5 revolutionary shots and tactics in modern tennis

#1 Andre Agassi and Lleyton Hewitt - baseline tennis

2002 Wimbledon champion Lleyton Hewitt http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-01-26/lleyton-hewitt-poses-with-the-wimbledon-trophy-in-2002/7114350

Until the 1990s, grass court tennis had been played using the serve-and-volley style. This was the style adopted by the likes of John McEnroe, Pete Sampras, and Goran Ivanisevic.

The fast surface allowed these players to use their booming serve and their volleys to finish points quickly. However, the courts slowed down, with spectators not happy with the lack of rallies in the tournament.

This seismically changed in the world of tennis, as courts began to favour the baseline player.

As a result, the number of predominantly serve-and-volley players started to diminish. The first baseliner to win at Wimbledon was Andre Agassi, who defeated Goran Ivanisevic in the 1992 Wimbledon Final.

During the early 2000’s, Lleyton Hewitt adopted a more defensive form of baseline tennis, as he scrambled across the court to win points.

Roger Federer hailed Hewitt’s “unbelievable” influence on modern tennis, saying,

"I think for a base-liner, he was the first guy really from the baseline to have such a major impact as well".

Ever since Lleyton Hewitt won Wimbledon in 2002, every winner has played predominantly near the baseline.