Carlos Alcaraz: forehand breakdown

Who has the better forehand? Nadal or Alcaraz?
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THE COACH
Patrick

[mvubu]

I want to know which lab constructed this kid with the best instincts of Roger and Rafa.
100% box office every time he plays.
Hopefully, some of the baseline bores will see some value in taking his approach and we will get to see more exciting tennis

[UchihABitachi]

Rafa’s fh imo. It’s tried & true & helped him win multiple grand slams. Alcaraz hits his fh harder on avg, but I give the edge to Rafa bc his fh is more reliable for the above stated reasons & he can ramp up the pace & rpms at his own discretion for power shot winners. Only time will tell whose is better for Alcaraz as he is just getting started. Already an amazing player as all have said.

[SpiritSlayer]

Alcaraz has mastered all techniques!! He has all the strengths the 3 top seeds have… Carlos Alcaraz is simply amazing! ♥️

[larrybu]

The combination of topspin, lefty, high bounce of Rama’s FH is the best, unmatched, and causes the most trouble for opponents to handle.

[jesusmtz]

crazy athleticism from both. I think one might be tempted to say carlos has a better forehand because his game is very aggressive. imho rafa is more willing to play the counter puncher game that's why he uses that over-the head shot so much

[yriccoh]

Consider Alcaraz's forehand: an overture in a symphony of strokes. There is something almost choreographic about its execution, an interplay of mind, muscle, and mettle that transcends the mundane.

Begin with the setup. The initial weight shift, the coil of the torso, are an anticipation of imminent violence. Yet within this violence exists an elegant tension, a gathering of kinetic energy that is both balletic and ballistic.

Then comes the uncoil. Alcaraz's arm, working as the rod of a pendulum, whips forward with devastating precision. The racquet, in an instance of astonishing alacrity, collides with the ball in a brief moment of contact: a microcosmic explosion that sends the neon sphere hurtling.

And within this microcosm, we find a curious paradox. It is not the power that astounds, though power there certainly is, but rather the paradox of controlled ferocity. There's a touch of magic there, an alchemy of flesh, will, and that elemental sweet spot.

The forehand, then, is not just a stroke. In Alcaraz's hands, it is a declaration, an assertion of self, a narrative arc written in sweat and striving. It is both a physical fact and an existential proposition, a thesis on the physics of potential and the poetry of performance.😼

[awangsafrisafri]

Carlos have package technic among others legend.🎾

[rstuber]

I guess his forehand worked out well today to pick his first gran slam at the US open and scoop ATP number #1 spot and also being the youngest player in the new era to do so.(as of sep 11th 2022)

[miguellauandos]

You make amazing videos, thank you. There's a new style two handed backhand that Coric, Rune and Alcaraz all hit; can you do an analysis or how to hit that style. Looks to be a huge shoulder turn, point the blade to the incoming ball and they are very powerful. It's like a Next Gen Two Handed Backhand:)

[YVM]

Carlos has a more powerful forehand I think and if and when he wants he can throw a lot of spin with a Rafa like forehand around the head. he mixes it up .

[SpiritSlayer]

99, 730 views, 1.7k likes, 72 comments, 281k subscribers. Nice!!

[blarpieman]

Carlo's is superior. He can hit flatter when needed and blisters balls like last night. Best forehand on the tour and if not now it will be soon.

[jean-pierreuys]

Carlos for me just Because it looks less effort on body which I want to learn so I can have less injuries. Its almost like Rafa played with the ease of Roger. Rafa forehand has stood the test of time. Lets see what Carols does over 15 years.

[zechsmerquise]

who has the better forehand between Rafa and Carlos?
Rafa won 21 GS with his blistering forehands.
But Carlos is only 19 and could likely have a better forehand than prime Nadal before age 25.

[iamliamsingleton]

Rafa's been working so much on getting increasingly aggressive over the years and his forehand, which was already a huge weapon in the early stages of his career, has become even more destructive. So as we're speaking, I'd say Nadal has a better forehand: he's got more variety in his shots, he finds short angles and cuts through trajectories with greater ease and he's become really good at taking the ball early and at turning defense into attack in one stroke. But Alcaraz is still very young and there's no doubt his forehand will evolve towards being an even more lethal weapon.

[SpiritSlayer]

Congratulations on Carlos Alcaraz winning the Wimbledon Championship against Novak Djokovic!! 🏆

[makeshifthouse]

His forehand really reminds me of Verdasco's

[spookyroofus]

Great breakdown. IMO, Rafa is by far the prettier player. Rafa's strokes are slightly longer, both on take back and over-the-head follow through, which makes for a more fluid motion. Alcaraz seems to muscle the ball a little more. It is interesting, though, to see Alacaraz employ the straight elbow forehand so effectively -- that's more of a Fed thing than a Rafa thing. Patrick's point about lengthening the distance between the weight of the racket head and the pivot point it's swinging around (in this case, the right shoulder) is brilliant.

[sebastiansantos]

The half loop swing say that for today's game that is getting faster is better to have the hand under the shoulder to take the ball early¡! What you think about it¿?

[muhammadosama]

I think his forehand grip and stroke are more like rafael nadal, taking his time, coiling back far more and keep moving his arm at the end of stroke
But his stance is more like roger and there are diversities in his FH shots like he can hit flat, he can smash the high balls and also create spin when he needs.
If you watch him closely he can play forehand when both legs are parallel and also he moves to position like rafa. He also like to play ball early and with full preparation to punch the ball but this makes him not a good counter attacker.
Rafael always prepare his stance into his foreleg behind and then make forehand.