Watch: Patrick Mouratoglou explains the science behind Rafael Nadal's deadly topspin forehand
Renowned coach Patrick Mouratoglou recently explained the science behind Rafael Nadal's lethal topspin forehand. In a video on Instagram, Mouratoglou pointed out that Nadal's forehand initially worked only on clay, which forced the Spaniard to make technical adjustments in order to succeed on other surfaces.
Mouratoglou has coached several top players, including Serena Williams, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Marcos Baghdatis, and he often posts videos analyzing the strokes of various players.
Performing a deep dive into Nadal's forehand, the Frenchman explained how the Spaniard prepares for the stroke by taking his racket back in the traditional manner with the head pointing upwards.
"He started with very strong claycourt trends, but throughout the years he has technically worked a lot on it to make it adaptable to every surface," Mouratoglou said. "He starts his preparation in a traditional way by using his non-dominant arm to push his racquet back, head of his racquet points at the sky."
Mouratoglou then highlighted Nadal's shoulder rotation, which is responsible for generating great amounts of racquet head speed on the forehand. He also drew attention to the Spaniard's weight transfer before unloading on the shot.
"As you see, the roll of the right arm is crucial as it creates rotation of the shoulder. While he is pushing his racquet back, he loads strongly on the back leg," Mouratoglou added. "You can see that thanks to the way he bends his left knee, preparing for transfer."
"Look now, it's only while his racquet head is dropping to start his motion in the direction of the ball that his right arm is starting to move forward. At the same time, his bodyweight moves from the back to the front, to create a strong body transfer."
Towards the end of the video, Mouratoglou explained how the Spaniard's loose semi-Western grip assists in generating loads of topspin.
"The whip effect - Rafa is very loose on his grip. The delay of his racquet head creates an incredible acceleration, the racquet head comes back at the level of the hand during the impact. His arm goes from being bent to being totally extended. His contact point is also way in front, even further than his right foot."
Rafael Nadal to begin his 2022 Australian Open campaign on Monday
Rafael Nadal has been handed a tough draw at the 2022 Australian Open. He will begin his campaign against USA's Marcos Giron on Monday. The Spaniard may then have to beat home favorite Thanasi Kokkinakis, Olympic silver medalist Karen Khachanov and World No. 10 Hubert Hurkacz in succession just to match his quarterfinal result from last year.
#AusOpen
MONDAY
Djokovic ?
Nadal
Zverev
Berrettini
Shapovalov
Hurkacz
Barty
Osaka
Sakkari
Krejcikova
Badosa
Azarenka
TUESDAY
Medvedev
Rublev
Tsitsipas
Sinner
Murray
Ruud
Auger-Aliassime
Sabalenka
Muguruza
Kontaveit
Halep
Raducanu
Swiatek
Kerber
Kvitova
If the 20-time Major winner manages to reach the quarterfinals, he will most likely come up against 2021 ATP Finals champion Alexander Zverev.