What is the purpose of the jumping backhand?

[python]

You see Fish, Moya, Safin, and Rios doing it all the time with their two-handers. What's the advantage? Just putaway power?

[Verbal_Kint]

You're able to hit the ball a little higher, and yes, there is more power as well.

Marnix

[Plawan]

Helping keep your court position, not having to run back for the ball to drop, and better net clearance, especially down the line.

[@wright]

Rios was the one who developed and really got other guys like Safin using this stroke. Chang also used to do it, but different than Rios. Obviously, with guys like Chang and Rios height comes into play. They can't get as much leverage hitting high balls since they are pretty short guys. If they leap up and hit the ball, they can hit it at a more tolerable height between waist and shoulder. It also makes it a little easier to hit the ball on the rise. Plawan makes a good point about court position.

[Eric Matuszewski]

The purpose is to look really manly and scare your opponent. Just kidding. Honestly though, simple physics dictates that hitting down on a ball is much easier than hitting up on a ball (you dont have to counteract gravities effect on your racket, hand and arm)
This manuever puts you higher than the ball your hitting, thus you can let gravity do some of your work.
Secondly this manuever adds some additional trunk torque which adds to final racket head speed. (see my earlier post on the other board about how to do it)
Finally, if your hitting a ball at an altitude higher than the net you don't have to worry about hitting over the net as much.

[jun]

It helps them to take the ball a little higher. When the other person hits a ball that bounces a little high, you don't have to move back to hit back.

I don't know if you can put more power on to the ball since you are not putting all the weight behind the ball.

[Hyperstate]

Erm, it looks super cool when Safin and Ferrero do it! :lol: I think the advantage does not lie in maintaining court position but rather in taking the ball early (and giving less time to your opponent) and hitting an offensive shot. With the additional height clearance, the pros get mean angles with it. Taken early + pace + angle = winner!