Ovtcharov pivot to receive with his BH

SirLoops Alot Asked 12 years ago

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3aJNzPQuHc

55 seconds in. I've seen him do this a lot. Isn't this risky?

Alois Rosario Answered 12 years ago

Hi Dan,

This is one of his favourite shots and one that he plays really well. It fits in well with his game as his backhand is a real strength of his. If he was a forehand player it may be more difficult to get around and play a forehand on the next ball.

Do you like his style of play?

← Forehand Pendulum serve (with backspin) Selection →

Notify me of updates

Add to Favourites

Back to Questions

Thoughts on this question

SirLoops Alot Posted 12 years ago

I would think that at higher levels of play he'd get punished for this since he leaves so much of the table open, especially for the server's 3rd ball. Yes I do like his style of play, especially his BH serves ;)

Arnon Thaicharoen Posted 12 years ago

I see a lot of top level players used this backhand flick to return short serves to forehand. Zhang Jike and Chuang Chih-Yuan are especially proficient at this shot.

I think they want to use active attack shot as soon as possible. The possible alternative is to return short ball by forehand which is passive. Forehand flick is awkward if the ball is low. But this kind of backhand flick has no such limitation.

The main disadvantage is that the backhand court is left unguarded but I think for those top-level players, the risk is minimal due to their footwork and reflex.

dos toledo Posted 12 years ago

ovtcharov makes a distinctive sound when he's playing. lol