First Serve: August 2 - 8

TENNIS.com's Monday morning quarterback recaps last week's pro tennis action—and offers his reaction.

Last Week's Tournaments

Underachievers Achieve?
In the grand scheme of things, David Nalbandian's and Svetlana Kuznetsova's title wins in Washington, D.C., and San Diego don't mean much. Neither player harnesses positive momentum well; they are flickering forces who tend to pop up when least expected. Nalbandian hadn't played a tournament since April (though he was brilliant in Argentina's Davis Cup tie last month) and he won his previous title more than 18 months ago. Kuznetsova, a perennial Top 10 presence and last year's French Open champ, recently slid outside of the Top 20. So it was a bit of a surprise to see them accepting winner's trophies on Sunday. But that doesn't mean their accomplishments should go unrecognized.

For anyone who hits a two-handed backhand, these two players’ strokes represent perfection. They are powerful. They create angles and move the opponent around the court. And they are the go-to shots for two players whose forehands can go awry and whose serves don't generate enough free points. If you watched Kuznetsova late in the second set yesterday, you know what I mean. She failed to serve out the match at 5-4 and lost four championship points in the subsequent tiebreaker with errant shots. As for Nalbandian, he’s done this act before—just ask Roger Federer. When Federer was at the peak of his powers, Rafael Nadal was the only man who could keep up. But Nalbandian beat him three times from 2005 to 2007, largely because of his deceptive backhand. Nalbandian’s five-set comeback at the 2005 Tennis Masters Cup is his best known upset of Federer, but he had the GOAT on a string by the end of the 2007 Madrid final, which Nalbandian won 1-6, 6-3, 6-3.??

The stroke of the moment in tennis is the forehand. It's the putaway shot that's earned Federer and Nadal so many Grand Slam titles, and the shot that's prevented Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic from winning many of their own. It's why we see Robin Soderling, Tomas Berdych and Juan Martin del Potro in such imposing light. Even Justine Henin has tried to improve her forehand in order to keep up with Serena Williams. Aggression is rewarded, and the easiest way to get aggressive is with the forehand. Unless you're Nalbandian or Kuznetsova. At least for one week, they've shown what the other side is capable of.

Ed McGrogan is an assistant editor for TENNIS.com. Follow him on Twitter.