Top 9 biggest weapons in men’s tennis today

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.