Interactive Forum November 2024: Gio Backhand

[johnyandell]

Giovanni Mpetshi Perricord Backhand

Here is a first look. Strong grip. Early contact. All stances. Short followthrough or does it just look that way since he is 6’8”?

And look at that contact point on that one slice at the end—and the swing path!

Thoughts please!

[jeffreycounts]

He has the windshield wiper going on that first backhand which is pretty neat. He seems to have that partial windshield on all of them actually. And I'd say that is a big difference from someone like Stan. Stan gets a lot more extension and less of that extreme hand rotation.

[hybridfh]

The extension doesn't look great but that seems to be due to the very early contact point. On the backhand slice, that's a pretty tough ball he's hitting but still it's interesting that his wrist seems to break whereas I think it shouldn't...if I saw footage of myself hitting that slice, I'd be telling myself to keep the wrist more stable through the shot and to hit through it a bit more.

good set-up, i think is windup is kinda small the racket is not looking at the back fence and his hitting zone is too short

[jimlosaltos]

Could the short take backs and limited extension on both Gio's backhand and forehand be deliberate and related to his height?

I heard announcers say of Zverev at the Paris/Bercy masters that the court's speed actually is a disadvantage for Zverev, despite the velocity of his groundstrokes, because of his "big swings".

Gio is even larger than Zverev (significantly bigger) and if he took the racket back and extended as much as say, Sinner his swing would take a long time.

Also, Gio tries to hold the baseline unlike Zverev (which make sense, since he doesn't want to get in foot races with top ATP players), further reducing the time he has to prepare.

[doctorhl]

At least on these views, he doesnt seem to have much body rotation on follow through like Stan. Perhaps he is so strong and has such long levers that he has developed a style that doesnt need the rotational help?

[doctorhl]

His slice looks like Federer knife slicing while standing on a footstool!

[jschaff]

Looks like he's been watching Federer videos. He has multiple types of swings, all of which Fed used. Always under balance/control. And watch how he follows his back foot up through the shot with the front foot on balance to keep his center of gravity on line with the path of the ball. This maneuver unknowingly gives more mass to the shot without swing harder. Kind of like plow through with rackets/strings. His chip backhand is EXACTLY like Fed's. The racket moves across the back of the ball without his arm disconnecting from the trunk triangle. Beautiful video to teach/learn from.

[rboykin]

Shouldn't he be opening up his chest more at contact? I'd expect to see his left arm end finish at more of a level with his shoulders.

[arturohernandez]

Shouldn't he be opening up his chest more at contact? I'd expect to see his left arm end finish at more of a level with his shoulders.

It looks almost like a half volley every time. I have been wondering how the one hander will adapt to the modern faster higher bouncing game of today. Maybe there is simply not a lot of time for a full swing.

The downside is that the ball will not plow through the court as much. I watched some highlights of his matches. His backhand is extremely reliable. He is not easily bullied around on that side. He also hits a great backhand down the line.

It is not like Wawrinka's backhand but it is very serviceable and he can attack when needed. It feels like he may be evolving the one hander even more than Stan did. A reliable, solid shot that does keeps a player firmly planted on the baseline.

I'll be curious to see if he opens up more as he gets older and more confident. Or will he remain with a pretty linear shot. Maybe linear is enough for him.

He doesn't play at all like a 6'8" guy. Very comfortable in the court. Great volleys. He may make it into the top 10. The question will always be at the height is whether he can remain agile and have enough stamina to win 7 best of 5 matches.

Thanks for posting a one hander. I have almost stopped watching tennis because it is becoming so homogenous on the backhand side.

[don_budge]

It looks almost like a half volley every time. I have been wondering how the one hander will adapt to the modern faster higher bouncing game of today. Maybe there is simply not a lot of time for a full swing.

The downside is that the ball will not plow through the court as much. I watched some highlights of his matches. His backhand is extremely reliable. He is not easily bullied around on that side. He also hits a great backhand down the line.

It is not like Wawrinka's backhand but it is very serviceable and he can attack when needed. It feels like he may be evolving the one hander even more than Stan did. A reliable, solid shot that does keeps a player firmly planted on the baseline.

I'll be curious to see if he opens up more as he gets older and more confident. Or will he remain with a pretty linear shot. Maybe linear is enough for him.

He doesn't play at all like a 6'8" guy. Very comfortable in the court. Great volleys. He may make it into the top 10. The question will always be at the height is whether he can remain agile and have enough stamina to win 7 best of 5 matches.

Thanks for posting a one hander. I have almost stopped watching tennis because it is becoming so homogenous on the backhand side.

I have for all intents and purposes stopped. I predicted that tennis would come tumbling down without Federer...Roger Federer. It has not stopped sinking either. The engineering ruined it. Now the job is complete. It is unwatchable.

[stroke]

It looks almost like a half volley every time. I have been wondering how the one hander will adapt to the modern faster higher bouncing game of today. Maybe there is simply not a lot of time for a full swing.

The downside is that the ball will not plow through the court as much. I watched some highlights of his matches. His backhand is extremely reliable. He is not easily bullied around on that side. He also hits a great backhand down the line.

It is not like Wawrinka's backhand but it is very serviceable and he can attack when needed. It feels like he may be evolving the one hander even more than Stan did. A reliable, solid shot that does keeps a player firmly planted on the baseline.

I'll be curious to see if he opens up more as he gets older and more confident. Or will he remain with a pretty linear shot. Maybe linear is enough for him.

He doesn't play at all like a 6'8" guy. Very comfortable in the court. Great volleys. He may make it into the top 10. The question will always be at the height is whether he can remain agile and have enough stamina to win 7 best of 5 matches.

Thanks for posting a one hander. I have almost stopped watching tennis because it is becoming so homogenous on the backhand side.

I would have GMP as a top contender for Wimbledon this year.

[jimlosaltos]

It looks almost like a half volley every time. I have been wondering how the one hander will adapt to the modern faster higher bouncing game of today. Maybe there is simply not a lot of time for a full swing.

The downside is that the ball will not plow through the court as much. I watched some highlights of his matches. His backhand is extremely reliable. He is not easily bullied around on that side. He also hits a great backhand down the line.

It is not like Wawrinka's backhand but it is very serviceable and he can attack when needed. It feels like he may be evolving the one hander even more than Stan did. A reliable, solid shot that does keeps a player firmly planted on the baseline.

I'll be curious to see if he opens up more as he gets older and more confident. Or will he remain with a pretty linear shot. Maybe linear is enough for him.

He doesn't play at all like a 6'8" guy. Very comfortable in the court. Great volleys. He may make it into the top 10. The question will always be at the height is whether he can remain agile and have enough stamina to win 7 best of 5 matches.

Thanks for posting a one hander. I have almost stopped watching tennis because it is becoming so homogenous on the backhand side.

Great to see you online, Arturo! Missing your commentary.

Good insights. As for how truncated his groundstrokes are, your comments, I believe, mesh with mine about his height influencing his shots.

A TV analyst said that, despite his great serve and power, Zverev is actually better suited to slow courts since he needs time for his big swings. Since Gio is even bigger, if he had a Gasquet-style take back on his backhand, Gio would get a time violation on each shot ( Exaggeration).

Another factor with his backhand, is that Gio sporadically returns from well inside the baseline, driving backhands. I presume he is subscribing to the Pete Sampras philosophy that "I only need to break my opponent once, then serve it out." So, that stroke is suited to time-stealing positioning.

Best, Arturo, and too early happy holidays!

[tennisskip1515]

I saw Perricard at this very same tournament, the Mubadala Citi Open in Washington, D.C. versus Emil Ruusuvuori. Of course Perricard's serve, and serving decisions, leave spectators' mouths agape. I will say that I thought his backhand lacks the racquet head acceleration from under to through the ball of the best one-handers, and as a consequence it's not as loaded with rpms as those more devastating backhands. It's actually rather stiff to watch, and flat-ish. IMO until he gets more margin, with more top, it will be attackable by the uppermost tier of ATP pros.