HIGH BACKHANDS

Competitive tennis involves manoeuvring your opponent so that you can pit your strength against his weakness.

Nadal’s primary strategy is to hit forehands [that bounce very high with a lot of spin] against his opponent’s backhand. Actually, his opponent’s head-high backhand. We all know how difficult that shot is.

Cross-court slice is not a viable option. It cannot be hit with enough pace and will sit after the bounce on clay giving Nadal a chance to hit a winner.

Nadal is fast enough running backward that he can hit most shots with his forehand.

Clay court players are much more used to hitting this high bh since they’ve dealt with it all their playing lives. Their grips and 2-handed bh’s adapted to it. Their effective vertical strike zone is much higher than a player raised in hard court with a one handed bh.