The*New York Times* has releasednew polling related to ATP Tour players' best, strangest and most feared-by-peers shots. Voting was done by players, coaches and credible observers in such arenas as best mental game, best movement and who one would want to play a match for their life.

Predictably, 2018's major singles champions and GOAT contenders–Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer–were cited most often in the data. That's a tribute in part to the fact that no one else has won a major singles title since Stan Wawrinka snared the 2016 US Open crown.

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The go-to shots these all-time greats regularly deploy received plenty of respect from those polled. Nadal's forehand, volley, movement, mental fortitude, passing shots and more were saluted. Djokovic's ferocious backhand and return of serve, movement, et cetera, got noticed time and again. And Federer's fierce first and second serves, volley, overall touch and the like found repeated favor. Nadal and Djokovic finished No. 1 and 2, respectively, in the mental toughness and endurance categories. Djokovic swapped spots at the top with Nadal in the movement category.

New York Times does
poll on best shots
in men's tennis

New York Times does poll on best shots in men's tennis

Outside of the ATP's nearly-perennial Top 3, the rest of the 10 best at present also garnered kudos. Juan Martin del Potro, currently out with a knee injury, saw his forehand deservedly revered as the top forehand and the most feared shot overall, landing ahead of Nadal's lefty forehand whip (notably the down-the-line version), John Isner and Ivo Karlovic's first serves, and Djokovic's backhand drive.

ATP Finals champion Alexander Zverev, Dominic Thiem, Kevin Anderson, Kei Nishikori and Marin Cilic all received Top-5 or honorable-mention notes across various categories.

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Outside of the Top 10, the likes of Benoit Paire (touch) and others with special matchup considerations saw plaudits doled out in their direction.

Doubles players were also praised to a fair degree, with Mike Bryan polling as the No. 1 volleyer in professional doubles.

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A few surprises arrived in the mix, including Ernests Gulbis' forehand, cited as strangest shot overall (though notably not as odd as it was years ago) in a category "dominated" by forehands, and the omission of Jack Sock's forehand among the Top 5, though it was honorably mentioned.

Those polled included a mix of active players (Isner, Steve Johnson, Mikhail Kukushkin, Diego Schwartzman and more), current coaches and/or commentators (Paul Annacone Patrick Mouratoglou, Brad Gilbert and others), former pros (Mardy Fish, for one) and writers (Tennis.com's own Steve Tignor, Tom Tebbutt, et al.).

Now the tide will surely turn on the Top 3, likely even before 2020 arrives, but they've made sterling on- and off-court careers out of being underestimated. The lineup of savvy people polled avoided it, and you also wager against that trio at your peril.

Follow Jon on Twitter @jonscott9.