Andy Murray and the Open Stance Forehand

Is Andy Murray’s use of extreme open stance limiting his forehand?

No doubt Andy Murray made progress toward the top of the game in Australia. Whether it was primarily the influence of Ivan Lendl or more his growth as a player—or both–he was far more aggressive and successful in attacking opponents and winning points through offense.

If he continues to do that, will Andy break through and win a Slam and maybe even get to the top of the game? Sure, maybe.

But when we look at his game technically, there is at least one factor that may be holding him back–his forehand. Specifically, his predominant use of an extreme open stance may be reducing the potential of his forehand as a weapon against the very top players.

Now wait all you “modern tennis” exponents—don’t have a stroke and start emailing me about the greatness of open stance until I explain what I mean. I am not saying that Andy’s forehand isn’t a world class shot, because obviously it is.

But is it the equal of the other top players? The fact is that in terms of velocity and weight, it’s slightly below the level of Djokovic, Federer or Nadal.