Former world No 5 was the master of the half-volley back in the day
Friday 13 October 2017 13:56, UK
Sky Sports' special guest Henri Leconte demonstrates the best way to hit a half-volley with a studio masterclass.
Leconte, who is a former Davis Cup winner and French Open runner-up, was known for his eloquence and touch around the court during his peak in the late 1980's.
Albert Ramos-Vinolas was in action against fourth-seeded Marin Cilic on Friday and got his half-volley return badly wrong as the ball sailed into the tramlines.
Speaking on Sky Sports Arena, Leconte felt the Spaniard was "locked" in position at the net when he should have "moved with the ball" in order to feather it over for a winner.
The Frenchman added: "You know why I was so good at the half-volley? Because I used a wooden racket so if you didn't follow through, it didn't go.
"With new technology today, it's completely different. The strings are so stiff whereas we used to have flexible rackets. The modern rackets are more complicated and have a lot more power.
"Someone who is doing very well on the half-volley now is Rafael Nadal."
The 25th-ranked Ramos-Vinolas might have ended Cilic's streak of winning 21 service games in the sixth game of the second set, but he went on to lose the match 6-3 6-3 to the Croatian powerhouse.
We will have all the action from the conclusion of the Shanghai Masters before we head to the Erste Bank Open and Swiss Indoors Basel and then the Paris Masters.
The Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan and season-ending extravaganza World Tour Finals at London's O2 in November end another memorable year which will be covered via our website www.skysports.com/tennis with live blogs and updates as the season reaches its climax.
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