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I'm looking for an adjective to describe a forehand shot in tennis that requires a lot of effort (from hard hitter, baseliner, e.g. Thiem, Del Potro...) as opposing to an effortless, elegant forehand shot (e.g. from Roger Federer). I know there're some people who may disagree with my labelling of the tennis players above, but I'm just here to ask for the word. So please bear with me ;)

I've thought of words like physically demanding or demanding, tough... (but they don't sound quite suitable to me); or even effortful (but unfortunately, some dictionaries don't consider it as a correct word).

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    The shot itself would be called a smash, (ie a forehand smash) and this does imply that an extraordinary amount of effort and force has been put into it. This isn't an adjective though.
    – Max Williams
    Commented Jun 13, 2016 at 8:20
  • Smash actually is another type of shots (when the ball is high over your head, and you're smashing it downward). I'm afraid that's not what I meant to ask for. What I'm trying to convey is the characteristic of the shot that is related to the playing style of the player. For example: Federer's forehand shots are so effortless and elegant that makes me enjoy watching them. While Thiem's involve more power, and somehow, are not as much enjoyable to watch.
    – Hieu Nguyen
    Commented Jun 13, 2016 at 10:24

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I think ferocious is a good descriptor here, and I often hear it in sporting contexts ('a ferocious slam dunk' or 'a ferocious slap shot'):

very fierce or violent; very great or extreme

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  • Personally, I've never seen the use of this word in the context of tennis matches. However, it fits the description and is the only answer I got so far. So, thank you. ^^
    – Hieu Nguyen
    Commented Jun 15, 2016 at 1:38

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