As one left-hander with a nuclear forehand leaves the stage – via Rafael Nadal’s touching farewell ceremony at Roland Garros last week – another is emerging from the pack.

Rafael Nadal ends an era in which he unleashed one of sport’s greatest weapons - Nadal’s forehand left many opponents watching on in staggered disbelief.

The forehand isn’t just a shot, it is a result of the hard work the 37-year-old has put in over the last year and the shot is a mark of a statement. As a statement, which clearly marks the ...

Rafael Nadal: 12,000 fans, an inside-out forehand, and a dream in Madrid By Matthew Futterman April 27, 2024Updated May 27, 2024 ...

But Nadal, who now has a 67-1 record at Roland Garros, has problems with his forehand, the weapon that has crushed his rivals for more than a decade of domination on the slow surface.

As Nadal began to struggle, not with his previously troublesome knees but with a chronic foot problem that he had been able to manage throughout his career, it seemed the end was nigh late in 2021.

But Nadal, who now has a 67-1 record at Roland Garros, has problems with his forehand, the weapon that has crushed his rivals for more than a decade of domination on the slow surface.