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Rafael Nadal's "Other Forehand" featured in August TPN Tour Portrait
I was reminded of how Roger Federer said years back, "It's like Rafa has two forehands" by Casper Ruud's comments after the Roland Garros final: "It was tough for me to really know where I should play the ball because from both sides, he [is] strong. On the forehand he plays with a little bit of spin and kind of feels like you're playing a right-handed forehand"
That inspired this month's TPN Tour Portrait on Rafa's "Other Forehand". Please click to see more images of Rafa's backhand.
link: https://www.tennisplayer.net/members...dal_backhands/
IMHO, one part of Nadal's game that improved after boyhood friend Carlos Moya took over as coach from Uncle Toni, is his backhand. Part of that, I believe, might simply be more reps. Rafa stopped trying to run around every shot he could get to and hit forehands from all over the court. Whether that was to protect his aging knees, or because he lost a half-step, or simply because Carlos wanted him to, we can argue. But as Fed once said about his own volley, "If you hit a shot more, you get better at it."
Look at how far down and back Nadal takes the racket head, and the core rotation, in this sample:
filedata/fetch?id=98156&d=1659458500&type=thumb
Let's reprise this table of groundstroke topspin from 2018 I've posted in this forum before, using ATP stats compiled by @Vestige_du_jour. Nadal and Ruud are the only two handers whose backhands intrude on the singletons' spin levels. As for velocity, Rafa averages around 70mph on topspin backhands, which matches most players not named Zverev.
Caption: Bottom axis is forehand, ave topspin, right is higher. Axis on your left is backhand ave spin. Rafa & Thiem trail only Ruud for the highest combined levels, in the upper-right corner. Gasquet's backhand is in a category all of its own.
filedata/fetch?id=98157&d=1659458513&type=thumb
Rafa's backhand has an average velocity of around 70 mph, same as Djokovic's. But that is significantly less than the backhands of Zverev and of Basilishvilli, the tour leader at an average of 80 MPH. This chart is cut from Roland Garro's stat table for their ill-fated match there this year.
filedata/fetch?id=98158&d=1659458692&type=thumb
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That inspired this month's TPN Tour Portrait on Rafa's "Other Forehand". Please click to see more images of Rafa's backhand.
link: https://www.tennisplayer.net/members...dal_backhands/
IMHO, one part of Nadal's game that improved after boyhood friend Carlos Moya took over as coach from Uncle Toni, is his backhand. Part of that, I believe, might simply be more reps. Rafa stopped trying to run around every shot he could get to and hit forehands from all over the court. Whether that was to protect his aging knees, or because he lost a half-step, or simply because Carlos wanted him to, we can argue. But as Fed once said about his own volley, "If you hit a shot more, you get better at it."
Look at how far down and back Nadal takes the racket head, and the core rotation, in this sample:
filedata/fetch?id=98156&d=1659458500&type=thumb
Let's reprise this table of groundstroke topspin from 2018 I've posted in this forum before, using ATP stats compiled by @Vestige_du_jour. Nadal and Ruud are the only two handers whose backhands intrude on the singletons' spin levels. As for velocity, Rafa averages around 70mph on topspin backhands, which matches most players not named Zverev.
Caption: Bottom axis is forehand, ave topspin, right is higher. Axis on your left is backhand ave spin. Rafa & Thiem trail only Ruud for the highest combined levels, in the upper-right corner. Gasquet's backhand is in a category all of its own.
filedata/fetch?id=98157&d=1659458513&type=thumb
Rafa's backhand has an average velocity of around 70 mph, same as Djokovic's. But that is significantly less than the backhands of Zverev and of Basilishvilli, the tour leader at an average of 80 MPH. This chart is cut from Roland Garro's stat table for their ill-fated match there this year.
filedata/fetch?id=98158&d=1659458692&type=thumb
#
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