[Gabe32]

This may be my least favorite term on MTF (after maybe "mug").

I don't understand how a legitimate tennis tactic is considered cheap. Federer (probably the greatest tennis player ever) can't handle Nadal's "moonballing" to his backhand.

Do people complain when Del Potro or Djokovic flatten out their shots and hit a bullet? Or a player that uses an abnormal amount of drop-shots?

To me, there is nothing wrong with hitting a "moonball." Rafa hits his forehand with an astounding amount of RPM (I think it is still the highest in the ATP). Literally, nobody in the world can do that but him. It seems like a very practical shot to have in one's arsenal, especially against shorter players/player's with weak backhands.

So is moonballing, in your opinion, cheap?

 

[SetSampras]

This may be my least favorite term on MTF (after maybe "mug").

I don't understand how a legitimate tennis tactic is considered cheap. Federer (probably the greatest tennis player ever) can't handle Nadal's "moonballing" to his backhand.

Do people complain when Del Potro or Djokovic flatten out their shots and hit a bullet? Or a player that uses an abnormal amount of drop-shots?

To me, there is nothing wrong with hitting a "moonball." Rafa hits his forehand with an astounding amount of RPM (I think it is still the highest in the ATP). Literally, nobody in the world can do that but him. It seems like a very practical shot to have in one's arsenal, especially against shorter players/player's with weak backhands.

So is moonballing, in your opinion, cheap?

I think it is. Of course it doesn't work against Nole or others who have solid backhands.. But it does continue to work on Fed and has since 2004.. Why change a winning strategy I guess. But it is cheap IMO. The only surface it doesn't work on is fast low indoor courts. But its like figuring out a loophole on slow courts. Once Nadal hits to the Fed BH he is already in control of the point. Of course, some of that can be deemed Fed's fault. There are guys with One HBH who wouldn't fall prey to Nadal's moonaballing. And Fed definitely should have employed more of a net game vs. Nadal and change his strategy up IMO

I would like to see Nadal just plain flat out hit Fed off the court.. He rarely does though.. He just moonballs it to the BH and Fed dumps it into the net

 

[Johnny Groove]

It is only called cheap by those who have no counter to it, or by those who's fave player has no counter to it.

 

[r2473]

I can get you a dozen for $6.

http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Moon-Balls

 

[Commander Data]

pretty cheap, just costs one knee-capsle

 

[Time Violation]

Well, as Dr. Ivo said, if you can win matches with only one shot (in his case serve obviously), you must be some kind of genius :lol:

 

[Gabe32]

I would like to see Nadal just plain flat out hit Fed off the court.. He rarely does though.. He just moonballs it to the BH and Fed dumps it into the net

Why!! That isn't his style. That is like saying "I would love just to see Roddick out-talent Federer" or "I would love it if Nadal just finally out-served Federer."

Is every style that you don't enjoy watching cheap? Must players "out-hit" (I don't agree with that term) their opponent for the win to be satisfactory?

 

[eieieishockey]

moonballing is CRIME! :no:

 

[Sham Kay Adams]

Just another tactic employed mainly to put your opponent off his or her rhythm. Tennis is not just about playing well yourself, it's about knowing how to best make your opponent uncomfortable and make them play worse when possible. There are so many amateur players who just do not know how to deal with them, I've begun imitating Nadal whenever possible.. sort of a plan C (B being slice like crap - unpredictable bounce = doomed amateurs) it might not look entertaining for the neutral viewer, but by gosh is it entertaining for the one playing the shot.

By gosh - who even says that anymore? But I digress.. and that.

 

[stewietennis]

Isn't a moonball hitting the ball up with no pace or spin, it's basically just to extend a point? I'm not sure why Rafa's is called a moonball as it's hit with a lot of pace and a massive amount of spin.

 

[samanosuke]

it costs a knee or two , more or less

 

[Sham Kay Adams]

Isn't a moonball hitting the ball up with no pace or spin, it's basically just to extend a point? I'm not sure why Rafa's is called a moonball as it's hit with a lot of pace and a massive amount of spin.

Nadals appearance forced the super secretive underground organization of Tennis term definers to redefine the word 'Moonballing' to a broader definition.

 

[bleu_cheese]

Moonballing is what Chang did in his match against Lendl. Nadal hasn't quite reached that level yet.

 

[xdrewitdajx]

there's a difference between real moonballing (Wozniacki comes to mind on occasion) and what Nadal does most of the time that gets called moonballing. In any case, it's not cheap...if it's legal and it works effectively, it's a good tactic, and that's that.
It's obviously not an indestructible force, and it might not be very fun to watch..but to say it's "cheap" is absurd. It's not a cheat code

 

[LoveFifteen]

What Nadal does is not moonballing. His haters just call it that to mitigate the pain they feel from all the times that Nadal has crushed Roger in Slams. :sad:

 

[allpro]

Moonballing is what Chang did in his match against Lendl.

now that was moonballing. clever, effective moonballing done out of desperation, not strategic planning.

 

[allpro]

What Nadal does is not moonballing. His haters just call it that to mitigate the pain they feel from all the times that Nadal has crushed Roger in Slams. :sad:

:haha::haha:

 

[Haelfix]

Almost any male pro tennis player in the top 200 will more or less crush a standard moon ball 99 times out of a 100. Once in a blue moon it might throw them off, but once they get a bead on it, its a losing tactic. I mean, the usual way of dealing with them is to step into the court take it early and rip a big angled shot.

Now, certain players like Rafa who can put an incredible amount of spin on the ball (far more than normal humans) can increase their net clearance to the point that it does look similar. But then its a completely different proposition, b/c its very difficult to hit Rafa's shots early due to the bad bounce from the excessive spin. Which means that almost all players have to step back and deal with it on the way down. (the one exception seems to be Nalbandian)

 

[allpro]

Just another tactic employed mainly to put your opponent off his or her rhythm. Tennis is not just about playing well yourself, it's about knowing how to best make your opponent uncomfortable and make them play worse when possible. There are so many amateur players who just do not know how to deal with them, I've begun imitating Nadal whenever possible.. sort of a plan C (B being slice like crap - unpredictable bounce = doomed amateurs) it might not look entertaining for the neutral viewer, but by gosh is it entertaining for the one playing the shot.

By gosh - who even says that anymore? But I digress.. and that.

i bet most americans harping about "moonballing" have never even played on a clay court, much less gotten his/her ass kicked by a european or s. american who grew up on the stuff.

 

[Zare1]

if moonballing is cheap then slice is cheap