Backhand
Because the player's dominant hand "pulls" into the shot, the backhand generally lacks the power and consistency of the forehand, and is usually considered more difficult to master.
The use of two-handed backhand began to increase at the arrival of the Open era, led by some of the most successful elite, notably Jimmy Connors and Bjorn Borg, as well as Chris Evert on the women's side.
But it was not until the 1990s and later that it became the more widespread or dominant topspin backhand of choice among professional elites, exemplified by the success of Andre Agassi among men and Monica Seles among women.
Perhaps the biggest weakness cited by most coaches in regards to the one hander is the fact that it requires more time and steps to be set up properly—it requires an extra half step in order to execute a proper back-swing and have proper control over the point of contact—a traditional one handed backhand is hit from a closed stance with the dominant foot placed in front, whereas the two hander can be hit both from open and closed stance.
However, players with a modern one-handed backhand like Dominic Thiem, Stan Wawrinka, Denis Shapovalov, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Grigor Dimitrov or Richard Gasquet can hit it with an open stance and off the back foot, too.
Stan Wawrinka is another example of a player who hits consistent one hand backhand drives on all types of surface with the same margin of error.
[5][6] Such players include Roger Federer, Stefan Edberg, Boris Becker, Pete Sampras, Justine Henin, Steffi Graf, Gustavo Kuerten, Amélie Mauresmo, Martina Navratilova, Suzanne Lenglen, Lew Hoad, Don Budge, Rod Laver, Ellsworth Vines, Ken Rosewall, Roy Emerson.
[11] From the 1930s to the 1960s, the flat single-handed backhand was popularised by many players, most prominently and consistently by Rod Laver, Don Budge, Lew Hoad, Frank Kovacs, Ken Rosewall, Roy Emerson, Ellsworth Vines.
It is usually executed with an Eastern or Semi-Western grip, and involves a "throw-back" in which the racket is pulled across the player's body, sometimes with the help of the left hand, and a release to hit the ball followed by a much larger follow-through and finish as compared to the slice backhand.
The advantages of the top-spin single-handed backhand include consistency, placement, the angles it can produce as well as its ability to cope with high balls.
It involves the player employing a Semi-Western or Western grip, and winding the racket around his body and, most importantly, bring it lower than the ball.
Stefan Edberg and Boris Becker in the past, along with Roger Federer and Grigor Dimitrov are able to apply all three, using the slice, flat and top-spin backhands effectively.
[12][13] The player long considered to have had the best backhand of all time, amateur and professional champion Don Budge,[14] had a very powerful one-handed stroke in the 1930s and '40s that imparted topspin onto the ball.
In the 1980s, many great players such as Henrik Sundström, Stefan Edberg, Boris Becker, Ivan Lendl and John McEnroe were leading the charge with their one-handed versatile backhands.
But a new wave of players, such as Jimmy Connors, Björn Borg, Mats Wilander and Miloslav Mečíř, started to show the world that two-handed backhands could also offer major advantages.
Among the main ones are Andre Agassi, Yevgeny Kafelnikov, Marcelo Ríos, Marat Safin, David Nalbandian (owning the fastest recorded backhand at 110 mph (180 km/h)),[citation needed] Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Kei Nishikori.
[17][18] However, the one-handed backhand is still used effectively by a few players like Richard Gasquet,[19] Stan Wawrinka, Dominic Thiem, Philipp Kohlschreiber, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Grigor Dimitrov, Denis Shapovalov, Nicolás Almagro, Pablo Cuevas, Dušan Lajović, Dan Evans, Marco Cecchinato, Sergiy Stakhovsky, Leonardo Mayer, Radek Štěpánek, Marius Copil, Dudi Sela, Tommy Robredo, Feliciano López, Albert Montañés, Ivan Ljubičić, Mikhail Youzhny, Tommy Haas, James Blake, Gastón Gaudio, Olivier Rochus, Joachim Johansson, Roger Federer.
WTA players who possessed one-handed backhands include Steffi Graf, Justine Henin, Margaret Court, Evonne Goolagong, Martina Navratilova, Hana Mandlíková, Gabriela Sabatini, Conchita Martínez, Jana Novotná, Eleni Daniilidou, Amélie Mauresmo, Carla Suárez Navarro, Margarita Gasparyan, Roberta Vinci, Francesca Schiavone, Naomi Broady, and Diane Parry.
Some of the greatest two-handed backhands of the modern game include Serena Williams, Martina Hingis, Venus Williams, Maria Sharapova, Kim Clijsters, Lindsay Davenport, Jennifer Capriati, Mary Pierce, Dinara Safina, Monica Seles, Caroline Wozniacki, Jelena Janković, Sabine Lisicki, Julia Goerges, Simona Halep, Li Na, Nicole Vaidišová, Elina Svitolina, Petra Kvitová, Victoria Azarenka, and Jeļena Ostapenko.
Female players known for their proficiency with this shot include Billie Jean King, Margaret Court, Virginia Wade, Martina Navratilova, Steffi Graf, Jana Novotná, Nathalie Tauziat, Justine Henin, Amélie Mauresmo, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Samantha Stosur, Francesca Schiavone, Sara Errani, Roberta Vinci, Carla Suárez Navarro, Agnieszka Radwańska, Monica Niculescu, Caroline Garcia, Anastasija Sevastova, Ashleigh Barty and Bianca Andreescu.
