Samantha Stosur’s Forehand

Let’s take a look at Sam’s advanced, ATP style forehand. In my first Tennisplayer article on Sam Stosur’s serve I talked about my history with Sam going back to the Australian juniors, and then how we reconnected at Saddlebrook where I was coaching after Sam won her first Grand Slam double title. (Click Here.) In that article we outlined the key technical components of her serve. We also saw how in so many ways it resembled the motion of top male pros, something that is still unique on the women’s tour. Now let’s do a similar analysis of her other major weapon, her forehand. Like her serve Sam’s forehand is very different from most other top women, with elements usually associated with the so-called ATP forehand. As the first article explained, at Saddlebrook I had the opportunity to work with Sam one on one on a regular basis. When I met her, her serve was basically fully formed, but it wasn’t the same story on her forehand. Although the shot was a major weapon and very explosive, she was still working on mastering her advanced technical swing, and how to make it work in certain situations. During our time together,…