Your Strokes: Megan Mathews Forehand

Megan had a great left arm position, as good as Justine or even the pro men. When my friend Gordon Collins, the Tennis Director at the Courtside Club in Los Gatos, California, called me to film Megan's forehand for him and his staff, I was impressed by her energy and athleticism. To the naked eye her forehand also looked pretty darn good. Unlike the vast majority of the players I film, her first move was very strong and she completed the turn with her left arm stretched across the baseline and the shoulders fully turned. That was especially impressive for a woman--even on the tour you find few women who turn as fully as the men, Justine Henin-Hardenne being an exception. (Check it out in the Stroke Archive.) If you looked at the path of Megan's swing it also appeared very free and ended with a full, relaxed wrap over her shoulder. But the critical times before and after the hit--what was really going on there? That's what the camera sees much more clearly. Megan had trouble controlling the pace and depth of her stroke and was inconsistent in matches. Can you tell what the difference is around contact on...