Who has the best forehand in the entire ATP circuit?

Jose Morón | 8 Apr 2025 | 12.33

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Clay court season is here, and once again, we turn our focus to the power of the forehand as the dominant weapon that will rule the circuit in the upcoming weeks. We are entering a phase of the year where the serve takes a back seat, and the spotlight in matches will be on play from the baseline, with the forehand as the key shot that will make the difference. But who are the standout players in this aspect of the game? Keep an eye out, as some may be surprised by the data.

With this being the first clay-court tour post-Rafa Nadal (how much we will miss him), tennis fans have bid farewell to the best forehand ever seen on this surface. A forehand capable of generating an average of 3500 revolutions per minute and causing immense damage to opponents. 14 Roland Garros titles endorse him. Now that this shot is somewhat orphaned by his departure, the search is on for the new player to pick up the mantle that Nadal kept for almost two decades, with hardly anyone able to challenge him.

Looking at the current top forehands, some may be surprised as there are players high in the rankings who might not immediately come to mind. In the list below, compiled with data from TennisViz Insight and TDI Data for the ATP, we show which players could make a difference in the next two months thanks to their forehand.

The Top 20 Forehands on the ATP Tour on Clay Courts

Contrary to popular belief, the number 1 on the list of best forehands on the 2024 clay tour (excluding Roland Garros) was Jannik Sinner. The Italian reached an average of 8.92 with this shot, being one of the leaders in winners with an average of 11.9, surpassing other clay court specialists with a strong forehand like Cerúndolo (10.5), Ruud (8.7), Tsitsipas (8.6), or Seyboth Wild (10.3).

Sinner's forehand, although not initially associated with clay, has all the elements to make a difference on this surface in the coming years. Powerful (at 125km/h, it's the fifth fastest in the Top, just behind Fils, Monteiro, Skatov, and Medjedovic), with a lot of spin (2700 revolutions per minute, barely 100 or 200 less than many specialists), capable of producing a large number of winners and with few errors on that side.

Regarding Carlos Alcaraz, who might be expected to be at the top of this ranking, unfortunately for him, last year he only played the Madrid tournament before Roland Garros, so there is scarce data on him for that tour, especially considering that he suffered a forearm injury during those months, hampering his forehand as usual. It is logical to think of Carlos as having a forehand similar or slightly superior to Jannik's since it is more adaptable to the clay.

Carlos usually hits his forehand at an average of 3000 rpm, with an average speed of 130km/h (5km/h faster than the Italian) and is capable of hitting a higher average of winners. Under normal circumstances, his forehand should be competing with Sinner's for the best forehand on this surface.

These data will help us predict what may happen on this tour, especially considering that Jannik won't be back until May, at the Rome tournament, leaving him only this event and Hamburg as preparation for Roland Garros. However, with this data in hand, it seems difficult not to consider that the Italian will eventually retire with several finals in Paris and probably with a few Roland Garros titles in his cabinet. The exact number will depend on various factors, but in terms of skill, he has it.

It will be fascinating to see the future rivalry between Carlitos and Jannik in Paris, with the possible involvement of Joao Fonseca, who also performs remarkably on clay and possesses a tremendous forehand. Last year in the semifinals, we could see that the gap between the two on clay is not significant, and the Spaniard narrowly clinched victory that evening in the fifth set.

Turning to other forehands, we focus on those of Tsitsipas and Ruud, two top specialists who rely on this shot to succeed on clay courts. The Greek's average is 8.13, while the Norwegian scored 8.02. Casper's forehand is slightly faster (2km/h more), and both achieve very similar numbers in terms of winners (8.7 and 8.6) and unforced errors (9.5 and 9.1), respectively.

These forehands differ from others like Zverev's, unable to produce the same number of winners (roughly 3 less per match on average) despite similar scores in speed and spin as the other two. This indicates that on clay, it's not just about how you strike the ball, at what speed or with what effect, but also about the damage you inflict, where you place the ball, and how uncomfortable it is for the opponent.

Looking at Djokovic's forehand, ranked sixth in 2024 with an average of 8.2, the Serbian stands out for being one of the most consistent with this shot yet one of the lowest in number of winners. Among the Top 20, he ranks just above Skatov. He averages barely 4.8 winners per match with his forehand, showing that it's not his primary weapon on clay but rather a shot for construction or more secondary compared to his backhand. In the current era, Novak surely aims to increase this number if he wants success in the 2025 tour.

Another forehand to consider for this clay season is that of Fran Cerúndolo, who seems to be evolving significantly this year, with a strong start to 2025. The Argentine ranks fifth in this list, being one of the leaders in winners with his forehand and averaging 8.23. However, his average of 11.3 errors indicates where he needs to work to improve his results. Perhaps taking fewer risks and reducing the number of winners slightly would be beneficial to avoid too many errors.

Highlighting some forehands on this surface that may be overlooked, we mention those of Musetti, Darderi, Dimitrov, or Monteiro. Keep an eye on the significant improvement of Luciano, who reached the podium last week with his title in Marrakech. He could be one of the breakout players this year, already showing promise over the last couple of years.

Before closing, many may wonder about where Joao Fonseca fits in. Having not frequently participated in ATP clay events in 2024, he doesn't appear on this list. Predictions can only be based on his performance in early 2025. In the first three months of competition, the Brazilian's forehand averages 8.5 points, placing him second in the ranking, just behind Sinner, hitting at an average of 3300rpm, making him the leader on the circuit in this statistic and achieving over 10 winners per match on average.

With these numbers, it seems likely that Fonseca's forehand will be crucial on this surface in the coming years. As with Sinner, all signs point to Joao playing multiple Roland Garros finals if all goes well. It's hard not to see him winning in Paris one day.

The Top 20 Forehands on the tour across all surfaces

As a final note, here is the list of the Top 20 global forehands in 2024 across all surfaces and ATP tournaments (excluding the four Grand Slams). Again, we see Jannik Sinner leading this ranking, followed closely by Novak, only 0.24 average points behind. Alcaraz completes the podium, trailing the Italian by 0.32, with almost 3 fewer winners on average than Jannik.

Carlos's performance in the M1000 events and ATP tournaments has prevented him from having better numbers, but considering his presumed superior forehand compared to Sinner's, the fact that the Italian outperformed Alcaraz with the forehand in 2024 clearly shows the remarkable progress Jannik has made in his game. With the best backhand on the circuit and also leading in serve points, if he can also excel in forehands, competitors will have a tough time surpassing a player who, upon his return in May, will be hungrier than ever and determined to dominate once again.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, ¿Quién tiene la mejor derecha de todo el circuito ATP?