David Ferrer Photo #1: In a Land of Giants
David Ferrer Photo #1: In a Land of Giants
At 5'9", David Ferrer is slightly taller than the average man, but this photo shows what he's up against in the top ranks of men's professional tennis. Jerzy Janowicz, pictured alongside Ferrer, is one of his taller competitors at 6'8", but if you couldn't see faces to tell players' ages in side-by-side photos like these from David's matches, he would look like the other guy's little brother--or perhaps son--quite often, as the average height in the ATP top 20 is well over 6'.
David Ferrer has to be exceptionally consistent, quick, fit, accurate, and efficient to keep up with opponents who have significant advantages in height.
David Ferrer Photo #2:Forehand Backswing
David Ferrer achieves exceptional efficiency and consistency in part by keeping his groundstrokes uncomplicated. One can have a consistent forehand with a large loop backswing, but a continuous loop complicates timing, and the pause most players use after a loop neutralizes most of the intended benefit. Ferrer keeps it simple and efficient by minimizing his loop backswing, pulling the racquet back only a foot or so higher than the farthest-back position captured in this photo.
David Ferrer Photo #3: Forehand Mid-Swing
For players at the higher levels of tennis, a primary key to consistency is topspin. Put most simply, the amount of topspin one hits is a function of how sharply the racquet face is rising and how fast it is moving when it meets the ball. In this photo, the distance of David Ferrer's racquet face below the ball an instant before contact indicates that his strings will brush sharply up the back of the ball to produce topspin, and the twisting of David's shirt as his upper body uncoils from the loading of his core muscles indicates that he's generating considerable racquet-head speed.
David Ferrer Photo #4: Forehand Follow-Through
David's powerful, upward forehand swing results in a follow-through that wraps the racquet over his left shoulder and shows off evidence of the incredible fitness that enables him to keep retrieving the aggressive shots delivered by his oversized opponents.
David Ferrer Photo #5: Backswing on Two-Handed Backhand
Smaller players tend to win with their legs, not just by being quick, but also by using leg power to add pace and topspin to their strokes. As David Ferrer executes this backswing on his two-handed backhand, he loads up his leg muscles to drive upward and forward with his swing.
David Ferrer Photo #6: Two-Handed Backhand Point of Contact
Do you notice two unusual characteristics in David Ferrer's backhand, captured in this photo? Take a minute to think about that while observing a couple of things he's doing conventionally and very well; he's meeting the ball at an excellent spot on his racquet face, and he has his head and eyes nicely locked onto his point of contact. What Ferrer does unusually on this backhand and most two-handers are his closeness to the ball, which keeps his upper arms tighter to his body than most players would find comfortable, and much rarer, the separation between his hands.
The grip position of each hand by itself is quite conventional, with the right in a Continental position and left in an Eastern forehand position, but the vast majority of players would have the hands right next to each other. Having a gap like David's reduces the leverage of his left arm by placing it farther up on the racquet and increases the likelihood that the racquet will unintentionally pivot between the two hands, but he hits a great two-hander nonetheless.
David Ferrer Photo #7: Two-Handed Backhand Follow-Through
The loading of Ferrer's leg muscles captured two photos ago shows its effects in this photo of his follow-through, as his powerful leg drive has lifted both feet well off the ground.
David Ferrer Photo #8: One-Handed Slice Backhand
If, like David Ferrer, you're smaller than most of your opponents, you will almost certainly have to rely on excellent defense to win matches, and a one-handed backhand slice is an essential tool in high-level defensive play. Just try to imagine where David's center of gravity would end up if he tried to put his left hand on the racquet in this photo; he would almost certainly end up doing a face-plant on the court, if he could even hit the ball.
A one-handed backhand gives a two-hander a much better way to reach wide, low, and very short balls, and the slice naturally carries the ball deeper in the opponent's court and/or makes it bounce lower where it's less vulnerable to an aggressive reply.
The legs play a major role even in the one shot you never hit while moving around the court, the serve. David Ferrer has a very strong serve for his size, in large part because he loads up so much energy in the large muscles of his legs, which then start the upward, forward drive of the kinetic chain that delivers racquet speed to the ball. As almost every player can attest, though, no amount of muscle loading--or for that matter, any other excellent preparation for the serve--can make up for a bad toss.
David helps to ensure that his toss goes where it should by reaching up with his tossing hand as the ball goes away.
David Ferrer's powerful leg drive on the serve lifts him well off the ground to make contact with the ball, giving him a height of contact equivalent to a taller player who doesn't get such lift. Meeting the ball at a greater height increases its angle to clear the net, which allows it to be hit harder without loss of consistency. More important, though, is the topspin that helps to push the ball down into the service box.
This photo captures nicely how Ferrer's racquet will brush against the ball to produce a mixture of topspin and sidespin.
At 5'9", David Ferrer is slightly taller than the average man, but this photo shows what he's up against in the top ranks of men's professional tennis. Jerzy Janowicz, pictured alongside Ferrer, is one of his taller competitors at 6'8", but if you couldn't see faces to tell players' ages in side-by-side photos like these from David's matches, he would look like the other guy's little brother--or perhaps son--quite often, as the average height in the ATP top 20 is well over 6'.
David Ferrer has to be exceptionally consistent, quick, fit, accurate, and efficient to keep up with opponents who have significant advantages in height.
David Ferrer Photo #2:Forehand Backswing
David Ferrer achieves exceptional efficiency and consistency in part by keeping his groundstrokes uncomplicated. One can have a consistent forehand with a large loop backswing, but a continuous loop complicates timing, and the pause most players use after a loop neutralizes most of the intended benefit. Ferrer keeps it simple and efficient by minimizing his loop backswing, pulling the racquet back only a foot or so higher than the farthest-back position captured in this photo.
David Ferrer Photo #3: Forehand Mid-Swing
For players at the higher levels of tennis, a primary key to consistency is topspin. Put most simply, the amount of topspin one hits is a function of how sharply the racquet face is rising and how fast it is moving when it meets the ball. In this photo, the distance of David Ferrer's racquet face below the ball an instant before contact indicates that his strings will brush sharply up the back of the ball to produce topspin, and the twisting of David's shirt as his upper body uncoils from the loading of his core muscles indicates that he's generating considerable racquet-head speed.
David Ferrer Photo #4: Forehand Follow-Through
David's powerful, upward forehand swing results in a follow-through that wraps the racquet over his left shoulder and shows off evidence of the incredible fitness that enables him to keep retrieving the aggressive shots delivered by his oversized opponents.
David Ferrer Photo #5: Backswing on Two-Handed Backhand
Smaller players tend to win with their legs, not just by being quick, but also by using leg power to add pace and topspin to their strokes. As David Ferrer executes this backswing on his two-handed backhand, he loads up his leg muscles to drive upward and forward with his swing.
David Ferrer Photo #6: Two-Handed Backhand Point of Contact
Do you notice two unusual characteristics in David Ferrer's backhand, captured in this photo? Take a minute to think about that while observing a couple of things he's doing conventionally and very well; he's meeting the ball at an excellent spot on his racquet face, and he has his head and eyes nicely locked onto his point of contact. What Ferrer does unusually on this backhand and most two-handers are his closeness to the ball, which keeps his upper arms tighter to his body than most players would find comfortable, and much rarer, the separation between his hands.
The grip position of each hand by itself is quite conventional, with the right in a Continental position and left in an Eastern forehand position, but the vast majority of players would have the hands right next to each other. Having a gap like David's reduces the leverage of his left arm by placing it farther up on the racquet and increases the likelihood that the racquet will unintentionally pivot between the two hands, but he hits a great two-hander nonetheless.
David Ferrer Photo #7: Two-Handed Backhand Follow-Through
The loading of Ferrer's leg muscles captured two photos ago shows its effects in this photo of his follow-through, as his powerful leg drive has lifted both feet well off the ground.
David Ferrer Photo #8: One-Handed Slice Backhand
If, like David Ferrer, you're smaller than most of your opponents, you will almost certainly have to rely on excellent defense to win matches, and a one-handed backhand slice is an essential tool in high-level defensive play. Just try to imagine where David's center of gravity would end up if he tried to put his left hand on the racquet in this photo; he would almost certainly end up doing a face-plant on the court, if he could even hit the ball.
A one-handed backhand gives a two-hander a much better way to reach wide, low, and very short balls, and the slice naturally carries the ball deeper in the opponent's court and/or makes it bounce lower where it's less vulnerable to an aggressive reply.
The legs play a major role even in the one shot you never hit while moving around the court, the serve. David Ferrer has a very strong serve for his size, in large part because he loads up so much energy in the large muscles of his legs, which then start the upward, forward drive of the kinetic chain that delivers racquet speed to the ball. As almost every player can attest, though, no amount of muscle loading--or for that matter, any other excellent preparation for the serve--can make up for a bad toss.
David helps to ensure that his toss goes where it should by reaching up with his tossing hand as the ball goes away.
David Ferrer's powerful leg drive on the serve lifts him well off the ground to make contact with the ball, giving him a height of contact equivalent to a taller player who doesn't get such lift. Meeting the ball at a greater height increases its angle to clear the net, which allows it to be hit harder without loss of consistency. More important, though, is the topspin that helps to push the ball down into the service box.
This photo captures nicely how Ferrer's racquet will brush against the ball to produce a mixture of topspin and sidespin.
