ATP 250 Almaty, Stockholm, Antwerp 10/14 - 10/20 2024

[mick1303]

Oh, sure. Lendl's BH down the line was a risky shot because it came from a cross court shot. Going from CC to DTL is always risky, as opposed to going from down the line to cross court. That sort of precision is also what we are talking about.
But, another example. We were all in awe of Roger's strokes. He did produce the miraculous one with frequency. But we don't talk about his simple "serve wide to the FH on the deuce court, hit a winner with HIS FH going inside out". He must have hit that shot thousands of times, and seldom missed, both because it was high percentage and he had the precision.
And few players have ever been as good at going down the line with his backhand, from a cross court shot, as Novak. That is a precision shot, if there ever was one.

The risk level, to me, IS a factor. I would say the Fededer one is an example of consistency - because slight errors wouldn't necessarily lose him the point - while the Djokovic one is consistency AND precision.

Yes, what I meant by "precision" is linked to risk but not straightforward. Probably the best described it is "hand-eye coordination" aka pure tennis ability. Player with better hand-eye coordination will implement the same shot, but it would take less risk for him to do so. Therefore he can afford more daring shots. Or just generally play closer to the lines and deeper, gaining advantage.