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Alcaraz forehand now top 3 in this sport in open era?

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1K views 56 replies 27 participants last post by  BauerAlmeida  
#1 · (Edited)
Across all surfaces

Forehand starting to look amazing. Similar to a short king version of Del potro in terms of power and acceleration off that wing. Similar take back and follow thru on this shot.

1. Federer
2. Nadal
3. Alcaraz*
4. Novak
5. Sinner*

* denotes currently playing.

Novaks backhand (esp DTL ) and return were his weapons but forehand not especially known to be as reputed as Fed or Nadals forehand. He did however pull some amazing shots of that wing over a long period of time, plus 24 GS, he earns #4 place on this list for Forehand.

Alcaraz forehand is now top 3 (he has 6 GS and is still only 22). He can give the ball a huge rip on the FH.

Sampras is definitely outside top 5, as he played in an era of S&V where baseline rallying shots werent that important.
 
#3 ·
Condorwerewolf said:
Sinner should not even be in the top 30. A complete joke of a forehand, especially when stretched. Alcaraz is definitely tied with Federer.
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4 majors though, his forehand looked good in those wins past 2 years. Hes been a bit out of form Apart from the Wimbledon win this year.

Off clay Alcaraz is tied with Roger now , yep, but Nadal has a lot of clay wins and that forehand was mighty strong on Clay.
 
W
#28 ·
You haven’t really seen Sampras play, have you? The “serve and volley era” line is a fallacy. You don’t downgrade the quality of a shot because the game style was different.

Sampras’s forehand was
• explosive off both wings, inside out and inside in. If he got set, the rally was often basically over. His running forehand was his trademark shot (along with the jump smash).
• technically modern with his windshield wiper finish. That swing path is the foundation of the modern forehand everyone hits today.
• deadly on fast courts. Wimbledon, US Open, indoors, his forehand cut through the surface and ended points outright.
• respected by peers. Agassi, Courier, Rafter, they all pointed to his forehand along with the serve as the shot that sometimes made him unplayable.
• his lifeline on clay. Even on his weakest surface, and in an era when clay really played different, it was the forehand explosion that often kept him competitive.

Saying baseline rallies weren’t as important is irrelevant. That’s like dismissing Bolt’s 100m because it’s not a 1500m. The shot itself was elite, era independent and often decisive.

Sampras doesn’t just belong in the conversation for top forehands. On influence, mechanics, and raw effectiveness, he’s right at or near the top of the list.
 
#29 ·
william_ph said:
You haven’t really seen Sampras play, have you? The “serve and volley era” line is a fallacy. You don’t downgrade the quality of a shot because the game style was different.

Sampras’s forehand was
• explosive off both wings, inside out and inside in. If he got set, the rally was often basically over. His running forehand was his trademark shot (along with the jump smash).
• technically modern with his windshield wiper finish. That swing path is the foundation of the modern forehand everyone hits today.
• deadly on fast courts. Wimbledon, US Open, indoors, his forehand cut through the surface and ended points outright.
• respected by peers. Agassi, Courier, Rafter, they all pointed to his forehand along with the serve as the shot that sometimes made him unplayable.
• his lifeline on clay. Even on his weakest surface, and in an era when clay really played different, it was the forehand explosion that often kept him competitive.

Saying baseline rallies weren’t as important is irrelevant. That’s like dismissing Bolt’s 100m because it’s not a 1500m. The shot itself was elite, era independent and often decisive.

Sampras doesn’t just belong in the conversation for top forehands. On influence, mechanics, and raw effectiveness, he’s right at or near the top of the list.
Click to expand...
Sampras FH is 5 for me, well above Sinner and maybe Djokovic on very fast surfaces but overall 5 on this ranking.
 
#33 ·
Del Potro (the best FH)
Federer
Nadal
Alcaraz

Verdasco
Gonzalez
Djokovic
Berdych
Tsonga
Sampras
Agassi
Tsitsipas

That's my FH list. Not necessarily in order but first 4 are kinda clear to me. Delpo still tops that list for me. It was just a perfect shot and had the most power. Consistent power and topspin mattered the most in FH duels and none dared to trade FHs CCs for long with prime Delpo. Not even Federer. He had to resort to other means to get his wins.
 
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#36 ·
He is the thing about Djokovic's FH. It's the perfect counterpunching FH, but it clearly lacks a bit when it comes to killing a point from just anywhere. No all-time pace generation there (especially from low balls) so it does have some offensive limits. Simply not big enough (from several positions) basically, but defence-to-offence, consistent depth and changing directions make it a very special shot. It's somewhere in the top 10 perhaps but not top 5. Top 5 should be for big FHs that are flamethrowers at their peak.
 
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W
#50 ·
That's why Djokovic has a bit of a special place here. Djokovic’s forehand is unique. He could absorb Del Potro’s missiles and redirect them in ways no one else could. It’s not raw power but timing, precision, and anticipation, almost like jiu-jitsu - using an opponent’s strength against him. In that sense, it could be number one, but only when orchestrated with the opponent.
 
#55 ·
This conversation like many on this forum is incredibly nuanced and not black and white. Nadals forehand is the single greatest forehand, or weapon period, on a clay court in tennis history; and it ain't close. It however, was more vulnerable for Nadal on a quicker, lower bouncing surface due to his longer take -back in the stroke and less compact mechanics, so could be rushed and rendered less effective though still great. Therefore, the Federer or sampras forehand, is better on grass for example. So it's nuanced. No definitive greatest forehand. Have to factor in surfaces and conditions.
 
#57 ·
1- Federer
2- Nadal
3- del Potro (with better movement could be 1, who knows)
4- Alcaraz (no recency bias, I genuinely think it's becoming an insane shot)
5- Sampras
6- Lendl
7- Borg
8- González
9- Djokovic
10- Sinner
 
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