Roger Federer: the drop shot and the essence of tennis

Roger Federer is by excellence the Master of Tennis, thanks to his innate class and his elegance on the court. Among his many sporting virtues there is one in particular that acts as a meeting point between modern tennis and classic tennis, when instinct, touch and sensitivity were still fundamental skills, today more outclassed by strength and athletics endurance.

We are talking about drop shot, one shot that not many tennis players use frequently, for two reasons: the continuous and excessive slowing down of surfaces and skills that today focus on other factors, such as athletics, power, endurance, mental strength and physical fitness.

Drop shot is a shot where the tennis player's sensitivity, touch and intillence play a fundamental role. Few are seen during matches and mostly played poorly (Novak Djokovic has been trying for years, but perhaps today the dropshot is his worst technical result). 

Roger Federer is a master in drop shots: he demonstrated his skills over the years, on all surfaces: clay-courts, hard-courts, grass-courts. Some of the most spectacular shots of the Swiss are just drop shots.

How can we forget the beauty of the carved drop shot hit in the 2012 Wimbledon Final against Andy Murray? A shot of unreachable beauty, perhaps the most valuable of his extraordinary career. To perform an excellent drop shot you need coordination, balance, speed, dexterity, sensitivity in touch and an innate vision of the game.

The drop shot condiments the essence of tennis, from the dawn to today, and Roger Federer is the last is more important of his custodians: he will have to give youngsters his knowledge, because those who can fully master well this shot are too few.

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/38fb9nR