A good way of improving your own game is by watching the pro’s play. Pick your favourite player and review video footage with your tennis coach or you playing partner, and analyse the parts of your game that needs improvement and how the pro copes with the same shot.
Some of the pro’s are able to play shots that many recreational players cannot, this is due mostly to their physical condition and also the fact that they are used to playing balls that the amateur player rarely has to face. So do not try to replicate every shot they do, but look at their technique and see if there are any tips you can pick up.
In this blog we look at David Ferrer and the shots he is particularly good at.
Forehand
Ferrer tends to run around his backhand often in order to play his forehand, as he is a great exponent of this shot and is able to play it inside-out and inside-in. He generates most of his power through the lower body and legs.
David likes to hit with a lot of topspin that sometimes he lands the ball too short, if he extended out to the ball more he would not use the windshield wiper as much.
Backhand
Ferrer is one of the many pro’s who uses the two handed backhand. His grip is good and his swing is rhythmic. Usually David gets plenty of depth with his backhand but he lacks some of the power other players on the tour have.
Slice
When he defends on the run Ferrer nearly always hits the ball with two hands. He has a good and solid slice on his backhand that is very effective.
Volleys
Ferrer has excellent technique on his volleys, he manages this by keeping the racket head stable on his forehand and backhand volleys. This allows him to finish off points at the net which is unusual for a baseline player, and it is a shame he does not utilise this tactic more often.
Serve
Although David Ferrer is not particularly tall for a professional tennis player he has a solid serve. His serving motion is fluid and he manages a fair few aces on his serve. Like many players he could benefit from having more separation between the hips and shoulders.
Unlike the great servers, he does not turn away from the target in motion. Turning away involves rotating the shoulders to the right so that the back is directed more towards the net. All great servers achieve this, and he could benefit from this too.
David Ferrer is a counter attacking player and his normal court position is generally a few feet behind the baseline, therefore his defense gave is solid.
