"Effortlessly floats on the grass, attacks the ball and follows his shots into the court" - Patrick Mouratoglou decodes Roger Federer's success on grass
Although Roger Federer will not be playing at Wimbledon this year, the exploits of the eight-time champion continue to evoke mentions amongst the tennis fraternity as the tournament draws closer.
Federer's staggering success on grass courts has now been delved into by renowned coach Patrick Muratoglou, who explains exactly why the Swiss maestro was so good on the surface.
Via an Instagram video, the veteran coach highlighted Federer's footwork and his balance as the reasons for the 20-time Grand Slam champion's domination on grass.
"It is no secret that Roger Federer is the best performer on grass courts with his 20 titles, including a record of 8 Wimbledon titles. With Wimbledon coming up round the corner, even though we won't see Roger competing this year, lets talk about why the grass is his most winning surface," Mouratoglou stated.
Mouratoglou, who coached Serena Williams for ten years, attributed Federer's ability to "effortlessly float on the grass" as a major contributor to his success.
"First, his footwork. Its a major contributor to his success. Federer is known to effortlessly float on the grass. He attacks the ball forward and follows his shots into the court," Mouratoglou said.
The 52-year-old coach also revealed how the Swiss legend manages to align his centre of gravity to be perfectly balanced all the time.
"His centre of gravity, contrary to other players, is always perfectly aligned between his hips, allowing him to be perfectly balanced all the time," Mouratoglou explained.
Roger Federer's Wimbledon domination was unlike any other
Roger Federer dominated the grass courts at Wimbledon, winning five successive titles between 2003 and 2007 before being beaten by Rafael Nadal in a five-set epic in the 2008 final. The final score read 6-4, 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-7(8), 9-7 in favour of the Spaniard.
Young Nadal defeated Roger Federer, the greatest grass-court player of all time, who was in his prime, in the Wimbledon final. Djokovic in his prime lost the RG final to Stan Wawrinka.
Nadal on grass >> Djokovic on clay. https://t.co/iaWqIjYA0E
Nadal lost to Federer twice in the 2006 and 2007 finals before ending the Swiss player's juggernaut.
Even so, the five-time champion added a sixth to his kitty a year later by defeating Andy Roddick in the finals in yet another marathon five-setter.
Andy Murray, who was hoping to become the first Briton in 76 years to win Wimbledon, had to wait an extra year to achieve his dream after losing to Federer in the 2012 Wimbledon finals.
The Swiss great was unable to get past Novak Djokovic in 2015 but managed to win his eighth title by getting past Marin Cilic in straight sets in the 2017 finals.