Ranking the best shots from modern tennis which, if combined, would create the Perfect Player

Roger Federer
Roger Federer

5. The volley

Roger Federer volley
Roger Federer doing the ballet with his backhand volley

Does a shot which is often described as a ‘lost art’ deserve a place in this list? When you consider that tennis is not just about singles – watch Nadal compete in any doubles match and you'll know that the format is alive and flourishing – the volley suddenly acquires far more importance. And when you think back to matches like Tsonga vs Nadal at the 2008 Australian Open, or Sergiy Stakhovsky vs Roger Federer at Wimbledon 2013, you are reminded that the well-executed net attack can still produce a stunning result every now and then.

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Serving and volleying has never been as fraught with risk as it is today. String technology and slower surfaces have meant passing is easier than ever before, and it's no surprise that the volley is usually near the bottom of any coach's to-do list. That makes the few daredevils who still practise it worth their weight in gold – at least in the minds of all lovers of classical tennis.

So who are these precious protectors of the pristine? While Tsonga's victory over Nadal in Melbourne was filled with some of the most breathtaking volleys you'll ever see, he's rather up-and-down with his net play for the most part – he'll miss more than his fair share of easy volleys on a day-to-day basis. Nadal himself is no bunny at the net, but he doesn't often venture forward unless he's yanked his opponent way outside the court.

Radek Stepanek and Nicolas Mahut have made a living out of relentlessly attacking the net, and Stepanek in particular routinely pulls off some insane volleys that leave both his opponents and the crowds gasping. Feliciano Lopez is the rare Spaniard who is supremely comfortable at the net, while Andy Murray and Richard Gasquet both have great hands in the forecourt – although neither of them comes forward enough to justify their place in the shortlist.

Kei Nishikori and Milos Raonic have shown an increased commitment to get to the net in recent months, and strangely, they both showed off that newfound skill in Slam matches against Murray this year – Raonic in his Australian Open semifinal loss, and Nishikori in his US Open quarterfinal win. Gael Monfils, Dustin Brown and Fabio Fognini can stick some stunning volleys when they are in the mood, but that mood doesn't come around often enough.

No note on volleying can ever be complete without a mention of Leander Paes. The Indian veteran has pretty much no groundstrokes to speak of, but is still one of the best doubles players in the world purely because of his never-fading reflexes at the net. His mixed doubles partnership with Martina Hingis has been a borderline orgasmic experience for fans of proficient net play, with the word ‘genius’ being thrown around liberally while describing any of their matches.

All things considered though, there's no looking past Roger Federer in this category. The Swiss has made a bit of a circle in his evolution as a player – he started off as a net-rusher (most famously encapsulated in his breakthrough win over Pete Sampras at Wimbledon 2001), then became an aggressive baseliner in his heyday, and finally has started coming forward again in his twilight years. The partnership with one of the greatest net-rushers of all time – Stefan Edberg – has certainly helped, but Federer always had the deft hands and motor skills to be an imposing volleyer.

It's hard to find a weakness in Federer's net game. He can dig out low balls off his shoelaces, put away the high ones with aplomb, and even go back and forth in lightning quick doubles exchanges before pulling the trigger with a surgically undercut unreturnable. The technique is almost flawless, and while the commitment is sometimes questionable, you'll almost never see Federer making a mess of a volley on a big point.

Sure, the memory of his two failed net approaches in the last match he played – against Raonic in the Wimbledon semifinals – is still fresh in our minds. He conceded both the breaks in the last two sets through ill-executed volleys; the first by going once too often to the Canadian's backhand, and the second by failing to put the ball away after a rapidfire exchange.

But far more memorable than that are the match points he saved against Gael Monfils in the 2014 US Open quarterfinals. Back then, Federer's reputation was enough to get him out of trouble after he had planted himself in the forecourt. His first approach shot forced Monfils to send a makeable pass long, and the Frenchan didn't even bother to retrieve the second approach.

In a career that has spanned close to 20 years, with more than 1,000 matches on the metre, Federer has had his share of off-days with his serve, groundstrokes and even his movement. But his volleying has almost always been razor-sharp. You can't get much better than Roger Federer when you are looking for soft hands and feel for the tennis ball.

The pick: Roger Federer

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