@thegarbageman21 interestingly though, if you see him even in 2003, the forehands looked like this when he wasn't all muscle. he built muscle to compensate the wrong hand. but Nadal has one of the best groundstrokes in tennis right now. those don't come from just muscles. its also racquet head, angle and using the other players momentum. he uses the environment very well.
@dud321xyz Dude stop being a Nadal fanboy. I didn't say anything about who puts more spin. I was making a point that power in tennis isn't about who has the biggest arms. Fed as one of the biggest forehands and his arms are toothpicks.
@greezall how consistent is hewitt now? He has no big weapons. Besides that, in their match up- its really Nadal who determines whether he wins or lose. There are no easy matches against Rafa unless similar 2 his situation in Rotterdam 2009 Final, third set. Nadal is constantly improving which make him more than a match for Hewitt on hard courts now.
he should of kept his forehand like this..... and he coulde have had the same sucess with federer because he beat federer alot of time during 2003-2006 wich is when he still had this fore hand but then he chandeg to the low to high swing to get more topspin my vote is on his old forehand
Rafa should use more strategy: play extreme topspin only when facing Federer on clay/hardcourt, but then use flatter, faster, deeper shots with other opponents on other surfaces.
Yeah it's a great shot but if he can't get the ball to be faster and to land deeper in the court than he's going to continue to lose. But if anyone can get themselves motivated and back into top form it's Rafa.
when Nadal whas 16 - 18 years old he Hitted the ball mutch better in my opinion. well he´s not playing good atm probably cus he´s has changed the way of playing it may be the thing that affects him.
Well, it's easy to bring out hypothetical scenarios but would Nadal be as successful if he was a run of the mill power player...? Who knows.. although, I agree, I like this way of hitting a lot more. You see him practice like this sometimes, just that in games he tends to do the whip a lot more.
true, but back then he played the ball lifted and it whent long to the line almost. now he play lifted balls but short wich makes players like djocovik and murray to kill the balls on that position, nadal have to play more agressive now. the way he´s defending him self is not the same as when he defended him self back when he whas 18 years old.
@lukebonstingl, yes i know but he plays very short sometimes and players that plays flat.. would kill him for example Soderling had done it.. ofc he had alot of luck with all thosue hits.... as a spanish coach said in a interview, *If nadals whant to be number one for a some long time he needs to pe more agressive. and this year he returned very agressive wich is very good!
Different styles, different ways to look at this... I like Federer's style a lot more, but there's no denying how useful having supreme topspin like Nadal. Also, yes, Federer's serves are pretty important to his game, but it's like, if you took away Nadal's forehand, what the hell would his game be like?
its not very technical to hit lots of topspin- if it would be so easy everybody would hit the ball with 3500 revolutions per minute over the net- his stroke is a technical evolution in tennis you know nothing about tennis!
@AlphaDraconis7 you seem to have severely oversimplified Nadal's game. the top spin is his advantage. but that's not all he is. His groundstrokes are amazing and he's an excellent strategist. he is also one of the world's best at baseline rally. what's frustrating for Rafa fans is even though we whimper at his topspin balls, he has an amazing flat shot which he just doesn't seem to use often enough. But he is starting again and he is also coming to the net more. So much is yet to be seen.......
Why do you say this? Power in tennis / golf comes from racquet acceleration not muscling the ball. Nadal has big guns but they dont help his weak serve. Skinny guys like fed / hewitt can hit just as hard.
@thegarbageman21 Technique has more of an impact, but muscle mass probably does too, seeing how, if you simplify the situation, you have a mass (the player/racquet) colliding with a smaller mass (the ball). In that situation, the amount of momentum would be proportional to the masses involved and the velocities they are traveling at so more muscle more mass slightly greater momentum. But, keep in mind, that's an oversimplified look of the situation, and it's more complicated than linear momentum
@asdfuogh The mass of the racquet is insignificant because of the technology involved / inelastic collision. Same for the ball which is constant. Faster shots are generated from faster acceleration. That happens through proper technique. Power is generated from the legs / core and transfered through the upper body which is just a mechanism of transfer. Tennis train the upper body for flexibility and injury prevention mainly.
@asdfuogh With the type of collision and the technology that goes into racquets it is insignificant. Beginner lightweight racquets are among the most powerful frames you can buy. Heavier frames (called players racquets) emphasize more weight and less power.
This comment has received too many negative votesshow
rafa forhand is the shit but the fact that he is left handed is what makes him really dangerous but you cant really say his forhand is greater cause rafa has 5 grand slams fed could have had at least 17 if he never played rafa on clay so you gotta keep that into consideration
No u dont, Rafa would have 3 wimbledons 4 french opens. Also woulda had a couple more masters series titles and probably woulda been pushed to win a uso and an aussie. Oh yeh and agassi woulda won wimbledon and the uso a few more times, he wouldnt have fallen to 100 in the world and woulda dominated for many years and probably won every slam twice were it not for pete, pete would have closer to 18 majors as well were it not for agassi
Nah that helps federer more than rafa. If it werent for technology Roddick would have an even record with federer and rafa would have barely lost a match to him. It gives the little runt power and his racket is also very stable when it is being pummelled by a fast ball e.g. a big serve, it has very little vibration/feedback. And lets not get started on having his strings and baby tension (43-50 pounds ha)
does anyone know how he got those biceps in about a year?? lol i mean look at him when hes 17, pretty average or slighty better and now its like wow. any ideas cuz id love to know
no it isn't true.look,nadal began to use more topspin in his forehand.for example,with this forehand of 2004 always and always flat,nadal would never win so many tournaments in clay.and look,go to see for example wimbledon 2007.nadal used this explosive forehand
it's amazing how he hits that ball with that much spin and force and doesnt make mis-hits. phenomenal racquet head speed, barely visible within frames...
now this i have not seen before,nadal hitting without yelling!?that was really good,the way he just made sort of like a whif sound when he hit the winners,he should do that again right now,it was cooler.Maybe it was that he was kinda shy back then
Yeah he looks more badass with shorts on lol. Every time he loses to Federer, I say "It must be the capris" lol. How the hell can he play tennis with those?
his forehands now is a really a unique style of play because it suits his extreme grip. but the shots that he make in this video really gave me shivers, those were monsters!
I notice that as Nadal gets older, his forehand becomes more defensive, having more topspin with less speed, which is not good. His forehand was more offensive and effective in 2004 than it is now in my opinion.
Yeah I agree with you! I watched videos of Roddick's early years, and he was very speedy on the court and hit faster and flatter forehands. Now he has slow footwork and hits very defensive forehands. It's rare to see him get any winners now lol.
well he bulked up too much. to a tennis player, being really muscular is not that important. cardio is a more important aspect of physical fitness. even when he does get easy forehands, it seems like he doesnt do enough with it, sacrificing many points!
I agree with you. Yeah he's getting slower and lazier lol. Federer is like a twig, but stil hits one of the fastest forehands and is one of the fastest runners on the court.
Amazing how much flatter Nadal used to hit his forehand. Also he's a little less built here and lighter on his feet. He never should have bulked up. His injuries started with the added bulk.
he says he doesn´t pump iron..maybe it´s just suplements he´s taking,protein shakes and all that stuff..some people tend to muscle up with ease,I think he works out pulling with elastics though..
Rafa still has a great forehand. The best lefty forehand and arguably the most devestaing forehand out of any player right now. He doesn't go for a winner with each one, but he wears you down with the top spin so you get tired.
ROFL Omg listen to his voice lol u can hear that he is still just a kid here rofl. If he had been this agressive on the hardcourts in 06 he woulda won somethin. he hits much harder now too
@thegarbageman21 interestingly though, if you see him even in 2003, the forehands looked like this when he wasn't all muscle. he built muscle to compensate the wrong hand. but Nadal has one of the best groundstrokes in tennis right now. those don't come from just muscles. its also racquet head, angle and using the other players momentum. he uses the environment very well.
fierte 11 months ago
nadal looked to have knee problems at this age already.
Baddieko 1 year ago
is it necessary to grunt now then rafa???
esi183 1 year ago
@dud321xyz Dude stop being a Nadal fanboy. I didn't say anything about who puts more spin. I was making a point that power in tennis isn't about who has the biggest arms. Fed as one of the biggest forehands and his arms are toothpicks.
thegarbageman21 1 year ago
he change so much damm
ffallenaangel 1 year ago
yes i did
patrick7pat 1 year ago
Those guys are very good!
greezall 1 year ago
23 old hewitt could easily beat 23 old nadal on hard court! His play would have been to smart for nadal...
greezall 1 year ago
@greezall how consistent is hewitt now? He has no big weapons. Besides that, in their match up- its really Nadal who determines whether he wins or lose. There are no easy matches against Rafa unless similar 2 his situation in Rotterdam 2009 Final, third set. Nadal is constantly improving which make him more than a match for Hewitt on hard courts now.
JiraiyaSama86 1 year ago
he should of kept his forehand like this..... and he coulde have had the same sucess with federer because he beat federer alot of time during 2003-2006 wich is when he still had this fore hand but then he chandeg to the low to high swing to get more topspin my vote is on his old forehand
305Andyy305 1 year ago
Masala forehand is almost as good as mine
quest8899 1 year ago
Rafa should use more strategy: play extreme topspin only when facing Federer on clay/hardcourt, but then use flatter, faster, deeper shots with other opponents on other surfaces.
ryanrenesis 2 years ago
He's hitting the ball flatter here than he does now, he uses a lot more top spin which takes some of the power away.
jamesw12 2 years ago
Yeah it's a great shot but if he can't get the ball to be faster and to land deeper in the court than he's going to continue to lose. But if anyone can get themselves motivated and back into top form it's Rafa.
AndyRoddick70 2 years ago
who won this match?
nikehike 2 years ago
when Nadal whas 16 - 18 years old he Hitted the ball mutch better in my opinion. well he´s not playing good atm probably cus he´s has changed the way of playing it may be the thing that affects him.
DonChilenito 2 years ago
Well, it's easy to bring out hypothetical scenarios but would Nadal be as successful if he was a run of the mill power player...? Who knows.. although, I agree, I like this way of hitting a lot more. You see him practice like this sometimes, just that in games he tends to do the whip a lot more.
asdfuogh 2 years ago
true, but back then he played the ball lifted and it whent long to the line almost. now he play lifted balls but short wich makes players like djocovik and murray to kill the balls on that position, nadal have to play more agressive now. the way he´s defending him self is not the same as when he defended him self back when he whas 18 years old.
DonChilenito 2 years ago
man-thats bullshit- nowrafas forehand is muchbetter,believeme!
lukebonstingl 2 years ago
@lukebonstingl, yes i know but he plays very short sometimes and players that plays flat.. would kill him for example Soderling had done it.. ofc he had alot of luck with all thosue hits.... as a spanish coach said in a interview, *If nadals whant to be number one for a some long time he needs to pe more agressive. and this year he returned very agressive wich is very good!
DonChilenito 2 years ago
come back Rafa PLEASE !
onit1975 2 years ago 2
comment il prend cher hewitt!!!!
guiguitebeka 2 years ago
i agree.the topspin forehand of Rafa is the best shot in tennis.heavy ball,great margin for error and a high bounce that is the nightmare of federer
lenitafonseca 2 years ago
his forehand is the best shot in tennis- its the main reason why federer struggles against rafa!
lukebonstingl 2 years ago
Federer was better when he was younger...
Rafa's got alot of muscle, agility and power...
But when it comes to technique...there's no denying that Federer is just a class above..
His forehand, backhand...all just PERFECT (watch the videos if you dont believe me)
Nadal is a good player...and being left handed is easier for him...but all he does is hit lots of topspin...not very technical at all
AlphaDraconis7 2 years ago
what a bullshit!!!! Federer backhand stinks ass! Without his good 1st service he would be nothing...
all nadal does is to win every fucking game and tournament... nothing special ha ?
ehbomba 2 years ago
Different styles, different ways to look at this... I like Federer's style a lot more, but there's no denying how useful having supreme topspin like Nadal. Also, yes, Federer's serves are pretty important to his game, but it's like, if you took away Nadal's forehand, what the hell would his game be like?
asdfuogh 2 years ago
its not very technical to hit lots of topspin- if it would be so easy everybody would hit the ball with 3500 revolutions per minute over the net- his stroke is a technical evolution in tennis you know nothing about tennis!
lukebonstingl 2 years ago
@AlphaDraconis7 you seem to have severely oversimplified Nadal's game. the top spin is his advantage. but that's not all he is. His groundstrokes are amazing and he's an excellent strategist. he is also one of the world's best at baseline rally. what's frustrating for Rafa fans is even though we whimper at his topspin balls, he has an amazing flat shot which he just doesn't seem to use often enough. But he is starting again and he is also coming to the net more. So much is yet to be seen.......
fierte 11 months ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
nadal takes steroids when he was young. it's obvioas
sheck369 3 years ago
Why do you say this? Power in tennis / golf comes from racquet acceleration not muscling the ball. Nadal has big guns but they dont help his weak serve. Skinny guys like fed / hewitt can hit just as hard.
thegarbageman21 3 years ago 4
Your right, the thing his muscles help him with is gaining racket acceleration with such a western grip on his forehand.
moffettman02 2 years ago
@thegarbageman21 Technique has more of an impact, but muscle mass probably does too, seeing how, if you simplify the situation, you have a mass (the player/racquet) colliding with a smaller mass (the ball). In that situation, the amount of momentum would be proportional to the masses involved and the velocities they are traveling at so more muscle more mass slightly greater momentum. But, keep in mind, that's an oversimplified look of the situation, and it's more complicated than linear momentum
asdfuogh 1 year ago
@asdfuogh The mass of the racquet is insignificant because of the technology involved / inelastic collision. Same for the ball which is constant. Faster shots are generated from faster acceleration. That happens through proper technique. Power is generated from the legs / core and transfered through the upper body which is just a mechanism of transfer. Tennis train the upper body for flexibility and injury prevention mainly.
More muscle doesn't equate to more acceleration.
thegarbageman21 1 year ago
@thegarbageman21 Yes, I agree with you, but I don't think the mass is as insignificant as conventionally thought.
asdfuogh 1 year ago
@asdfuogh With the type of collision and the technology that goes into racquets it is insignificant. Beginner lightweight racquets are among the most powerful frames you can buy. Heavier frames (called players racquets) emphasize more weight and less power.
thegarbageman21 1 year ago
silk334 i have to say you are very stupid and you are not able to say something right about tennis!
lukebonstingl 3 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
rafa forhand is the shit but the fact that he is left handed is what makes him really dangerous but you cant really say his forhand is greater cause rafa has 5 grand slams fed could have had at least 17 if he never played rafa on clay so you gotta keep that into consideration
SILK334 3 years ago
No u dont, Rafa would have 3 wimbledons 4 french opens. Also woulda had a couple more masters series titles and probably woulda been pushed to win a uso and an aussie. Oh yeh and agassi woulda won wimbledon and the uso a few more times, he wouldnt have fallen to 100 in the world and woulda dominated for many years and probably won every slam twice were it not for pete, pete would have closer to 18 majors as well were it not for agassi
quiet1234 3 years ago
He's genetically gifted as well
mysteriekiller 3 years ago
ATP players rate his forehand as the best in the game - over Fed's forehand.
ihateuutube 3 years ago 2
who won this match?
nikehike 3 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
Its Nadals racquet that allows him to hit with so much spin and power.
quest8899 3 years ago
Nah that helps federer more than rafa. If it werent for technology Roddick would have an even record with federer and rafa would have barely lost a match to him. It gives the little runt power and his racket is also very stable when it is being pummelled by a fast ball e.g. a big serve, it has very little vibration/feedback. And lets not get started on having his strings and baby tension (43-50 pounds ha)
quiet1234 3 years ago
He had guns at 17. He's gifted. He was always muscular. But he's such an athletic freak of nature.
TorgeistLLN 3 years ago
shitttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt
thonycam 3 years ago
does anyone know how he got those biceps in about a year?? lol i mean look at him when hes 17, pretty average or slighty better and now its like wow. any ideas cuz id love to know
lfybradley919 3 years ago
It's called training, working out. Everybody can do it, it's just dedication.
mysteriekiller 3 years ago
looks like lefty federer forehand when he doesn't lasoo loop it crosscourt.
davoho 3 years ago 2
1:58-awesome forehand
164jlg 3 years ago 2
great forehands of Rafa
164jlg 3 years ago
Wow.
lifelib 3 years ago
best
dinosego2 3 years ago
do you hear the spin.... :O
kwivin133323121 3 years ago
no it isn't true.look,nadal began to use more topspin in his forehand.for example,with this forehand of 2004 always and always flat,nadal would never win so many tournaments in clay.and look,go to see for example wimbledon 2007.nadal used this explosive forehand
164jlg 3 years ago
Nadal has the most topspin average over all the ATP players.
Hirottoq 3 years ago
it's amazing how he hits that ball with that much spin and force and doesnt make mis-hits. phenomenal racquet head speed, barely visible within frames...
furionese 3 years ago
Is it true Nadal's forehand is more explosive in 2004 to early 2007 than his forehand after early 2007? Any comments?
kpham2600 3 years ago
yes it was. look up federermagic's nadal forehand festival video.
xartiex 3 years ago
Has anyone else noticed how strikingly similar Nadal's forehand is to Federer's in this Video?
r0kep0ke 3 years ago 6
yeah, it's almost like federer with a western grip
counterfeit25 3 years ago
@counterfeit25 nadal actually uses a semi-western grip
dasdaka 1 year ago
yeah, it's like a sling shot. whips the racquet right across the chest
johnster06 3 years ago
his forehand was much better than it is now..... wish he could figure that out....
tennis21000 1 year ago
It must be the racket.
quest8899 4 years ago
now this i have not seen before,nadal hitting without yelling!?that was really good,the way he just made sort of like a whif sound when he hit the winners,he should do that again right now,it was cooler.Maybe it was that he was kinda shy back then
genomesoldier7 4 years ago
Nadal looks cooler in shorts. Take of the capri-shorts!
joltcokeeee 4 years ago 2
Yeah he looks more badass with shorts on lol. Every time he loses to Federer, I say "It must be the capris" lol. How the hell can he play tennis with those?
wborotennis07 4 years ago
he still practices in shorts to this day..
reefric 3 years ago
his forehands now is a really a unique style of play because it suits his extreme grip. but the shots that he make in this video really gave me shivers, those were monsters!
dreamlng 4 years ago
I notice that as Nadal gets older, his forehand becomes more defensive, having more topspin with less speed, which is not good. His forehand was more offensive and effective in 2004 than it is now in my opinion.
wborotennis07 4 years ago
kinda like andy roddick.
musicgamer10 4 years ago
Yeah I agree with you! I watched videos of Roddick's early years, and he was very speedy on the court and hit faster and flatter forehands. Now he has slow footwork and hits very defensive forehands. It's rare to see him get any winners now lol.
wborotennis07 4 years ago
well he bulked up too much. to a tennis player, being really muscular is not that important. cardio is a more important aspect of physical fitness. even when he does get easy forehands, it seems like he doesnt do enough with it, sacrificing many points!
musicgamer10 4 years ago
I agree with you. Yeah he's getting slower and lazier lol. Federer is like a twig, but stil hits one of the fastest forehands and is one of the fastest runners on the court.
wborotennis07 4 years ago
Nadal is a beast
hotderek132 4 years ago
grande nadal sei un mito
12maggio 4 years ago
the best ever
hassansk8 4 years ago
Nadal has the 2nd best forehand in the game.
Defoe9 4 years ago
but the best looking forehand haha
kharisma26 4 years ago
Amazing how much flatter Nadal used to hit his forehand. Also he's a little less built here and lighter on his feet. He never should have bulked up. His injuries started with the added bulk.
manco82 4 years ago
he says he doesn´t pump iron..maybe it´s just suplements he´s taking,protein shakes and all that stuff..some people tend to muscle up with ease,I think he works out pulling with elastics though..
reefric 3 years ago
All of the guys in his family are beasts. hes genetically gifted.
quiet1234 3 years ago
no shit:))!
reefric 3 years ago
who ended up wining this match?
nikehike 4 years ago
Hewitt won in 3 sets
counterfeit25 4 years ago
really?!
paxxxx 4 years ago
wait how did he win in 3 sets if it clearly says nadal won a set 6-1?
best then would be in 4 sets?
unless i missed something?
aznanimedude 4 years ago
nadal won the first set 6-1, hewitt won the next two. this match was best of three sets.
counterfeit25 4 years ago
I have noticed the Nadal's 2004 forehand is way better than nowadays. Why?
youcheff 4 years ago
Rafa still has a great forehand. The best lefty forehand and arguably the most devestaing forehand out of any player right now. He doesn't go for a winner with each one, but he wears you down with the top spin so you get tired.
blackgirltennis 4 years ago
all u nadal haters better stfu cuz he will be better then federer in the end just watch.
shoobs9390 4 years ago
lol dont get me wrong federer is a bad man but hes got all the talent nadal has all the heart thats y fed & doin shit to him on clay
IloveMyTennis 4 years ago
this is a vid on nadals forehand, nothing to do with fed, fan boy
ayudevo 4 years ago
the best forehand in the game is nadal. no question about that
ayudevo 4 years ago
the best forehand in the game is federers. no question about that
stevehwan 4 years ago 3
sure is..
reefric 3 years ago
Hewitt won that match 1-6 6-4 6-2
saintofallkillers 4 years ago 3
i wonder how fast his forehand is.
federer121 4 years ago
ROFL Omg listen to his voice lol u can hear that he is still just a kid here rofl. If he had been this agressive on the hardcourts in 06 he woulda won somethin. he hits much harder now too
quiet1234 4 years ago 2