ATP Pro's with better Backhands then Forehands?

D

derek08844

Rookie
Any current players who have better backhands then forehands? I know it is pretty common on the WTA but only Gasquet comes to mind when I think of players who have better backhands.
 
T

torpantennis

Legend
Sabratha said:
Wawrinka..
Click to expand...

Not even close! The reason why he became such a threat was the improvements in his forehand. Of course the backhand is stronger in relative terms, i.e he fares better in BH-to-BH comparisons than in FH-to-FH, but in absolute terms the FH is his stronger wing.
 
T

torpantennis

Legend
derek08844 said:
That is not really the point though as an inside out backhand is much harder to hit then a forehand. But in terms of power and consistency a backhand CAN be better
Click to expand...

BH can be more consistent, because the opponent can punish the ball less with his (weaker) BH, in BH CC rallies.

Everything changes when you have a lefty against righty! Then it becomes 100% obvious that FH of every player is stronger than BH.
 
O

objectivity

Banned
i think besides gasquet, murray is probably the only pro with a bh thats really better than the forehand. and you can see it from how little he ever tries to run around his backhand to hit the big FH winner. while even a great like djokovic does that routinely.
 
E

encylopedia

Professional
There's actually quite a few, but it depends what you mean by "better". Generally pros have powerful forehands, that can hit big, and be more dangerous, but often they are more erratic overall, and can be more prone to breaking down. As a "solid" side, which is what often matters more in pro strategy, there are quite a few that have forehands that go off more than the backhand.
 
6august

6august

Hall of Fame
Nole's FH seems to be underrated.

For me it's one of the greatest FH among ATP pros now. It's a great combination between speed, pace and accuracy. He uses semi-western FH and pays much attention to consistence and accuracy so his FH can't be lightning fast but in general, it's very very dangerous.

Many of his championship points come from a FH aimed to opponent's left-hand side: AO12, USO11, AO15, Wimby 14...
 
J

jg153040

G.O.A.T.
Is that even possible? Isn't forehand a better shot by default? It's physics.

Is the ball off their backhand really faster than off the forehand? I doubt that's the case, I would be surprised.
 
Backspin1183

Backspin1183

Talk Tennis Guru
Only physically weak players would have better backhand than forehand IMO. Novak and Kei have solid backhands but their forehands still better and more powerful.
 
NatF

NatF

Bionic Poster
Backspin1183 said:
Only physically weak players would have better backhand than forehand IMO. Novak and Kei have solid backhands but their forehands still better and more powerful.
Click to expand...

I think Djokovic has a better backhand overall. It's more consistent and less prone to breaking down. He has more power on the forehand but it's his backhand that opens up the court and generates the angles IMO. He passes better off the backhand too.

His forehand when he's playing well is the better side because it can generate pace better but it's more inconsistent.
 
A

Anaconda

Hall of Fame
Out of the current crop, Murray, Gasquet, Almagro and possibly Ferrer.

From the former players, Kuerten and Safin had stronger backhands although their forehands were nothing to sniff at.
 
SLD76

SLD76

G.O.A.T.
Anaconda said:
Out of the current crop, Murray, Gasquet, Almagro and possibly Ferrer.

From the former players, Kuerten and Safin had stronger backhands although their forehands were nothing to sniff at.
Click to expand...

Safin ' s fh was a beast.

His bh was the beast unleashed.
 
B

burgerK

Guest
Paire, Gasquet are the most obvious choices, relatively big differences between the quality of their fh and their bh.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
B

burgerK

Guest
Anaconda said:
Out of the current crop, Murray, Gasquet, Almagro and possibly Ferrer.

From the former players, Kuerten and Safin had stronger backhands although their forehands were nothing to sniff at.
Click to expand...

Not Ferrer, he has a much better fh than bh, he can dictate play and construct the points with his fh whereas his bh is mostly a solid shot.
 
Tennisknowledge99

Tennisknowledge99

Banned
Gasquet, Wawrinka, Seppi, Murray, Youzhny.

Wawrinka and Murray's forehand both improved a lot, but still lack of consistency.

Nole's backhand is slightly better than his forehand.
 
Last edited:
T

TobyTopspin

Professional
MCallanan said:
Agreed. Backhand wing is much stronger.
Click to expand...

Gulbis without a doubt. Tipsy as well. He runs around his forehand to hit a backhand at times.

Tispy loves the down the line backhand.

Nishikori's backhand is great too, but his FH is just as good. I'm not sure anyone is better from the back court right now. His only issue is his frame of mind and injuries.

I disagree with Ferrer. That guys runs around his backhand more than anyone. It's not a bad shot at all, but he very much favors his forehand.

Since Mardy Fish looks like his gonna give it a go again, his BH is worlds better than his FH.
Of course Nadal's BH is great, but not better than his forehand.
 
T

torpantennis

Legend
burgerK said:
Not Ferrer, he has a much better fh than bh, he can dictate play and construct the points with his fh whereas his bh is mostly a solid shot.
Click to expand...

Whoever says that Ferrer has better BH than FH has no clue! The whole game of Ferrer is based on dominating outings with his FH. Ferrer FH, the most underrated stroke of all time in pro tennis?
 
Sysyphus

Sysyphus

Talk Tennis Guru
Gasquet, Gulbis and Paire are legit possibilities. Safin too.

Players who shouldn't be brought into this imo: Nishikori, Murray, Wawrinka, Djokovic, Ferrer (!). Many of them definitely have better backhands in relative terms – i.e. their backhands are better compared to the average backhand than their forehand is to the average forehand – but not in absolute terms.
 
T

torpantennis

Legend
Sysyphus said:
Gasquet, Gulbis and Paire are legit possibilities. Safin too.

Players who shouldn't be brought into this imo: Nishikori, Murray, Wawrinka, Djokovic, Ferrer (!). Many of them definitely have better backhands in relative terms – i.e. their backhands are better compared to the average backhand than their forehand is to the average forehand – but not in absolute terms.
Click to expand...

Ferrer has dominated all but Big 4 with his FH. How so?
 
Sysyphus

Sysyphus

Talk Tennis Guru
torpantennis said:
Ferrer has dominated all but Big 4 with his FH. How so?
Click to expand...

Yes, that's what I mean. Ferrer's forehand is his obvious weapon, and one of the best on tour. And just look how much he runs around the backhand. He's quite extreme in that department, with good reason.
 
T

torpantennis

Legend
Sysyphus said:
Yes, that's what I mean. Ferrer's forehand is his obvious weapon, and one of the best on tour. And just look how much he runs around the backhand. He's quite extreme in that department, with good reason.
Click to expand...

Ferrer also has a very good record against Murray, because his FH fares so well against relatively "weak" FH of Murray. If anybody at top, it's Murray who has a "stronger BH". But then again, even Murray has a bigger FH than BH. Remember that 200kph FH?
 
Brian11785

Brian11785

Hall of Fame
Mardy Fish? Probably my favorite ATP player of the past five years. Great all-court game, REALLY solid backhand. But his forehand is so erratic that I would cringe every time he'd get in a forehand to forehand rally with just about anyone.
 
Bender

Bender

G.O.A.T.
You can approach this question in two ways:

  • Players whose backhands rank better against their peers than do their forehands
  • Players whose backhands are substantively better than their forehands
For the first one, it is possible for a player's backhand to be better than most others, and yet still possess a better forehand compared to their backhand. With the latter, the backhand must be outright better than the forehand, which is rare.

I think Djokovic would be an example of someone in the former category, while someone like Gasquet would be a great example of the latter.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Q
Worst forehand better than best backhand?
Replies
19
Views
2K
Deleted member 742196
D
G
Two Forehands on ATP?
Replies
1
Views
730
SStrikerR
S
TTMR
Players That Run Around Their Forehand
Replies
33
Views
1K
ibbi
ibbi
tennis_hack
List ATP players with better backhands than forehands...
Replies
16
Views
8K
TTMR
TTMR
Clay lover
Is it true that many women have better backhands than forehands?
Replies
15
Views
3K
Tshooter
Tshooter
Top