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Why Is Nadal's Forehand By Far the Heaviest?
While I appreciate Chris Lewitt’s article on the “Spanish Forehand” I would really appreciate it if some of the many great minds on this board could help me figure out what I think is a much more compelling question.
The more compelling question is what is it about Nadal’s forehand technique that makes his forehand way heavier than every other player in the history of the world. We can talk all day about the “Spanish Forehand” but no other Spaniard, or player from any country for that matter, can hit a forehand anywhere near as heavy as Nadal’s. Fernando Verdasco, the other Spanish southpaw, is probably the player that comes the closest but he seems to use his forehand as more of a power shot, not a heavy ball that causes problems and his spin is not in Nadal’s league. Even Nadal’s regular “rally ball” wreaks so much havoc that the other pro players, including the “great” Federer, regularly miss it or experience extreme discomfort trying to return it! So, the question is what does Nadal do technically that no one else does?
In the course of my quest to figure this out, I came across a discussion in Jon Wertheim’s recently published book about Nadal and Federer entitled Strokes of Genius. On page 119 appears a description from the architect of this stroke, Rafa’s Uncle Toni Nadal. The passage reads:
“…Nadal’s game is the opposite of alien; it’s homemade and meticulously handcrafted. If you break down the many unconventional components of Nadal’s strokes, Toni has an explanation for them all. Nadal’s extreme western grip, with its hand almost perpendicular to the strings, nearly covering the butt of the racket handle? From his days as a Ping-Pong champ, Toni recognized the massive spin power you could create with this grip and transferred it to tennis. Nadal’s elaborate follow-through that enables him to finish his strokes with the racket nearly brushing his skull? Since Rafael usually played opponents who were older and taller, he needed to hit high-bouncing, spin-slathered shots that offset any height advantage.”
I would appreciate if the bright people on this site would assist me in analyzing this question. It would be additionally helpful if any of you who are knowledgeable about table tennis have any insight into whether Uncle Toni is making any sense in his statement that he learned to generate massive spin using this ping-pong grip and technique.
The more compelling question is what is it about Nadal’s forehand technique that makes his forehand way heavier than every other player in the history of the world. We can talk all day about the “Spanish Forehand” but no other Spaniard, or player from any country for that matter, can hit a forehand anywhere near as heavy as Nadal’s. Fernando Verdasco, the other Spanish southpaw, is probably the player that comes the closest but he seems to use his forehand as more of a power shot, not a heavy ball that causes problems and his spin is not in Nadal’s league. Even Nadal’s regular “rally ball” wreaks so much havoc that the other pro players, including the “great” Federer, regularly miss it or experience extreme discomfort trying to return it! So, the question is what does Nadal do technically that no one else does?
In the course of my quest to figure this out, I came across a discussion in Jon Wertheim’s recently published book about Nadal and Federer entitled Strokes of Genius. On page 119 appears a description from the architect of this stroke, Rafa’s Uncle Toni Nadal. The passage reads:
“…Nadal’s game is the opposite of alien; it’s homemade and meticulously handcrafted. If you break down the many unconventional components of Nadal’s strokes, Toni has an explanation for them all. Nadal’s extreme western grip, with its hand almost perpendicular to the strings, nearly covering the butt of the racket handle? From his days as a Ping-Pong champ, Toni recognized the massive spin power you could create with this grip and transferred it to tennis. Nadal’s elaborate follow-through that enables him to finish his strokes with the racket nearly brushing his skull? Since Rafael usually played opponents who were older and taller, he needed to hit high-bouncing, spin-slathered shots that offset any height advantage.”
I would appreciate if the bright people on this site would assist me in analyzing this question. It would be additionally helpful if any of you who are knowledgeable about table tennis have any insight into whether Uncle Toni is making any sense in his statement that he learned to generate massive spin using this ping-pong grip and technique.
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