The best of 2017 series on Moo’s Tennis Blog continues from my favourite points of the year to a selection of hot shots on the WTA tour. It was so hard to cut this list down that i’ve ended up with a list of 30! As always, i’d love to know what were your favourite hot shots of the year and please let me know any that are missing! For last year’s post of hot shots, click HERE.
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Starting with a bang and an incredible get from Julia Goerges. I don’t think Wozniacki was expecting this ball to land in…
Johanna Konta’s return was absolutely on song in Sydney.
Hot shot Aga!
Incredible feel from Roberta Vinci. Talking of Roberta, i’m not sure if she has now officially retired?
An impressive reflex volley from Angelique Kerber in what was one of her best tournaments of the year in Dubai.
Incredible chasing from Kirsten Flipkens – it really didn’t seem to possible that she could chase down that last ball from her starting position!
I love the nonchalance of this forehand slice winner from Monica Niculescu.
Exquisite volley from Bethanie Mattek-Sands who had a superb singles tournament in Miami.
Mladenovic had a series of hot shot winners and this was probably the best of the lot.
As running forehand winners go, this was pretty damn fine from Marketa Vondrousova. And even with not really being able to see the ball, a problem encountered with most matches from Prague.
I’ve watched this over and over again and can’t quite fathom how Eugenie Bouchard managed to chase this ball down for a forehand winner down-the-line. Sharapova’s volley was decent!
Another moment of Mladenovic magic.
Incredible improvisation from Venus Williams to turn this point on its head.
Pinpoint accuracy on the lob from Daria Gavrilova.
A pair of hot shots from Richel Hogenkamp – a crafty pick-up and an on-the-stretch forehand winner that forced her into the splits!
Terrific defence from Francesca Schiavone.
A drop shot to a drop shot! Absolutely wicked from Anastasija Sevastova.
The Ostapenko forehand! 😍
PETRA KVITOVA.
PETRA KVITOVA.
Roberta Vinci’s instant applause was just as good as the hot shot! One of the shots of the year from Dasha.
Another glorious passing shot winner on the defence from Bouchard.
Daria Gavrilova! 👏 Great match this one.
Slice heaven with Aga.
One of the cleanest struck backhands i’ve ever seen from Wozniacki and down match point! She went onto win the tournament in Tokyo.
I love that Radwanska is out of the shot when she converts this passing shot winner 😂.
A no-look forehand winner – oh yes Aga!
This post wouldn’t be worthy without a hot shot from Magdalena Rybarikova.
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Fast developing into one of my favourite shots – the Kasatkina jumping backhand!
And finally, bookending the post with Julia Goerges Her forehand was 🔥🔥🔥 in Zhuhai where she ended the year on a nine match winning streak.
Some great shots here (I think Aga’s no-look forehand against DariaK clinched it for me, but I love Aga’s “ninja shots”). One of my favourites that hasn’t been mentioned was Ostapenko’s audacious match winner against Timea Baczinszky at the French Open, during their “birthday match” (played on both players’ birthday, June 8);
Talk about painting the lines (or the corners). Timea wondered in her post-match press conference whether Jelena will still be hitting shots like that when she’s 28 (her own age). Let’s hope so.
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and here’s the official highlight clip for those who don’t like the music in the last one;
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Thanks for this, Graham. There are so many great shots/rallies that I will have missed! It’s especially difficult to cover the Slams.
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Thanks,enjoyed the video……..but
The Bac hyper-extended her right knee early in the match, and had a heavy tape job put on her right leg. For some strange reason the Roland Garros editor shows her hitting a ball at 2:28 without the tape on her right leg long after the leg was taped.
Just a fun observation.
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Ms. Vinci will call it a career at the 2018 Italian Open.
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