What are the greatest shots in tennis history? We pick out the game’s most fearsome weapons stroke by stroke, concentrating on the Open Era (since 1968).
By Joel Drucker
Part V: The Forehand Volley
Final Pick
John Newcombe
Shortlist
John Newcombe
Stefan Edberg
Pat Cash
Tim Henman
Patrick Rafter
Boris Becker
Michael Stich
Jack Kramer
Budge Patty
Lew Hoad
Bill Tilden
Margaret Court
Martina Navratilova
Jana Novotna
Natasha Zvereva
Today's Best
Roger Federer
Fabrice Santoro
Amelie Mauresmo
Justine Henin
Venus Williams
Ana Ivanovic
—TENNIS.com
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The annals of tennis are peppered with so many great backhand volleys, hunting for the best is like walking into a rich body of water. Seeking the best forehand volley, however, is akin to entering the desert. While many have struck this shot quite skillfully, the forehand volley’s deceptive technical difficulty makes it hard for many supreme practitioners to emerge.
During tennis’ first few decades, it hardly existed given the dominance of baseline play. Then came the onset of netrushing, with two Southern Californians bringing the forehand volley to the forefront of the sport. Jack Kramer's "big game" poineered the serve-and-volley style, his forehand volley sharply placed into one corner after another. But it’s tough to call Kramer’s the best ever when he played no more than half a dozen familiar opponents annually during the last seven years of his career – and mostly on fast surfaces to boot. Kramer’s contemporary, Budge Patty, the 1950 Wimbledon champ still able to deliver an able demonstration of his technique at age 80, made it seem as simple as turning a key into a lock. Simple, but not easy –forehand volley is prone to all sort of awkward fine motor and lazy gross motor movements.
More recently, Tim Henman played this shot with exceptional skill, an effort even more impressive given his lack of a forceful serve and the sheer power of contemporary service returns. But never did this fine shot help the Brit reach a single Slam final.And so, once again, as is often the case in matters of the forecourt, we head Down Under to the Aussies. Australian Hall of Famer Fred Stolle speaks frequently of how Australians are taught how to use their shoulders far more effectively than Americans. John Newcombe, Patrick Rafter and Tony Roche – who served as both Newcombe's doubles partner and Rafter's coach at various times – are all considered to have possessed fine forehand volleys, albeit each struck quite idiosyncratically – from Newcombe’s forthright swing to Rafter’s muscled punch to Roche’s ability to swing the racket up and through the ball.
After much huddling and research, Newcombe emeges as the final choice. Granted, his way to the net was often paved by a thundering serve, but time after time, he was able to strike this shot effectively. On low balls, he was supremely disciplined, using his legs to thrust into the ball and attain significant penetration. On high balls – the benign, seemingly easy volley so many players at all levels can miss – he was ruthless. Though he did in fact swing more than is commonly taught, the underpinning of Newcombe’s savage forehand volley was the way he commanded his entire body.
Joel Drucker is a contributing editor at TENNIS magazine. The author is grateful for the assistance of many experts and former pros, including Brent Abel, John Barrett, Steve Flink, Mary Carillo, Trey Waltke, Chris Lewis, John Newcombe, Owen Davidson, Fred Stolle and Brian Gottfried.
