For a while it seemed on the verge of extinction. The game was moving towards faster and faster baseline rallies and the two-hander is an easier shot to take on the rise. Then Federer came, dominated and now we are in a situation where the one-handed backhanded seems to be thriving.
Just looking at this year’s Indian Wells with Stan the Man Wawrinka beating Dominic Thiem, Pablo Cuevas and his classic game reaching the quarter-finals, Federer finding a new way to beat Nadal. Then we also have Dimitrov who is playing better than ever and next generation guy Denis Shapalov who hits a mean one-handed backhand.
So I can’t really agree with the Sports Illustrated article called “Why the one-handed backhand is a dying art in tennis.”, the stroke is more difficult to teach properly to kids with developing physique, but if you do it properly – it’s clearly worth it. And it’s also the more aesthetically pleasing shot.
What do you think of the one-handed backhand versus the two-hander? Does it have bright future in the game we love? Please comment.
6 comments
all hail the one handed backhand, keep up the good work on the site!!
Thanks!
Hey Tennisnerd, love your content!
I’ve just gone back to the single-handed backhand which I was lucky enough to be tought as a child, it feels so much more natural but it can struggle against high topspin. My regular hitting partner was a leftie so he made mincemeat of me forcing me to change to a double handed backhand. I didn’t know much about rackets and I was playing with a 265g Wilson nfury ncode with 50 RA! What type of racket should I be looking at? Head light seems to be the most important factor for single handed backhands right? Smaller headsize too?
Hey Marco, I think stiffer frames are generally easier to hit a one-handed backhand with, but it is very personal. It depends on your technique. Smaller head sizes tend to help, yes.
Hi fellow Tennisnerd! What type of racket is the best fit for the one handed backhand? Midsize + a couple points headlight? I bought a used six.one 95s, I wish Wilson will update it one day
Hi Marco,
It depends! I hit a better backhand with stiffer frames, no matter the head size.