What started out as a simple guide, evolved more into an investigative piece. Tennis stars like Serena Williams and Del Potro employed this grip. Typically a more western grip will result in more topspin while an eastern grip will have more power and be a little flatter ball. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. During this brief rapid-fire session, Taylor Fritz was also asked to pick the player with the best mental strength. In the American's TopCourt class, Fritz shares the keys to his signature serve and backhand, the drills that developed his lethal groundstrokes and the parts . The way his wrist rolls up the back of the ball is a perfect depiction of creating a pop when a ball hits the surface of the court. To be fair, Riddle's fame is adjacent to that of her boyfriend, Taylor Fritz, the No. MELBOURNE, Australia Though he is only 24, Taylor Fritz had been waiting a long time for the breakthrough he finally reached at this Australian Open. Without the correct grip on your forehand, you will not have a good forehand. Subscribe to @olympics: http://oly.ch/Subscribe The forehand is Taylor's specialty and can be a very deadly and powerful shot. Federer's forehand grip is an excellent reference for this topic because his grip is widely accepted as an eastern grip that is closely bordering SW. Just because Stefanos heel pad is on semi-western does not mean that his grip is semi-western. For example, consider Nadals forehand and backhand totals for the tournament (match data v Opelka not available). For a player that favors his forehand side, hes going to be waiting on that exact grip, and in this picture, its crystal clear that his index knuckle is on the semi-western bevel. Maybe he had lead at round 3 and 9 inside and it was removed ? Rafael Nadal 3-6 7-5 3-6 7-5 6-6 (6-3) Taylor Fritz. He's sponsored by Nike, HEAD Tennis, Rolex, and esports organization Rogue . This means that not all ATP pro players are gear heads, although many are. 1. 12 ranking in Men's Singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), Taylor sensationally upset Rafael Nadal to win the biggest career title.. Taylor Fritz is the first player to win a Masters 1000 final against Nadal . Hey, I'd take his results with all of his shortcomings! So, the four familiartennis forehand gripsare; Wawrinkas forehand gripis western and he uses this grip to generate topspins with this grip. Taylor Fritz might not care so much about his equipment, but he sure can play some excellent tennis. Is a pro stock racquet better than a retail one? Love the mass of the Mid but miss hit a bunch. In the next and final game, at 5-4, Fritz missed a routine forehand into the net; even had he made it, it wasnt going to win him the rally. Federers pinky knuckle is around the SW bevel while Tsitsipas is most definitely at the western bevel. First- the index finger knuckle and Second- the heel pad. On Wednesday, the American advanced to the second round at Wimbledon with a 7-5, 3-6, 6-4, 7-5 win against countryman Brandon Nakashima. Whether you are a beginner, a player in the struggling phase, or a difficult-to-beat expert; this grip works well for all levels of players. Djokovic's return of serve is considered the best in tennis history, while his backhand is a work of art. This is overall still classified as an eastern grip. Only Federer, Del Potro and Batista-Agut spring to mind that use Eastern. The American was asked this question during his post-match press conference after beating Alex de Minaur at the Indian Wells Masters. Nadal drills one down the middle to . One seller has listed three items, matched at 299 grams unstrung with some lead tape under the grommets in the hoop. Thu. At long last, the American chose a member of the Big 3, going with Rafael Nadal. I dont see how these are consider arm friendly at 67 RA. At the Australian Open earlier this year, they seesawed their way through five sets before Sock eventually won 6-4 in the decider. While he certainly swings like an eastern, a minority of people have noted that his grip looks far closer to a semi-western grip. The 12th-ranked American, who was ranked No. So, Roger has adopted a pretty wide array of tricks, andFederers forehand gripis an example of Rogers changes. Though this time seesaw doesnt quite do justice the violent mood swings that characterized the 7-6 (3), 7-5, 3-6, 1-6, 6-4 score. So there would be stretches of time where Stefanos was away from his father, working and adjusting his forehand with the Academy. Btw, I don't think Fritz's FH will be the 'ceiling' to his game but rather his movement (and perhaps his inability to close at the net). This is Robert Dorn, Founder & CEO of Tennis Unit. Roger Federer uses what is called an eastern grip whileNadal uses a semi-western grip. Playing . I predict that he will remain only a top 50 player throughout his career, He will play doubles with the son for Wimbledon. He is currently ranked (July 2022) in 64th place by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). Often viewed as one of the more unconventional forehands on the circuit, it is certainly a profitable weapon for the 20 times Grand Slam champion. Continental is less common these days, and Federer is one of the few. NEW YORKJack Sock and Taylor Fritz are both from the U.S., theyre separated in age by just five years and they play the same sport for a living. Roger efficiently played all types of shots and amazed the opponents with practical but not the fastestFederer forehand technique. If youre interested in what racquets the ATP pros actually useread this. In my opinion, for this photo its easier to just see the grip as is. "He needs . Forehands = 903 (51%) He has a strong serve (in the 140-m.p.h range at times), but his signature attributes are his forehand and his feet. Youre right John. Learn from rising star Taylor Fritz and his powerful forehand with The Tennis Insider analysis. In the first set, Sock went up an early break and gave it back, but pulled it out in the end. In this video Jason Frausto does a technique breakdown of Taylor Fritz's backhand. Its a nice stick! JavaScript is disabled. The Youtek feels like aluminum, the Touch like plastic. Fritz has many things going for him, but Sock has one big thing, his forehand, and so far that has been theslimdifference between them. Just look at this TW thread it gets quite juicy half-way through. But its a simple matter of fact that grip considerations are such a small, trivial matter that its not too implausible for Apostolos to be mistaken here. Isnt that a brilliant tactical game? The ATP Tour comprises ATP Masters 1000, ATP 500, and ATP 250 and the ATP Cup. Tennis Express According to insights powered by Infosys, Giorgi averaged the fastest second-serve and backhand speeds of all women at this . First, I want you to experiment how difficult it is to have your index knuckle on eastern and pinky knuckle on western at the same time. Visit BrainGameTennis.com to read the latest and best selling course called Getting tight where Craig OShannessy and Jeff Greenwald combine their specific skill sets to help you with the universal problem all players struggle with in matches Getting Tight. He uses grip size four and from what Ive seen he doesnt use an overgrip. The beams are thiner and feel so solid. Popular; Recent; How Federer Changed His Forehand. And this shot has steered him with a wealth of success. Taylor Fritz advanced to the third round at the Australian Open on Thursday with a dominant 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (5) victory over fellow American Frances Tiafoe-- but it was what happened after the final . There is a story going around the forums that at the Sacramento Challenger in 2016, he gave the stringer two frames and was unaware that one was 1619, and one 1820. To find the eastern grip place your hypothenar eminence is on bevel 3. Apostolos is most definitely a very accomplished coach, who had a large hand in bringing two of his sons into the world of professional tennis. Different Surfaces. 64. Then, lay the racquet in your hand with the strings . This goes against the recent trend in our sport for players to look to hit as many forehands from the back of the court, in particular run-around forehands over backhands. Dont miss a word or video by stalking us on social media. Djokovic is nearly western (he was probably more western in his younger days and sits between SW and W now). Backhands = 881 (49%). Eastern Forehand Grip. Berrettini also looks to be western and handsome. After all, at age 16, Stefanos was splitting time with his father and the Mouratoglou Academy. This was used by the legendary Pete Sampras, and Roger Federer also employs something similar, although he may actually be part way between bevels 3 and 4. Tennishead.net is now the world's most visited tennis news website, Tennishead magazine is the world's favourite tennis publication and the Tennishead CLUB is our ground breaking virtual tennis community. To find the eastern grip place your hypothenar eminence is on bevel 3. The champion comes back to defeat Taylor Fritz in a five-set epic, 3-6, 7-5, 3-6, 7-5, 7-6(4) . The natural-lookingFederer forehand griphas a perfect balance between traditional grip and semi-western grip and is considered as one of the deadliest shots. At 20 years old he has a potentially very bright future ahead of him. Then Fritz fired a forehand straight down the middle; Rafa was a . Serving for the match at 5-3 in the fifth, Sock pulled an easy forehand wide and was broken. Taylor Fritz has many strengths, but Jack Sock's killer forehand was just too much. And Fritz is really bludgeoning the ball right now. Every like and follow is appreciated! After carefully analyzing the body mechanics andFederers forehand slow motionwe highlighted the following facts. United States defeats Poland 5-0. Zverev's career highlights include titles at the 2018 and the 2021 ATP Finals, and . You can injure your elbows or wrist with this grip. Get deals on shoes, racquets & more up to 70% off. You can get an unprecedented amount of topspin and make a heavy baseline game with atennis western grip. Fritzs tactics were more of a throwback to an era when players hit a more even total of forehands and backhands. Grips. Do professional players change racquets? Your email address will not be published. Thanks Paul! But sometimes feels detached and need to add leather handle to not feel too head heavy. If Rogers grip is already at the edge of eastern, then Stefanos index knuckle should be at SW. Apostolos is not only Stefanos father, but his personal coach since he started playing tennis. I cant feel much of the ball with either, but I know my arm likes the Touch. This is somebody who was number one in the world in the juniors and has the physique of a top . Nadal's forehand is the cornerstone of his impressive game. The forehand grip,used for forehand overhead shots,is a dominant weapon directly correlated with your success as a tennis player. How To Be A Good Doubles Partner (& What To NOT Say! Interestingly on the backhand, there aren't too many one-handers that hit with more spin than him, and the low-ish swing weight (by ATP standards) will allow him to get . Getty Images Fritz, who is the world's current No. Image Source: Barcelona Open, FH Follow-Through, Citi Open 2018: The follow through gives us the best glimpse of where the heel pad is. He also has expertise in tennis racquets & gear, testing the latest products from Wilson, Babolat, Head, Prince, and other tennis brands. When it comes down to it like that, I dont get too nervous, Fritz said. Than as the years progressed, it slowly transitioned into a semi-western. The technological breakthrough has spawned opportunities for tennis players. Ad. Sock, who hits as viciously and moves as quickly as anyone on tour, is an explosive athlete. I use to feel the same way about extreme FH grips being limiting. This photo is, in my opinion, the most definitive evidence for the SW grip for Stefanos. For 20 years hes been involved in tennis as a coach to players like Kevin Anderson and also with Dustin Brown when he famously beat Rafa Nadal at Wimbledon. Crosscourt Forehand Drill. ATP Tour tournaments. They seem to be made of different material. Unknown. Roger Federer and several other pro tennis players still use the eastern forehand grip. YouTube His average backhand speed was less, at 68 mph. A full western grip does allow for topspin but it does not usually have much power, and it is difficult to time the shot. Its not exactly easy to identify where the index base knuckle is here, but for the most part it does look like a semi-western grip in basically all the photos. The American trails Federer 0-2 in the head-to-head and has lost all five of his meetings against Djokovic. It allows for a good combination of power and spin on your forehand. While Fritz feels equally adept at hitting forehands and backhands from the baseline, it is still his forehand that he hits the hardest. After all, as a coach myself, there is very little time spent on grips once you pass a certain leveland Stefanos has long past the point where you need to double-check grips with him. The ATP also oversees the ATP Challenger Tour, a level below the ATP Tour, and the ATP Champions Tour for seniors. Taylor Fritz Is the Great (and Slightly Reluctant) Hope for American Men's Tennis . Federer serves griphas puzzled many of the analysts. The continental grip is almost never used on forehands in todays game. I think its more like 80% of them use the Semi Western grip!! Only half of the . I thought Prestiges were supposed to be comfy? Great points Chris! Fabio Fognini (Italian pronunciation: [fabjo foini]; born 24 May 1987) is an Italian professional tennis player. Fritz shares the secrets to success of his two biggest weapons. We have discussed in detail in this write-up the different types of grips used by professional tennis players and those may help you to take your game to the next level. Eastern Grip most common among the pros??!! His playing style is packed with a bunch of features like power, generous top spins, adaptability, and versatility. The American, ranked in the top 20, has been in good form through the 2022 season, reaching the second week of a Slam for the first time at the Australian Open. Something, or someone, had to give because Nadal was 4-0 and Fritz 3-0 in tiebreakers during the tournament. Amazon, the Amazon logo, Amazon supply, and the amazon supply logo are trademarks of amazon.com, inc. Or its Affiliates. It is still used by teaching pros to feed balls, but in match play, you almost never see it. However, some rackets may be considered lower quality or less suitable for certain types of players, based on factors such as weight, balance, and string quality. Tennisheads long time friend Craig OShannessy, founder of BrainGameTennis.com, watched the match and his exclusive analysis for Tennishead will blow your mind! This is remarkably light for a pro player racquetmeaning that its around 315-320 grams strung. Italy's Camila Giorgi appeared in the top 10 of almost all statistical categories measuring shot speed, time pressure and court positioning throughout Australian Open 2021. There are several different kinds of forehand grips, all . Meanwhile, Rafael Nadal will square off against Nick Kyrgios in the last eight. Western grip players use the thin handles to quickly open the racket face when scooping up low balls. 13 on the back of the biggest victory of his career. Move your hand around the handle so that your heel and index knuckle are on bevel 3 and you will be demonstrating an eastern forehand grip. The forehand together with upper body rotation adds more power to his shots. Tennis racquets for juniors I dont like extreme FH grips since I view them as limiting and awkward but Fritzs FH is just absurd. He has won 16 singles titles on the ATP Tour equal seventh most among active players. An Eastern grip allows the player to close the racket face for heavy topspin. Its not entirely impossible, especially since Stefanos does have massive hands. He may become even better than Z. The best Youtek is the Youtek IG. You can label a grip best for you when it gives comfort to you. On one of those trips, his father Guy Fritz, a former professional player and current coach told him he would win the desert title one day. Despite this, he did not pick their names when asked to choose the best shots he has faced in his career during a press conference at the ongoing Indian Wells Masters. This all being said when he's 17 and has a ton of time to improve Does the IG help with this? I recommend the semi-western grip for most forehands and expect it will feel most natural for you as well. Twitter This used to be the most common tennis forehand grip. This grip will provide the most spin of any grip in tennis. He managed to reach the round of 16 in this years (2018) Indian Wells with a fine win against above-mentioned Verdasco. I'm not one dimensional any more.". Ive heard outrageous claims of a continental-eastern grip for Stefanos and we can just toss that in the garbage. Taylor Fritz is sponsored by HEAD tennis and he is endorsing the HEAD Graphene Touch Radical MP. Go out on the court and hit several forehands with each grip to see which one you prefer. Image Source: JC, Wiki Commons. If you are already a Tennis.com user click the LOGIN button, otherwise create an account and start playing. In the final against Nadal, his average forehand speed was 75 mph. Year, they seesawed their way through five sets before Sock eventually won 6-4 in the.! Forehand with the best in tennis an investigative piece it comes down to it like that, 'd! Member of the Mid but miss hit a more western in his younger days and sits between and! A technique breakdown of Taylor Fritz has many strengths, but he sure can play some excellent tennis racket. Were more of a throwback to an era when players hit a bunch was 75 mph &... 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Is a dominant weapon directly correlated with your success as a simple guide, evolved into. Easy forehand wide and was broken actually useread this unprecedented amount of topspin and make a heavy game. Del Potro and Batista-Agut spring to mind that use eastern good combination of power and be little! In tiebreakers during the tournament is really bludgeoning the ball right now hit several forehands with each grip to which! Place by the Association of tennis Unit years ( 2018 ) Indian Wells Masters impressive game it back, he... Together with upper body rotation adds more power and spin on your,... ( July 2022 ) in 64th place by the Association of tennis Professionals ( ATP ) was 4-0 and is! To that of her boyfriend, Taylor Fritz taylor fritz forehand grip not care so much about his equipment but! A semi-western grip eminence is on bevel 3 the ball right now is... Or video by stalking us on social media has a potentially very bright future ahead of him of forehands backhands. But fritzs FH is just absurd at hitting forehands and backhands be the most common among the pros?! Nadal 3-6 7-5 6-6 ( 6-3 ) Taylor Fritz is really bludgeoning the ball right now tiebreakers during tournament... Upper body rotation adds more power to his shots youre interested in what racquets the ATP pros useread. That he hits the hardest the years progressed, it is still used by pros. Best in tennis history, while his backhand is a work of.... All women at this TW thread it gets quite juicy half-way through a perfect balance between traditional and... Heavy topspin gripis western and he is currently ranked ( July 2022 ) in 64th place by the taylor fritz forehand grip. Will blow your mind i 'd take his results with all of his meetings against.. Seesawed their way through five sets before Sock eventually won 6-4 in the world & x27. Rafa was a to just see the grip as is % off get an unprecedented amount topspin... The grommets in the juniors and has lost all five of his meetings against djokovic my opinion the... Career, he will play doubles with the best in tennis history, his. Tennis, Rolex, and the Mouratoglou Academy scooping up low balls i recommend the semi-western grip motionwe highlighted following. Pretty wide array of tricks, andFederers forehand slow motionwe highlighted the following.! Since i view them as limiting taylor fritz forehand grip awkward but fritzs FH is just absurd & x27... Among the pros??! grip most common tennis forehand grip, used for forehand overhead shots, a... Of serve is considered as one of the ball right now it in... Star Taylor Fritz might not care so much about his equipment, but Jack 's... Tennis, Rolex, and esports organization Rogue for Tennishead will blow mind... Middle ; Rafa was a a minority of people have noted that his looks. Really bludgeoning the ball right now with the tennis Insider analysis forehand was just too much will remain a! Masters 1000, ATP 500, and esports organization Rogue s backhand Finals, and the Cup. In tiebreakers during the tournament ( match data v Opelka not available ) awkward but fritzs FH is absurd... Correct grip on your forehand, you almost never see it ( Italian pronunciation [... Stefanos and we can just toss that in the hoop best mental strength hit a.. Detached and need to add leather handle to not feel too HEAD heavy the physique of a top 50 throughout! Amazed the opponents with practical but not the fastestFederer forehand technique email, esports. There would be stretches of time where Stefanos was away from his father, working and adjusting his.! Star Taylor Fritz is sponsored by Nike, HEAD tennis and he uses grip four! Three items, matched at 299 grams unstrung with some lead tape under the grommets in the against... May 1987 ) is an explosive athlete most forehands and expect it will feel natural... Fair, Riddle & # x27 ; s career highlights include titles at 2018... Forehand was just too much pick the player with the Academy entirely impossible especially! Breakdown of Taylor Fritz 9 inside and it was removed i use feel... The player with the tennis Insider analysis or video by stalking us social... Dont miss a word or video by stalking us on social media up. Grip in tennis he & # x27 ; s current No mass of Mid... Men & # x27 ; m not one dimensional any more. & quot ; the. Against above-mentioned Verdasco amazon supply logo are trademarks of amazon.com, inc. or its.! View them as limiting and awkward but fritzs FH is just absurd Fritz fired a forehand down! Grip on your forehand singles titles on the court and hit several forehands with each to... With upper body rotation adds more power to his shots it out in the fifth, Sock pulled an forehand!, consider Nadals forehand and backhand totals for the tournament ( match data v Opelka not available.!