Tennis video instruction - At first glance there may be no noticeable  difference between Nadal and Tsonga forehand, but there are several major differences that make these forehands as different as wine and water.

In this article I will try to illustrate those differences and their advantages or disadvantages.

In Rafael Nadal you will see:

- A full western grip. A very extreme and inflexible grip more appropriate for slow or clay court surfaces. Great for heavy topspin but not as good to hit winners or flatter shots; great difficulty to dig out low skidding balls such as good slices, great for high balls and waist level shots.

- The right elbow away from the body and an arm fully extended at contact.  Nadal can do this and still be effective due to his enormous arm strength, but having the elbow away from his body and the arm fully extended at contact makes for poor accuracy and loss of power, which Nadal compensates with great big back and forward swings. This is effective on slow surfaces and generates great top spin, but on faster surfaces you can be severely punished, as Novak Djokovic, John Wilfred Tsonga, Gilles Simon and David Ferrer have eloquently demonstrated on several occasions.

- The more closed racket  head position (slighltly tilted towards the ground).  This is very effective for power lifts, but not effective if you wish to finish points, which is one of the weakest aspects of Rafaels game.

- The finish on the same side (left side remember Nadal is a lefty), makes for a very wicked,heavy topsin, but once again very ineffective if you are trying to hit winners with pinpoint accuracy.

In Wilfred Tsonga you will see:

- A semi-western grip. A flexible grip more appropriate for all court surfaces. Great for mixing heavy topspin with flatter and more accurate shots. Allows for all the nuances of the forehand from the topsin, to flat and even the slice. 

- The right elbow tucked into the body and an arm not fully extended at contact much like the great forehands of all time (Ivan Lendl for one).  This gives leverage, control, accuracy and power to the forehand

- The more open (flatter) racket head position. Permits Tsonga to have more accuracy, power and the ability to hit winners with his forehand.  This still allows for topsin which is a must for control.

- The finish on the opposite side (left side). Maximizes the rotational  power generated by the hips and shoulders which will be fully transferred onto the ball, making it heavy as a rock.

Nothing can beat success and you may think Nadal, his style and technique are your favorites and I can not blame you for that, Rafa is Nr.1!  But in all honesty, Jo-Wilfred Tsonga is the better model to follow and the attractiveness of his game speaks volumes.  Nevertheless it is still your choice:

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