Playing Style
Dolgopolov has an unorthodox but all-court playing style; he can counter-punch when needed, but can also be very aggressive. His serve has a very quick cadence to it, the motion having little to no pauses within it. This allows him to generate fast first serves and great second serves, which catches most of his opponents off guard. In terms of timing, his service motion is similar to his ground strokes. Dolgopolov is able to quickly and suddenly hit the ball at the last moment, making him one of the most deceptive players on tour, as it is hard to anticipate where he is going to hit the ball. On his service return he will often chip back the first serve. He uses a unique jumping topspin forehand, which can be used to pull his opponents wide off the court. His backhand is usually hit two-handed with topspin but he often uses a one-handed slice.He can also flatten out his backhand for winners, and is capable of generating extremely high pace on that shot. He's not afraid to come to the net to finish off points, and he volleys quite well. With his speed he is very efficient around the court. Some have compared his style to Federer's but the Ukrainian's unusual style of varied pace and spins had been most likened to that of Andy Murray among the leading players. He's also been compared to French showman Fabrice Santoro for his unique use of shots and strokes. Unlike Fabrice Santoro he can flatten out his groundstrokes very efficiently in big matches, as seen in the 2011 Australian Open. His slice is one of the best in the ATP. Win or loss, he generally finishes his matches with a high amount of winners, but also many unforced errors. Following his four-set win over Dolgopolov in 2011 Roland Garros third round, Troicki said that he was not far from going crazy with Dolgopolov's dropshots.
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