Among the most crucial shots in the game of tennis is the forehand. This shot is a key weapon in tennis to strike and dominate any opponent in the game from start to end, provided you have mastered it. A forehand is a shot played by a player when the ball arrives at his dominant side of the body. It is considered to be one of the deadliest shots a player can execute. There are several reasons why it is considered the most important shot in the game of tennis, one of which is, the players can deliver this shot with power, balance and accuracy, which fetches ample points. There are many great forehands in tennis, but do you know which are the 10 Best Forehands in Tennis of All-Time, lets discuss in brief about each one of them.
10 Best Forehands in Tennis of All-Time
Rafael Nadal
No introduction is required and no explanation is required for placing him on the 1st position in the list of 10 Best Forehands in Tennis of All-Time. Current world No. 2 with 6020 points, the legend Rafael Nadal has proven time again that he is the best. The champ from France has 14 French open titles and 22 grand slams already in the list of his achievements. Certainly, this is enough for his introduction.
Rafael’s forehand technique is considered to be one of the most unconventional. Many experts have tried to decode the technique used by this legendary player in order to know the reasons behind his superfast forehand shots. The data recorded shows that, Rafael generates a humongous 3400 RPM on his forehand, whereas almost all other players are barely able to reach around, 1500 RPM this is enough to think, about how the opponent faces and returns the ball. His forehand shot is extremely effective, which creates a huge amount of power & topspin.
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Roger Federer
Although Roger got retired recently, he inspired millions of people to work hard with dedication and to never lose hope, in one or the other way. This Swiss legend started his journey in 1998, and came a long way, achieving and inspiring the youth. He is the only male player to hold the record of No.1 spot for more than 300 weeks straight.
Whenever you watch his matches, you can clearly make out the way he can generate any kind of rotation on the court with his powerful forehand, with such ease and perfection. His forehand is known to be the best ever, especially the way he uses his forehand to play the dropshot, which completely leaves his opponents flat-footed and awestruck.
Fernando Gonzalez
Any person in the globe will rank Fernando Gonzalez, on the 3rd spot in the list of 10 Best Forehands in Tennis of All-Time just below the legends, for a reason. To your amazement, Fernando never won a grand slam in his entire career, but guess what? He dominated the court for many years with his spectacular atomic forehand. Fernando was so good, that he defeated, roger and Rafael many times.
As the saying goes “not every ending is great, and every great hero is not destined to win”. Similarly, even after possessing huge caliber and talent, he never won a grand slam, although he defeated many great players. He was given the nickname of “Mano de Piedra” which in Spanish means ‘hand of stone’. Although he could not make his name in the international tennis circuit through his achievements, he did it by winning and defeating many legends, using his brilliance and skill.
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Juan Martin Del Porto
As soon as you search fastest forehands in tennis on your browser, among the top 5 players you will find Juan martin del Porto. Although, he has only won a single grand slam in his tennis career by defeating world no. 1 and five-time defending champion Roger Federer for the first time in his career. The amazing thing about Delpo’s forehand is that, he does not create much topspin, but his forehand is considered to be the one of the fastest.
Maureen Connolly
She is one of the players in tennis history who has won calendar slams (All 4 grand slams in a year). She is one of the few female players in the list of 10 Best Forehands in Tennis of All-Time. Monica Seles and Maureen Connolly had a similar playing styles. They both relied on their footwork to deliver an effective forehand. When she was interviewed, she was asked several questions related to her winning 3 titles each at Wimbledon and U.S open. She simply replied it was only because of my sheer hardwork and forehand perfection. She was known for her perfect forehand, apart from that she also dominated with her furious single-handed backhand.
Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic is known as one of the most dominant players of the 21st century. Although He is very famously known for his backhand, he has also dominated with his forehand. Novak is known for his bullet-like backhand, a critical weapon he has used against his long term rival the legend, Rafael Nadal. However, one of his most improved shots that has really made a big impact on his game is his forehand.
Djokovic started his professional career back in 2003, during those days Novak had a very defensive and athletic playing style. Later, over the years he started mastering his gameplay on the baseline and evolved as an aggressive baseliner. When he initially started playing, his forehand was considered to be his weakness. But during recent years, his tactical approach has improved manyfold. He is one of the greatest players who possess the ability to play with backhand and forehand with the same accuracy, speed, and perfection.
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Nick Kyrgios
Currently ranked 22nd in the official ATP Tour rankings, Nick Kyrgios is an Australian player who started his professional career in 2013. He attained fame, early in his career, but it was only possible because of his sheer determination and hardwork. He has mastered his forehand since he started playing tennis, and gradually kept on improving. Nick uses mixed forehand grip while playing tennis, his grip is a mixture of semi-western and full western forehand grip.
The most unique and crucial part which makes Nick Kyrgios forehand one of the best is, he uses unique swing path. He uses high to low swing path, which is totally opposite to what many coaches advise while they teach forehand.
Helen Wills
She dominated the tennis world, in the 1910s. Helen wills, the American tennis player, who achieved a lot ahead of time. She won 19 grand slams, and was the winner of 8 Wimbledon titles. The most fascinating record, which she made was of her winning streaks.
she won 94% of the games she played in her career, what an achievement. The main reason behind her success was the forehand technique which she used well ahead of time. She played exceptional shots from the deep baseline and totally relied on her forehand.
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Steffi Graff
This woman dominated in late 80s. Steffi Graff was the only woman to won 22 grand slams, until Serena Williams took over. She a complete example of determination and consistency. Some players are seasonal, they perform when they like too or when there is an external motivating factor. But this was not the case with the tennis legend Steffi Graff.
Her forehand shot was a combination of very few basic factors, but the speed was unmatchable. She never laid emphasis to put spin on the ball, instead she focused on speed and accuracy of the shot.
Gael Monfils
Gael Sebastien Monfils is a French professional tennis player. He reached a career-high ATP world No. 6 singles ranking on November 7, 2016. Gael Monfils has one of the most extreme forehand. The reason behind his superior forehand is not just his technique, but the way he is built. He has a powerful, muscular stature, which gives him additional benefit to hit the ball hard.