Imagery and Elite Players: Justine Henin’s Forehand

What were the changes in Justine’s backswing based on high speed video?

How have pro players–including Grand Slam winners–used video and stroke imagery in their technical development? This article and the two that follow explain how, working with their coaches, Justine Henin and Novak Djokovic made technical changes that were vital to the successes that followed.

This first article talks about Justin’s forehand, followed by an article on her serve. The third article deals with Novak Djokovic’s serve.

I first filmed Justine Henin in 2001 in March at Indian Wells. There was a buzz around her, and later that year she reached the semis of the French and the final of Wimbledon. Two years later she won the French and the U.S. Open.

That 2001 footage provides an amazing look at how much her game changed technically during her ascent to the top of women’s tennis. Basically she remodeled her forehand on the model of Andre Agassi, and her serve on the model of Pete Sampras.

Those changes were the work of her coach Carlos Rodriquez. My contribution was to provide Carlos with the high speed imagery he used in working with Justine. This was groundbreaking high speed video we…