TENNIS WTA SHOT GUIDE – It is offseason time, so Ubitennis is having a look at the past year and rating the WTA players for their abilities in each of the fundamentals of tennis.
Season is officially over now. Fed Cup has been won, the Finals have given their verdict and the ranking has finally been decided.
Yes, 2014 is over for tennis fans, but in a little more than a month, the next season will start and, as usual, every player will be immediately tested for all the hard work they will have put in these weeks away from international competitions.
But before this will happen, we thought it would be interesting to redact a guide to the best ground strokes and fundamentals that shone during the past season, as to set a standard for the next one and check who will improve or decline in each section.
- Volleys
Net game is not dead. It has seen better days, but not all the players have forgot, or rather never learnt, what to do before the ball bounces.
1) Roberta Vinci: the old styled game of the Italian is a joy to watch when she reaches the net. There is nothing she cannot do when she charges, it is not a case she is world number one in doubles and owns a career slam.
2) Petra Kvitova: she is probably the best volleyer who is not a regular doubles’ player. Actually, she is even better than some of the doubles specialists. She has both great anticipation and amazing touch skills, her positioning can be a liability though.
3) Agnieszka Radwanska: the Pole strikes again, when it comes to hand skills, she is on the front row. However, she lacks of definitive volleys when she has to hit through.
4) Flavia Pennetta: the Italian has been world number one in doubles and she clearly does not miss an opportunity to show why. She does not venture often, but she rarely does it on the wrong moment and even more rarely she loses the point, she has got every solution at the net.
5) Sara Errani: Another Italian on the top of this section, but it is hardly surprising, she pairs with Vinci in doubles and learnt to transfer the doubles’ skills to singles, despite her reduced size.
Honourable mentions: Francesca Schiavone, years are passing for the French Open champion, but never ever underestimate her if she charges the net. Alison Riske, the American does not posses the best volleying by any means, but is probably the last player to opt for serve and volley quite often.
- Passing shots
Even the best volleyers have their natural enemy in some players, who seem to just love passing shots.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlstHDOPea8
1) Angelique Kerber: the German is probably one of the most accurate players in her accelerations, but give her a target to pass at the net and she is just perfect. Her lefty running forehand can be a nightmare if you are charging the net.
2) Eugenie Bouchard: the young Canadian is a very fine baseliner, but it is hard to take away time from her. She reads the game well and can pass you easily from both sides.
3) Simona Halep: the Roland Garros finalist is simply a marksman when it comes to passing shots. To make it harder for her opponents, she hides the direction of her shots until the very last moment.
4) Caroline Wozniacki: the Dane is not as accurate as the ones above and her shots tend to go mostly cross court when her opponent comes to the net. However, you know you may need three or four volleys to close the point and that puts a lot of pressure.
5) Agnieszka Radwanska: you never know what kind of ball she will make you play. Unpredictability is the biggest weapon of the Pole, also when it comes to passing shots.
To be continued next week, who will be the best 5 dancers? Look at their feet and come back next week
