Top 10 Tennis Players With the Best Forehand
Rafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera is a Spanish professional tennis player. As of July 2025, he has won a record 22 Grand Slam singles titles. Nadal is widely regarded as one of the greatest tennis players in history, especially known for his dominance on clay courts. You won't find it difficult to see a player with depth and pace in their groundstrokes in any era, but Rafa's forehand is something really, really special. He hits it with so much spin and high accuracy. Rafa can make magic with that kind of shot. His "banana" down-the-line forehand is unique. No one can hit it as many times as Rafa.
Rafa is the King of Clay. But in my mind, Rafa is the King of Tennis. No one could have such an amazing career like him, not to mention the countless hours he has spent in the hospital treating his injuries.
Vamos, Rafa!
Roger Federer (born August 8, 1981) is a Swiss former professional tennis player. He was ranked world No. 1 in men's singles by the ATP for a total of 310 weeks, which is the second-most of all time. He also held the top ranking for a record 237 consecutive weeks and finished the year as world No. 1... read more The amount of topspin is not the only factor, nor a decisive one, in determining who has the best forehand. Even if it were, Nadal would be number one, but Federer would probably be in the top three.
That said, Federer is top class when it comes to attacking with his forehand (topspin, flat, inside-out, inside-in, down the line, running forehand either cross-court or down the line, drop shot, passing shots, angles, deep, short, attacking lobs, volleying, half-volley). He can also use it with the same efficiency when defending, from flicks and half-volleys to defending lobs. I've seen him use these shots in countless games with extreme accuracy and consistency. If I've left out a shot, he can probably do it as well.
He's called Forehand-o Gonzalez for a reason. Gonzalez provides great topspin as well as stunning power with his forehand. He's great on the run, can spin it, and can drive it extremely flat. He almost has Federer's variety.
Gonzalez's forehand is the best ever, without a doubt. It's such a sheer beauty to watch him hit it, with full power released from the body to the forehand. He hits it flat and clean.
Gonzalez also has a very fast forehand, but it is not the same as Tsonga's or Del Potro's because it relies more on topspin power.
When Del Potro is in good form, nobody can outpower his invincible forehands. He hits them with ultimate power and speed.
Del Potro's forehand doesn't have a lot of topspin. It is very flat, but it is one of the fastest.
It is the fastest forehand in tennis at this moment. It just requires more consistency.
Novak Djokovic is a Serbian professional tennis player. He has held the world No. 1 ranking in men's singles multiple times, spending a record total of 428 weeks at No. 1 across 13 different years. As of July 2025, he is ranked No. 6 in the ATP rankings. His forehand is underrated because his backhand is so highly rated as the best ever. His forehand may also be the best ever. Early in his pro career, his forehand broke down at times, but that is clearly not the case since 2012 or so.
Sir Andrew Barron Murray (born 15 May 1987) is a British professional tennis coach and former player. He was ranked world No. 1 in singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) for 41 weeks and finished as the year-end No. 1 in 2016... read more
One of the biggest forehands I have ever seen live. The crowd literally gasped when he unloaded on a few of them. Basically, a missile with topspin.
Verdasco's forehand has a lot of topspin and speed, and he uses a lot of slice.
Pretty damn fast. Generates more speed and RPM than Nadal.
Nicholas Hilmy "Nick" Kyrgios is an Australian professional tennis player who has reached a career-high ATP singles ranking of world No. 13. He is known for his powerful serve, creative shot-making, and expressive on-court behavior. Kyrgios has also represented Australia in the Davis Cup and remains... read more
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Gaël Sébastien Monfils is a French professional tennis player. He achieved a career-high ATP singles ranking of world No. 6 on November 7, 2016. Known for his athleticism and showmanship on the court, Monfils has been a fan favorite throughout his career. Greatest forehand in the world!
Nobody can reach his speed.
Monfils's forehand is very solid and fast.
I love his forehand. If he practiced like that in every training session and match, he could be back in the top five.
He hits the ball so hard with so much topspin. It lacks regularity at times, but altogether it's a stunning groundstroke.
Petros "Pete" Sampras is an American former professional tennis player who reached world No. 1 in the ATP rankings. He won 14 Grand Slam singles titles during his career, including a record seven Wimbledon championships at the time. Sampras retired in 2002 and is considered one of the greatest players... read more
Andy Roddick is an American former professional tennis player known for his powerful serve. He reached the pinnacle of his career in the early 2000s, winning one Grand Slam singles title at the 2003 US Open and achieving the World No. 1 ranking on November 3, 2003. Roddick's forehand from 2003-2005 was one of the biggest weapons on the tour, right behind his serve. However, after he dropped Gilbert as a coach, his forehand became a lot more spinny as he turned into a more all-around player.
Andy Roddick has a hard forehand when it's high in the air, but when it's low, he's good at picking it up. For example, when someone hits a slice, he brushes it up and makes them consistently.
I believe Blake has hit the fastest forehand ever recorded.
One of the best flat forehands in the open era. He has great technique and doesn't need to use much power to make a very fast strike.
Stanislas "Stan" Wawrinka is a Swiss professional tennis player. He has won three Grand Slam singles titles: the Australian Open in 2014, the French Open in 2015, and the US Open in 2016. He achieved a career-high ATP singles ranking of world No. 3 in January 2014.
Milos Raonic is a Canadian professional tennis player. He reached a career-high Association of Tennis Professionals world No. 3 singles ranking on November 21, 2016. He is known for his powerful serve and became the first Canadian man to reach a Grand Slam final at Wimbledon in 2016. His inside-out forehand is a fearsome weapon: great angles and power. The only issue is covering the court he leaves exposed, not producing the stroke itself.
Maybe the second-best forehand when it's on and when he gets a good look at the ball, only coming after Djokovic. Nadal and Federer make their forehands seem better because they are such great movers and receive the ball so well, but they do not have the forehand quality of Djokovic or Tsonga.
Tsonga's forehand is really similar to Del Potro's. Tsonga hits it harder, but Del Potro's is faster.
Tsonga's forehand is not at all similar to Del Potro's. Tsonga has a pure flat forehand, much more similar to Gonzalez's.
He is very underrated. He deserves to be ranked higher. His forehand was deadly.
David Ferrer Ern is a Spanish former professional tennis player who turned pro in 2000 and retired in 2019. He reached a career-high ATP ranking of world No. 3 in July 2013 and won 27 ATP singles titles, including the 2012 Paris Masters. Ferrer is known for his exceptional work ethic and is currently... read moreHis forehand is wicked. The topspin and power he generates for a small-framed guy is amazing. He really pulverizes the ball on the forehand wing.