A few years ago, Ryan Harrison was one of the brightest prospects in men’s tennis. He spent some time in the top 50 when he was 20 years old, and seemed ready to climb even higher. He had a booming serve, good athleticism, and a solid work ethic, which helped him overcome some technical flaws in his game.
Perhaps more importantly, he went about it the right way. He chose to qualify for tournaments instead of taking wild cards straight into the main draw. He learned this from Donald Young, who was heavily criticized for accepting too many wild cards. Playing qualifying is supposed to toughen a young player up, and makes them earn everything on their own. Harrison did always have a bit of a temper, but this wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. At least we could tell he cared, and wanted to be great.
Ryan Harrison’s Regression
In the last year or two, however, Harrison has completely regressed. He’s had long stretches where he loses to nearly everyone. Harrison has even struggled in challengers, which are the equivalent of Triple-A ball. The players in challengers are certainly talented, but anyone who has had success on the ATP Tour should be going deep in challengers on a consistent basis.
Harrison just qualified for Wimbledon, but sits well outside the top 100 in the world. He is only 22, so he still has plenty of time to turn things around. But it is puzzling why he has fallen so far so fast.
Reasons for Regression
One potential reason for his fall is that he began playing too defensively. He used to play a more aggressive game, which he displayed against Andy Murray in the 2012 Australian Open. He lost that match in four, but took it to Murray in a dominant first set. It looked like Harrison was only a year or two away from competing with the top guys. It wasn’t surprising Murray ended up winning, but Harrison looked like he belonged.
Not long after that, he appeared to make some adjustments that diminished his power. Instead of hitting through the court with his forehand, he began to utilize too much topspin. Generally topspin is a good thing, but Harrison’s shots seemed to land a little too short and sit up for his opponents. This lets them take control of the point and get Harrison on defense. Harrison has pretty good defensive skills, and it’s possible his coaches thought this style of play was becoming the trend. However, he simply became way too defensive. It’s one thing if you don’t have the ability to overpower your opponents, but Harrison had shown he possessed power.
Technical Issues
Harrison does have some technical problems that he is hopefully trying to fix. He tends to take too big of a wind up on his forehand, which is problematic against deep and heavy shots. He often doesn’t adjust his swing based on the pace or depth of his opponent’s shot, and sticks with his long and late starting wind up. Thus, his reply is often a weak forehand that sits up in the middle of the court.
Harrison’s backhand is pretty stiff, and is not much of a threat. It’s not terrible, but he could certainly make it a smoother stroke. On the other hand, his service motion is one of the smoothest in the game, and has no hitch whatsoever. It creates good pace and spin, and is certainly a shot he can build from. He also has good technique on his volleys, and has never been afraid to come to net.
Ryan Harrison has some good tools to work with, and with a few adjustments to his groundstrokes he might be able to turn things around. It would help if he learns to flatten out his forehand, and shortens his stroke when he has less time to set up. He’s young enough where he shouldn’t be afraid to make some changes. Even Rafael Nadal is always looking to make adjustments, and Harrison should be the same way. Harrison’s career may have taken a step in the wrong direction, but it’s not too late for him to get it back on track. He may or may not become the player we once thought he could be, but with some better coaching and a commitment to improve, a return to the top 50 should not be out of the question.
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