Better BH- Federer or Nadal

[K-H]

This thread is only to non Fedal fans.
Over the course of their careers, who would you say has had the better BH. Not talking about their peak in one tournament or so, but generally over their careers.

Most Federer fans will generally say Federer and most Nadal fans would say Nadal.
So this thread is directed at the neutral fans.
Just curious to see what others think.

Djokovic and Murray fans will be able to give the most accurate answer and fedal have played these two players so often.

 

[Shank Volley]

I think they both have the exact backhand they need to properly execute their particular game plans. Much like with Sampras switching to a one hander to improve his strength on volleys and play on grass in general. Nadal's backhand is particularly good at blunting offence and staying steady while he waits for a possible forehand. It matches his heavy looped forehand and is most effective on slow courts.

Federer's backhand is particularly good on the rise, and his single handed play has helped with his slice. He uses his slice to, again, wait out and probe opponent offence as he looks for a forehand. The riskier single hander matches his overall more aggressive game and suits faster playing surfaces.

I'd wager that if both players swapped backhands and the rest of their games remained the same, they'd each have fewer grand slams. Their games are very much greater than the sum of their individual parts. Just my two cents.

 

[Zeref]

They both have near perfect two different type of backhands that suits their game. I will give edge to Nadal's 2-handed BH just because it has not let him down in major matches.

 

[Roddick85]

I'd say the backhand of both players is quite an underrated element of their respective game that doesn't get talked about much because they probably have the 2 greatest forehands of all time. Fed has more variety with the slice and IMO better shot making ability than Nadal had on that side. Nadal on the other hand has a very reliable backhand which can produce nice flat shots at times. Federer's backhand has become better over the years, but players can still bully him on that side, not exactly true for Nadal. From an aesthetic and offensive standpoint, I obviously prefer Federer (being a 1HBH myself), but if I had to "go to war", then I'd pick Nadal's backhand because it's less likely to let me down on important points.

 

[InsideOut900]

On average they are about equal.
Federer's BH was more of a constant with 2006 and 2017 standing out as best years.

Nadal's BH was subpar on a few occasions(2005,2006,2011 2nd half, 2015), but he reached greater heights.

As proven by the 2009 AO final, Nadal's BH can be a brutal shot, it is a more consistent rally shot, better on defence and counterpunching.
Federer is better at slicing.
Both can inject a lot of pace if they time it right.

 

[Waspsting]

I'll give the edge to Nadal on the grounds of greater consistency

Despite the differences in the way both players have typically used the backhand (well outlined by @Shank Volley ), you'd have to say neither has used it as a weapon

The defensive capacity of each's backhand seems to me to be the key to answering the question... and on that score, Nadal is comfortably ahead

Federer can do a few things from the backhand better than Nadal, like open the court with acute angles and slice ... but the things Nadal does better (not make errors) unglamorous though it might be, is more important here IMO

 

[mike danny]

I have never understood this idea of comparing different BH's. One is double handed, while the other is one handed. Both involve different techniques,so how can you tell which one is better? Switch their BH's and we wouldn't even be having this discussion.

 

[True Fanerer]

Federer's backhand is a thing of beauty & risk. Nadal's is a more reliable shot, capable of hitting winners from there in defensive positions. I'm a fan of the OHBH, so I'm biased here. Its such a difficult stroke to perfect like so few have done.

 

[Incognito]

I'll give the edge to Nadal on the grounds of greater consistency


The defensive capacity of each's backhand seems to me to be the key to answering the question... and on that score, Nadal is comfortably ahead

I define passing shots as part of defensive capabilities. Federer bh passing shots during his peak years was more lethal than Agassi’s and could only be rivalled by Nadal’s. Defensively, they are about equal on that side, IMO.

 

[Spencer Gore]

Nadal.

 

[True Fanerer]

Love this

 

[Djokovic2011]

Too close to call IMO. Imagine how good a match between '13 Montreal Nadal and '17 IW Federer would've been though.

 

[K-H]

Too close to call IMO. Imagine how good a match between '13 Montreal Nadal and '17 IW Federer would've been though.

Yh that would be next level.

 

[abmk]

Nadal by a bit in the conditions they've played in since their slam winning years (03 for fed and 05 for nadal).

if it was in the 90s, I think it'd have the other way around, with federer's BH being the better one (and by more of a distance I think)

 

[Gary Duane]

Nadal by a bit in the conditions they've played in since their slam winning years (03 for fed and 05 for nadal).

if it was in the 90s, I think it'd have the other way around, with federer's BH being the better one (and by more of a distance I think)

I think you have to break it down by surface.

The two best backhands I've seen for clay in the OE are those of Borg and Nadal. Both had games perfectly adapted for winning on clay. Off clay, in this era, I would go with Federer.

 

[abmk]

I think you have to break it down by surface.

The two best backhands I've seen for clay in the OE are those of Borg and Nadal. Both had games perfectly adapted for winning on clay. Off clay, in this era, I would go with Federer.

clay of course - Nadal's is significantly better.
I'd rate nadal's BH higher on slow, high bouncing HC as well.
medium to fast medium HC is close, call it even

really fast HC, grass, indoors - to federer

overall, I have Nadal's BH over federer by a bit.

--
majority of the HCs have been slow to medium-fast, plus grass is more firmer (takes the slice lesser than in the 90s) ..hence what I said in my previous post.

 

[Gary Duane]

clay of course - Nadal's is significantly better.
I'd rate nadal's BH higher on slow, high bouncing HC as well.
medium to fast medium HC is close, call it even

really fast HC, grass, indoors - to federer

overall, I have Nadal's BH over federer by a bit.

--
majority of the HCs have been slow to medium-fast, plus grass is more firmer (takes the slice lesser than in the 90s) ..hence what I said in my previous post.

That's probably about right.

Question: how would you rate the two if Fed had adopted the same approach/technique as last year, when he was young? I think his improvement last year, despite his advanced age for a tennis player, shows that with the same technique/mindset his backhand would have been even more aggressive and dominating.

 

[TheMaestro1990]

Nadal.

Surprise surprise. If the question would be: ”who has the best serve?”, we all know what your answer would be.

 

[Backspin1183]

I personally rate F's backhand higher than Nadal's.

 

[Spencer Gore]

Surprise surprise. If the question would be: ”who has the best serve?”, we all know what your answer would be.

Pete Sampras.

 

[TheMaestro1990]

Pete Sampras.

Between Federer and Nadal obviously.

 

[Terenigma]

I'm a Murray/Raonic fan and i think Nadal has the better BH.

Neither of them have like super amazing backhands but i feel like Nadal can use his better, he''s got a more consistent backhand which he hits pretty deep most of the time which allows him to setup for a FH. Federer's backhands have a more "finisher" feel to them and he can use it effectively but overall, i would pick Nadal.

 

[Spencer Gore]

Between Federer and Nadal obviously.

Federer. By some margin.

 

[TheMaestro1990]

Federer. By some margin.

Who hacked your account?

 

[justasport]

Roger- more variety
Rafa- more consistent

In 2017 Roger's backhand was a weapon and definitely flipped this rivalry on it's head, so this year I give the edge to Roger.

 

[axlrose]

A double-handed backhand is naturally a superior shot compared to a single-handed backhand.

 

[mavsman149]

Definitely Nadal in my humble opinion, his backhand pass especially is an extremely underrated shot IMO.

 

[Jaitock1991]

This is a much more nuanced question than people realize. It depends entirely on their playing styles, as they are both specialized to perfectly compliment the rest of their respective games. In other words; Roger's backhand is better for Roger than Rafa's backhand would ever be for Roger, and Rafa's backhand is better for Rafa than Roger's backhand would ever be for Rafa.

I would say that over their careers the backhand has been a relative(!!!) weakness for both of them(but in different ways) and that they're about equal.

 

[Rogerjohnson81]

.

 

[mike danny]

Can anyone answer me how in the world is this a fair comparison when one has a one-handed BH, while the other has a double-handed BH?

 

[abmk]

Can anyone answer me how in the world is this a fair comparison when one has a one-handed BH, while the other has a double-handed BH?

what does fairness have to do with 1-H BH and a 2-H BH ?

 

[mike danny]

what does fairness have to do with 1-H BH and a 2-H BH ?

The techniques for both shots are different. One hits with one hand, while the other hits with 2 hands. Nadal may have a more stable BH, but would it still be stable if it was one-handed?

 

[abmk]

That's probably about right.

Question: how would you rate the two if Fed had adopted the same approach/technique as last year, when he was young? I think his improvement last year, despite his advanced age for a tennis player, shows that with the same technique/mindset his backhand would have been even more aggressive and dominating.

yeah, then obviously federer would be higher, by a bit. difference enough to tilt it the other way.
but it needs to be remembered that the larger stick has helped him in that.
and with that, his slice is quite a bit less effective.

and that slice was a real weapon vs almost everyone not named Nadal.

 

[abmk]

The techniques for both shots are different. One hits with one hand, while the other hits with 2 hands. Nadal may have a more stable BH, but would it still be stable if it was one-handed?

and would federer have the same reach , slice and variety with a 2-H BH ? answer is no, right ?
both have their plusses and minusses.

Just that with the slowed down surfaces, federer's BH has been at a more of a disadvantage.
Not fair, but that's what it is. But that has to do with the surfaces in this era.

Like I said, if it were on the 90s surfaces, I think federer's BH would be regarded as the better one.

 

[mike danny]

and would federer have the same reach , slice and variety with a 2-H BH ? answer is no, right ?
both have their plusses and minusses.

Just that with the slowed down surfaces, federer's BH has been at a more of a disadvantage.
Not fair, but that's what it is. But that has to do with the surfaces in this era.

Like I said, if it were on the 90s surfaces, I think federer's BH would be regarded as the better one.

I was also thinking about Djokovic's BH in this context. Yes, Djokovic's BH can definitely take on Nadal's FH better than Fed ever could, but would it still be the case of Nole had a one-handed BH instead?

That's why I think you have to compare BH's that use the same technique.

 

[BeatlesFan]

Most Federer fans will generally say Federer and most Nadal fans would say Nadal.

Correction: all Nadal fans will say Nadal's BH is superior to Fed's, that's a given.

50% of Fed fans will say Roger's BH is better than Rafa's. The smart half will say Nadal, but here's the caveat: Roger's BH in 2017 is as good as Nadal has been throughout his career, except 2008 on clay. Rafa's 2008 French Open BH was insane.

 

[Nishikorigoat]

This thread is only to non Fedal fans.
Over the course of their careers, who would you say has had the better BH. Not talking about their peak in one tournament or so, but generally over their careers.

Most Federer fans will generally say Federer and most Nadal fans would say Nadal.
So this thread is directed at the neutral fans.
Just curious to see what others think.

Djokovic and Murray fans will be able to give the most accurate answer and fedal have played these two players so often.

Nadal by a distance. That's why he has managed to win two wimbledons because his weakest shot is not really a weakness. Federer has only won one FO, and didn't beat Nadal there is 5 attempts and has failed to win the USO in a decade because his BH is an obvious weakness that players can exploit when conditions are high bouncing.

Conversely the Federer FH is a better shot than Nadals FH.

 

[Nishikorigoat]

Correction: all Nadal fans will say Nadal's BH is superior to Fed's, that's a given.

50% of Fed fans will say Roger's BH is better than Rafa's. The smart half will say Nadal, but here's the caveat: Roger's BH in 2017 is as good as Nadal has been throughout his career, except 2008 on clay. Rafa's 2008 French Open BH was insane.

This is a misnomer. Federer skipped the whole clay court season where his BH is always worked over and he went out of USO in QF where conditions are high bouncing. The two Majors he won were on courts where the bounce kept low. Federer BH on low bouncing courts has always been a weapon but when ball gets up to his shoulders he struggles. Always has done and always will. It is a technical weakness he will never correct at his age.

 

[Deleted member 688153]

This is a misnomer. Federer skipped the whole clay court season where his BH is always worked over and he went out of USO in QF where conditions are high bouncing. The two Majors he won were on courts where the bounce kept low. Federer BH on low bouncing courts has always been a weapon but when ball gets up to his shoulders he struggles. Always has done and always will. It is a technical weakness he will never correct at his age.

Nishikori would have destroyed Fed on clay this year.

 

[Zetty]

I have never understood this idea of comparing different BH's. One is double handed, while the other is one handed. Both involve different techniques,so how can you tell which one is better? Switch their BH's and we wouldn't even be having this discussion.

Exactly, they use their BH's in different ways and have different advantages. Nadal's flat backhand is a pretty powerful shot, Federer's slice backhand is a great setup for his forehand for example. There is no simple one to one correlation to say which is better.

 

[clout]

Both of their BHs have mightily improved over the years on, and without the improvements, Fed doesn't win 5 in a row vs Rafa, and Rafa himself doesn't win jack off the red dirt. Overall, I'll have to go with Nadal's BH since no one was legitimately able to break it down. Even with 2011 Nole, he preferred to counter Rafa by going deep and/or wide to Rafa's FH, rather than his simply punishing his BH. As for Fed, up until 2017, it's safe to say his BH was the main catalyst for all the L's he took against Rafa, for over a decade.

 

[abmk]

I was also thinking about Djokovic's BH in this context. Yes, Djokovic's BH can definitely take on Nadal's FH better than Fed ever could, but would it still be the case of Nole had a one-handed BH instead?

That's why I think you have to compare BH's that use the same technique.

then one could also say you can't compare nadal's FH to fed's FH since fed's CC FH (the more prominent shot) goes to a righty's FH (normally the stronger wing) and nadal's CC FH goes to a righty's BH (normally the weaker wing) ...

point is to compare how effective the shots have been vs the field, not necessarily about the technique.

 

[abmk]

Both of their BHs have mightily improved over the years on, and without the improvements, Fed doesn't win 5 in a row vs Rafa, and Rafa himself doesn't win jack off the red dirt. Overall, I'll have to go with Nadal's BH since no one was legitimately able to break it down. Even with 2011 Nole, he preferred to counter Rafa by going deep and/or wide to Rafa's FH, rather than his simply punishing his BH. As for Fed, up until 2017, it's safe to say his BH was the main catalyst for all the L's he took against Rafa, for over a decade.

Nole exploited and exposed Nadal's BH throughly in 11, by giving it a working over with heavy forehands time and again.

Nadal worked on it and shored it up again in 12.

 

[Waspsting]

I define passing shots as part of defensive capabilities. Federer bh passing shots during his peak years was more lethal than Agassi’s and could only be rivalled by Nadal’s. Defensively, they are about equal on that side, IMO.

Fair enough

By '"defensive", I was thinking how it holds up in a regulation, neutral baseline rally scenario

Just about every player concedes more errors than hits winners from the backhand. .. it's the bio-mechanical nature of the shot

When we talk about a good forehand, we're talking a point ending, killer shot

But a good backhand usually just means a solid, stable shot... it's unglamorous, but essential

Thinking about it in this way, I think Nadal comes out comfortably ahead, though Federer's backhand has often been underrated (that's another story)

More broadly, taking Federer and Nadal to be more or less equal overall and keeping in mind that Federer's serve is a big time weapon and imo he's a significantly better volleyer, it follows logically that Nadal is the better baseliner

From a neutral starting position, I would expect Nadal to win the lions share of the points against just about anyone... Borg is a possible exception and Lendl, Agassi and Djokovic aren't too far behind either

Against Nadal, the return has been Djokovic's equalizer and the serve Federer’s

 

[K-H]

Fair enough

By '"defensive", I was thinking how it holds up in a regulation, neutral baseline rally scenario

Just about every player concedes more errors than hits winners from the backhand. .. it's the bio-mechanical nature of the shot

When we talk about a good forehand, we're talking a point ending, killer shot

But a good backhand usually just means a solid, stable shot... it's unglamorous, but essential

Thinking about it in this way, I think Nadal comes out comfortably ahead, though Federer's backhand has often been underrated (that's another story)

More broadly, taking Federer and Nadal to be more or less equal overall and keeping in mind that Federer's serve is a big time weapon and imo he's a significantly better volleyer, it follows logically that Nadal is the better baseliner

From a neutral starting position, I would expect Nadal to win the lions share of the points against just about anyone... Borg is a possible exception and Lendl, Agassi and Djokovic aren't too far behind either

Against Nadal, the return has been Djokovic's equalizer and the serve Federer’s

Very good analysis. Always is.

 

[clout]

Nole exploited and exposed Nadal's BH throughly in 11, by giving it a working over with heavy forehands time and again.

Nadal worked on it and shored it up again in 12.

He did but Nole's ability to go cross-court deep to rafa's FH was the big reason why he's played Nadal better than anyone in the history of the game. He would've never beat Nole again after '11 if he didn't improve the backhand in '12 and '13. However, IMO Fed's BH was exposed by rafa wayyyyy more than Nole exposed rafa's.

 

[abmk]

He did but Nole's ability to go cross-court deep to rafa's FH was the big reason why he's played Nadal better than anyone in the history of the game. He would've never beat Nole again after '11 if he didn't improve the backhand in '12 and '13. However, IMO Fed's BH was exposed by rafa wayyyyy more than Nole exposed rafa's.

nole exposed nadal's BH in one year in 2011 as much as Nadal has exposed federer's BH over any one year period. Just that Nadal was able to exploit federer's BH for quite a bit longer.

 

[MichaelNadal]

Correction: all Nadal fans will say Nadal's BH is superior to Fed's, that's a given.

50% of Fed fans will say Roger's BH is better than Rafa's. The smart half will say Nadal, but here's the caveat: Roger's BH in 2017 is as good as Nadal has been throughout his career, except 2008 on clay. Rafa's 2008 French Open BH was insane.

Thanks for the bias, but I think Fed's backhand is better, so you'll already wrong.

 

[Mazz Retic]

Thanks for the bias, but I think Fed's backhand is better, so you'll already wrong.

Funny I think Nadals is better, or rather, I would take his over Federer's if I had the choice. In 2017 Federer's was better though.

 

[Tatenda]

I am a nadal fan
but I would take federer's just because of the variety , things I can do with it
it would be a fun way to play tennis