First of all, let me apologise for the long period without posting...Truth is, I forgot my email to the blog and I didn't remember it until now! Things happen right?
Now to the topic...
Okay, so there's been all of this skepticism about Andy Murray's forehand. People are saying that his forehand is weak and that he's not aggressive enough, doesn't take enough chances etc. However, there is much to say about his backhand in the sense that it is easily one of the best returns; furthermore, he can create angles, drive through the ball, loop or slice the ball, not forgetting that he can change the direction from cross court to down the line and crank a winner out of nowhere. So the question is, why all of this disparity? Let's analyze the two strokes:
Backhand:
Notice that even before the winner he always makes sure that his shoulders are turned and that his stances he uses are primarily closed stances. This is the opposite of the popular open stances that are taught in today's contemporary game. Another thing is that he takes the racquet back independently of his head, meaning that he keeps his head still while he turns his body instead of turning his head first and then turning his body. This allows for a solid follow through. Finally, the extension through the ball in addition to good core rotation allows him to hit the cross court winner as seen in the video (at about 10 seconds in).
Now for the forehand:
Alright...In this video Andy Murray is still dominating by hitting the forehand winner, so all is fair in this analysis. However, there are minute disparities that make a huge difference between the backhand and forehand shots. A major thing is his stance. An open stance is fine for being stretched off of the court or when moving to a shot, but five seconds into the video where he gets the ball that is directly to him that stances needs to be closed. This allows for a better and easier drive through the ball since your body is not prone to opening as it is with a open stance. Another thing is that he slightly opens his body before hitting the shot. This is evident at 25 seconds in the video. In this particular case he is clearly at the advantageous part of the point. However, this lack of footwork and the slight flaw in the forehand can produce errors under pressure. Also, the footwork issue can be a problem towards the center of the court where you usually try to end the point. This causes the slight self doubt that comes with Andy Murray's forehand.
Here's on of my favourite videos...Andy Murray practicing the forehand and backhand while recovering from a wrist injury:
Fyi, I do not own these videos...Just using them for example and for your entertainment
