If there are old tennis fans reading us, they will definitely confirm our words. If you look at the technique of the game, say, fifteen years ago and now, we see a lot of differences.

At first glance, there are changes in the way the forehand and backhand are played. In the golden days of Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi, the focus was on the power and speed of these shots. Players tried to hit more flat, with little or no spin on the forehand and backhand. Early on, tennis was all about power play, meaning that the stronger your serve and killer forehand, the higher you could climb in the rankings.

Hard courts in the early 21st century were much faster than they are now. Gradually the bounce rate decreased, leading to a more spectacular game, as rallies became longer and the game involved not only power, but also tactical skills.

Technology made it possible to change the nature and philosophy of tennis. Today's racquets allow players full control of the ball and the ability to add a variety of spins that no one had even thought of 10 years ago. If Nadal had peaked in 2003, it would have been much more difficult for him then, as he could not accompany each of his strokes with such spins.

In the past, fast courts and a lack of variation among defensive players defined the technique of hitting from the forehand.

What makes the forehand of today stand out?

Even nowadays the forehand is the most important part of any modern player's game. In the past, some tennis players did not work on the backhand at all, as they just used the cut shot and did not experiment at all.

Watching Karlovic or Feliciano Lopez, you can see a classic player of the past, as they very rarely hit from the backhand. The slowdown of the hard courts has forced players to rethink their philosophy of play. A player with good footwork and high technique can now defend against flat shots from the forehand with complete ease. In this case, the ball is very often returned to the opponent's side, which will force him to make mistakes.

The top tennis players nowadays add a lot of spin to their forehand. It feels as if the ball is being screwed into the court. The velocity of the shot has dropped somewhere, but the number of errors has dropped as well. The knockout blow from the forehand is extremely dangerous now, as the player is far behind the back line and there is very little prospect of going on the attack on Parimatch live.

Oblique strokes have become an inherent technical element in tennis. You have to hack the opponent's defense somehow, and without this stroke it's incredibly difficult to do so. With these strokes, you free up the corner of the court to hit the line.

Nadal and Ferrer build their game on the knockout forehand. They curl the ball on the right side and often use the diagonal. When the opponent is knocked out of the court, a line drive into the open part of the court follows.