How lucky do you consider yourself when you see a tennis player play a shot beyond usual!? A normal tennis rally can comprise of techniques like forehand, backhand, slice, smash and sometimes even a lob. But there are some shots other than the usual ones which you do see in a rally but are unable to name it. Here are ten such usually unusual shots.
1) Brutaliser
The type of shot which every tennis player avoids to hit (in most cases). This is a shot wherein a tennis player fires a shot right at the body of the opponent. Usually done unintentionally, this shot can be fatal at times for the victim. Here is a compilation of the Top 10 Brutalisers.
2) Bucharest Backfire
The Bucharest Backfire was a shot which was played by Ilie Nastase and perfected by Andre Agassi. Bud Collins named this shot after Ilie Nastase’s birth city. In modern times this shot is used frequently by many players. This shot is played in order to counter attack a lob. The player who receives the lob runs towards the ball (his back facing the opponent) and hits the shot over his shoulder. Here is a demonstration of the Bucharest Backfire.
3) Buggy Whip
A forehand is the most common shot played in tennis. It starts on your dominant hand and after the ball contacts the racquet, the hand moves towards the opposite shoulder and ends the follow through. In a buggy whip, after the ball contacts the racquet, the dominant hand stays on the same shoulder. In some cases, the buggy whip is played in such a fashion that the forehand does involve the role of the opposite shoulder but it ends on the same shoulder as that of the dominant hand. Maria Sharapova and Rafael Nadal are best examples of the buggy whip.
4) Cannonball
A high speed serve with no sort of spin or slice on it is called a cannonball. John Isner, Ivo Karlovic, Marin Cilic, Milos Raonic, Nick Kyrgios are known for their cannonball serves in today’s times.
5) Can Opener
It is a slice serve which lands at the intersection of the singles alley line and the service line at the opponent’s deuce court (for a left handed player it lands at the advantage court).
6) Hail Mary
This is a lob shot which is higher than usual. The only time players use this shot is for defensive purposes.
7) Ghost In The Net
This is a surprise movement from a player in order to surprise his opponent. When a player is busy retrieving a lob or any other shot, his opponent moves swiftly from the baseline to the net. The player usually does this in order to hit a volley/winner and gain command over the point. The Sneaky Attack by Roger (SABR) is one such example.
8) Junk Ball
A shot which is usually played by the players during a long rally in order to break the momentum of the rally. This shot is usually played with minimal pace and has no spin on it.
9) Gran Wily and Sabatweenie
These are the names of the tweeners named after Guillermo Vilas and Gabriela Sabatini. Both these players popularized the between the legs shot in the 1980s.
10) Sledgehammer
One of the most handsome looking shots in tennis is when players tend to hit winners down the line. When a two-handed backhand winner is played down the line, it is termed as sledgehammer.
So the next time you see a tennis match, you know what to call “that” shot!
