Here is a short video of Andy Roddick's forehand and serve.    At least now people can't say that all we show are Federer videos (although it is clearly obvious that he is our favorite).  View the video a few times and then scroll down to read my analysis.  Enjoy the video.

This analysis is keyed to the video of Andy Roddick's forehand,  from the 14 second point to the 47 second point on the tape.   Keep in mind throughout this analysis and while viewing the video that Roddick is using an Extreme Semi-Western grip, and this grip structure is a primary determinant of his stance, ball height at contact, shoulder rotation, and follow-through.

The first 14 seconds of the tape, showing another forehand, has a strange camera angle that makes Roddick look like he using a lot of wrist, which he doesn't.  Anyway, we pick up Andy's forehand at the 15 second mark.  

Roddick has an idiosyncratic way of "showing the logo," which is not shown here.  Most of this early preparation, however, is in common with other pro players.  That is, his feet and torso turn toward the ball as a single unit of motion.  His hands are relatively still in front of his body.  It is this unit turn that gets his racquet back rather than any independent movement of the arm.  As stated so many times before in the articles here on VJTTA, the pros don't take their racquet back early, they turn their upper body early and this gets their racquet most of the way back.

Note Andy's left arm at the start fo the video.  It is pointing toward the side fence.  This is a consequence of "showing the logo" while turning the shoulder.  That left arm was in front of his body all the time.

At the end of the backswing (about the 28 second mark on the tape), Roddick has achieved the double bend position: his elbow is bent and his wrist is laid back.  He will maintain this position through contact with the ball. 

When Roddick begins taking his racquet back with an independent movement of his arm (at the end of his unit turn), his racquet is closed.  It remains closed throughout the backswing, into the double-bend position, and almost to the point of contact.  Just before contact, however, at about the 30 second mark, the racquet approaches a near vertical alignment and stays that way through contact.  This, it should be noted, is a result of his grip rather than any conscious closing or opening of the racquet. 

At the 31 second point on the tape, Roddick makes contact with the ball.  His shoulders are a bit more open than, say, Federer's or Agassi's, but this is a function of his grip which forces him to contact the ball farther in front of him.  He needs to open his shoulders earlier in order to have time to get his racquet out in front of him.  Note that this earlier opening of the shoulder moves Andy's head away from the ball.  It appears that he is not exactly watching the ball as it is being struck; or if he is,  it is only out of the corner of his eye (contrast this to Federer's absolute focus on the ball at contact).

Roddick's follow-through is typical for his grip.  Having contacted the ball far in front of his body, he drives through it toward the net for another full second or more on the tape.  His right shoulder has now come around so it is almost pointing at the net.  He has exerted so much energy into the shot that both feet have come off the ground.

Roddick's finish of his follow-through is characteristic of those with a moderate to extreme Semi-Western grip.  After hitting through the ball far in front of his body, his upper body has rotated more than 180 degrees back toward the net.   This pulls his racquet arm down below shoulder level (actually near his ribs or hip).  The release of his wrist and arm at the very end of the stroke causes the racquet to wrap around his left hip. From here he grabs the racquet with his left hand and brings the racquet back to a neutral position in front of his body, ready for the next shot (if there is one).  

If Roddick had wrapped the racquet over his shoulder or around his neck, as is erroneously taught in some places, then he would not have been able to hit through the ball as effectively and would also risk an error by coming up off of the ball too quickly.  Generally, because semi-Western grips force a player to hit farther in front of the body than the more Eastern grips, hitting through the ball becomes more important.  Contact with a semi-Western grip is already near the end of the forward swing, so any reduction in hitting through the ball will likely result in an error.

Note, too, that much of the windshield wiper motion of his swing--the rotation inward and upward of his hand and forearm-- occurs after the ball has actually left his strings.  It is more a consequence of the forceful hitting up and through the ball (from lower right to upper left as he drives forward), than it is a physical action on the ball.  Afterall, the ball is on the strings for only about 1/250 of a second.  I mention this because some people try to imitate this action but mistakenly attempt to do it solely with their arm rather than letting their shoulder also drive through the ball.