Power vs Precision: The Clash Between Andrey Rublev and Casper Ruud

Power and Precision are two contrasting playing styles in tennis and players use what works for them best. Andrey Rublev and Casper Ruud are two such players who employ these styles respectively.

The two ATP top 10 ranked players faced off in the group stages of the Nitto ATP Finals recently and the contrasting styles were on full display for all tennis enthusiasts to watch with a keen eye.

The Norwegian Casper Ruud overcame Andrey Rublev in the thrilling encounter 6-4, 5-7 and 6-2, narrowing the head-to-head encounters between them. We look at the two styles to see which triumphs over the other. 

Power Vs. Precision: Which is More Effective?

Choosing between power or precision is not a whimsy decision. Players, trainers and coaches look at the physical makeup of a player to determine which style of play suits them most.

We also believe that psychology also plays a role in the decision-making process. Is the said player more of a patient person who would rather play the longer artsy game or someone who wants to smash their opponents off quickly?

It’s such considerations that come to play in choosing what is more suitable. We explore the two styles briefly.

Power 

Playing with power is exhilarating and players who employ the style often must sacrifice precision and accuracy to a certain extent.

Power players in tennis depend more on brute strength and their physical makeup, as well as timing to outwit their opponents. They essentially rely on aggressive ground strokes, fierce serves and a strong baseline.

The aim of using power is to outwit the opponent with one or two shots and the serve is the panacea of power because it sets the tone. There are disadvantages though, with players being prone to more unforced errors.

The armament power players use include lower string tension, larger head sizes and rackets that have stiffer frames for more transmission when the ball is hit. These elements allow players to hit with less effort but harder.

Precision

Playing with precision is more an art that speaks to the sophisticated nature of tennis as a sport. Precision shots need to be perfectly executed to outwit opponents.

Precision players rely on the spin and take heed to mastering it as well as tactically placing shots consistently to wear down their opponents.

It’s more about having a reasonable understanding of ball placement, angles and spin whilst dictating the flow of the game trying to carefully outmanoeuvre the player on the other end of the court. It’s more of a long game as compared to power.

The armament used for this style is the opposite of power as it’s lighter. The control rackets are much lighter, with the strings strung at a much higher tension for better placement and a different feel to that of a power player.

Casper Ruud

Casper Ruud shakes hands with Andrey Rublev//Getty Images

Ruud is known to have achieved more results on clay and uses the power shot with his forehand but now leans more to precision using the one-handed backhand. The Norwegian was able to reduce the head-to-head gap between him and Rublev recently. 

Data from Tennis Data Innovations shows that he is hitting the backhand with more speed and accuracy with varying results on clay and hard courts.

He lands the ball within 1m of the sideline 22.5 percent of the time on clay and 19.9 percent of the time on hard. Perhaps this speaks to his prowess on clay when looked at more carefully.

After progressing from the John Newcombe Group in second place following his win against Andrey Rublev, Ruud was eventually overcome by a much more seasoned player on the hard court, Jannik Sinner in the semi-finals.