Roger Federer enjoyed stunning success on the courts thanks to many areas of his game, some of which haven’t been witnessed since his retirement.
Federer retired from tennis in 2022, having claimed 20 Grand Slam titles and a total of 103 titles on the ATP Tour.
He’s behind only Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal in the all-time men’s Grand Slam list, and only Jimmy Connors on the ATP list.
But no other player outclassed the Swiss star for his grace and elegance, with Federer bringing a certain class to the sport that hadn’t been seen before.
Patrick Mouratoglou names the only two players capable of performing Roger Federer’s ‘sneak attack’
Tennis coach Patrick Mouratoglou has advice on how to hit a great slice, an elegant shot Federer mastered, with the former now sharing insight into another of the latter’s superb skills.
Asked if he thinks it’s possible to execute Federer’s ‘sneak attack’ in today’s tennis, and if Djokovic can do it, Mouratoglou replied on his Instagram story: “Well, not easy to do.
“I mean actually, that’s probably one of the most difficult shots possible, because you’re right behind the service line and you need to do a half-volley coming from a serve of the opponent and then rush to the net.
“You have to be extremely fast-reacting. Imagine a serve on which you are right behind the service line, and you have to do a half volley.
“Of course, you don’t do it on a first serve, you do it on a second serve. I mean, not so many players could do that. Probably Novak, probably [Carlos] Alcaraz too.”
Patrick Mouratoglou responds when asked why female players bend down when hitting
Mouratoglou was answering several questions on his social media, including why female players bend down when hitting the ball.
He replied: “I think every player, male or female, has to bend. It’s very important because you need to be fully balanced when you hit the shots.
“This happens mostly when on a second serve, they’re attacked by the opponent on a ball that comes very fast, deep in the middle.
“When you play flat on grass, the ball stays extremely low. The rule when you play tennis is to be as low as you need, depending on the ball.
“You need to bend your knees all the time, but when the ball is extremely low, you have to be even lower so you can have the head of the racket go under the ball, and if you stand too high it’s going to be impossible to do it.”
Mouratoglou is constantly offering expert tips and insight for his followers, who would be wise to listen to every word he has to say.
The Frenchman is one of the most respected coaches in the sport, having worked with the likes of Serena Williams, Simona Halep and Naomi Osaka among other high-profile names.
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