Improve Forehand Grip?

Question

Let me start out with my bio. I use a Western forehand grip and have a Babolat AeroPro Drive Cortex to replace my broken KSting 105. I played for over three years since last year until the racquet broke.

I skipped a year due to being lazy about finding another racquet and decided to order this racquet which I did not regret. But now I noticed some inconsistency in my shots unlike last year.

In the beginning of the play, I hit low balls that land on no-man's land towards the net while near the end I start hitting the ball high but near the baseline. I'm trying to hit those lucky shots I made when the ball hits low but lands on baseline but I actually don't even know how I hit those.

Was it cuz my wrist was bent back and firm (I usually forget those for my Western Grip and somehow get sloppy with the wrist). Maybe my follow through was more forward? Any thoughts?

Answer 1

In my opinion, a western forehand is best suited towards clay courts, and I assume you play on hard courts. A full western requires you to swing high with a lot of raquet speed, and it is pretty useless on low balls. Try using a semi western and see what results you get. And always make sure to follow through.

Answer 2

Lows balls with a western grip means you really need to bend those knees and get below the ball. With your year off maybe you still retained stroke mechanics in your arm, but your footwork got lazy.