Top coach ranks the best 5 forehands ever and includes Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer
02/09/2024 11:29 AM
Patrick Mouratoglou has ranked the top five ATP forehands of all time and named tennis legends Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Pete Sampras on his list.
The leading coach also included South American icons Fernando Gonzalez and Juan Martin Del Potro and gave a breakdown of the latter’s legendary forehand.
Mouratoglou, who coaches at the Mouratoglou Tennis Academy in France, has worked with several current and retired tennis stars, including Serena Williams, Simona Halep, Coco Gauff, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Holger Rune.
In a video shared on his Instagram account, Mouratoglou analysed the devastating forehand of 2009 US Open champion and Argentine legend Del Potro.
Mouratoglou captioned the post with: “Juan Martin del Potro's rocket of a forehand was all about timing and accuracy – one of the most efficient shots I've ever seen. That's why it makes my top five forehands in tennis history.”
The Frenchman shared his top five forehands and rated Nadal’s iconic left-handed stroke as the best ever, followed by Gonzalez, Federer, Sampras and Del Potro in that order.
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On Del Potro’s unique weapon, Mouratoglou said: “Juan Martin Del Potro had one of the best forehands in history. The Argentinian had a very personal forehand with a big and high preparation, but his forehand was huge thanks to an incredible timing.
“I don’t remember having seen him frame a forehand ever. I barely have seen him hit this shot anywhere else than in the sweet spot of the racket-head. Juan Martin’s forehand was so efficient thanks to its depth and its pace.
“It was incredibly accurate, he could hit any zone, and he was playing so flat that its bounce was low. His forehand was one of the best in history for me.”
Patrick Mouratoglou’s top five forehands of all time:
1. Rafael Nadal
2. Fernando Gonzalez
3. Roger Federer
4. Pete Sampras
5. Juan Martin del Potro
Seven-time Grand Slam champion Mats Wilander is of the opinion that world No 2 and two-time major winner Carlos Alcaraz has the greatest forehand ever.
Following Alcaraz's win over Miomir Kecmanovic at last month’s Australian Open, Wilander lauded the variety the 20-year-old Spaniard has on his forehand side.
"He's got options, he's got so many options," the former world No 1 told Eurosport.
"He can go inside-out, inside-in with the forehand, he can go drop-shot both ways as well. And he can loop it up the way Rafa Nadal can do. So I think that you've gotta stay away from his forehand or you're gonna have a very, very long day.
"The acceleration is incredible. In terms of technique, I don't think I've ever seen a better forehand. It's not the big, loopy Rafa [forehand], it's better than [Novak] Djokovic."
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