What is the purpose of the open stance 2HBH?

[iamke55]

Yeah there's too many threads focusing on the modern forehand, even though for almost every player here it is already way stronger than their backhand. Since I believe the predominant player type is shifting from the serve and forehand player of the past slam champions to a new generation that can hit strong shots from the forehand and backhand, I wanted to make a thread about the weaker shot.

Federer's explanation for Nadal's clay dominance is that since Nadal hits his backhand with two hands, he is able to hit open stance shots from both sides. This was like having two forehands, and I remember Federer explaining that the open stance shot from both the forehand and backhand allowed Nadal to recover position much more quickly after every shot. So can some experts here detail the purpose of the open stance backhand and when it is appropriate to use?

[snr]

I'm no expert but I would say that I think one can recover faster with an open stance for their BH because after hitting it, they are already in position to hit an open stanced forehand if need be, instead of having to correct oneself back into the stance.


I haven't really thought much about it as I was taught to hit a 2hbh with an open stance. I don't think it would be a huge huge deal though, as theres advantages to "stepping into" the backhand as well, such as being able to hit it on the run much easier. All of this my opinion of course.

[BU-Tennis]

I think what the open stance has done for tennis is made it easier to be aggressive from all positions of the court and recover better, on the forehand and backhand side. We have seen that it is possible to hit much harder with an open stance rather than a closed stance on the forehand side and the same is true for the backhand. Just watch Serena Williams or Venus, they love to hit the open stanced backhand and prefer it and are the most aggressive players on tour and Serena once was the best mover(and still is when she focuses).

The truth about tennis is that even though a stroke may be more aggressive or defensive, modern or classic, it is really which shot do you feel comfortable hitting and which you can use the best. You should use the open-stanced backhand when it feels natural to you. However, i would say you shouldn't use the open stance while moving towards your backhand side as it would be unnatural, other than that its fair game to use whenever (I really like to use it when I'm closer to the net with a low ball because I think its easier to get the topspin to get it up and down.)