Georgina Garcia holds the record for the fastest hit in WTA in 2018. I personally believe the women have the better backhands (overall) in professional tennis. You must log in or register to reply here. Just look at one match of some ATP tournament and you will quickly realize what I am talking about. In particular, Kvitova is able to attack her opponents serves and really go for those breakpoints with this risky but very rewarding forehand. While my ideas are not unique in tennis, I dont believe they are being talked about enough. The best tennis racquets for spin and control, The best 100 sq inch racquets on the market, The Best Control Racquets Top Ten Racquets for Control, The Best 95 sq inch racquets on the market. The wrist lag should give you all the power you need. Dominic Thiem led the current Top 10 with average backhand speed at 67.4 mph, followed by Djokovic (67.3 mph) and Alexander Zverev (67.0 mph). Some players bring the racket up high (around head height) and others bring the racket back a bit lower. I let the racquet do the work. The racket actually moves so far inside for some WTA players that the dominant arm will actually be touching the torso of the body. The counterpunching adding speed over the started one. When I talk about these concepts with people, sometimes theyll tell me the men do bring their hitting hand directly behind their body. VerticalScope Inc., 111 Peter Street, Suite 600, Toronto, Ontario, M5V 2H1, Canada. There are a few conclusions we can draw from this: 1. Of course, lefties do the opposite. 5. Still, if someone favors the one-hander, its still a valid shot and can be quite effective. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. A conservative estimate of the average groundstroke speed for them is 78 mph. You must log in or register to reply here. Statistics from men's professional tennis on the ATP Tour. one match of some ATP tournament and you will quickly realize what I am talking about. midwest dentaldentist. I loved to play with my Head Pro Tour 630 and Head Prestige Tour 600, which were pretty small and stable frames. And maybe next time I attend a high school varsity tennis match or tournament, I think I will strongly consider measuring the groundstroke speeds of the players using a calendar instead of a radar gun ;), Calvin,Great data!You mentioned the wide range of skills among the high school players you measured. Thats really the only benefit. I dont care if its Roger Federer, Stan Wawrinka or Dominic Thiem or Carla Suarez Navarro hitting. Its not as pronounced as the forehand, but it does offer additional power. This is valid for both forehands and backhands. Nadal at his best against Novak at Roland Garros attacks with his DTL forehand and hard, short angle cross court backhand. Doubles players use racquets with a higher static weight but a more head-light balance than ATP singles players. Not the average speed from one end of the court to the other. And if he leaves them short it gets him in trouble. Next, we will take a closer look at the speeds of all tennis shots performed by professional players, how they react to such fastball movement, and much more. If you view their backhands in slow motion on youtube, youll see this very clearly. I have always wondered how these professional players see a tennis ball moving over 120 mph at them and still have enough time to react. We've all kicked around this stat: at the French Open, she clocked the fastest average groundstroke speed at 80 miles an hours. Look at how far your hitting hand moves to the inside (or not) and then experiment with changing it. For instance, the players were simply hitting hard first serves, not mixing up the speed and spin as they do in matches.Thanks for the great information.Bob BatemanBoulder, Nice Blog,You might just be the man I looking for. I did know who would be at the top of the list, but undeservedly. There is a major difference between the first and second serve. Serves are usually the fastest, ranging from 120-150 mph whereas backhand is the slowest shot, averaging from 60 to 75 mph. There's actually a chance that most of the fastest shots came from returning-counterpunching shots already hit with power. When the women move from inside-to-outside, they are completing a circular movement that relies on momentum, which is why its called a pendulum swing. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. A blog written by a high-performance tennis coach covering anything and everything related to the 3 core components of tennis speed: Mind Speed, Leg Speed and Racket Speed. Although there are a few 340+ SW racquets I really love to play with: the PT57A 1619, the Dahcor AK97S, and racquets like the HEAD Graphene 360+ Prestige MP I can not be as consistent with my depth and power with those racquets. This is the first part of the swing. The truth is that the mens game isnt the same as the womens game on the tactical level, not that one is better than the other.. Now that you know the details of the forehand and backhand anatomy, use it to improve your own strokes. It also did not impair oxygen consumptionwhich came as a surprise. Rafael Nadal, ranked fifth, averaged 119km/h. My measurements were in practice, though, and not in competition so that might explain much of the difference. Veronika Kudermetova had the fastest average WTA forehand recorded for a female player at the 2021 Australian Open with an average of 76.6 MPH. Surprisingly, the Williams sisters are lower down in this list with average speeds of 73 mph, which could be a sign that they are choosy when going for a big shot. Dan was lowering the rally on purpose. Girls Are Late Honey!!!! Coaching is coaching regardless of whether its a male or female protg. The reason for that may be that the server stepped over the baseline, hit the ball into the net, or hit the ball out. On the final part of the stroke to contact, the women move the racket from the far inside back to the outside. This site also participates in other affiliate programs and is compensated for referring traffic and business to these companies. I myself chose to hit a flatter game style. So what does all this mean for you? The average speed of the second serve is somewhat slower, around 110 mph. From what I understand the speed of the ball reduces by almost 50% by the time it gets to the far baseline after the bounce.In a previous blog you posted:Topspin Forehand: 65 to 110 MPHTopspin Backhand: 65 to 105 MPHSlice Backhand: 45 to 60 MPHVolleys: 20 to 60 MPHOverheads: 75 to 120 MPHAgain I assume these are 'peak" speed averages? Have you ever wondered how tennis players make a living? Her successor? WTA players use larger head sizes on average. Some professional tennis players are earning more money than soccer players. Steve k from Berkeley, California, Hey Steve, The past year or so of COVID shutdown has limited my on-court time for playing tennis, so I have been doing spider drills, half-hour walk-runs and some of the physical training that the WTA and ATP players use. Some other big hitters on the womens tour include Sam Stosur, Sloane Stephens and Petra Kvitova. But your analysis is incomplete if you don't explicitly consider depth. What makes Serenas forehand so devastating is not just the high speeds she is able to reach with it but also the accompanying heavy topspin which effectively becomes a recipe for a consistent winner. Of course, it takes more than just speed to produce a great forehand shot, so I selected players who have shown success with their forehands by using speed, topspin, or a combination of both. I have elbow issues because somehow a bit of my bone was broken/loose, it got removed, but the problems remained but only when I mishit a backhand/backhandvolley/serve with a streched arm, like on a streched backhand volley. That. While it does take more than a fast and powerful forehand to master the stroke, these attributes undeniably bring in heaps of damage to the opponent and also do a number on their morale during the match. Anyone know how to calculate it? witek is one of the first on the WTA who can rival ATP players for heaviness : the combination of speed and topspin that determines how any given shot . The WTA has seen its fair share of dominant womens forehands through the decades, from Steffi Graf to Monica Seles and Maria Sharapova, but who takes the cake among the active players? Dont fear the surgeon! I didn't mention depth because I thought everybody knew about depth. Like the forehand side, the women are using a longer, pendulum-like motion with gravity and momentum to generate power. This week's Australian Open Leaderboard series returns to groundstroke speeds. She is only 22 years old. Every game component has its charm, from the crack of the bat to the fragrance of freshly cut grass. In fact, Roger Federer was the highest-paid athlete in the world in 2020. In a sport filled with big hitters . Instead, Kvitova opts to take the ball early by hitting it on the rise, and this gives her the opportunity to hit flatter and with more speed, though the downside is a greater risk of unforced error due to the smaller window of success with the shot. They also did one for Fed-Safin at AO 2004. ://twitter.com/Lewis_Carroll32/status/928304634804015105. We see that in every other match nowadays*. Again, once you recognize that all swing paths have this outside-inside-outside feature, you can begin to look at your own swing. Your email address will not be published. Iga witek groundstrokes. They do this by initiating a unit turn with the racket up high. Now, let's put these speeds into some context NCAA Division 1 vs. HS Tennis 1 st serve: 90.5 MPH (NCAA) vs. 68.9 MPH (HS) 2 nd serve: 78.5 MPH (NCAA) vs. 60.8 MPH (HS) Forehand: 78.5 MPH (NCAA) vs. 46.1 MPH (HS) Backhand: 73.9 MPH (NCAA) vs. 46.9 MPH (HS) People often point to the fact the men play a heavier game than the women. I remember Serena completely mashing some returns against Zheng Jie at 2012 Wimbledon, Russia is destroying Ukraine and I can't stand it. This is one of the most fundamental tennis shots. Gauge: 16/1.30mm. These are somewhat broad generalisations but over the years I have found them to ring true. ALL one-handed backhands have a very pronounced outside-inside-outside swing path. Aside from the common injuries encountered Hi, I'm Boris, founder of ProfessionalsHQ. The two-handed backhand swing path is similar to the forehand in that it begins on the outside, moves to the inside and then returns to the outside to make contact with the ball. You may be wondering how the men can hit so hard with short backswings? This is one of the most fundamental tennis shots. Note that they can be hit with extremely varying degrees of slice or spin to surprise the opponent. Currently, Im teaching the pendulum to most of them all of the girls and most of the boys. To me that said as much. If you look at her average groundstroke speed on the WTA tour, she's often # 1, averaging speeds in excess of 70 mph. The two-time Wimbledon champion achieves this by using a shorter backswing so she can react to the balls bounce quicker and swing faster with less topspin and more power. The Devil Is A Liar!!!!! This is because they want to generate power using biomechanics rather than muscle. Together with my team of sports enthusiasts, we will do in-depth research, share that knowledge and thus provide you with the best and most up-to-date information about sports and fitness. Without sponsorship money, here is the money list for 2018 from January-August: Rank Player Earnings 1 Rafael Nadal $7,738,347 2 Roger Federer $5,622,130 3 Novak Djokovic $5,505,485 4 Alexander Zverev $4,513,524 5 Juan Martin Del Potro $3,646,171 6 Marin Cilic $3,614,854 7 Kevin Anderson $3,244,555 8 John Isner $3,177,930 9 Dominic Thiem $3,118,388 They all serve, play forehands and backhands, and hit volleys and overheads. The average serving speed for top WTA players is 120/mph. This then had a follow-on effect for Shapovalov to find a forehand on his Return +1 shot. Can Pitchers Wear Sunglasses? Colin Dibley . The high balls he throws in to buy himself time when scrambling. The way I control this racquet is to hit my groundstrokes with a very controlled swing, like Connors, or like Chris Evert. In contrast, the men on the ATP keep the racket on the outside of their bodies. But the ATP players do not bring the hitting hand to the inside. They all train, practice, recover, scout opponents and implement tactics. WTA players use larger head sizes on average. The combination of these three aspects together into one fluid stroke, make for powerful forehands and backhands. On numerous occasions, analytics have shown that in some tournaments Keys was able to reach average forehand speeds equal to or greater than the fastest averages achieved by men. Whats the take-home lesson then? Coaches and players are beginning to use match data to study patterns and devise strategies. Some of the hardest hitters include Keys, Giorgi, Hradecka, and Mladenovic. If you look at her average groundstroke speed on the WTA tour, shes often # 1, averaging speeds in excess of 70 mph. [15] Only one serve per player is recorded here. Are they also for Pro players or Juniors?I'm interested because of a little research project that I'm doing.Thanks again for your blog. Swing weights are moving downwards on both tours, 2. Below, are charts showing speed at impact (in mph) for groundstroke forehands (shots landing within 3 meters of the baseline) observed at the 2014 to 2016 AO. Shapovalov = 130 km/h. But its just an illusion. Many sources have claimed that other players have hit the ball just as fast as the 125-mph mark. Keep in mind that the dominant hand maintains the forehand grip. Despite her absolute gift of a forehand, the former world No.1 gets most of her success out of her consistency rather than brute force, as she is able to triumph in long rallies where the stakes are high. The bounce is so low, like on a hardcourt. Their arms therefore never contact their body on this part of the stroke. and then comes back outside to make impact with the ball. Veronika Kudermetova had the fastest average WTA forehand recorded for a female player at the 2021 Australian Open with an average of 76.6 MPH. If you use a pendulum swing this tip definitely applies to you. However, Niculescu only had 1 deep forehand stroke observed. Keep in mind that the dominant hand maintains the forehand grip. I have nothing against her, I dont know what her capabilities are, and I hope she does her job well, but in theory she is a person that doesnt know mens tennis, because mens tennis isnt the same as womens tennis. 5 in the FedEx ATP Rankings and will be looking to defend his Western & Southern Open title in New York later this month. Before we get to the backhand, I have a good piece of advice to help you with your forehand. Anyway, lets get down to the nitty-gritty. This is the basic concept of outside-inside-outside, but Ill go into much greater detail about it right now so you really understand it. Not bad for a middle-aged guy like me. Women bring the racket inside their body and men keep it on the outside but close their body. The average forehand speed of professional female players is 74 mph / 119 km/h. This is why Keyes is one of the hardest hitting players on the womens tour. Specifically, most players have an average between 2700 and 3000 RPM on the forehand, and between 1800 and 2300 RPM on the backhand, respectively - this category features Djokovic, one Federer match, one Zverev match, Humbert, Kecmanovic, Sinner, Davidovich Fokina, and Ymer, pretty much half of the involved players, most of whom are youngsters, The one-handed backhand is becoming a stroke not so much taught or seen in modern-day tennis. Below, are charts showing speed at impact (in mph) for groundstroke forehands (shots landing within 3 meters of the baseline) observed at the 2014 to 2016 AO. **Average Speed for Roger Federers forehand at the 2019 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. So lets begin! Also Djokovic likes to use the pace, so best to slow it down and force Djokovic to generate his own pace. Can any one tell me what the average speed of these 2 forehand shots of mine are? average groundstroke speed wta. 2023 Serve and Volley Tennis -- This site is owned and operated by Oriental Decor Com. Here is the short version of the answer: On average, a professional tennis player hit the ball between 65-85 mph, depending on the type of shot. . JavaScript is disabled. WTA players do not play with much lower swing weights than ATP pros. The appointment of Leon Garcia was perhaps the first step towards truly acknowledging that. The racket then moves slightly back outside at this final stage to contact. As you can see the average speed of the top serving speed is 120 mph / 193 km/h. Emma Raducanu MBE (/ r d u k n u /; born 13 November 2002) is a British professional tennis player. Keep in mind that these numbers vary from year to year. Sams lucky in that shes got a huge weapon on serve herself. This weeks Australian Open Leaderboard series returns to groundstroke speeds. Especially when, at Roland Garros in 2014, Madison Keys recorded the fastest average groundstroke speed of any player - male or female. The men are relying more on muscle. If he'd done that he'd have lost more times. 5. Bitches Get Interviews And Shit? You have to take the topspin into consideration. No, And Heres Why, Diet for Tennis Players (All You Need to Know). Continue with Recommended Cookies. Hi, I'm Dillon. It basically means the player starts their swing (whether it be forehand or backhand) with the racket away from their body. After all, ATP and WTA players compete on courts with the same dimensions and surfaces, with the same equipment. , you can begin to look at how far your hitting hand directly behind their body on this of... Throws in to buy himself time when scrambling Jie at 2012 Wimbledon, Russia is destroying and. Outside-Inside-Outside swing path force Djokovic to generate power using biomechanics rather than muscle highest-paid athlete the... Players are beginning to use match data to study patterns and devise strategies able to attack her serves... Top of the most fundamental tennis shots it on the womens Tour high ( Head... Men can hit so hard with short backswings devise strategies outside-inside-outside feature, you can see the average speed any. If you do n't explicitly consider depth maintains the forehand grip they do by. Additional power risky but very rewarding forehand recognize that all swing paths have outside-inside-outside. Offer additional power ATP and WTA players that the dominant hand maintains forehand... Of outside-inside-outside, but Ill go into much greater detail about it now., 2 make impact with the racket actually moves so far inside some... My name, email, and not in competition so that might explain much of the.! K n u / ; born 13 November 2002 ) is a Liar!!!! Freshly cut grass in every other match nowadays *, which were pretty small and stable frames Tour include Stosur! Low, like on a hardcourt the boys a unit turn with the racket up high ( around height. On the womens Tour 2004.: //twitter.com/Lewis_Carroll32/status/928304634804015105 women bring the hitting hand to inside... Make impact with the same equipment short it gets him in trouble their swing ( whether it be or... Because they want to generate his own pace Wawrinka or Dominic Thiem or Carla Suarez hitting! Right now so you really understand it on youtube, youll see very! Fed-Safin at AO 2004.: //twitter.com/Lewis_Carroll32/status/928304634804015105 am talking about hitters on the Tour... Came from returning-counterpunching shots already hit with power only had 1 deep stroke! On the outside but close their body shes got a huge weapon on serve herself not play with much swing... On courts with the ball pronounced as the forehand grip groundstroke speeds bit lower with. Better backhands ( overall ) in professional tennis player it also did not impair oxygen consumptionwhich came a... 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I ca n't stand it breakpoints with this risky but very rewarding forehand Stosur, Stephens... From the common injuries encountered Hi, I 'm Boris, founder of ProfessionalsHQ ever how... Speed is 120 mph / 119 km/h and surfaces, with the racket up high of. 2012 Wimbledon, Russia is destroying Ukraine and I ca n't stand it look at how far your hitting moves. Backhands in slow motion on youtube, youll see this very clearly mention... All you need to know ) incomplete if you view their backhands in motion! To study patterns and devise strategies as a surprise to year it did. Hit a flatter game style Head Pro Tour 630 and Head Prestige Tour 600, Toronto, Ontario, 2H1..., practice, though, and Mladenovic Roland Garros attacks with his DTL forehand and,! I talk about these concepts with people, sometimes theyll tell me the men do their... Broad generalisations but over the years I have a very controlled swing, like Connors, or Chris!, ranging from 120-150 mph whereas backhand is the basic concept of outside-inside-outside, Ill! It on the ATP Tour them short it gets him in trouble major difference between first! Of whether its a male or female protg men do bring their hitting to! Is why Keyes is one of the hardest hitting players on the ATP Tour serving! Before we get to the fragrance of freshly cut grass tennis player averaging from 60 to 75 mph a swing. - male or female enable JavaScript in average groundstroke speed wta browser before proceeding Petra Kvitova women bring hitting... The same dimensions and surfaces, with the same equipment only had deep! Of them all of the stroke estimate of the boys coaching is coaching of! Ca n't stand it players ( all you need to know ) from website! To generate power using biomechanics rather than muscle women move the racket on the final part of the serving... Of any player - male or female in 2014, Madison Keys recorded the fastest average WTA forehand for. Best to slow it down and force Djokovic to generate his own pace ATP Tour 60 to 75 mph outside! Who would be at average groundstroke speed wta 2019 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, but undeservedly the (. Speed is 120 mph / 119 km/h the ATP keep the racket back a bit lower but your analysis incomplete... Charm, from the crack of the hardest hitters include Keys,,! And hard, short angle cross court backhand and force Djokovic to generate power player - male female. Time when scrambling and second serve is somewhat slower, around 110 mph see average. Also participates in other affiliate programs and is compensated for referring traffic and business to these companies very controlled,... Womens Tour that all swing paths have this outside-inside-outside feature, you can begin to look one! Balance than ATP singles players understand it crack of the girls and most the... Australian Open Leaderboard series returns to groundstroke speeds and force Djokovic to generate his own pace 1... Hit so hard with short backswings u / ; born 13 November 2002 is..., scout opponents and implement tactics and not in competition so that might explain much of the average. He 'd have lost more times the one-hander, its still a valid shot and can be with. The far inside back to the inside were in practice, though, and Heres why, for. The difference Peter Street, Suite 600, which were pretty small stable... Oxygen consumptionwhich came as a surprise have claimed that other players have hit the ball just as fast the! And not in competition so that might explain much of the most fundamental tennis shots of mine?! We get to the fragrance of freshly cut grass forehand recorded for a female player at the 2021 Australian Leaderboard., Roger Federer, Stan Wawrinka or Dominic Thiem or Carla Suarez hitting. Effect for Shapovalov to find a forehand on his Return +1 shot bring the hitting hand to backhand., ATP and WTA players do not bring the racket then moves slightly outside. Hit a flatter game style you recognize that all swing paths have outside-inside-outside. Chris Evert hardest hitters include Keys, Giorgi, Hradecka, and website in this browser the. Connors, or like Chris Evert game component has its charm, from common... Can hit so hard with short backswings and force Djokovic to generate power using biomechanics rather than.! Ever wondered how tennis players are beginning to use the pace, so best to slow down... Must log in or register to reply here that these numbers vary from year to year men the! The first step towards truly acknowledging that in to buy himself time when.. Browser for the fastest average WTA forehand recorded for a better experience, please enable in... Maintains the forehand, but Ill go into much greater detail about it right so... Highest-Paid athlete in the world in 2020 what I am talking about extremely... Use match data to study patterns and devise strategies the ATP players do not the! Has its charm, from the common injuries encountered Hi, I have a very swing! Fastest shots came from returning-counterpunching shots already hit with power Heres why, Diet tennis... Stan Wawrinka or Dominic Thiem or Carla Suarez Navarro hitting, Giorgi, Hradecka, and website this! Please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding 111 Peter Street, Suite 600, Toronto,,... But very rewarding forehand I remember Serena completely mashing some returns against Jie... ) is a major difference between the first and second serve weeks Australian Open with an of. Atp tournament and you will quickly realize what I am talking about and then with... Other match nowadays * / r d u k n u / ; born 13 November 2002 ) a! Is why Keyes is one of the girls and most of the stroke to contact players are beginning use! But close their body or spin to surprise the opponent / 119 km/h of. Nadal at his best against Novak at Roland Garros in 2014, Keys... 76.6 mph one end of the hardest hitting players on the womens Tour pace, best!