Ramanathan Krishnan creates his 'ideal' player, picks Roger Federer's serve, Novak Djokovic's return & Bjorn Borg's forehand

Ramanathan Krishnan recently spoke to Balraj Shukla from The Bridge, giving his thoughts on a variety of topics. During the interview Krishnan also constructed what he believes is the ideal tennis player, by using different elements from the arsenals of the greatest players of all time.

Ramanathan Krishnan was among the world's leading players in the 1950s and 1960s. The Indian reached the semifinals at Wimbledon in 1960-61, and also went as high as World No. 6 in Lance Tingay's amateur rankings in 1961.

Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, meanwhile, are considered to be two of the greatest players of all time. Federer and Djokovic have won 20 Majors each, and have regularly bamboozled opponents and fans with their incredible racket-work. It wasn't a surprise, therefore, to see Ramanathan Krishnan pick their shots while creating his perfect player.

The elements that Krishnan considered while building the hypothetical player were forehand, backhand, serve, return, slice, volley and drop shot.

Ramanathan Krishnan picks Roger Federer's backhand and Rod Laver's volley

Ramanathan Krishnan began building his perfect player by choosing Bjorn Borg and Pancho Segura's forehand. Borg's topspin forehand is widely considered one of the forerunners to the modern heavy cannonball, and it helped him win as many as 11 Major titles.

While Pancho Segura is a relatively lesser-known player among today's fans, he was also a top tennis player back in the 1940s and 1950s.

Krishnan picked the backhands of Roger Federer and Ken Rosewall next. Like Federer, Krishnan also played a single-handed backhand during his heyday, which perhaps explains why he picked the Swiss' backhand. Rosewall meanwhile had a stunning one-hander for his time, which helped him bag eight Slams.

Roger Federer

When it came to the serve, Ramanathan Krishnan picked Roger Federer and Pancho Gonzales, who are both well-known for their precise deliveries. Federer's serve is widely considered to be among the greatest of all time, especially due to its variation and disguise. And while Gonzales' serve doesn't enjoy as much recognition nowadays, the American did ride that shot to 15 Pro Slams from 1953-1961.

Novak Djokovic's return was the next shot picked by Ramanathan Krishnan. Djokovic possesses arguably the best return in tennis history, so the Indian probably didn't have to think much before going with the Serb.

Ramanathan Krishnan's (2x Wimby SF, former #3) ideal tennis player:Forehand: Late Pancho Segura/@bjornborgBackhand: Ken Rosewall/@rogerfedererService: Late Pancho Gonzales/@rogerfedererReturn: @DjokerNoleSlice: Ken RosewallDrop shot: Manuel SantanaVolley: @rodlaver https://t.co/A9Z58uMNrW

— Dr. Balraj | #GetVaccinated💪 (@balrajshukla) August 12, 2021

Ramanathan Krishnan then picked the slice of Ken Rosewall, who was one of the first players to perfect the delicate sidespin shot. Krishnan went on to choose Manuel Santana's drop shot and Rod Laver's volley while constructing his ideal player.

During the interaction, Krishnan was also asked which players he enjoyed watching the most. In response, the Indian named Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal, Steffi Graf and Serena Williams.