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In tennis, all players have some choice weapons which they employ to win matches. For some like John Isner, it is a booming serve laced with spin and power that keeps them in the game. For others like Rafael Nadal, it is the forehand that is the bread and butter shot.
Most of the top players have one big weapon they resort to in order to prevail in matches. Some like Roger Federer are the privileged ones who possess two big weapons, but such players in tennis history can be counted with your fingers on one hand.
The current tennis era is one of the strongest ever in tennis history, with four all-time greats in Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray, and a slew of other top players like Juan Martin del Potro, Jo Wilfried Tsonga and the like. Some people believe it’s the greatest era ever in tennis history.
As we look ahead to 2014, amidst expectations of great tennis by the current top trio in Nadal, Djokovic and Murray, let us analyze the biggest weapons in men’s tennis at the moment. These would alter the shape of many matches again this year, and further mastery over these weapons would bring greater glory and success to their wielders.
9. Juan Martin del Potro’s serve
It is one of the biggest serves in tennis today. Del Potro’s 6ft 6in frame gives him a big advantage to land the serve with great power and precision. His serves are consistently clocked in the 130 mph range. He played a few great matches in 2013, including his Wimbledon semifinal match against Novak Djokovic, and his serve was again a big factor in his performance. We can expect this monster to work wonders for him in 2014 too.
8. Andy Murray’s backhand
Andy Murray possesses one of the best two-handed backhands in the game, possibly the second best after Novak Djokovic. His control over the backhand allows him to manoeuvre opponents around the court, and enables him to turn rallies into lengthy exchanges, which he prefers.
Murray especially uses his backhand to get into a dominant position in a rally and finish off the opponent. This shot has played an important role in his two Grand Slam victories so far, and would continue to be a major factor in his surge ahead in 2014.
7. Jerzy Janowicz’s serve
Janowicz is one of the fastest serves in the game, both on the first and the second serve. His first serve clocks regularly between 130 mph and 140 mph, with even his second serve ranging between 115 mph to 120 mph.
He used this weapon very effectively in 2013 to reach the semifinals at Wimbledon where he lost to the eventual champion, Andy Murray in a closely fought contest. His serve was the key weapon which enabled him to do well as he regularly blew opponents off the court with its speed and accuracy. It will continue to remain a big force in the men’s game in 2014, especially on the faster courts.
6. Ivo Karlovic’s serve
The Croatian giant has a game entirely based on his serve. At 6ft 11in, he is the tallest player ever in ATP history and has the fastest recorded serve in professional tennis at 156 mph. He holds the record for the second most number of aces in a year at 1318 in the year 2007. His big serve has enabled him to win five ATP titles, along with a few memorable wins over all-time greats like Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.
5. John Isner’s serve
John Isner’s 6ft 10in frame allows him to produce monster serves on both his first and second serves. His serve is extremely powerful and consistent at the same time. Even his second serves kick and bounce very high on landing, making it difficult to return aggressively.
The shot has almost single-handedly enabled him to win many big matches and reach the top 10 in the ATP world rankings. He will need this serve to fire again in 2014 to go deep into big tournaments and attain some big victories.
4. Stanislas Wawrinka’s backhand
The Stanislas Wawrinka backhand
Wawrinka possesses one of the strongest single-handed backhands in the men’s game today, quite possibly the best. He generates great power off this shot, both down the line as well as cross court. It was the biggest factor in his great surge last year, which saw him rise to No. 8 in the ATP rankings. He produced two of the best hard court matches of the year against Novak Djokovic, in the 2013 Aussie Open and the US Open, and a big chunk of his winners came from this shot.
John McEnroe believes Wawrinka has one of the most powerful backhands he has ever seen and describes him as having “the best one-handed backhand in the game today”.
If Wawrinka has to make the next step and perform even better at the big tournaments in 2014, this shot would hold the key for him again.
3. Del Potro’s forehand
Del Potro’s forehand is among the best in men’s tennis today. The key thing for him with this shot is the power he can generate with it, often clocking more than 100 mph with the shot.
His running forehand is especially dangerous and he uses it to produce stunning winners quite often. A prime example of this was the Wimbledon 2013 semifinal with Djokovic, where he produced many of these winners. One shot in the fourth set was a particularly breathtaking forehand winner clocked at 120 mph, which simply scorched the grass.
He used his forehand effectively again in the 2013 Shanghai Masters semifinals to defeat the World No. 1 Rafael Nadal, who simply had no answers for his aggressive forehands that day. This shot would hold the key for him again in 2014, and may enable him to win a Grand Slam title after five years.
2. Novak Djokovic’s backhand
Novak Djokovic possess the best backhand in men’s tennis today, closely followed by Andy Murray. He has an amazing eye which enables him to hit the ball on the rise, and take it early. By doing so, he is able to strike deep and penetrating shots. His backhand down the line is especially devastating and has set up many great victories for him over the years.
His best year in 2011, when he won three Grand Slam titles and a record five Masters 1000 titles, was founded on the mastery of this very shot. He especially used his backhand down the line very effectively against Rafa Nadal, to attack his backhand and expose weaknesses there. This enabled him to gain a seven-match winning streak over Rafa at that time.
Looking ahead to 2014 and Djokovic’s bid to regain the No. 1 ranking, this shot will be a determining factor in deciding whether he comes back to the top or not.
1. Rafael Nadal’s forehand
The Rafael Nadal forehand
Rafael Nadal’s forehand is arguably the biggest weapon in men’s tennis today and one of the best ever in history. He hits the shot with a lot of top spin, which provides him a high margin for error on this shot. His forehand forms a banana like shape over the net and drops and kicks viciously after landing, gaining great height on the opponent. It makes life very difficult for his opponents, as the ball often rises much above shoulder height.
This shot is especially a nightmare for his opponents on clay, as the ball bounces much higher on clay compared to grass and hard courts. It is the reason why he has been so dominant on clay over the last decade, with 8 French Open titles to his name.
In 2013, Rafa used his forehand much more aggressively on the hard courts of North America, playing inside the court and hitting stunning winners, which were a combination of vicious top spin and pace. A fine example of this was his forehand winner on set point in the third set against Djokovic in the US Open final, which simply kicked and fizzed off the baseline, enabling him to win the point and the set.
In 2014 again, as Nadal battles to continue his hold over the number 1 ranking, his forehand will hold the key to his success on the tennis court.
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