot of Youtube footage.

I am not certain I agree with his point about the racquet head not going back past "the elbow". He used Nadal as an example of this "going back past the elbow". Mannarino clearly has a lot of lag in his forehand, maybe past 90 degrees in looks to me maybe. I am thinking this he does not go past the elbow thing is because he has such a super compact takeback. His hitting arm really stays facing the side, does not go back toward the back fence at all, a very short motion/pull to contact.

[doctorhl]

Can anyone suggest a list of players in previous decades who have had similar compact swings and if known, racket model and string tension? Does the lag relate to compactness? Sure seems like compact swing gives you more time and emphasis on core rotation and lag helps you control the " trampoline" effect of 20 lbs of string tension. Thousands of contacts at 20 versus 50 lbs with the same racket is bound to have a wear and tear effect all over the body.

[don_budge]

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[stroke]

Can anyone suggest a list of players in previous decades who have had similar compact swings and if known, racket model and string tension? Does the lag relate to compactness? Sure seems like compact swing gives you more time and emphasis on core rotation and lag helps you control the " trampoline" effect of 20 lbs of string tension. Thousands of contacts at 20 versus 50 lbs with the same racket is bound to have a wear and tear effect all over the body.

Very interesting question. I would say Agassi and Krickstein were the first two players I thought had that compact efficient type motion that could seemingly easily take on the ball early, never seeming to be rushed. I personally think lag is a given in these forehands. All of them to me seem to get to at least 90 degrees lag(the angle betweenthe racquet shaft and the forearm). It also seems how late the lag happens, how late in the motion that the player gets to this 90 degrees or more, is a big indicator of compactness. Mannarino, it seems he could not possibly be any later getting to this 90 degree(or more) lag.

[jimlosaltos]

Very interesting question. I would say Agassi and Krickstein were the first two players I thought had that compact efficient type motion that could seemingly easily take on the ball early, never seeming to be rushed. I personally think lag is a given in these forehands. All of them to me seem to get to at least 90 degrees lag(the angle betweenthe racquet shaft and the forearm). It also seems how late the lag happens, how late in the motion that the player gets to this 90 degrees or more, is a big indicator of compactness. Mannarino, it seems he could not possibly be any later getting to this 90 degree(or more) lag.

Never seen a list. Who comes to mind quickly: Andreas Seppi, Fabio Fognini.

When Seppi beat Fed at the Aussie, announcers said he strung around 30 lbs, but I see him now listed at at a more conventional 22 kg. Fogs listed at 55 lbs online.

McEnroe, who had a very short take back much of time & experimented with 30 lbs at the end of his ATP career, mainly to get stick on his volleys, supposedly.

All I can think of.

[stotty]

For me compact is always best whether lag is achieved or not. Compact is always going to be a more reliable than backswings that breach the none hitting side of a player's body, period.

The main benefit of a looser string tension in my view is that it provides a bigger sweet spot. Looser strings do make it harder to control the ball, however, particularly when we are talking very loose, McEnroe loose. It worked well for McEnroe who stroked and steered the ball around and had the most wonderful feel and ball control. Strings are vastly different these days. Some modern strings strung at 30lbs would equate to 50lbs compared to the natural gut most tour players used to use.

I strings my racket in Luxilon at 45lbs and it doesn't feel that loose. Strings have changed. Had I strung my racket at 45lbs in old synthetic strings back in the day, it would have been a catapult.

As for Mannarino I would like to see a much wider range of footage that confirms his lack of racket drop is consistent across a range of contact points heights. I need more convincing that what Jason is saying is true.

[doctorhl]

For me compact is always best whether lag is achieved or not. Compact is always going to be a more reliable than backswings that breach the none hitting side of a player's body, period.

The main benefit of a looser string tension in my view is that it provides a bigger sweet spot. Looser strings do make it harder to control the ball, however, particularly when we are talking very loose, McEnroe loose. It worked well for McEnroe who stroked and steered the ball around and had the most wonderful feel and ball control. Strings are vastly different these days. Some modern strings strung at 30lbs would equate to 50lbs compared to the natural gut most tour players used to use.

I strings my racket in Luxilon at 45lbs and it doesn't feel that loose. Strings have changed. Had I strung my racket at 45lbs in old synthetic strings back in the day, it would have been a catapult.

As for Mannarino I would like to see a much wider range of footage that confirms his lack of racket drop is consistent across a range of contact points heights. I need more convincing that what Jason is saying is true.

Excellent points! Discussion makes me wish I had taken a picture of that wooden Wilson Jack Kramer strung at 70?, 80? lbs. that bowed up like a spoon.

[jimlosaltos]

Excellent points! Discussion makes me wish I had taken a picture of that wooden Wilson Jack Kramer strung at 70?, 80? lbs. that bowed up like a spoon.

Had to compare, or so I'm told. Stringers tell me that the tensions set by old, manual stringing machines are so different from today's electronically-calibrated machines there can be over a 10 lb difference between the same measurements on each type of machine.

One guy, now retired, who used to string the Stanford U team, said if you tried to string Borg's old Dunlop at the stated tensions ( 80/90) with today's electronic machines it would have crushed the frame. But then Borg's strings are semi-mythical <g>