Ran this on Tennis Warehouse forum and it has been well received so will ask the same question here. As a player or spectator, which shot gives you the most satisfaction? There are many difficult shots in the game and some find it harder to hit some shots than others and vice versa. Which shot really does it for you? Backhand overhead smash? backhand down the line return winner? stop volley? Offensive topspin lob? I'll put some categories in a poll but feel free to add a shot by a player you saw (male or female) or did yourself in a match.
Oh and mine? Over the years I would say I love hitting the backhand overhead, when I pull it off I always scream in delight. Hitting a return winner also gives me great pleasure always.
Service winners are satisfying because it takes focus (on opponent's serve methods) and timing on the part of the returner.
Backhands/forehands down the line are satisfying when the player squeezes the ball into a narrow channel (like the Wozzy shot on this year's best shots of 2013 on the WTA site).
Sliding serve out wide shows players skill level, therefore, satisfying.
The perfect drop volley during an exchange of heavy groundies. Specifically, the one where you swing the same speed and racket trajectory as going for a hard deep ball, and just before contact, youchange the angle of the racket and drop it just about half the diameter of the ball. The opponent has ZERO chance to read it til you hit it, and it just DIES once it touches the ground.
But perfection, utter perfection, is putting so much backspin on the ball, it bounces back over to my side of the net. I've done it, but never from the baseline.
The perfect drop volley during an exchange of heavy groundies. Specifically, the one where you swing the same speed and racket trajectory as going for a hard deep ball, and just before contact, youchange the angle of the racket and drop it just about half the diameter of the ball. The opponent has ZERO chance to read it til you hit it, and it just DIES once it touches the ground.
But perfection, utter perfection, is putting so much backspin on the ball, it bounces back over to my side of the net. I've done it, but never from the baseline.
Without a doubt my favorite point won by my favorite player Sabine this year occurred in the SF match at Wimbledon against Aga Radwanska. It was late in the third set where Sabine was serving to tie the score or otherwise lose the match. I think it was the third point in that particular game. In any case Sabine started the point with a blistering serve that might have been an ace or at least a service winner against a lot of lesser players. But Aga blocked the serve so that her return just barely cleared the net and landed very close to it. That return in my estimation would have been a winner against a lot of the less speedy players on the tour but Sabine got there. Sabine then hit an extreme angle shot almost parallel to the net to land on the other side and ast the other end of the net. This shot surely would have been a winner against most players on the tour. But Aga was up to the challenge as she got there in time to hit the ball well into the open court for a sure fire winner. Unbelievably Sabine got to this ball to return a winner which Aga had no chance as the ball was in her court while she was almost at the spectator stands having not yet fully recovered from making her own shot. Aga in frustration at at losing this point threw her racquet at the ball.
This point starts at 2:33 of this 3:18 highlights clip:
That's a nice description but you know what? In fact, that Sabine's serve was returned everytime in the final by Marion Bartoli. That final is totally underrated because of the score, but both played on a very high level, a level that a final of yesterday's GOATS like, say, Graf vs Seles, doesn't even reach.
Hard to choose one but from playing any ace is always satisfying,return winners are awesome aswell. Any winner from the back of the court is great aswell.