19 July 2012

THE MASTER OF THE ATTACKING BOAST: TAREK MOMEN vs. JAMES WILLSTROP

Yesterday we had an attacking boast played by Borja Golan off a hard paced, low but very loose drive by Cameron Pilley (at 1:28); today it's Tarek Momen - probably the greatest master of the attacking boast in the current PSA field - to show us when to employ the attacking boast. 
James Willstrop's straight drive seemed to be really tight, but unluckily for him the ball just caught the sidewall before bouncing on the ground; this in itself would have been alright if the ball is deep enough, but having been exactly at the service line, it was way too welcoming for Tarek to opt for his leathal attacking boast. Of course, as we have pointed it out earlier a few times, the extreme efficiency of Tarek Momen's attacking boasts are prepared with the reliability of his basic straight drives - he can hit them hard and tight basically from any position, also from the backfoot, or at a heavy stretch, out of balance (commom situations where even pros can struggle to hit straight with precision). 
The severity and reliability of his drives make his opponents naturally fear and prepare for a deep shot, in other words: whilst waiting on the 'T' and split-stepping, they naturally put their weight on their forefoot to prepare to lounge backwards towards the deep corners; this is why the already in itself high-quality low attacking boasts of Tarek Momen are doubly efficient.