Daniil Medvedev’s knuckleball in an period of fastballs | ATP Tour

Past The Numbers

Backhand abundance: Medvedev’s knuckleball in an period of fastballs

Infosys ATP Past The Numbers analyses Medvedev’s backhand

September 27, 2024

No one loves their backhand greater than Daniil Medvedev.

An Infosys ATP Past The Numbers groundstroke evaluation from the 2024 season identifies Medvedev as the one participant within the Prime 20 who hits extra backhands than forehands. The information set is from ATP matches on Hawk-Eye courts. Medvedev is the king of the “backhand cage” technique, the place he locks opponents right into a sharp-angle backhand ad-court alternate, daring them to tackle extra threat by trying to flee his clutches down the road.

It’s a damned when you do, and damned when you don’t predicament for Medvedev’s opponents. They’ve little probability of outlasting him backhand to backhand, whereas on the identical time hitting down the road to flee the backhand lockdown sample additionally comes with elevated threat.

The six gamers within the Prime 20 of the PIF ATP Rankings who hit the best share of backhands are:

1) Daniil Medvedev 53.1%
2) Alex de Minaur 49.4%
3) Taylor Fritz 49%
4) Sebastian Korda 48.9%
5) Novak Djokovic 48.9%
6) Frances Tiafoe 48.2%

What’s fascinating is that Medvedev can be the chief within the Prime 20 placing essentially the most backhands within the court docket. He was the one participant within the knowledge set who put north of 90 per cent of his backhands in play.

The six gamers who put a minimum of 87 per cent of their backhands within the court docket are:

1) Daniil Medvedev 90.2%
2) Novak Djokovic 88.3%
3) Jack Draper 88%
4) Casper Ruud 87.8%
5) Alexander Zverev 87.3%
6) Alex de Minaur 87%

Medvedev hit 3,253 backhands within the knowledge set. He solely missed 319. The ATP Tour common for backhand velocity is 68 mph. Medvedev’s backhand is exactly that. He isn’t over-cooking this shot by making an attempt to play by opponents, however he’s additionally not simply pushing it in both.

Medvedev hardly ever makes use of slice off his backhand wing. The Tour common is 21 per cent backhand slice in 2024. Medvedev is simply at 9 %. He would a lot quite contort his physique into an unorthodox place to shovel the ball again flat and deep, nearly all the time giving his opponents nothing to work with.

Medvedev hits his backhand flatter than most. The Tour common for backhand topspin is 1,775 rpm. Medvedev averages simply 1,496 rpm. Flatter equals decrease. The Tour common for backhand top over the web is 0.73 metres. Medvedev is at 0.69 metres. Opponents are used to a better ball with topspin. All Medvedev cares about is making his opponents uncomfortable.

Medvedev’s backhand is just a distinct animal.

There may be completely nothing about Medvedev’s backhand that opponents look ahead to. He places a ridiculous quantity of backhands in play. It comes at you nearly useless flat on the backside of your strike zone. Opponents don’t know what to do with it besides shovel it again cross court docket. That’s the primary mistake. Making an attempt to assault Medvedev’s backhand encourages overhitting. That’s the second mistake.

Medvedev is a throwback in an age of extra forehands and extra uncooked groundstroke energy. His backhand confuses and disorientates. It’s a knuckleball in an period of fastballs. Because the Tour migrates again to outside laborious courts in Asia and indoor laborious courts in Europe to complete the yr, Medvedev might be proper at house on his favorite floor doing Medvedev issues that utterly confound opponents.