Great stuff! I really enjoyed this breakdown of the different aspects of a swing, and how you can create something "incorrect" despite using "correct" parts.
It's a bit much to ask, but I'd like to hear your thoughts on Dimitrov's backhand. You didn't bring him up very much here, probably because his BH doesn't really hold up as well compared to other big names. What is it about the Dimitrov backhand (other than the flexed wrist at contact you mentioned in a previous post) that doesn't help his case?
Thanks Jim! Dimitrov gets a long way inside with his slot position. Federer-like. His grip is the main issue I think. Flexing the wrist that much is less stable than being extended. But his swing does get him a lot of spin despite the grip.
I've noticed that as he's progressed throughout his career, he hits the topspin backhand less and less, and nowadays I wouldn't be surprised if 3 out of every 4 BH shots was a slice.
On the one hand, I think it's great as a way to simplify rally patterns; Dimitrov always struck me the way Rune strikes me, a player with a lot of options that don't always know when and which tool to use. I think slicing so much has been great for Dimitrov's focus during matches, since now Plan A is "wait to get a FH".
On the other hand, he seems less confident/comfortable using the topspin BH now than he did before, and I think it does severely limit his tactical options against top players, especially counterpunchers with consistent, heavy backhands. Is there anything mechanically he can do to his BH relatively quickly (a la your suggested Tsitsipas BH footwork change) to improve things?
When he had that AO run back in 2017 he was slicing a ton off the backhand. It might be a court speed thing, because AO 2017 was quicker, and this era today generally is quicker also.
Not sure what you could tweak mechanically in a meaningful way for him at 34 yrs now. I don't have that answer. I've always felt he had the athleticism to play a Evans-esque slice game from that side mainly and just D-up more, but I guess he didn't have the stamina for that style. Takes a lot of running to concede that you're going to bait guys in and extend rallies.
I've been reading your posts for a long time and always appreciate the level of technical insight and analytical rigor you bring. Out of curiosity, have any players or coaches ever reached out to you for consultation? Your perspective would clearly be valuable to anyone looking to refine or change aspects of their game.
Thanks H! Yes, I've had some coaches reach out, and I've reached out to some, and ended up consulting with a couple of top 20 players which was really cool.
Fabulous post! You remain my favorite Tennis writer for stuff like this, feels like in depth analysis is just rare these days, especially amongst ‘traditional’ media.
1. Gasquet's bh has always been my favorite of this group. The heaviness, the variety, and the ability to hit winners from the shallow front court.
2. I've said it before, but Tsitsipas' one-hander is maybe the best example of junior development malpractice. Not only because it's bad, but because a similarly poor two-hander (see Berrettini) would have probably been less of a deficit.
3. The low but deep slot position you're talking about here runs slightly parallel to the trend of simple, low backhand motions we've seen from the likes of Kyrgios, Tiafoe and even Carlos as he backed off the higher racquet head drop.
Maybe the strength of these players doesn't necessitate a big wind-up anymore (see the clipped service motions from Humbert and Bublik) or the pace they are absorbing does all the work now, but it's an interesting trend...(trend may be too big a word for it).
Gasquet's is a gem, isn't it? He can just launch it when he wants to. Agreed on point 2. Agreed on point 3! Everything getting lower in the age of speed.
To be fair, both Kyrgios and Tiafoe are to some extent outliers on backhand stroke style, in the sense that they don't hit as heavy and rely more on placement, angles, control, reusing incoming power, depth and (low) height. But you still can hit heavy from such a position (e.g. Alcaraz) because of 1) extra strength from the second hand for linear acceleration and 2) comparably important on some players, high levels of torque when you press with both hands (leveraging internal rotation on both shoulders), which translates into rotational velocity and head speed (the "pump action" backhands).
A brilliant well explained and complete article ! This was phenomenal to read and such an in depth analysis that really helps to understand better the one hander
Excellent analysis. Aesthetically, I’ve always loved the Gasquet, Gaudio, and Almagro backhands, but hard to argue with Wawrinka’s ability to do damage. This post does a great job of explaining the intricacies of each.
It almost looks to me, in some of these paused Tsitsipas setup pics, that he's playing cricket, not tennis. Everything is so up-and-down, all the weight so close to the axis of rotation, that it almost seems like he's about to play some sort of (bizarro-inverted-world version of) a cover drive.
1) I watched Fritz vs. Altmaier at Simonne-Mathieu just a few days ago in person, and lord, Altmaier's OHBH is a thing of beauty. Fritz tried to break it down, and for a game or two, he succeeded -- but Altmaier righted the one-handed ship more often than not and ultimately ended up beating him. I'm sure Altmaier is able to hit his backhand with more spin if he wants to, but almost all of them were just flat bombs. So many down both lines.
2) Back at home, I caught Gasquet's match against Sinner, and even though it was a drubbing, Richard launched one of his nuclear backhands right before he hit his final RG-career-ending ball long. He hit it so hard -- Sinner even buckled, a little! Oh, that backhand of his. He will be missed.
Thanks for taking the time to demystify the Tsitsipas backhand! The multitude of clips really helped. Would it make sense to say that his backhand looks like a next gen 2-handed backhand? I noticed the clips show his compact, outside set up and lack of in-to-out path, which look very similar to next gen backhands (de minaur, khachanov, rublev).
Yes I'd have to agree. Almost trying to "flip" a one-hander! Which you just can't do. There's not enough torso rotation on a one-hander to make that work at all.
Indeed, it feels like he's going for the timing of a forehand or a two-hander. But you just can't get the same follow-up with the external rotators, you really need to give it enough time and space so that you can fully load and unroll* the stroke, and thus accumulate enough head speed for the one-handed backhand to yield the whip that the longer, looser kinetic chain can produce.
* Of course, sometimes you don't have them, so you need to switch to the block-redirect or the slice. Always a few of those in Federer highlight videos.
He was able to lift it high and bouncy on clay vs Rafa for example and to just lean and unleash it full power down the line ! Tbh his down the line backhand is the best in the buisiness ( for a one handed bh ) just untouchable ! Full speed
The greatest piece on tennis I have ever read. Thank you! Yes, anchoring the left foot would solve so many other problems. You put words to what I see and feel. In 2020-22, I was like "the next Fed!"; now I accept, "a slightly better Shapovalov." Sigh.
Great stuff! I really enjoyed this breakdown of the different aspects of a swing, and how you can create something "incorrect" despite using "correct" parts.
It's a bit much to ask, but I'd like to hear your thoughts on Dimitrov's backhand. You didn't bring him up very much here, probably because his BH doesn't really hold up as well compared to other big names. What is it about the Dimitrov backhand (other than the flexed wrist at contact you mentioned in a previous post) that doesn't help his case?
Thanks Jim! Dimitrov gets a long way inside with his slot position. Federer-like. His grip is the main issue I think. Flexing the wrist that much is less stable than being extended. But his swing does get him a lot of spin despite the grip.
I've noticed that as he's progressed throughout his career, he hits the topspin backhand less and less, and nowadays I wouldn't be surprised if 3 out of every 4 BH shots was a slice.
On the one hand, I think it's great as a way to simplify rally patterns; Dimitrov always struck me the way Rune strikes me, a player with a lot of options that don't always know when and which tool to use. I think slicing so much has been great for Dimitrov's focus during matches, since now Plan A is "wait to get a FH".
On the other hand, he seems less confident/comfortable using the topspin BH now than he did before, and I think it does severely limit his tactical options against top players, especially counterpunchers with consistent, heavy backhands. Is there anything mechanically he can do to his BH relatively quickly (a la your suggested Tsitsipas BH footwork change) to improve things?
When he had that AO run back in 2017 he was slicing a ton off the backhand. It might be a court speed thing, because AO 2017 was quicker, and this era today generally is quicker also.
Not sure what you could tweak mechanically in a meaningful way for him at 34 yrs now. I don't have that answer. I've always felt he had the athleticism to play a Evans-esque slice game from that side mainly and just D-up more, but I guess he didn't have the stamina for that style. Takes a lot of running to concede that you're going to bait guys in and extend rallies.
Another great piece, H!
I've been reading your posts for a long time and always appreciate the level of technical insight and analytical rigor you bring. Out of curiosity, have any players or coaches ever reached out to you for consultation? Your perspective would clearly be valuable to anyone looking to refine or change aspects of their game.
Thanks H! Yes, I've had some coaches reach out, and I've reached out to some, and ended up consulting with a couple of top 20 players which was really cool.
Fabulous post! You remain my favorite Tennis writer for stuff like this, feels like in depth analysis is just rare these days, especially amongst ‘traditional’ media.
Thanks for the kind words Linus! Glad you enjoyed it. Watched a tonne of footage and took a while to put this one together
Couple things:
1. Gasquet's bh has always been my favorite of this group. The heaviness, the variety, and the ability to hit winners from the shallow front court.
2. I've said it before, but Tsitsipas' one-hander is maybe the best example of junior development malpractice. Not only because it's bad, but because a similarly poor two-hander (see Berrettini) would have probably been less of a deficit.
3. The low but deep slot position you're talking about here runs slightly parallel to the trend of simple, low backhand motions we've seen from the likes of Kyrgios, Tiafoe and even Carlos as he backed off the higher racquet head drop.
Maybe the strength of these players doesn't necessitate a big wind-up anymore (see the clipped service motions from Humbert and Bublik) or the pace they are absorbing does all the work now, but it's an interesting trend...(trend may be too big a word for it).
Gasquet's is a gem, isn't it? He can just launch it when he wants to. Agreed on point 2. Agreed on point 3! Everything getting lower in the age of speed.
To be fair, both Kyrgios and Tiafoe are to some extent outliers on backhand stroke style, in the sense that they don't hit as heavy and rely more on placement, angles, control, reusing incoming power, depth and (low) height. But you still can hit heavy from such a position (e.g. Alcaraz) because of 1) extra strength from the second hand for linear acceleration and 2) comparably important on some players, high levels of torque when you press with both hands (leveraging internal rotation on both shoulders), which translates into rotational velocity and head speed (the "pump action" backhands).
A brilliant well explained and complete article ! This was phenomenal to read and such an in depth analysis that really helps to understand better the one hander
Excellent analysis. Aesthetically, I’ve always loved the Gasquet, Gaudio, and Almagro backhands, but hard to argue with Wawrinka’s ability to do damage. This post does a great job of explaining the intricacies of each.
Gaudio's was so clean and simple.
This is an awesome read!
Thanks Ed! Numbers help paint the picture
It almost looks to me, in some of these paused Tsitsipas setup pics, that he's playing cricket, not tennis. Everything is so up-and-down, all the weight so close to the axis of rotation, that it almost seems like he's about to play some sort of (bizarro-inverted-world version of) a cover drive.
1) I watched Fritz vs. Altmaier at Simonne-Mathieu just a few days ago in person, and lord, Altmaier's OHBH is a thing of beauty. Fritz tried to break it down, and for a game or two, he succeeded -- but Altmaier righted the one-handed ship more often than not and ultimately ended up beating him. I'm sure Altmaier is able to hit his backhand with more spin if he wants to, but almost all of them were just flat bombs. So many down both lines.
2) Back at home, I caught Gasquet's match against Sinner, and even though it was a drubbing, Richard launched one of his nuclear backhands right before he hit his final RG-career-ending ball long. He hit it so hard -- Sinner even buckled, a little! Oh, that backhand of his. He will be missed.
Thanks for taking the time to demystify the Tsitsipas backhand! The multitude of clips really helped. Would it make sense to say that his backhand looks like a next gen 2-handed backhand? I noticed the clips show his compact, outside set up and lack of in-to-out path, which look very similar to next gen backhands (de minaur, khachanov, rublev).
Yes I'd have to agree. Almost trying to "flip" a one-hander! Which you just can't do. There's not enough torso rotation on a one-hander to make that work at all.
Indeed, it feels like he's going for the timing of a forehand or a two-hander. But you just can't get the same follow-up with the external rotators, you really need to give it enough time and space so that you can fully load and unroll* the stroke, and thus accumulate enough head speed for the one-handed backhand to yield the whip that the longer, looser kinetic chain can produce.
* Of course, sometimes you don't have them, so you need to switch to the block-redirect or the slice. Always a few of those in Federer highlight videos.
Great stuff! have had my eye on Bernet for a while now - excited to watch him at Wimby this year, if he plays the juniors (think he will).
I've been waiting for some pro tour results but seems he's been injured. Really curious to see his transition to the main tour
Bravo!
always thought that the best 3 one handed backhands are Stan, Thiem and gasquet when at their prime !
Thiem's was unbelievable for how flat it was. Those ATP finals matches against Novak. Wew
He was able to lift it high and bouncy on clay vs Rafa for example and to just lean and unleash it full power down the line ! Tbh his down the line backhand is the best in the buisiness ( for a one handed bh ) just untouchable ! Full speed
Yeah his ability to flatten it out was incredible. Side spin winners
The greatest piece on tennis I have ever read. Thank you! Yes, anchoring the left foot would solve so many other problems. You put words to what I see and feel. In 2020-22, I was like "the next Fed!"; now I accept, "a slightly better Shapovalov." Sigh.
Thanks for the kind words, Talbot. If he could fix it...now THAT would be an interesting Tsitsipas.
From earlier generation(s), would love your analysis of Arthur Ashe's OHBH and Stefan Edberg's.
I watched edberg's for this piece. Got a long way inside and straightened the arm early, just like the other greats, and his was one of the best.
Great job here!
Thanks Carole :)