We've all had that conversation inside our head. ‘If only Roger Federer had a two-handed backhand, he'd be unbeatable’. Or: ‘if only Rafael Nadal had a better serve, he'd have won 20 Slams by now.’ More recently: ‘if only Novak Djokovic had more hair on his head, we wouldn't mind him defeating Federer and Nadal so often.’ And for the more sardonically inclined: ‘if only Andy Murray behaved like he had achieved puberty, he'd have so many more fans.’
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Okay, maybe the last two are only indulged in by the haters and the internet trolls. But the sentiment is not uncommon. Who hasn't been fascinated by the idea of what would happen if we were to combine the best weapons of different players, to create one flawless superhuman?
Even theoretically though, it's not as easy an exercise as it sounds. There's never been any consensus on who has the best serve, or the best backhand, or the best movement; choosing any one player for any category is bound to inspire a mountain of outrage, and maybe a few death threats too.
So here's me sticking my neck out, and giving my opinion of which players’ shots would go into making the perfect male tennis player:
(Note: I've only considered players who are currently active).
1. The Serve
There are a few very obvious contenders here – the really big men Ivo Karlovic, John Isner and Kevin Anderson, the not-so-big-but-still-gigantic Sam Querrey, Marin Cilic, Juan Martin del Potro, Milos Raonic and Tomas Berdych, and the regular old tall guys Gilles Muller and Nick Kyrgios. But a couple of midgets sneak into the shortlist too – Roger Federer, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Feliciano Lopez and Steve Johnson regularly prove that being ‘only’ as tall as 6'2” is not such a serving handicap after all.
Fortunately, the ATP website maintains proper statistics for the serve, so it's not too difficult to arrive at one inarguable name here. Karlovic, who is officially listed as 6'11”, has the highest percentage of service games won – not just among current players, but in the recorded history of tennis. He also sends down an average of 19.3 aces every match – another all-time record – while winning a staggering 82.7% of his first serve points.
You might argue that the likes of Federer and Raonic are better clutch servers, coming up with unreturnables when they need them most. But the stats again come to Karlovic's rescue – he has saved 70.9% of all the break points he has faced in his career, which is higher than Raonic's 70.6% and Federer's 67%. Even if you expand the pool to retired players, and include the man widely regarded to be the greatest server ever – Pete Sampras – Karlovic comes up trumps. Sampras saved 68.1% of all his break points, won 88.7% of his service games, and averaged 10.6 aces per match – all smaller numbers than Karlovic's.
Statistically at least, the Croat has no match.
But even if you go beyond sheer numbers and look at other intangibles, it's hard to deny just how potent Karlovic's serve is. Most of the other players I've mentioned here have a decent-to-good-to-great ground game, with at least one big weapon apart from the serve. Isner, Raonic and Anderson have their atomic forehands, Federer the all-court brilliance, Del Potro the flat missiles from the back of the court, Berdych the effortless power off both wings, Kyrgios the all-round shot-making ability.
What does Karlovic have? At the risk of sounding like a judgmental prick, I must say I can't think of anything. He rarely uses his topspin backhand, doesn't have much confidence in his net play, and is far too hit-or-miss with his forehand. He has won eight titles in his career by being a serve-bot through and through, and if that doesn't entitle him to a win in this category, I don't know what will.
The pick: Ivo Karlovic
2. The Return
There are statistics for the return of serve on the ATP website too, but in this case the numbers don't give as much of a clear picture. For one thing, there's no direct equivalent to the ace here. How many outright return winners have the players hit in their career? How many forced errors have they elicited through their returns? This is where the lack of adequate ATP statistics really starts to rankle.
Moreover, when I look at a player's winning percentage on the first serve return, I can't help but wonder whether that number is high because of his forceful returns, or because his superior ground game frequently comes into play after he has neutralized the serve.
Of course, the same question could be asked of the winning percentage stats on the serve too: does Federer have such good serving numbers because of his serve in isolation, or because the rest of his game is so strong? The difference lies in the supporting stats that we have for the serve: a player with a high number of aces and above-average first serve percentage (Isner and Karlovic score highly in both those categories) should logically be supposed to have a good serve – irrespective of the quality of all his other strokes.
Long story short, determining the best contemporary return of serve comes down to the objective and the unquantifiable parameters in equal measure. First things first: who dominates the stats? The usual suspects all fare well here: Djokovic has won 32.3% of all the return games he has played in his career and 44.3% of his break points, David Ferrer has won 32% and 44.1% respectively, while for Murray the numbers are 31.8% and 43.3%.
A little surprisingly, Nadal sits at the top of the pile in both categories: he wins 33.4% of his return games and converts 45.2% of his break points. The Spaniard also leads in the first and second serve return winning percentage, at 34% and 55.2% respectively.
As for the other likely contenders, I expected Kei Nishikori to have better numbers than 27.5% return games won and 40.7% break points converted.
That's the numbers taken care of, then. But who do we feel has the best return, based on how heavily they seem to rely on that shot? It's hard to look past Djokovic, Murray and Nishikori here. Nadal, despite his statistical superiority, is more of a safe returner than an overpowering one; his baseline game is so good that once the point is neutralized, he almost invariably ends up running away with it (both literally and figuratively).
For the record, Nadal's all-round off-the-ground excellence is also backed up by the fact that he is fairly high up in the serving stats leaderboard too. Get this: he has the best second serve points won percentage in history, at 56.8%. That's some serious game, especially when you consider his serving speeds are regularly rivalled by WTA players.
But it is Djokovic's returns that are the stuff of legend – who else could have hit the Return of the Century with as much bravado as he did back in the 2011 US Open semifinal? The Serb has the perfect combination of aggression and control, and is equally proficient with the shot off both the forehand and the backhand. His incredible flexibility also makes him uniquely equipped to deal with wide serves and body serves, and there's no one better than him at punishing lollypop second serves.
Nadal himself speaks of the Djokovic return with something close to awe, and more than a little disbelief.
“Is something unbelievable how he returns, no? His return probably is one of the best of the history. That's my opinion, no? I never played against a player who's able to return like this. Almost every time,” Nadal had said after their epic 2012 Australian Open final.
Murray and Nishikori aren't too far off the pace; the Scot might possibly be the best neutralizer of the big flat serve in the history of the game, while Nishikori's quick hands and reflexes make for some stunning re-directions of the ball. But it is Djokovic who is consistently the best, and the one who most frequently inspires comparisons with Andre Agassi.
The pick: Novak Djokovic
3. The Forehand
Now we come to completely subjective territory, otherwise also known as La-La Land or Highway to Insanity. The stats are woefully inadequate from this point on, highlighting the unfathomable failure of tennis officials to market their product in the best possible way.
How could we ever have too many stats? Give me the number of forehand winners, backhand winners, forehand unforced errors, backhand unforced errors, forehand volley winners, backhand volley winners, overhead winners, lob winners and drop shot winners hit by all the players, and I'll be lost in the stats for a week.
Sadly, that's probably asking for too much. So until that day of nirvana arrives, when the ATP decides to appoint actual statisticians for every match, we'll have to make do with opinions and observations for topics of discussion like this.
In the forehand category again there are some very conspicuous candidates. There's Federer, whose forehand made people hunt for superlatives when it first made an appearance. There's Nadal, whose forehand probably made Federer hunt for superlatives when it first made its appearance.
The two lesser known Spaniards David Ferrer and Fernando Verdasco can both turn heads with their forehand, albeit in different ways – Ferrer is consistent and controlled, while Verdasco is fire and brimstone. Then there are the power-packed thunderbolts of the big men – Milos Raonic, Gael Monfils, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Nick Kyrgios and Jack Sock can all inflict a world of pain with their mammoth forehands, and are appropriately feared by the rest of the tour.
But Fedal are Fedal for a few very distinctive reasons, the biggest of which is probably their forehand. If you go by single-surface proficiency, there's no arguing against the idea that Nadal's forehand, with its vicious topspin, is by far the best on clay, while Federer's, with its on-the-rise pace, is the best on grass. However, in neutral circumstances, both these all-time great weapons pale in comparison to the force of nature that Juan Martin del Potro's forehand has turned into.
The Argentine practically doesn't have a backhand in his new post-surgery avatar, and yet he has been storming through the draws the last couple of months, defeating Djokovic, Nadal and Wawrinka along the way. You don't get to do that unless your other wing is the best in the world, and fortunately for Del Potro, he's got that covered.
It's a little difficult to describe just how striking a shot the Del Potro forehand is. I've tried doing that in the past, but it never feels enough. No matter what I say or write, the shot looks more gobsmackingly good with every new match that he plays.
Flat, fast and fantastic – that's probably the best way to put the shot in a nutshell. What Del Potro lacks in versatility and touch with his forehand, he makes up for with power and consistency. Whether hitting it inside-out, down-the-line, inside-in or crosscourt, the Tower of Tandil can use the shot to push his opponents back in a way that no other player can. Even his running forehand is a thing of magnificence; while I think Djokovic and Murray own the best running forehands in the game today, Del Potro is not far behind.
Federer and Nadal will probably go down in history as the best forehand strikers of this generation, because of their sheer career longevity. But if a player wanted to borrow a forehand from the current lot to produce the ‘perfect’ game on any given day, he'd have to choose the forehand of a fully fit Del Potro.
The pick: Juan Martin del Potro
4. The backhand
I once heard a friend of mind say that the moment he hears the word ‘backhand', he immediately gets visions of Stan Wawrinka unleashing one of his dreamy one-handers, and he forgets what he's doing for a minute. I'm not exaggerating; that's actually the kind of effect the Wawrinka backhand can have on people.
That said, there's no shortage of competition in this category. Many of the players who dominated the conversation in the return of serve section are also prominent names here. Is there a correlation between the two? Does having a good backhand make you an inherently good returner? I don't think there's any statistic or theory to corroborate that, so let's put it aside for the moment.
Djokovic, Murray and Nishikori all have world-class two-handers, each of which could inspire tributes as long as the Lord of the Rings book (all three parts). Djokovic's is probably the most consistent of the three, and the way he leans into the shot while skidding along the baseline, to bunt the ball past the suddenly-clueless net-rusher, is perhaps modern tennis’ single most iconic sight.
Murray's is easily the most versatile two-hander today. He can alter the spin and angle of the shot better than anyone else, and he gets extra brownie points for his super-sharp slice backhand. Nishikori's backhand, meanwhile, is possibly the the most explosive of the three – he can change direction with the shot at will, and he's been known to get the better of even Djokovic and Murray in some of their backhand-to-backhand rallies.
Marin Cilic, Tomas Berdych and Benoit Paire have brilliant backhands too, and have earned a bulk of their career prize money through the remarkable consistency and bombast of their preferred wing.
Among the one-handers, Philipp Kohlschreiber and Nicolas Almagro deserve mention, but neither of their backhands is quite as bewitching as a Richard Gasquet special. With a disdainful backswing, a picturesque follow-through and an insane amount of spin and pace, the Gasquet one-hander probably deserves a place in a museum for the sheer spectacle it produces.
Most players run around the backhand to unload on the forehand; Gasquet frequently runs around his forehand to dispatch a short ball, with the perfectly placed backhand winner. When the Frenchman's backhand is in full flow, it is must-see tennis.
So now we come to the big question: one-hander or two-hander? The one-hander has been feared to be on the verge of extinction for a while now, and whenever we see repeat telecasts of any Federer vs Nadal match, those fears are compounded. Surfaces all across the globe have slowed down (giving the players more time to set up for the two-hander), racquet technology has made topspin (and consequently higher bounce) more pronounced, and net-rushing (which is more suited to a one-hander) has all but vanished from the game.
Yes, we all love the theatre of a perfectly timed down-the-line one-handed backhand winner; no other shot in tennis has a greater ‘wow’ factor. But it's hard to challenge the idea that a Wawrinka- or Gasquet-like backhand is destined to be more of an exception than a rule. The two-handed backhand is more practical than the one-hander and, on balance, more effective too.
And when it comes to two-handers, there's nothing more consistently devastating than Djokovic and his short-backlift, I-can-put-it-wherever-I-please version. His backhand down-the-line has probably given Nadal as many fits as Nadal's forehand has given Federer, and it is the one shot that has separated him from the rest of the pack over the last three years.
The pick: Novak Djokovic
5. The volley
Does a shot which is often described as a ‘lost art’ deserve a place in this list? When you consider that tennis is not just about singles – watch Nadal compete in any doubles match and you'll know that the format is alive and flourishing – the volley suddenly acquires far more importance. And when you think back to matches like Tsonga vs Nadal at the 2008 Australian Open, or Sergiy Stakhovsky vs Roger Federer at Wimbledon 2013, you are reminded that the well-executed net attack can still produce a stunning result every now and then.
Serving and volleying has never been as fraught with risk as it is today. String technology and slower surfaces have meant passing is easier than ever before, and it's no surprise that the volley is usually near the bottom of any coach's to-do list. That makes the few daredevils who still practise it worth their weight in gold – at least in the minds of all lovers of classical tennis.
So who are these precious protectors of the pristine? While Tsonga's victory over Nadal in Melbourne was filled with some of the most breathtaking volleys you'll ever see, he's rather up-and-down with his net play for the most part – he'll miss more than his fair share of easy volleys on a day-to-day basis. Nadal himself is no bunny at the net, but he doesn't often venture forward unless he's yanked his opponent way outside the court.
Radek Stepanek and Nicolas Mahut have made a living out of relentlessly attacking the net, and Stepanek in particular routinely pulls off some insane volleys that leave both his opponents and the crowds gasping. Feliciano Lopez is the rare Spaniard who is supremely comfortable at the net, while Andy Murray and Richard Gasquet both have great hands in the forecourt – although neither of them comes forward enough to justify their place in the shortlist.
Kei Nishikori and Milos Raonic have shown an increased commitment to get to the net in recent months, and strangely, they both showed off that newfound skill in Slam matches against Murray this year – Raonic in his Australian Open semifinal loss, and Nishikori in his US Open quarterfinal win. Gael Monfils, Dustin Brown and Fabio Fognini can stick some stunning volleys when they are in the mood, but that mood doesn't come around often enough.
No note on volleying can ever be complete without a mention of Leander Paes. The Indian veteran has pretty much no groundstrokes to speak of, but is still one of the best doubles players in the world purely because of his never-fading reflexes at the net. His mixed doubles partnership with Martina Hingis has been a borderline orgasmic experience for fans of proficient net play, with the word ‘genius’ being thrown around liberally while describing any of their matches.
All things considered though, there's no looking past Roger Federer in this category. The Swiss has made a bit of a circle in his evolution as a player – he started off as a net-rusher (most famously encapsulated in his breakthrough win over Pete Sampras at Wimbledon 2001), then became an aggressive baseliner in his heyday, and finally has started coming forward again in his twilight years. The partnership with one of the greatest net-rushers of all time – Stefan Edberg – has certainly helped, but Federer always had the deft hands and motor skills to be an imposing volleyer.
It's hard to find a weakness in Federer's net game. He can dig out low balls off his shoelaces, put away the high ones with aplomb, and even go back and forth in lightning quick doubles exchanges before pulling the trigger with a surgically undercut unreturnable. The technique is almost flawless, and while the commitment is sometimes questionable, you'll almost never see Federer making a mess of a volley on a big point.
Sure, the memory of his two failed net approaches in the last match he played – against Raonic in the Wimbledon semifinals – is still fresh in our minds. He conceded both the breaks in the last two sets through ill-executed volleys; the first by going once too often to the Canadian's backhand, and the second by failing to put the ball away after a rapidfire exchange.
But far more memorable than that are the match points he saved against Gael Monfils in the 2014 US Open quarterfinals. Back then, Federer's reputation was enough to get him out of trouble after he had planted himself in the forecourt. His first approach shot forced Monfils to send a makeable pass long, and the Frenchan didn't even bother to retrieve the second approach.
In a career that has spanned close to 20 years, with more than 1,000 matches on the metre, Federer has had his share of off-days with his serve, groundstrokes and even his movement. But his volleying has almost always been razor-sharp. You can't get much better than Roger Federer when you are looking for soft hands and feel for the tennis ball.
The pick: Roger Federer
6. Movement
I realize this is not a ‘shot’ in the literal sense of the term, or in ANY sense of the term. But as far as compenents that make a champion player are concerned, movement is perhaps the most indispensable of the lot. A Goran Ivanisevic can win a Grand Slam every once in a while, but to truly dominate the game you've got to be quick on your feet.
From Rod Laver, Bjorn Borg, Ivan Lendl and Boris Becker to Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, all the greatest tennis champions have been fantastic movers. While some – like Becker and Sampras – had unmatched forward momentum and athleticism that enabled them to kill a majority of the points at the net, others like Agassi patented the side-to-side scamper to get almost every single ball back in play.
Among contemporary players, Federer had the best of both worlds when at his peak – exceptional foot-speed at the baseline, and supreme footwork while rushing the net. Lleyton Hewitt took baseline scampering to a whole different level when he first arrived on the scene, and in recent years Gilles Simon, David Ferrer and Gael Monfils have carried on in the same vein. Monfils might possibly be the quickest player to ever set foot on a tennis court, which is why it's such a pity that he's always so passive with his movement.
Grigor Dimitrov, for all his faults, can produce some spectacular points with his nimble footwork and sheer speed. Nishikori, meanwhile, is a sight to behold when he’s made to defend; he may have shorter strides than most other top players, but boy do those strides have plenty of purpose.
Murray and Djokovic have shown us some of the most belief-defying court coverage over the course of their careers, and while Djokovic remains the better mover overall, Murray's anticipation skills make him insanely hard to hit a winner against. But the Scot has never been the greatest at sliding on clay, and the Serb has had his share of troubles on grass – at the 2015 Wimbledon Championships I lost count of the number of times he slipped on the court.
Rafael Nadal, however, has never had any such problems. The Spaniard, who would probably give the Energizer Bunny a complex, is still burning the courts at the age of 30 despite ominous predictions a decade ago that he would slow down and fade soon. There was absolutely no counter to Nadal's claycourt prowess during his glory years, but even in 2016 he outran a string of opponents at Monte Carlo and Barcelona to reinforce the fact that there's never been a better mover on dirt.
What makes Nadal's movement so special is that it not only encompasses every inch of the court, but also every aspect of the game. Whether moving side to side or backwards and forwards, sliding on clay or gliding on grass, bending low for a half-volley or arching back for an overhead, Nadal has it all covered. His sheer foot-speed has to be seen to be believed, but even in the footwork department he's second to none.
In recent years his ability to stop and turn on grass has been severely hampered by his knee problems, but for a good part of the previous decade he was able to make the transition from clay to grass in a way that no man had done since Borg. Moreover, his hardcourt movement has actually improved over the years, helped in no small part by his willingness to stand closer to the baseline as his career has progressed. While he can't quite slide on the unforgiving surface the way Djokovic does, he more than makes up for it with his superior speed.
On clay, no words will ever be enough to describe the sight of Nadal haring towards the net to dig out a drop shot, or backpedalling towards the baseline to get to a lob. Sometimes you can't even see him clearly; he's so fast that he almost looks like a blur.
Nadal was born to sprint on a tennis court, and nothing that has happened in the last two years can change that.
The pick: Rafael Nadal
So there you have it. The perfect tennis player of today's generation would have Ivo Karlovic's serve, Novak Djokovic's return, Juan Martin del Potro's forehand, Djokovic's backhand, Roger Federer's volley and Rafael Nadal's movement. Can such a player be beaten? I'd certainly like to see someone try.
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