TENNIS ATP SHOT GUIDE – With Novak Djokovic winning the ATP Finals and Switzerland clinching their first Davis Cup the men’s season is over for 2014. Before the new season starts, at Ubitennis.com we decided to look back and select the best shots and other fundamentals of the 2014 season.
With Novak Djokovic winning the ATP Finals and Switzerland clinching their first Davis Cup the men’s season is over for 2014. For the start of the 2015 season tennis fans will have to wait a bit more than a month as the players first rest and then they train for the new year.
Before the new season starts, at Ubitennis.com we decided to look back and select the best shots and other fundamentals of the 2014 season. We will look at the serve, forehand, backhand, slice, volleys, passing shots, footwork, mental toughness, overall aggressiveness, overall defence and all good but no excellence. This week we will start with the serve and the forehand.
(Click here for the WTA shot guide)
Serve
1) Ivo Karlovic: the Croatian giant is the best server on tour. This season he has the record for the most aces (1185 in 64 matches, that is 18.5 aces per match) and he is 6th overall in % of first serves in (67%) and he tops the list for points won with his first serve (84%). The 35 year old is 27th in the ranking mainly thanks to his formidable serve.
2) John Isner: the american has been one of the best servers on tour for years and it is no surprise given his height (208cm). On our list he is second just behind Karlovic. In 2014 he made 989 aces in 57 matches (17.35 per match), placed 68% of first serves in, winning 79% of points and 57% with his second serve. He isn’t as deadly as others with his first serve, but his second is also a major factor
3) Milos Raonic: the Canadian is another giant who uses his height to produce massive serves. He is the third best server on tour. In 67 matches he scored 1107 aces (16.5 per match) placing him second in the list behind Karlovic. He is also second in % of points won with the first serve (83%) just behind the Croatian veteran. The reason he is behind Isner is that his second serve isn’t as effective as Isner’s.
4) Roger Federer: the Swiss legend is in our top five mainly because of his use of the serve. Unlike the other men in this list he does not go for raw power, but his strategy is based on variety and placement. In the aces list he is 9th (627 in 78 matches, 8 per match), but his strength lies in the points won with the serve, 79% with the first and 58% with his second (the most effective second serve on tour this year).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSeL_4Wn4dw
5) Marin Cilic: the US Open champion is finally starting to get the best out of his serve. The Croatian is nearly 2m tall, but he wasn’t getting the best out of his opening shot until Goran Ivanisevic became his coach. This year things have improved, he made 744 aces in 72 matches (10.3 aces per match) winning 79% of points with the first serve. His numbers on the second serve need to improve, he is 37th in the second serve points won list with just 50% of success with his reserve serve.
Forehand
1) Rafael Nadal: he hasn’t been able to play for the entire season, but for the first half of the year his forehand was as deadly as ever. The exceptional amount of top spin he manages to give the ball makes it a very difficult shot to control for his opponents. It’s a unique shot, nobody can put as much spin as he does.
2) Roger Federer: it’s one of his best weapons, probably his best. The Swiss’ ability is to be able to vary the spin and the direction of the shots at will. Is it going to be cross-court or down-the-line? Top spin or slice? A deep ball or a drop shot? Federer as so many options that he leaves his opponents guessing.
3) Tomas Berdych: if only tennis was based on a single shot, or even two, the Czech would be a regular Major winner. Unfortunately for him it is a far more complex game than just shot making. Nevertheless Berdych has some of the best ground strokes around, particularly his forehand. Most of the winners he makes are thanks to his flat, powerful and precise forehand.
4) Marin Cilic: the US Open champion has improved significantly this year with the help of Goran Ivanisevic. His serve received a major upgrade and so did his forehand. The Croatian player is now able to hit more winners with increased power and precision and he has done so by reducing the spin he puts on the ball just enough to increase the speed without losing precision.
5) David Ferrer: for the fifth place in this list it was a tussle. Ideally I would put Del Potro, but the Argentine hasn’t played at all in 2014 so the choice was down to Djokovic, Tsonga or Ferrer. I opted for the Spaniard because it’s his main, probably only, weapon to demolish his opponents defence and it has improved significantly over time. Ferrer is able to stay at the top levels of tennis with his work ethic and his forehand, an underestimated but very effective weapon.
