European vs. American Forehands

[arturohernandez]

Hi Everyone,

I realize that a lot of discussion goes on in the tournament topics but this one keeps cropping up for me and I am wondering if I just see what I want to see or if there is really a pattern to this.

I was watching Tiafoe and Sock vs. Federer. I know that Sock is known for his extreme lag on the forehand. But I also Tiafoe doing it. It is as if the racket faces the back fence at the end of the lag.

I could not find any slow motion footage of Tiafoe so I couldn't quite catch it.

We all know that Federer is so smooth and he definitely has a lag but somehow I don't see it.

I then looked a Wawrinka, Djokovic, Dimitrov, Thiem, and even Coric (who actually shows some excess movement on his forehand).

I know people have written about pointing the racket forward and increasing the lag.

But this seems to be Tiafoe, Sock and Kirgyios way of doing things.

To me it seems the top European players have not adopted this extreme lag.

All this motion makes wonder at which point it is too much and the forehand breaks down.

It reminds me of an article back some time about Russian Tennis and its focus on fundamentals. Or even Landsdorp's extreme view of fundamentals.

Is that what is happening here?

Or am I just cherry picking the funky players from the Anglo world and comparing them to those from continental Europe who again I cherry picked?

Arturo

[stotty]

You may be cherry picking. There are so many forehands out there of all different styles it would seem hard to divide them into continents. Fognini is Italian but has one of the most minimal and smoothest forehands out there, but plenty of other Europeans have some really odd looking shapes and lags.

I don't like contrived lag. I like the more subtle, explosive type, like Federer and Fognini. I think the more contrived lag can land a player in trouble under duress and on return of serve. I watched Sock play live at Wimbledon from just feet away and found he struggled to return serve offensively on grass. He frequently bunted forehand returns back with no spin whatsoever. This is in stark contrast to Nadal who can whip forehands with heavy topspin off virtually any ball that comes at him.

I have watched Roger hit forehands at Wimbledon many times. You can visibly see the SSC kick in just at the transition to the forward swing where the racket head starts to be pulled through. All that stored energy gets unleashed. I think it is the most exceptional sight I have ever seen on a tennis court. It's utterly majestic and beautiful.

Does anyone know how to turn these darn spellcheckers off? Try writing Fognini and not have it turn to Fogging when you hit the space bar...so annoying.

[stroke]

You may be cherry picking. There are so many forehands out there of all different styles it would seem hard to divide them into continents. Fognini is Italian but has one of the most minimal and smoothest forehands out there, but plenty of other Europeans have some really odd looking shapes and lags.

I don't like contrived lag. I like the more subtle, explosive type, like Federer and Fognini. I think the more contrived lag can land a player in trouble under duress and on return of serve. I watched Sock play live at Wimbledon from just feet away and found he struggled to return serve offensively on grass. He frequently bunted forehand returns back with no spin whatsoever. This is in stark contrast to Nadal who can whip forehands with heavy topspin off virtually any ball that comes at him.

I have watched Roger hit forehands at Wimbledon many times. You can visibly see the SSC kick in just at the transition to the forward swing where the racket head starts to be pulled through. All that stored energy gets unleashed. I think it is the most exceptional sight I have ever seen on a tennis court. It's utterly majestic and beautiful.

Does anyone know how to turn these darn spellcheckers off? Try writing Fognini and not have it turn to Fogging when you hit the space bar...so annoying.

I certainly agree with you about Fognini fh. Minimalist efficientcy like Fed. He is not quite as extended(straght arm on contact). I remember watching Fognini on a practice court years ago in Cincinnati. It was typical Fognini ,not really working very hard, but he hit a couple of fh's in that session with that efficient fh, just off the bounce, looking so comfortable doing so, just like you know who.

[stotty]

I certainly agree with you about Fognini fh. Minimalist efficientcy like Fed. He is not quite as extended(straght arm on contact). I remember watching Fognini on a practice court years ago in Cincinnati. It was typical Fognini ,not really working very hard, but he hit a couple of fh's in that session with that efficient fh, just off the bounce, looking so comfortable doing so, just like you know who.

I always make a beeline for Fognini when he plays at Wimbledon. He is such a sweet striker of a tennis ball. He has no fear or inhibitions, just throws caution to the wind like he doesn't have to worry where the next dollar is coming from....which he probably doesn't. He struts around like a spoilt prima dona but I like him anyway. And, yes, his forehand is a dream to watch at close quarters...a perfect example of less is more.