Can Sabalenka hit the ball harder than Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, and Jannik Sinner?
The stat that had everyone talking during the last US Open might be misleading, and who better than the Belarusian’s coach to debunk myths and clarify truths about the most formidable forehand in the women’s circuit: “Everyone’s been asking me about it!”
“Average forehand speed: Sabalenka, 129 km/h; Alcaraz, 127 km/h; Sinner 125 km/h; Djokovic 122 km/h.” These numbers were published by the tournament, and Sabalenka, who later became the champion in New York, was surprised: “I can’t believe it’s that fast. It’s actually uncomfortable seeing myself above the guys!”
Anton Dubrov laughed when CLAY asked him to demystify this data that surprised many tennis fans: “There are several reasons. The first is that since men can hit harder, players on the other side of the net have less time to position themselves well and strike with power.”
Holding a small trophy given by the US Open to the coaches of champions, the Belarusian explained the factors behind a stat that may have been a bit confusing.
It’s not that Sabalenka’s forehand is stronger than her male colleagues. Her average shot speed was also higher due to strategic differences between tours.
“Men have to run from side to side during a point, so for them, it’s riskier to constantly hit as hard because the opponent can use the weight of the ball to return it with the same speed… and even better angles. You see that less in the women’s tour,” analyzed the 29-year-old coach.
Often, hitting hard means losing energy, which brings up another aspect of the stat: “You have to remember that men play best-of-five sets. It’s not smart to hit so hard all the time if you might be on court for four hours.”
“Aryna understands that power is her main weapon because many in the women’s tour struggle to return balls with the same speed. If an opponent isn’t moving well and starts playing short, it’s ideal for Aryna to throw her full weight into her forehand,” he told CLAY.
Dubrov explained that the three-time Grand Slam champion and her team put in significant work to understand when and how to harness this power.
“We work on finding the balance: yes, you can hit hard, but when and how should you hit hard? Do you really need to? You have to know the opponents well. For example, Jessica Pegula is quite good at using her opponent’s power. She can return flat shots when powerful shots come her way,” he explained.
Sometimes, hitting at 75% and opening up the angle to move the opponent off-court before using the open space on the next shot is the smarter approach, the Belarusian detailed: “That’s something we work on a lot, too.”
