Interactive Forum: October 2008 Ernests Gulbis Forehand

[uspta2448519013]

Awesome! And thanks for the quick reply. I have been trying to use a forehand motion with a take back similar to Murray or Gulbis. I feel like I have a better idea of the racquet face angle at contact with this motion. Fortunately there is an insane amount of Murray videos here!

Thanks again.

I'm not sure if you're referring to the older Gulbis footage or not, but Gulbis since John's filming and clips on here has changed the angle of his face on the takeback considerably, and it now reflects more of what you see with the rest of the top 10 players in the world minus Del Potro. It is interesting to note as well that both Murray and Del Potro have had wrist issues in the past with this differently angled face position. Murray since that time has closed his face off more as well, but not as dramatically as some other players you might see.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7mSKTVoWlk

In this clip at the 9 second mark when he hits the forehand you can see the big difference in the angle of the face if you pause it in his backswing at the top.

And in this next clip from the front view you can see just how far he's actually closing it most recently at Bangkok. So either it's naturally evolved or the Gulbis camp has been video taping his forehand and comparing it to some of his peers. Judging by the angle of the face in the Bangkok footage it almost appears he's gone a bit overboard, but he's obviously spent time working on it. His ranking has also gone up dramatically in the last year so it's not that shocking, and other factors certainly like better shot selection/patience and work ethic pay off as well, but removing technical limitations on a stroke is also a factor at the highest level.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPx_v66q4f8

You can see the angle of the face on various forehand here at 20 seconds or so in.

[grimmbomb]

That is quite a bit different. Funny thing about the wrist injuries, I have been getting pain in my wrist shortly after starting play lately. I thought it was due to buying a racquet with a leather grip, since it feels a little harsh despite a lower flex. I'm hitting the forehand well though, so I will stick it out for a bit longer. Maybe I will send video of my forehand to Mr. Yandell!

[John Yandell]

Sure send it in.