Build-a-Player: The makeup for the best current ATP player
Who has the better forehand? What about backhand? We answer all of those questions with the official ATP Build-a-Player!
The ATP Tour is host to a slew of incredibly talented players. From vicious servers to ferocious forehands, men’s tennis has it all. In this piece, Lob and Smash will look at four aspects of tennis:
-Forehand
-Backhand
-Serve
-Return/Defensive abilities
Each category will have the three best players in that category. Power and spin will both be taken into account, with overall effectiveness as the deciding factor. All active players will be taken into account; all stats will be over the given player’s entire career.
All stats are from ultimatetennisstatistics.com.
Here we go!
Category 1: Forehand
1. Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal may not have the most powerful forehand on the ATP Tour (we’ll discuss that in a second), but certainly possesses one of the most dangerous and high-percentage shots in the game. His trademark bullwhip-like finish and topspin-heavy shot have been trademarked as his own, sparking many to try and replicate it.
Nadal’s forehand is most lethal on clay due to the incredibly high amount of topspin that he generates. The slow surface checks the ball up higher, which puts his opponents on their back foot. Combine that with Nadal’s left-handedness that puts his crosscourt forehand into his opponent’s backhand and you’ve got a lethal baseline shot.
While other players like Juan Martin Del Potro and Nick Kyrgios equip a stunningly flat forehand to generate power and racket-head speed, as well as to complement their play-style, Nadal does exactly the opposite. His outstanding defense and ability to tough out points while sprinting from one end of the court to the other works perfectly with his vicious topspin. It gives him more time to get back to the middle of the court and also provides a huge offensive weapon, shown time after time with his on-the-run banana forehand.
"“I mean, I think Rafa’s for me is maybe number one,” Roger Federer said during the 2017 US Open. “It depends on what surface we’re talking about. But just throughout the career, I think Rafa’s is extremely high, if not my favorite one."
2. Roger Federer
This is a toss-up between Federer and Del Potro but the tiebreaker goes to Federer is this case due to the consistency of his shot. He doesn’t produce the most amount of topspin or the most power on the forehand side but what pushes Federer to the near top of the list is due to how he uses it.
Federer’s footwork is simply out-of-this-world. He’s able to turn any awkward incoming shot into pure offense using his quick feet and ability to take the ball on the rise. This is the main reason that makes his game so graceful, especially in the case of his forehand. His inside-out forehand is easily the best on tour solely due to the way he’s able to move out of the way in order to strike and place the ball wherever he wants.
Another underrated part of his forehand game is his pickup abilities. Federer is able to use the same swing for any incoming situation, whether that be a rally-ball, a deep skidder, or a powerful serve. His wrist changes up the shot while his quick arm and upper body simply go through its normal backswing. it’s what makes him so dangerous; opponents can’t really tell where the ball is going to go because his shot looks exactly the same. Case in point, his countless pickup passing shots, and wrist-flicks for winners.
3. Juan Martin Del Potro
On the complete opposite end of the spectrum to Nadal’s topspin forehand is Del Potro. He possesses pure power on the forehand side and is, along with his serve, the reason why he’s been one of the best players in this generation. His big backswing and low takeaway allow him to smash the ball with enough pace on the forehand side that it’s virtually unreturnable.
It could all be attributed to his lack of a consistent backhand that makes his forehand so special. Because he’s had to use his forehand extensively, it’s become the ATP’s most lethal weapon.