3:09 as much as the world are super ecstatic to see Rafa once again playing on tour, I *sincerely* hope that he doesn't feel immense pressure to 'go all out' at Roland Garros and does irreparable damage to his body in the process, all for our pleasure/entertainment, as "proof" that he really "gave his all on the court" We want Rafa to be healthy enough to continue playing for many more years on the Legends tour a la Mansour Bahrami 😄
16:32 is quite funny/interesting to see that Swiatek, Rybakina, and Sabalenka all have somewhat of a "rock (Iga), paper (Elena), scissors (Aryna)" relationship, terms of their wins vs each other 😅 *H2H wins results: Iga 6 vs 3 Aryna Aryna 5 vs 3 Elena Elena 4 vs 2 Iga *as of April 22nd 2024
1st 500 title for Ruud, I was also glad to see Struff finally win his 1st ATP title he was easily one of the best players without one imo and also happy for Marton Fucsovics who won his 2nd ATP Title in Bucharest.
Whenever I see Ruud he is the only player in the top that consistently makes boneheaded errors by the net or is given a “second life ball” which he squanders….he seems to just go blank in those situations…and I am a Scandinavian rooting for him…I just can’t stand this…if he fixes this he will go upwards…
Nikola, I must say that I disagree with you on Tsitsipas and Gauff not having technical issues with backhand and forehand respectively. Main reason why these shots are weakness is because of technique. Tennis is so complex technically that even on pro level many players do not have elite shots. There is big difference between having technically sound technique and having elite technique, and reason is again of technical nature. Small details in technique make huge difference and separate shot from being weakness to being a weapon. Djokovic, Nadal and Federer accomplished so much because they constantly worked on their technique. Tsitsipas backhand is weak because of his grip, racket is too opened. Wawrinka's backhand should be the model we all look at. Gauff forehand is huge weakness also because of her grip, she must go more eastern to have more crushing contact with the ball. She has so thin contact with the ball. Problem completely of technical nature. When she is at her best mentally she makes it work somehow, but with that she only covers technical issue which is there. That is not solution. Zverev has technical issues on forehand, Paire massive issue on forehand, De Minaur huge technical issues on serve and forehand, Khachanov, Tiafoe, Kyrgios some small technical issues on forehand. Paul also has problems on forehand. So many examples. Whoever loves tennis should work on their technique constantly until very satisfying level is reached. For example, Nikola, you have very nice serve. pro level serve without a doubt, but your forehand and backhand look weak, much behind your serve technically. Event though you do have sound technique on your backhand and forehand, you should want more. You could have much more superior technique than what you have now.
Hi. I am also intrigued with Nicola's thought process. But he works with players all the time so has an abundance of knowledge. I have just written a message on Gauff. I don't know if it is a technical issue per se. My gut feeling (for some time) is her stance. Along with the likes of Andy Murray, Amelie Mauresmo among others. Pivoting off the backfoot when hitting their forehands often, backing off, consequently dropping the ball short often in rallies and vulnerable to attack. These types of players who adopt this stance also tend to be counterpunchers more often than not. And Gauff is definitely a counterpuncher by nature, just look at her US Open run and the final itself. Personally I am not a fan of that stance, no player who adopts that stance has a forehand which can be considered a weapon. And it gets worse, these types of players suffer terrible injuries, in Murray and Kuerten's case, hip injuries ruined their career. With all that rotation having to go into every shot, trying to get good contact or making something happen. Sergei Bruguera, Amelie Mauresmo, Alexander Zrevev to a certain extent. In my opinion it is just an not efficient way to hit forehands.
I don’t think Iga will break Evert’s record. Evert had the advantage of Navratilova being much worse on clay for many years and the power game was just starting in the WTA with Navratilova herself, but Rybakina is power and finesse and until she won Wimbledon Roland Garros was her best slam beating Serena in Serena’s last ever Roland Garros in straight sets(when Serena was still believing she could win slams). Once Rybakina can reliably get deep in most tournaments then Iga is going to be in trouble even at Roland Garros(she better pray that Rybakina either passes Gauff and Sabalenka or doesn’t end up on her side of the draw for RG this time because I doubt Rybakina is going to get sick during RG again this year). Iga was lucky that Rybakina was tired in the Doha final and cut her knee because Rybakina was going to win that match too and defeat Iga at yet another tournament where she dominates. Rybakina is the only current player to have an undefeated record against Iga on clay and one of the only players period to have a winning record overall against Iga(Ostapenko is undefeated against Iga obviously but they haven’t played 6 times and they haven’t played on clay yet) A Rybakina that is playing a little bit smarter and moving well on clay is going to stop Iga quite a few times at RG and there really isn’t another player you can say that about. Rybakina benefits not only from fast courts but also slow courts because she can play defense easier and hit better shots, so there isn’t really a court that will give Iga the definitive advantage against Rybakina while Rybakina has the clear advantage on faster courts.
Better to have losing record against 2 players than half the field like Rybakina does. Not to mention her poor finals record. Rybakina is the one that got more prays to do than Iga 😂
Nick about popularity of tennis the big thing is how it is developing in China now. It is getting big there and this wholly change the tennis world. Think about the market, the tv rights, the new players every year, etc. I am not talking about the good results of Zhangs (male and female) or the Wangs. It is developing at the root level, with clubs popping everywhere in the cities. It is becoming a popular sport.
So happy for Ruud. He looks as a really nice guy❤. Just imagine how tough it is to win anything when a guy like Ruud, an established top ten player, WTF finalist, clay court specialist, has won his first 500-level title😮
A few years ago, Casper Ruud was filmed crowing and beating his breast for joy when his opponent was disqualified at Rome. The opponent shook hands with the umpire, the supervisor and Ruud, who further called for a year's ban on his opponent who had thrown a chair onto an empty court. The opponent never played clay again. Ruud flourishes on clay. Not a gentleman. I cannot enjoy his tennis.
@intuitiveTennis My question is this regarding Gauff's forehand. Now you don't see it as a technical weakness but a straight up weakness. I have observed something for a long time with these players. Gustavo Kuerten, Andy Murray, Sergei Bruguera, Amelie Mauresmo, more recently Alexander Zrevev among others. These players tend to pivot off their backfoot when hitting their forehands. Consequently, their forehands are never weapons. They can drop the ball short and are vulnerable to attack in rallies. These players also tend to be counterpunchers by nature. I see it as an old school clay court stance which I am not a fan of. These players do not really have a semi open stance which would allow their forehands to be more of a weapon if they developed their footwork in that way. Also, it seems that players who use this stance also suffer terrible injuries around the hip area, Kuerten and Murray the two biggest examples. They turn their whole body to get the shot into play, it looks unnatural and there must be some biomechanics issue. So to me, Gauff pivots and hits her forehand off the backfoot far too often, dropping it short, not being a weapon. So, would you call that a weakness? She's a pro so unlikely to change now but I think this will be a hindrance to the domination of the WTA Tour that she clearly desires.
@@davidhale8034 She has said publicly she wants to be the number 1 player. That's her goal. In fact she talked about hoping to dominate in future during a press conference back in summer 2022.
Thank you for the much deserved praise of Sloane Stephens, one of my favourite players ❤. She is simply superb, a complete professional, a great ambassador for this beautiful sport we all love, and 100% class in every respect.
Tsitsipas Backhand Discussion
👉 ruclips.net/video/O2tUoOuGA2w/видео.htmlsi=1R-yL_bJ488hN9ap
3:09 as much as the world are super ecstatic to see Rafa once again playing on tour, I *sincerely* hope that he doesn't feel immense pressure to 'go all out' at Roland Garros and does irreparable damage to his body in the process, all for our pleasure/entertainment, as "proof" that he really "gave his all on the court"
We want Rafa to be healthy enough to continue playing for many more years on the Legends tour a la Mansour Bahrami 😄
If he doesn't go all out in French Open then he should just retire and stick to Golf and enjoy his life.
16:32 is quite funny/interesting to see that Swiatek, Rybakina, and Sabalenka all have somewhat of a "rock (Iga), paper (Elena), scissors (Aryna)" relationship, terms of their wins vs each other 😅
*H2H wins results:
Iga 6 vs 3 Aryna
Aryna 5 vs 3 Elena
Elena 4 vs 2 Iga
*as of April 22nd 2024
Rybakina is beating Sabalenka in terms of sets now though.
If Rybakina plays Sabalenka again she will definitely win again.
1st 500 title for Ruud, I was also glad to see Struff finally win his 1st ATP title he was easily one of the best players without one imo and also happy for Marton Fucsovics who won his 2nd ATP Title in Bucharest.
Bennetau and Struff were the best without title for sure,now only Bennetau
@yeeeaaahmayneee3808 yh I agree. Benneteau was a good player and reached 10 finals in his career without winning one.
So sooo happy for Rudd!
What The Vlog is a great channel, good shout out.
Lena ❤
That is a beautiful shirt❤
Amazing 😍
you should talk about how the atp foundation is absolutely fucking over our up and coming guys with the points reductions in challengers and much more
Whenever I see Ruud he is the only player in the top that consistently makes boneheaded errors by the net or is given a “second life ball” which he squanders….he seems to just go blank in those situations…and I am a Scandinavian rooting for him…I just can’t stand this…if he fixes this he will go upwards…
Nikola, I must say that I disagree with you on Tsitsipas and Gauff not having technical issues with backhand and forehand respectively. Main reason why these shots are weakness is because of technique. Tennis is so complex technically that even on pro level many players do not have elite shots. There is big difference between having technically sound technique and having elite technique, and reason is again of technical nature. Small details in technique make huge difference and separate shot from being weakness to being a weapon. Djokovic, Nadal and Federer accomplished so much because they constantly worked on their technique. Tsitsipas backhand is weak because of his grip, racket is too opened. Wawrinka's backhand should be the model we all look at. Gauff forehand is huge weakness also because of her grip, she must go more eastern to have more crushing contact with the ball. She has so thin contact with the ball. Problem completely of technical nature. When she is at her best mentally she makes it work somehow, but with that she only covers technical issue which is there. That is not solution. Zverev has technical issues on forehand, Paire massive issue on forehand, De Minaur huge technical issues on serve and forehand, Khachanov, Tiafoe, Kyrgios some small technical issues on forehand. Paul also has problems on forehand. So many examples. Whoever loves tennis should work on their technique constantly until very satisfying level is reached. For example, Nikola, you have very nice serve. pro level serve without a doubt, but your forehand and backhand look weak, much behind your serve technically. Event though you do have sound technique on your backhand and forehand, you should want more. You could have much more superior technique than what you have now.
Hi. I am also intrigued with Nicola's thought process. But he works with players all the time so has an abundance of knowledge. I have just written a message on Gauff. I don't know if it is a technical issue per se. My gut feeling (for some time) is her stance. Along with the likes of Andy Murray, Amelie Mauresmo among others. Pivoting off the backfoot when hitting their forehands often, backing off, consequently dropping the ball short often in rallies and vulnerable to attack. These types of players who adopt this stance also tend to be counterpunchers more often than not. And Gauff is definitely a counterpuncher by nature, just look at her US Open run and the final itself.
Personally I am not a fan of that stance, no player who adopts that stance has a forehand which can be considered a weapon. And it gets worse, these types of players suffer terrible injuries, in Murray and Kuerten's case, hip injuries ruined their career. With all that rotation having to go into every shot, trying to get good contact or making something happen. Sergei Bruguera, Amelie Mauresmo, Alexander Zrevev to a certain extent.
In my opinion it is just an not efficient way to hit forehands.
Rybakina doesn't have driver's license....I'd happily chauffeur her ...ha ha. Agree about Ruud, he is well spoken.
I don’t think Iga will break Evert’s record.
Evert had the advantage of Navratilova being much worse on clay for many years and the power game was just starting in the WTA with Navratilova herself, but Rybakina is power and finesse and until she won Wimbledon Roland Garros was her best slam beating Serena in Serena’s last ever Roland Garros in straight sets(when Serena was still believing she could win slams).
Once Rybakina can reliably get deep in most tournaments then Iga is going to be in trouble even at Roland Garros(she better pray that Rybakina either passes Gauff and Sabalenka or doesn’t end up on her side of the draw for RG this time because I doubt Rybakina is going to get sick during RG again this year). Iga was lucky that Rybakina was tired in the Doha final and cut her knee because Rybakina was going to win that match too and defeat Iga at yet another tournament where she dominates.
Rybakina is the only current player to have an undefeated record against Iga on clay and one of the only players period to have a winning record overall against Iga(Ostapenko is undefeated against Iga obviously but they haven’t played 6 times and they haven’t played on clay yet)
A Rybakina that is playing a little bit smarter and moving well on clay is going to stop Iga quite a few times at RG and there really isn’t another player you can say that about.
Rybakina benefits not only from fast courts but also slow courts because she can play defense easier and hit better shots, so there isn’t really a court that will give Iga the definitive advantage against Rybakina while Rybakina has the clear advantage on faster courts.
Better to have losing record against 2 players than half the field like Rybakina does. Not to mention her poor finals record. Rybakina is the one that got more prays to do than Iga 😂
@@krystiankowalik132
Rybakina doesn’t have a losing record against half the field.
Good recap some of the big stories in tennis. Also Fucsovic won his first title since 2018 and moved up 29 places in the rankings.
Nick about popularity of tennis the big thing is how it is developing in China now. It is getting big there and this wholly change the tennis world. Think about the market, the tv rights, the new players every year, etc. I am not talking about the good results of Zhangs (male and female) or the Wangs. It is developing at the root level, with clubs popping everywhere in the cities. It is becoming a popular sport.
So happy for Ruud. He looks as a really nice guy❤.
Just imagine how tough it is to win anything when a guy like Ruud, an established top ten player, WTF finalist, clay court specialist, has won his first 500-level title😮
A few years ago, Casper Ruud was filmed crowing and beating his breast for joy when his opponent was disqualified at Rome. The opponent shook hands with the umpire, the supervisor and Ruud, who further called for a year's ban on his opponent who had thrown a chair onto an empty court. The opponent never played clay again. Ruud flourishes on clay. Not a gentleman. I cannot enjoy his tennis.
@intuitiveTennis My question is this regarding Gauff's forehand. Now you don't see it as a technical weakness but a straight up weakness. I have observed something for a long time with these players. Gustavo Kuerten, Andy Murray, Sergei Bruguera, Amelie Mauresmo, more recently Alexander Zrevev among others. These players tend to pivot off their backfoot when hitting their forehands. Consequently, their forehands are never weapons. They can drop the ball short and are vulnerable to attack in rallies. These players also tend to be counterpunchers by nature.
I see it as an old school clay court stance which I am not a fan of. These players do not really have a semi open stance which would allow their forehands to be more of a weapon if they developed their footwork in that way.
Also, it seems that players who use this stance also suffer terrible injuries around the hip area, Kuerten and Murray the two biggest examples. They turn their whole body to get the shot into play, it looks unnatural and there must be some biomechanics issue.
So to me, Gauff pivots and hits her forehand off the backfoot far too often, dropping it short, not being a weapon.
So, would you call that a weakness? She's a pro so unlikely to change now but I think this will be a hindrance to the domination of the WTA Tour that she clearly desires.
"domination she clearly desires"?? Wtf?
@@davidhale8034 She has said publicly she wants to be the number 1 player. That's her goal. In fact she talked about hoping to dominate in future during a press conference back in summer 2022.
Thank you for the much deserved praise of Sloane Stephens, one of my favourite players ❤. She is simply superb, a complete professional, a great ambassador for this beautiful sport we all love, and 100% class in every respect.
💯
Fun-Fact (relating to Nadal's recent modified slow-serve): between 2004 and mid-2007, Nadal's 1st-serve usually was around 106-108mph/170-173kph
14:58 that loss *still* stings to this day... 😢
Thanks! Struff is my favorite player and I couldn’t have been more happy to watch him destroy Fritz