Forehand

Nadal has a strong western grip with his hitting hand directly under the handle. He is able to generate incredible spin with his shots and the balls will often bounce very high above the shoulder of his opponents. He can also drive the ball. He does not drop the racket-head below the ball as much as he does when he hits with spin. Lastly, the string he uses is difficult to master, but he is able to harness its power to add more spin and cause the ball to jump and bounce forward.

He also has what I have termed the “cowboy-lasso follow-through” on the forehand side. He hits his forehand and his racket whips around his head and ends up on the hitting side. Folks: Do not try this at home! This is a dangerous shot and only a few can master it (Schiavone and Sharapova comes to mind here). If you do try it, have the medic standing by to stitch up the cuts on your head. Some experts and coaches say this type of shot is the result of making contact when the ball is behind you. I think Nadal, Schiavone and Sharapova are doing just fine with it, don’t you?

Backhand

Even though Nadal plays tennis as a lefty he is actually right-handed and that is a major asset for him because his right hand (top hand) does all the work on the backhand side. He has a very effective low-biting slice, he can come inside the baseline and attack balls above his shoulder (this is where his top hand helps so much), and he is very dangerous when on the run or when his opponent’s come to the net. Once again, because his top hand is so strong, he is able to dip the ball down to the feet of the attacking opponent.

Volley

Nadal is also a very good doubles player and he isn’t hesitant to come in and approach the net when necessary. His approach shots are so good that all he has to do is to hit a simply block volley to the open court or behind his opponent. You will not often see him go for outright winners with his volleys.

Serve

Despite not being branded as having a sonic serve, Nadal’s serve is pretty darn effective. Being a lefty gives him an advantage especially when serving to the ad court or jamming your opponent by serving into the body. He can do a bit of everything with his serve and it is this variation that makes his serve so good. You don’t have to go for it every time, you just have to be precise and accurate.

Movement

He can move this way, that way, backwards, forwards and every direction in between. He is off the charts when stretched out wide, or behind the baseline, and he can come back with not only a good shot, but he often hits a winner leaving his opponent completely shocked and talking to themselves. What makes him so special is his lower body foundation. He is always in control with perfect balance.

Physical

I don’t have to say much here as I think it’s pretty obvious. He is as physical as it gets for a tennis player.

Mental

It’s very rare to witness any negative emotions or verbal put-downs from Nadal. If he lets down his guard here or there, it is put aside when he plays the next point. Andre Agassi was a fire-breather on the court, but he too always believed that the most important point of a match was the next one.

At this time, no one can say who the best player is, but let me say that Nadal is definitely on the short list. He is only 25 years old and if he stays healthy and can compete each day like he does right now, his chances of being the very best are not out of reach. You have to credit his family and support team for everything they do for him. I’d love to bottle that positive energy and sell it!

Finally, I’d like to just say this. The way Nadal trains and performs, he reminds me of a Navy Seal. He always finds a way to win!

Ryan Harrison will face Roger Federer tonight at Indian Wells

Eighteen-year-old, Ryan Harrison, defeated the 20-year-old world #37, Milos Raonic, 7-6(1), 4-6, 6-4 in the Third Round of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California yesterday to set up a Fourth Round clash with world #2, Roger Federer.  Harrison, a wild card entry into this tournament, is currently ranked #152 in the world and trains at the IMG Bollettieri Tennis Academy.  This is the first time Harrison has been the into the final sixteen at an ATP Tour 1000 level event and his match against Federer will air live on the Tennis Channel Wednesday night.

Congrats to Ryan for the great win and I can’t wait to watch your match tonight against Roger!

Ryan Harrison

IMG Bollettieri Tennis Academy student, Ryan Harrison, won his first two titles of 2011 on Sunday at the ATP Tour Men’s Challenger in Honolulu, Hawaii. Harrison, the #6 seed and the youngest player in the field, defeated fellow American Alex Kuznetsova 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 in the singles final. He then won the doubles as well with partner, Travis Rettenmaier, after Kuznetsova and his partner, Robbie Kendrick, withdrew. This is Harrison’s first career singles title at the Challenger level.

Congrats to Ryan on the great win!

Ryan Harrison in ESPN Magazine

Ryan Harrison has used his momentum from 2010 to propel the 18-year-old into an already eventful 2011.

Harrison, an IMG Bollettieri Tennis Academy alum, won all three qualifying matches this past weekend to qualify for the main draw of the Brisbane International.

His reward? Facing No. 1 seed and worldwide No. 5, Robin Soderling. Harrison also qualified last month for the Australian Open for the second time in his career.

After his impressive 2010, Harrison has also earned a spot in ESPN Magazine’s annual “NEXT” issue that highlights some of the nation’s up-and-coming stars. From the feature:

Let’s face it: This isn’t exactly the golden age of American men’s tennis. So when Harrison, ranked 173rd in the world, upset 15th-seeded Ivan Ljubicic in the opening round of the 2010 US Open, fans rejoiced. (He lost his next match in five sets to No. 36 Sergiy Stakhovsky.) “I love that Ryan has an all-around game,” says Billie Jean King. “He can serve and hit off the ground, and he’s strong at the net. He’s going to have a great future.” With Harrison having earned a spot in this month’s Australian Open, the future might already be here.

Ryan Harrison

For the second consecutive year, Ryan Harrison will make the trip to Australia after winning the USTA Australian Open Wild Card Playoff.

In Sunday’s final, Harrison, an 18-year-old IMG Bollettieri Tennis Academy student, defeated Jack Sock 7-6 (3), 6-2, 6-7 (4), 6-4 to win the 8-man invitational. Harrison defeated Michael Shabaz (University of Virginia senior and 2010 NCAA Doubles Champion) 7-6 (3), 6-7 (6), 6-4 and Rhyne Williams (University of Tennessee sophomore and ITA All-American) 4-6, 6-2, 9-7.

After also winning last year’s Australian Open Wild Card Tournament and qualifying for the 2010 US Open, the 2011 Australian Open will mark Harrison’s third appearance in a Grand Slam Main Draw. Harrison is currently ranked No. 173 on the ATP World Tour.

Already known as one of the world’s top up-and-coming young players, Harrison made waves this summer when he defeated No. 15 seed Ivan Ljubicic in the first round of the US Open and taking Sergiy Stakhovsky, then ranked No. 36 in the world, five sets in the second round.

“Absolutely,” said Harrison after being asked if the loss in New York made him want to win Sunday’s match even more. “I know people still remember that match. I want to start creating some better Grand Slam memories and there couldn’t be an easier way to do that than to get into the main draw of the Australian Open.”

Nick Bollettieri with Sabine Lisicki and Melanie Oudin

Mixed in with the thousands of juniors on the IMG Academies’ campus for the Eddie Herr International, two of the WTA’s up-and-coming stars used the perfect weather for a hitting session on Tuesday.

Sabine Lisicki and Melanie Oudin hit for about an hour, working on all parts of their game with their respective coaches intently watching. Nick Bollettieri, keeping a close eye on one of his junior students on a nearby court, came by at the end of the session for a quick photo op.

Lisicki, 21, and Oudin, 19, have featured a very similar WTA career path thus far, with Lisicki reaching a career-high ranking of 22 with one career title (Charleston) and Oudin has risen to 31. The two, however, have never played each other in a WTA single’s match.

Here are some photos from their practice session:

Heather Watson wins Tevlin Challenger!

Eighteen-year-old Brit, Heather Watson, won her second title of the season at the Women’s Tevlin Challenger in Toronto by defeating Alize Lim of France 6-3, 6-3 in the finals. Watson, who trains at the IMG Bollettieri Tennis Academy, has moved to a career high of #176 in the world. This now makes her the third highest ranked British female behind Elena Baltacha (age 27) and Anne Keothavong (age 27). Watson was the 2009 Junior US Open champion and 2010 is her first full year competing on the women’s pro tour.

Congrats to Heather from the entire Academy!

Yuki Bhambri training at the IMG Bollettieri Tennis Academy

Congratulations to IMG Bollettieri pro, Yuki Bhambri, on winning his first career ATP match earlier today at the Malaysia Open in Kuala Lumpur. Bhambri, the former world #1 junior, beat Malaysian wildcard Yew-Ming Si in straight sets. He will play his next round either Wednesday or Thursday. In addition, he will play his first round doubles with fellow IMG Bollettieri Kei Nishikori on Wednesday.

Congrats to Yuki again and good luck in the next round!

You can also see some photos from the match on Yuki’s Facebook page and you can stay up-to-date on Yuki by following him on Twitter.

Maria Sharapova training at the IMG Bollettieri Tennis Academy

Standing in the epicenter of the IMG Bollettieri Tennis Academy’s 56 tennis courts last week, one could look around and see the following all on adjacent courts:

• Maria Sharapova working on her game while coach Michael Joyce gave advice from a chair on the side of the court

• Jelena Jankovic going through drills with IMG Bollettieri Director Chip Brooks as he offered encouragement through his distinct Southern twang

• Sabine Lisicki fine-tuning her serve

• Future stars Ricardas (Richard) Berankis, Filip Krajinovic, Michelle Larcher de Brito and Heather Watson smashing forehands

Jelena Jankovic training at the IMG Bollettieri Tennis Academy

With established pros like Xavier Malisse, Michaella Krajicek and Jelena Dokic also refining their game, and ATP stars like Kei Nishikori, Taylor Dent and Radek Stepanek slated to arrive later in the week, the IMG Bollettieri courts possess quite possibly the best collection of talent in the world during the lead-up to the US Open.

Practicing on courts easily viewed by excited IMG Academies campers and their families, all of the players were extremely gracious in taking photos or signing autographs after their training sessions ended.