Masterstrokes
 Pete Sampras' serve may be the best stroke
in the history of Tennis.
Effortless, rhythmic, deadly accuracy, never really goes off form, a truly
reliable weapon. Fred Earle once told me the secret to Sampras’
serve was his “loose arm” and for Fred, Sampras had the loosest and
most relaxed service whip ever.
Compare Sampras serve with the more muscular version used by Rafter, with
the far less heavy version used by Agassi or Chang and you see pronounced
differences in technique and rhythm. Sampras has it all.
In a
previous era Lew Hoad and Pancho Gonzalez were the servers of the day, and
the parallels of style and service snap are obvious between Pete, Lew and
Pancho.
For an in depth analysis of the Sampras Serve, see John
Yandell's series in the TennisONE Lesson
Library. For a more complete visual analysis, study the Sampras serve
in the TennisONE ProStrokes
Gallery.
 Rosewall
Underspin Backhand
Ken Rosewall drove the underspin backhand hit with pinpoint precision and
uncanny balance. Sampras and Courier use a similar shot but with far
less effect.
For an in depth analysis of the Rosewall Backhand, see
Jim McLennan's article "The
Rosewall Underspin Backhand" in the TennisONE Lesson Library.
Budge Dive Backhand
Don Budge perfected the drive backhand drive, taking
the ball early, hitting the corners. A story goes that a young
Pancho Gonzalez was unable to come to the net behind his serve when
playing an exhibition against an aging Don Budge, because of the weight
and accuracy of Budge’s returns. And truly, one is hard pressed to
find such a backhand today (and yes I know the game has changed).
For a more complete visual analysis, study the Budge Backhand in the
TennisONE ProStrokes Gallery.
Agassi Service Return
Return of serve, the best of the best belongs to Agassi and Connors.
These two fisted backhands are taken well inside the baseline, with a pure
economy of motion. The briefest of strokes hit with maximum force
and unerring accuracy.
Jimbo and Andre both played well within the
baseline, and drove the ball equally well crosscourt or down the line. When
practicing, emulate the simplicity and the early preparation, and learn
to take the ball early and on the rise.
For a more complete visual analysis, study the Agassi Return in
the TennisONE ProStrokes
Gallery. |
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