Your Strokes: “Modern” Club Play: The Windshield Wiper

What is the role of the windshield wiper in club tennis? In the first article last month on the modern game and the club game, (Click Here) we looked at the use of extreme open stance and the limitations and problems that can cause for the average player. Now let’s look at another pro element that club players are so eager to copy: the windshield wiper. By windshield wiper I mean the rotation of the racket tip between the contact and the finish. A “full wiper” means that the racket tip turns over 180 degrees, pointing from one side of the court to the other. Obviously, the use of some degree of wiper (and usually more than some) has become normative in the pro game. I’ve written extensively about that in the Advanced Tennis section. (Click Here.) But over the last few years I’ve also changed my view on the applicability of the wiper finish across the levels of play. This is due in part to the added control players can generate with the new poly strings. But it’s also due to my own expanded understanding of how to use the wiper situationally. Examples would be on higher, heavy balls,...