The Lendl Backhand: How good did he hit it?

[Mansewerz]

Pretty much what the title says.

[helloworld]

Originally Posted by Mansewerz

Pretty much what the title says.

He has a solid backhand, but not as good as his forehand of course. I'd say his backhand is more reliable than Federer's.

[Mansewerz]

Originally Posted by helloworld

He has a solid backhand, but not as good as his forehand of course. I'd say his backhand is more reliable than Federer's.

How well could handle the high ball and what grip did he use? Eastern bh grip?

[helloworld]

Originally Posted by Mansewerz

How well could handle the high ball and what grip did he use? Eastern bh grip?

I'm not a big Lendl fan, so I won't tell you about that sort of details as I could be wrong. Perhaps you should ask Borgforever. He seems to be the biggest Lendl fan around here.

[380pistol]

Originally Posted by helloworld

He has a solid backhand, but not as good as his forehand of course. I'd say his backhand is more reliable than Federer's.

Agreed.

Originally Posted by Mansewerz

How well could handle the high ball and what grip did he use? Eastern bh grip?

Semi western(extreme eastern) I believe, but not 100%. Somebody will confirm or deny it. Lendl was tall (6'2" and lean) and also had long limbs, so that helped with high balls

[Winners or Errors]

Originally Posted by 380pistol

Agreed.



Semi western(extreme eastern) I believe, but not 100%. Somebody will confirm or deny it. Lendl was tall (6'2" and lean) and also had long limbs, so that helped with high balls

I have a copy of his book "Power Tennis," and it's semi-western. I don't recall Lendl having trouble with high backhands, though he did have a great slice backhand which was the result of having no topspin backhand to speak of when he emerged on the scene.

[hoodjem]

Better than solid, IMO. Big topspin. Good crosscourt, even better down the line--earned him many winners.

Later he even developed an effective slice backhand.

[RoddickAce]

Originally Posted by hoodjem

Better than solid, IMO. Big topspin. Good crosscourt, even better down the line--earned him many winners.

Later he even developed an effective slice backhand.

I second that.

[vsdtrek]

Originally Posted by Winners or Errors

I have a copy of his book "Power Tennis," and it's semi-western. I don't recall Lendl having trouble with high backhands, though he did have a great slice backhand which was the result of having no topspin backhand to speak of when he emerged on the scene.

I thought Lendl originally only used to hit topspin backhands and then learned to use the slice with Roche. Does the book speak to this at all?

Obviously it has been a long time since I saw one of his matches (and I do miss them).

[Matt Riordan]

He hit it about this well:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHaqm...eature=related

If you can find it, watch the 1990 (?) US Open 4th round match between Lendl & Becker, for some huge groundstroking...

[Mansewerz]

Wait, was his BH grip semiwestern?

[CEvertFan]

I always thought he had a great topspin backhand, considering the small headed racquet he used. He later developed a very good slice backhand as well. I particularly loved his down the line backhand, which he hit VERY well. It's true that his forehand was stronger but his backhand was more than just solid and steady.

[madhavan]

lendl's topspin backhand was superb on groundstrokes and passing shots. It looked
like a really heavy shot.
His return was somewhat streaky though (esp against Edberg's high kicking serve).

[Winners or Errors]

Originally Posted by vsdtrek

I thought Lendl originally only used to hit topspin backhands and then learned to use the slice with Roche. Does the book speak to this at all?

Obviously it has been a long time since I saw one of his matches (and I do miss them).

I don't recall how the book addressed it and I can't find it at the moment, but I remember it because I copied all of his grips at the time - and really still do, though I can't hit with as much topspin off the backhand side as he did. As a junior, he had no topspin backhand and a weak slice backhand he used defensively just to stay in points and set up the forehand. It speaks volumes about Lendl that his forehand was good enough to win that way. As he transitioned from a junior to a professional, he learned the topspin backhand.

I believe Roche taught him how to use the slice backhand as more of an offensive weapon. As I recall, everyone thought the reason he hired Roche was his desire to win at Wimbledon.

[vsdtrek]

I think you are right about Roche - it was the chip that he really started to use effectively.

Man that forehand was something to watch!

[iamke55]

Incredible how weak the field must have been to be dominated by someone who couldn't hit a backhand until he was out of the juniors.

[wyutani]

i hear that he has a funny backhand which he can slice and hit at the same time. i think its the western grip, i dunno, but his dh was one of the greatest behind connors.

[lendledbergfan]

Originally Posted by Mansewerz

How well could handle the high ball and what grip did he use? Eastern bh grip?

See the FO '87 finals against Wilander. Mats was continuously passing Ivan high looping balls to his backhand, and Lendl was returning very nicely.

Lendl's backhand is one of the best of all times I would say. Probably behind Edberg.

[CyBorg]

Originally Posted by iamke55

Incredible how weak the field must have been to be dominated by someone who couldn't hit a backhand until he was out of the juniors.

What are you talking about? Do mental hospitals have internet access now?

[Charlzz]

David Foster Wallace, the author of Infinite Jest, and once a tennis junior attributes the start of power tennis not to Borg but to Lendl, and I believe he is correct.

Lendl excelled at several shots. He was one of the earliest players to go for winners from the baseline. He was incredibly accurate with the down-the-line shot, both on his forehand and his backhand. He also played a lot of inside-out forehands often running around his backhand.

For as much power as Lendl had at the time, which was considerable, he was also quite steady. He could trade 20-30 shot rallies with Borg and Wilander. The guy was rock steady.

It's funny how people say that Lendl developed a slice backhand. Lendl started off with a slice backhand, prior to becoming good. He had no topsin backhand and had to come to net to hide his weakness. Working with Wojtek Fibak, a decently good Polish player, Lendl learned how to hit a topspin backhand and make it a weapon. He hit it quite a bit before he started adding slice to his backhand and added a good crosscourt slice passing shot.

By today's hitters, Lendl didn't hit quite as aggressively as players today, but he could hit winners which was something few players (mainly players like Connors) could do. We see winners and hard shots hit so often now, it's hard to imagine how hard this was for most players to do, and Lendl did it with a fairly tiny racquet (like 72 sq in), a composite Adidas racquet.

His forehand was still the better shot, but the backhand was quite good too.