In the hands of Frenchman Fabrice Santoro, a tennis racquet looks more like a wand than a piece of sporting equipment. His peers rate him as the player with the best touch on the ATP circuit. Below, Santoro answers your emails from the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters in Cincinnati.

When you beat big players like Moya in Cincinnati, do you hope more young kids will try to play like you?
Bob, Canada
I think it would be good for tennis to have different types of players. People like to see every shot of the game and different players. I hope they will make it through to the tour.

Who is the most difficult player on tour for you too compete against?
Bobby Walker , Orlando,FL.
I’m scared about anyone when I don’t play well, and I’m confident against anyone when I do play well. I just want to focus on my game and I’m positive on the court against any type of player.

What is the condition of the new racquet and your elbow?
Masumi Osaka
My new racquet is not ready yet and because I have an elbow problem, I’m going to play with a lighter racquet. I’m bulding a racquet with a company, Inesis, and it’s an interesting job.

Which match do you think you played your absolute best-quality tennis? What do you think makes you and Michael Llodra such a successful combination?
Zachary Rudick
After so many years on the tour it’s difficult to say, but I have many nice images of Davis Cup and Grand Slam matches in my head. When I beat Safin at the French Open in 2001, that was a great match for me. And why do Michael and I make a good team? Because he’s younger and crazy and I’m older and more stable. I can use him because he’s full of power and energy and he can use me for my experience. It’s a good combination.

I notice that you hit with a double-handed stroke on both your forehand and backhand. Why and how did you decide to utilize the double-handed stroke rather than the single-handed one?
Joachim Gay (Singapore)
When I first picked up a racquet when I was six years old it was the same weight as the racquet I use today. It was far too heavy for me so picked it up with two hands. Had I started playing with one of the children’s racquets that you can buy today I probably would have played with one hand. And I probably wouldn’t be on the tour!

If you could spend the entire day with anyone, dead or alive, who would it be?
Eileen C, Pennsylvania
I better choose a Frenchman! I would spend it with a guy called Coluche. He was the funniest guy we ever had in France. My dream was to meet him, but unfortunately he passed away a few years ago.

When it comes to having great feel and touch on the ball, you are one of the best in the business. What is the best way to practice getting better feel and touch? Are there any specific drills/exercises people can do?
Vincent
I think you’re born with good touch but you can also work to improve it. I was born with it but I’m always trying different shots on the court. Sometimes I do drills, but during a match if a ball is out, instead of just letting it go I take the opportunity to try a different shot. I like to play with the ball. If you do it 20 times a day, at the end of the year that’s a lot of extra practice.

Have you thought about making a video teaching all of those fantastic shots?
Barbara, London
No, I haven’t thought about making a video. If a player one day asks me to help him I will be happy to do that.
 

Which is your favorite tournament and why?
Natalie Sharkey, Queensland, Australia
The French Open. It’s been my dream ever since I was a little kid to get the trophy there. It’s one of my favorite cities in the world, I have the crowd behind me and I figure it’s my place. And the atmosphere is great.

What do you like to do off the court?
Kayla, NJ, USA
Because I don’t have a lot of time away from tennis at the moment, I spend 95 percent of my free time with my wife and daughter at home. When I retire there are lots of things I’d like to do. I’d like to go on holidays more, read more, go to the cinema more and go skiing more.

Which surface best suits your game?
Everything except clay. Not because of my game, but because of how good the new generation of players is on clay. It’s tough for me to adapt my game to the new generation of clay court players.