One of the things that makes tennis so great to watch is the varied styles of play by those taking part. The majority of the leading players in the sport have their own strengths and weaknesses.
We’ve decided to look at whose strengths we would pick if we were putting together the complete player. Of course, this is all mythical. We have broken it down to the four main skill sets required to be successful as a tennis player.
Backhand – Roger Federer
Despite being 39 years old now, there is not a backhand in tennis like Roger Federer’s. His one-handed shot is as smooth as silk. He has put his confidence in it throughout his career in big moments in a match and it has not let him down. His record of 20 Grand Slam singles titles shows that.
Outside of Federer, Richard Gasquet and Grigor Dimitrov both also get special mentions for their backhands, but we had to side with the Federer Express.
Forehand – Rafael Nadal
Spaniard Rafael Nadal has shown power on the tennis court that has never been seen before in the sport. He has brute force and that is shown with his forehand. When he connects down the line, no player in history can return the ball. Nadal’s forehand has worked on all three surfaces, but it is clay where the majority of his success has come.
The King of Clay has been successful 10 times in the French Open at Roland-Garros. His forehand has won him so many points during those successful tournaments. It would be no surprise to see Nadal return to Paris for more glory in 2022. He is 7/4 in the tennis betting to regain his title next year and it is sure to be an exciting event.
Return – Novak Djokovic
There could have been a case for including world number one Novak Djokovic in a number of these categories as he is probably as close as you can get to the perfect player. There can be no doubt that he is the best returner of the ball in the sport today, and most probably of all time.
Djokovic never gives up on a point, something which must frustrate any opponent. Just when they think they have made a winner, the ball comes back with interest to their side of the court. His victory at Wimbledon earlier this year ensured he joins Federer and Nadal on 20 Grand Slam titles. Expect to see him take that record outright in the near future.
Serve – Matteo Berrettini
Italy’s Matteo Berrettini reached his maiden Grand Slam at Wimbledon this year and that is unlikely to be his last. He is a player who is on the up in the men’s rankings and he may be a future world number one.
Berrettini’s biggest strength is his service game. It is powerful but also accurate. He is second on the ATP’s most Aces list in 2021. Only Alexander Bublik has hit more than the man from Rome which shows you how many quick points he can pick up from his serve.
Fortunately for those on the men’s tour, the ‘perfect player’ cannot be constructed, otherwise it would be hard to see them losing a game with all of the four above components.
