Modern Groundstrokes

Modern topspin forehands and two-handed backhands are very similar. Players find the ball from below and lift it up, swinging across the body, and finishing over or close to the opposite shoulder.

It is this constant finish that gives the player his or her confidence. The player swings slow up to the ball, and much faster thereafter. Acceleration from the ball up to the finish is the most important trademark of these players.

Notice how the forehands of these four players in the Wimbledon finals are quite similar, as are their backhands. Their approach to the ball is a bit different, but the finish of the stroke is quite alike.

They also hit the majority of the groundstroke balls below the center of the racquet, which creates a torque that maintains the racquet covering the ball, rather than forcing it to open and having the ball fly out. This also helps to get more feel and more topspin on the ball.

Research has shown that top players play with tremendous ball rotation. Go to http://www.advancedtennis.com/results/ballspin.htm to find out your favorite player's topspin rate.