Lopez survives three match points with one of tennis' most underrated shots

Two weeks before the Australian Open, Ivo Karlovic showed that miles per hour can make up for miles on the odometer. The 35-year-old owns one of tennis’ fastest serves, a shot nearly impossible to defend if struck optimally. Novak Djokovic, the world’s top-ranked player and best returner of serve, was ultimately overpowered by Karlovic and his signature shot in Doha.

Feliciano Lopez, who also owns a lethal serve, is another thirty-something that’s relied heavily on the point’s opening shot throughout his career. He’s reached the fourth round or better at Wimbledon—the Grand Slam tournament where the serve matters most—six times, first in 2002 and most recently last year. When the left-handed Spaniard lunges to swat an airborne ball, he appears to consume the court in front of him. This split-second of motion is Lopez’s best chance to win the point, by far.

After that fraction of time, however, Lopez can be beaten more readily. And it appeared that Denis Kudla, an American ranked 123rd, would be the latest player to undo the flame-throwing No. 12 seed when he had three match points while serving at 6-5 in the fifth set. Lopez couldn’t even use his serve to try and escape peril—which made his eventual 3-6, 6-2, 4-6, 6-2, 10-8 victory that much more impressive.

Lopez turned his tournament around thanks to one shot, which in my opinion is one of the most underrated shots in the sport: His slice backhand. You almost never see him come over his traditional one-hander, a la Grigor Dimitrov or Richard Gasquet. I feel like I’ve seen Rafael Nadal hit as many one-handed backhands as Lopez. Rather, he opts for a stinging slice, which by nature stays low but lands deep due to skill. It’s a beautiful shot to watch, as arresting as the more celebrated backhands of Dimitrov or Gasquet:

At times Lopez’s slice backhand resets a point, as a recreational player would do, but it never feels like a defensive, bail-out shot. There’s a bit of offense imbued in each carve, and its deceptive speed and low trajectory make it difficult to attack.

I’ve watched Lopez play points exclusively with his slice backhand, like a junior player instructed not to hit forehands during a practice drill. Lopez’s confidence in the shot is that strong, and it needed to be on a few slice-heavy points today, when even the slightest misfire would have ended his Australian adventure. Lopez’s slice backhand played a part in saving all three match points, and in doing so, changing the course of the extended fifth set.

After breaking Kudla for 7-7, Lopez showed off more of his one-handed abilities at the net, delivering finesse volleys that any seasoned serve-and-volleyer would applaud. One had so much spin that it was lucky to stay on Kudla’s side of the court.

Lopez’s slice didn’t always work—Kudla answered one with a winning lob, among other inspired replies. But he remained steadfast in a physically demanding approach. “I work out so much,” the sculpted Spaniard told ESPN2 afterward. He needs to: Lopez’s forehand isn’t much of a finishing shot, and his forays to net demand nimbleness and dexterity. He also plays a ton of tiebreakers, even if that wasn’t possible after 6-6 in this deciding set.

Of course, Lopez had his serve to help him out. A second-serve ace deflated Kudla at 7-7; a traditional first-serve ace made it 9-8. But it was those devastating slices that threw off Kudla the most. First they helped deny Kudla match points, then they helped Lopez earn some of his own.

On Lopez’s second match point, he returned with a slice backhand, then offered Kudla another. That slice cut deepest of all—when Kudla’s subsequent forehand found the net, Lopez had prevailed.

The 33-year-old has quietly matched his career-high ranking of No. 14, and he’ll likely remain under the radar unless he emerges from Djokovic’s quarter of the draw. That section also features fellow serving stars John Isner and Milos Raonic. If any of them is to upset Djokovic, like Karlovic in Doha, it will be primarily because of their serve. But each of these highly ranked players is more than just a single shot. In Lopez’s case, there’s two that deserve praise: One that you can’t miss, and one that’s being overlooked.