Rafael Nadal's forehand
Traced frame by frame from real footage.
Nadal's forehand is a heavy left-handed topspin drive, measured at about 3,200 rpm on average in John Yandell's counts, well above Federer's 2,700. Its signature is the reverse finish: the racquet loops up over his head near the hitting shoulder instead of wrapping across his body.
- 1He sets up in an open stance, loading on the outside leg.
- 2After contact the racquet doesn't wrap across his body. It finishes high above his head on the hitting side: the reverse finish.
- 3The hitting arm stays bent and high through the finish, the shape that gives the stroke its lift.
Our own observations from the traced frames. Flip through the plate above to check them.
By the numbers
Yandell's video counts put his average forehand spin at about 3,200 rpm, against about 2,700 for Federer and 1,900 for Agassi.
TIME, Jan 2009, reporting John YandellIn 478 charted matches before 2024, 55.0 % of his groundstrokes were forehands. Federer, Djokovic and Murray were at about 49 %.
Bill Connelly, ESPN, 2024 (Match Charting Project data)Coaching analysts describe the reverse finish as something Nadal uses in almost every situation, where other pros use it mainly when rushed.
David W. Smith, TennisOneHe plays left-handed but is right-dominant away from tennis.
Australian Open
The Federer matches
His high, heavy forehand to Federer's backhand changed how Federer played: against Nadal, Federer sliced about 20 % of backhands against his usual 37 %.
Bill Connelly, ESPNWhat you can copy
Recreational players can experiment with the reverse finish for more topspin, but Nadal's loop depends partly on his grip.
David W. Smith, TennisOne
What we don't claim
- His grip is disputed: one analysis calls it full western, another semi-western. We describe it only as strong.
- Who made him left-handed is disputed. His uncle Toni is widely credited, but Nadal has said Toni never told him to switch.