The Myth of the Wrap: Page 2

The whole strokes may look the same, but compare the critical path of the racquet through the contact zone.

You can also see this relationship between extension, racquet head acceleration, and the wrap quite clearly in the Stroke Archives when you click through the forehands of the top players frame by frame.

Just watch how far the racquet head really travels with every click. You’ll see that during the wrap the racquet head travels the least distance compared with other parts of the swing, especially compared to the movement just before and after the hit.

The pros don’t wrap the racquet to generate racquet head speed. They wrap the racquet because they have racquet head speed. Good players wrap the finish because they have to,
to decelerate the racquet and get ready for the next shot.

The irony is the wrap is not some new development that appeared recently in the high speed modern game. It’s an inevitable part of a high level forehand,
regardless of grip structure.

The wrap has been a part of high level tennis since the beginning, as the amazing animation of Big Bill Tilden’s classic forehand (below) makes clear. Watch him hit through the line…