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The GreatBase Tennis PodcastAuthor: Steve Smith and Associates
The GreatBase Tennis Podcast is a weekly audio show presented by Steve Smith and associates. Information, ideas, and insights are provided to help those connected to the game of tennis. Language: en-us Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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Grips, Pros, and Physics
Tuesday, 6 October, 2026
Steve Smith, Dave Anderson, and Pol O'Callaghan welcome content creator and teaching pro Jeff Lewis to the latest episode of the GreatBase Tennis Podcast for a deep dive into grips and stroke production across the history of pro tennis. The group works through the evolution of forehand grips from Eastern to extreme Western, naming benchmark players for each style, from Don Budge and Welby Van Horn's "championship grip" to modern players like Del Potro, Alcaraz, and Swiatek.The conversation moves through backhands, volleys, overheads, serves, and returns, with the group naming benchmark pros for each shot along the way. They also tackle the inverted racket face trend and why so many juniors are copying it without the fundamentals to back it up. Throughout, the group returns to the same theme: the pros who succeed are the ones who honor the physics and keep things simple, while juniors today are often chasing flashy nuances instead of building a complete, fundamentally sound game.
