There’s been lots of heavy hitters on the forehand side on the WTA Tour in the last 40 years. Whether it was the ability to hit through the court with accuracy or rip it down the line for winners, the following ladies have won dozens of Grand Slams by setting themselves up on the forehand side. Here’s my top five.

5) Maria Sharapova: there’s no arguing the fact that Maria loves to hit through the court, and usually with a pretty flat ball. However, she would not be very successful if not for one of the deadliest forehands of all time. Maria had depth, power and placement on this shot, and it won her five Grand Slam titles.

4) Monica Seles: the most unconventional of the bunch, Monica used a two handed forward that was deadly – especially when she stepped into it and took it down the line. It was pure grit with Monica’s forehand stroke.

3) Jennifer Capriati: when Capriati came into the scene as a spunky 13-year-old kid, she already had some deadly groundstrokes that would put any opponent off balance with the amount of power she put on her shots. However, as she matured and became a Grand Slam champion it was that forehand that really set her apart.

2) Serena Williams: don’t even think about serving to Serena’s forehand side on the deuce side. For the majority of her career, if you serve to her forehand side on the deuce side, she’ll rip it cross court, and if you are able to get it back, the next forehand will be a put away. That play has given her the ability to break opponents serve at will.

1) Steffi Graf: everything Steffi did revolved around setting up that massive forehand. She was able to generate power on the rise, while being surgical in her placement and depth. The deadliest forehand in the sport was often referred to as the Fraulein Forehand by the media,

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