Tsitsipas: lack of BH variety the main concern going forward.

2nd Serve Ace

2nd Serve Ace

Hall of Fame
Wow! ST had exactly 2 bh winners in 5 sets against an 18 yr old and 20+ UF on the bh side.

Obviously, his insistence on hitting weak, fluttery "topspin" backhands in every situation is not helping him win important points. The whole point of a 1hbh is the variety in shot selection, but dang ST, just keeps serving up batting practice many times to his opponent.

A good hard slice would add some complication to your opponent and disrupt his timing, but ST just never does that.
 
skip1969

skip1969

G.O.A.T.
2nd Serve Ace said:
Wow! ST had exactly 2 bh winners in 5 sets against an 18 yr old and 20+ UF on the bh side.

Obviously, his insistence on hitting weak, fluttery "topspin" backhands in every situation is not helping him win important points. The whole point of a 1hbh is the variety in shot selection, but dang ST, just keeps serving up batting practice many times to his opponent.

A good hard slice would add some complication to your opponent and disrupt his timing, but ST just never does that.
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I think that floaty backhand slice (that so many players hit when pulled wide, for example) and that "fluttery" (as you call it) backhand are shots that IN THE PAST were pounced on and hit for winners or approach shots. But since everyone stands so far back now, and everyone grinds, (and no one wants to approach the net consistently because they can't volley), they let that weak shot float back deep and just continue the point. So few players are aggressive, or know how to make you pay consistently for that weak sauce.

The problem with that shot comes when you come up against someone like Alcaraz today, who was not letting TPass get away with it.

Ace of Aces said:
Part of his problem is he has a mediocre slice and a mediocre drive backhand. He can mix it up all he wants, but it won’t help him if he doesn’t learn to do at least one thing well
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It was a lesson in classic tennis, or at least in pre-grinder Nadal/Djokovic tennis, when a weak shot isn't allowed to bounce and returned from 12 feet behind the baseline in order to continue the rally. Today, weak shots were dealt with.
 
topher

topher

Hall of Fame
skip1969 said:
I think that floaty backhand slice (that so many players hit when pulled wide, for example) and that "fluttery" (as you call it) backhand are shots that IN THE PAST were pounced on and hit for winners or approach shots. But since everyone stands so far back now, and everyone grinds, (and no one wants to approach the net consistently because they can't volley), they let that weak shot float back deep and just continue the point. So few players are aggressive, or know how to make you pay consistently for that weak sauce.

The problem with that shot comes when you come up against someone like Alcaraz today, who was not letting TPass get away with it.


It was a lesson in classic tennis, or at least in pre-grinder Nadal/Djokovic tennis, when a weak shot isn't allowed to bounce and returned from 12 feet behind the baseline in order to continue the rally. Today, weak shots were dealt with.
Click to expand...

You must have never seen Nadal play if you think he doesn’t move in and punish a weak slice like nobodies business. Djokovic too has gotten much better at moving in and cutting off weak shots like that over the years.
 
MeatTornado

MeatTornado

Talk Tennis Guru
dumb-person said:
NextGen Federer they said, no?
Click to expand...
pAsSiNg ThE tOrCh
Tsitsipas+Federer.jpg
 
flanker2000fr

flanker2000fr

Hall of Fame
I generally really like Tsitsipas' game (not his gamesmanship and prentention) and his topspin OHBH, but his slice off this shot is mediocre at best. It floats and does not get through the court nearly enough. Anyone with the ability to take the ball early will put him in trouble more often than not. It's a weakness in rallies, but also for his attacking game, as his approach on this shot does not put the opponent in enough trouble. He needs to spend some time with Feliciano Lopez or Daniel Evans, for them to show him how it's done.
 
socallefty

socallefty

G.O.A.T.
Not only doesn’t he have a quality BH slice, but unless it is a slow surface like clay, he has a lot of issues flattening his BH to hit many winners. These two issues also affect his ability to hit good returns if good servers target his BH on fast courts. Right now, he is good enough to win Slams only at the FO.
 
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