Patrick Mouratoglou says Rafael Nadal leads this metric as Federer doesn't make top two: "Unique in tennis history"
ATP
Tennis coach Patrick Mouratoglou has stated reasons why he
thinks Spain’s legendary player Rafael Nadal’s forehand is better than the
former world number one Switzerland’s Roger Federer.
Both players are regarded among the greatest players in the
history of men’s tennis. While Federer, who retired from the sport in 2022,
ended his illustrious career after winning 20 Grand Slam titles, Nadal has won
22 major titles.
Mouratoglou was recently quoted in a report where he stated
reasons why he still thinks that Nadal’s forehand was much better than that of
Federer.
“Rafael Nadal’s forehand is unique in tennis history. When
playing cross with his forehand, the quality of his topspin and the zones he
finds always fully open the court for his down the line forehand,” he said.
“When running to his forehand, he is always able to find a
short cross-court angle that gives him the opportunity to come back to offense
on the next shot. When turning around his backhand to hit a forehand, you
already know that you are going to run a lot and and you’re going to end up
losing the point.
“Rafa is comfortable to hit his forehand on a low slice
backhand as much as hitting winners when the ball is over his shoulder. I
consider until this day that he has the best forehand of all time.”
“Roger Federer’s best shot was his forehand and he was very
unique because he was the first one to have his head turn to the right side
while hitting it and he was keeping it in that position after the ball was
leaving his racket, like golfers.
“What was standing out the most with Roger’s forehand was
his ability to take time away from his opponent with that shot and hurt them
all the time, scoring an incredible number of winners, many of them with the
second shot after the serve.
“It might sound weird, but Federer’s forehand is not even in
the two best of all time in my opinion. He had so much more than this
unbelievable forehand in his game.”
Azeem Siddiqui is a seasoned sports journalist and data analyst with a strong background in both digital media and live sports production.
He began his journalism career working with partners of The New York Times and has since contributed to several leading international sports publications, including Fox Sports Asia, Calciomercato, and GiveMeSport. Since 2023, Azeem has been part of the TennisUpToDate team, where he has played a key role in sustaining the platform’s growth and ensuring tennis fans receive timely and reliable coverage of the sport’s biggest stories.
In addition to his editorial work, Azeem has extensive experience as a data analyst in live sports broadcasting—particularly in cricket—where he combines analytical precision with creative storytelling. He has collaborated with multiple production companies and cricket boards worldwide, delivering real-time insights and data-driven narratives during live match coverage.
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