PREPARATION

RACQUET:
Moya brings his racquet back above head level. Starting his swing from this point will enable him to generate plenty of racquethead speed. In order to take such a large swing you need time to measure the ball.

GRIP:
Like many claycourt players, Moya uses an extreme Western grip on his forehand. This closes the racquet face, which allows a player to drop the frame below the ball and brush up for heavy topspin.

RIGHT ARM:
Moya’s hitting arm is almost completely straight and extended away from his body. This is good for power but problematic unless you have superb timing. The average player would be wise to bend the arm a little, keeping the elbow closer to the body.

LEFT ARM:
What you do with your non-hitting arm is important on a forehand. Here you see Moya bringing it over to the hitting side, which naturally rotates his upper body (his chin is over his left shoulder) and counterbalances his racquet arm.

RIGHT LEG:
By loading up and hitting off his back leg, Moya is using open-stance footwork. He has started to flex his right knee and will probably bend it a little more to further load his weight onto that leg and explode up and through the shot.

RIGHT FOOT:
The toes on Moya’s right foot are pointing to the side, which facilitates his hip turn. If the plant foot is more perpendicular to the net, it’s much more difficult to get that rotation.

CONTACT

HEAD:
A trademark of a top-notch ball striker is the ability to keep the head still at impact. Here Moya’s face is relaxed and expressionless. If your head is jerking around when you swing, it can affect your balance and your ability to make solid contact.

RACQUET:
This is a splitsecond after contact and the racquet head is already above the ball. Moya definitely came from below the ball and brushed up the bottom part of it to get some serious topspin.

RIGHT WRIST:
Notice how the wrist is laid back and the hitting elbow is tucked in close to the body. That’s the perfect leverage position from which to rock the ball on the forehand.

HIPS:
After coiling his body so well in the previous photo, Moya really unwinds into the shot. This rotation creates tremendous power and helps get the racquet, which Moya brought so far back, to contact on time.

RIGHT LEG:
Even though he is hitting from an open stance, Moya still has plenty of forward momentum. He takes all of the weight he loaded onto his right leg in the first photo and launches himself up (he’s off the ground) and into (his right foot is now pointed forward) the shot.

Article by Tom Gullikson, Photos by Bryce Vickmark – Tennis.com