Serena Williams’ Coach Patrick Mouratoglou Elaborately Explains Why Daniil Medvedev Has the Most Unusual Forehand in Tennis

World number three Daniil Medvedev, who is looking to break the shackles in the ongoing clay-court season, will have a tough second-round match against Aslan Karatsev at the Italian Open. 

The Russian has given consistent performances ever since his comeback at the Paris Masters last year. But the red turf has presented new problems to Medvedev all the time. He openly admitted his dislike for the surface but vowed to put in valiant efforts to adapt to the it. 

Also read: Daniil Medvedev, Diego Schwartzman and Others Line-Up For Ultimate Tennis Showdown Before French Open 2021

Patrick Mouratoglou analyses Daniil Medvedev’s game

Medvedev’s forehand shot approach is unorthodox, and during the initial stages of his career, there was talk about his racquet-life post-playing a forehand shot. In a video posted on Instagram, renowned coach Patrick Mouratoglou analyzed Medvedev’s game. 

“What is very unusual with Medvedev’s forehand is the take back. His elbow goes extremely high at the level of his shoulders and his hand goes extremely far back,” Mourtaoglou mentioned.

The French coach has been instrumental in the rise of several tennis stars like Marcos Baghdatis, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Jeremy Chardy, Grigor Dimitrov, and the 23-time grand slam champion Serena Williams. Mouratoglou is now also working with youngsters like Stefanos Tsitsipas and Coco Gauff. 

Circling back to the Russian, Mouratoglou also pointed how Medvedev respects and follows the basic techniques of playing the sport despite his unorthodox racquet life. Contact point was the first aspect mentioned by the French coach. 

“Almost all the time, he has the same contact point, which is in front of his left knee,” Mouratoglou mentioned. 

The second fundamental Medvedev follows is weight transfer. In order to maintain top-quality on shots, it’s essential to dispatch the body weight properly after hitting the ball. 

The French coach added, “Now if you look at Daniil’s right leg, you will find out that after the shot it goes in front of the left leg and that is a great weight dispatch.”

Mourtaglou explains how Daniil Medvedev gets the fundamentals right

Another significant aspect of a player’s technique is how they close the shot, which is known as the ‘follow-through’. Talking about the Russian’s follow-through, Mouratoglou mentioned, “If you look at his arm you will find out that after the shot, it twists around his neck.” 

The French concluded Medvedev’s game analysis by saying that focusing on these key fundamentals will help players build a better game. 

“A lot of players and coaches are completely obsessed with technique, that’s not the most important. You have to respect the key fundamentals and what is the most important is the quality of your shots,” Mouratoglou said.

Mouratoglou’s eye for detail has to be one of the many significant reasons for his continued success on tour. 

Coming to Medvedev, he has a near-perfect game on hard courts, and once he settles on the red dirt, it will be difficult to keep him from winning titles. The Russian will test his luck against his compatriot Aslan Karatsev in Rome tomorrow. 

Also read: “She Does Not Win Them Anymore”: Coach Patrick Mouratoglou Analyses Serena Williams’ Performance at Grand Slams