Greatest 2HBH of All-Time

hoodjem

hoodjem

G.O.A.T.
Greatest 2HBHs Of All-Time

1. Connors
2. Agassi
3. Nalbandian
4. Borg
5. Safin
6. Wilander
7. Djokovic
8. Rios
9. Mecir
10. Kafelnikov
11. Drysdale
12. Hewitt
13. Murray
14. Bruguera
15. Courier
16. Davydenko
17. Mayer
18. McMillan









(My own knowledge of the 2HBH is somewhat limited by exposure. Those of you with far more interest and history, please feel encouraged to offer suggestions of names of those with great two-handed backhands. It certainly seems to be considered the standard these days. I shall certainly defer to those posters with deeper knowledge, in this matter.)
 
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Good list. I'd shuffle it a bit. Also, Cliff Drysdale's 2hb was a major weapon. It might belong in there, or at minimum, be an honorable mention.

1. Agassi
2. Connors
3. Borg
4. Nalbandian
5. Safin
6. Nadal
7. Wilander
8. Rios
9. Mecir
10. Kafelnikov

I think Agassi's BH was a bit bigger and steadier than Connors' BH. On the other hand, Connors was a quicker player and his BH was better on the run. In the end, I gave the edge to Agassi purely for his hitting ability.
 
Though I don't know the talents of all on that list..i really doubt that they are all so good that Djoke doesn't make the list. Esp since considering the people who are 4-6
 
hoodjem said:
Greatest 2HBHs Of All-Time

1. Connors
2. Nalbandian
3. Agassi
4. Borg
5. Safin
6. Djokovic
7. Wilander
8. Rios
9. Mecir
10. Kafelnikov
11. Drysdale
12. Hewitt









(My own knowledge of the 2HBH is somewhat limited by exposure. Those of you with far more interest and history, please feel encouraged to offer suggestions of names of those with great two-handed backhands. It certainly seems to be considered the standard these days. I shall certainly defer to those posters with deeper knowledge, in this matter.)
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I love Nalbanian's backhand but I don't know if he would rate second best ever considering his erratic play over the years. I probably would move Agassi and Borg up a bit.

Djokovic has played long enough and the quality of his backhand has been excellent for years. This year I even think his backhand has even gone up in quality which is amazing. However it'll be a while before I could rank him above Connors considering the length of Connors' career and how his backhand was perhaps the main reason he won.

Does Safin rank above Wilander? It was tremendous and more powerful than Mats but perhaps not as consistent but I guess I could see that.
 
pc1 said:
I love Nalbanian's backhand but I don't know if he would rate second best ever considering his erratic play over the years. I probably would move Agassi and Borg up a bit.

Djokovic has played long enough and the quality of his backhand has been excellent for years. This year I even think his backhand has even gone up in quality which is amazing. However it'll be a while before I could rank him above Connors considering the length of Connors' career and how his backhand was perhaps the main reason he won.

Does Safin rank above Wilander? It was tremendous and more powerful than Mats but perhaps not as consistent but I guess I could see that.
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Good points all. Safin's game was a an enigma. When he was on, he was one of the greatest who ever played. And when he was off, he wasn't. But, his BH was pretty much always on. Conversely, Wilander's biggest strength was the reliability of his level of play all around, including his backhand. But, Safin's power in addition to the relative reliability of his BH arguably makes it better than Wilander's. JMO!

Nalbandian's BH has to be measured with his overall success and consistency in mind. It's still a great shot. But, I can't put it above Agassi's or Borg's BH.
 
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I would also throw murray in the mix. I dont think many pros would disagree with me on this one especially the usual mix of tennis commentators. I know federer has praised his backhand on tv before.
 
I’m glad to see we have a consensus for Agassi being the top of the list. I’m sure by the time Djokovic retires he’ll be near the top few
 
1. Nalbandian
2. Agassi
3. Connors
4. Safin
5. Hewitt (best topspin lob ever)
6. Murray
7. Rios
8. Bjorg
9. Djokovic
10. Courier
11. Sergi BruGuera
12. Simon
 
Laver777 said:
1. Nalbandian
2. Agassi
3. Connors
4. Safin
5. Hewitt (best topspin lob ever)
6. Murray
7. Rios
8. Bjorg
9. Djokovic
10. Courier
11. Sergi BruGuera
12. Simon
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Bjorg? Hahaha! Courier at #10 is a bit worrisome, but, at least he doesn't have Federer in the top 12. That takes Congressional level courage.
 
Vivian McGrath recalls his match point in a Australian quarter against Ellie Vines in 1932/33. He was 16 years old then, and Vines the world champion:
"There was that day in 1932 when i used two hands to win the final point against Ellsworth Vines. I drove the ball straight down the line, everything behind it, timing just right. It was a terrific hit, and the memory of it is strong. Often i read that people said, it was the most spectacular shot they had ever seen."
(From: Lawn Tennis-the Australian Way, edited by Jack Pollard, Melbourne 1971.)
 
borg and courier are much too high. borg's forehand was much better than his backhand, imo. he often left his backhand too short when he was pushed back by deep/flat shots. courier doesn't belong in the top 50 all time of two handers. he really didn't generate much pace at all off of that wing.

i'd add wilander to that list, along with mardy fish. djokovic should also be much higher, probably top 5.

nalbandian should be top 5 but i'd put agassi at #1 b/c of how offensive he could be off of the return.
 
rod99 said:
borg and courier are much too high. borg's forehand was much better than his backhand, imo. he often left his backhand too short when he was pushed back by deep/flat shots. courier doesn't belong in the top 50 all time of two handers. he really didn't generate much pace at all off of that wing.

i'd add wilander to that list, along with mardy fish. djokovic should also be much higher, probably top 5.

nalbandian should be top 5 but i'd put agassi at #1 b/c of how offensive he could be off of the return.
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Problem with Agassi is if he's moving he often doesn't hit good shots off his backhand. Connors didn't have that problem and I would say Connors was pretty great off the return. Generally I would think Connors had more variety off the backhand than Agassi also.

But Agassi is a good choice for number one but I would still lean toward Connors.

Everyone's backhand can be short if they are pushed back but I think Borg's backhand in his peak years from 1978 on was very deep and strong usually even when force by deep penetrating shots plus I think he may very well have had the best backhand passing shots I've ever seen. In 1976 and before Connors could force Borg's backhand but he was much better from 1977 over and from 1978 Borg could attack off a powerful Connors shot (or anyone else) to the Borg backhand. Another thing about Borg's backhand is that it was perhaps the most consistent backhand, along with Rosewall's that I've ever seen.

Remember in polls of the players at the time Borg's backhand was ranked second only to Connors.
 
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Limpinhitter said:
Bjorg? Hahaha! Courier at #10 is a bit worrisome, but, at least he doesn't have Federer in the top 12. That takes Congressional level courage.
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To be honest there aren't many players who played before 1980's because it has been developed much more due to technology but I thought I'd throw some in there so I didnt get scolded
 
pc1 said:
Problem with Agassi is if he's moving he often doesn't hit good shots off his backhand. Connors didn't have that problem and I would say Connors was pretty great off the return. Generally I would think Connors had more variety off the backhand than Agassi also.

But Agassi is a good choice for number one but I would still lean toward Connors.

Everyone's backhand can be short if they are pushed back but I think Borg's backhand in his peak years from 1978 on was very deep and strong usually even when force by deep penetrating shots plus I think he may very well have had the best backhand passing shots I've ever seen. In 1976 and before Connors could force Borg's backhand but he was much better from 1977 over and from 1978 Borg could attack off a powerful Connors shot (or anyone else) to the Borg backhand. Another thing about Borg's backhand is that it was perhaps the most consistent backhand, along with Rosewall's that I've ever seen.

Remember in polls of the players at the time Borg's backhand was ranked second only to Connors.
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IMO, Borg's bh was the best passing shot in the history of tennis.
 
BTURNER said:
men, men and more men.

Evert
Seles
Hingis
Sanchez
Davenport
Austin
Williams
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Of the women:
1. Evert (got both men and women to play with 2HBH)
2. Seles (basically set the modern standard for 2HBH)
3. Serena (her best shot, behind her serve)
4. Venus (her sheer athleticism compensated for her unorthodox mechanics for some incredible winners. Arguably the best running 2HBH ever.)
5. Davenport (crisp, clean, deep, powerful, and can do anything she wants with it)
6. Hingis (mastered the angles, redirected the ball, made it look easy)
7. Sharapova (sharp flat crosscourt strokes. Her height allows her to pummel the ball off that wing on high balls. By far her most reliable stroke)
8. Jankovic (Her DTL backhand is just awesome. Her crosscourt isn't bad, but her DTL BH is her signature shot)
9. Clijsters (Nothing fancy about it. She hits so relaxed and has deceptive pace. Takes the ball early and is equally effective crosscourt or DTL)
10. Austin (only saw a few matches of hers. Steady, had quite a bit of topspin, and was a weapon that broke the Evert-Navratilova duopoly at one point)

After that, it's highly debatable for 11-15. Sanchez-Vicario, Kvitova, Pierce, Capriati, Safina, Li (can be erratic but awesome), Azarenka, and a few others.
 
As for the men, this is quite difficult to rate. Some guys had fantastic 2HBH, but couldn't put it together consistently throughout their careers. I tend to rank based on their reliance on the backhand to win matches. That and the impression their shot left to influence others to play with a 2HBH and tennis for that matter.

Connors (led the way for 2HBH to have a play on the men's side along with Borg)
Agassi (his persona, marketability, bad ass groundstrokes helped get baseline tennis running just as Lendl was on his way out)

After that, it is a complete toss-up. You can rank it anyway you want, but Connors and Agassi are top two in my book.

Rios, Nalbandian, Safin, Mecir, Kafelnikov, Djokovic, Murray, Hewitt, Borg, Bruguera, Chang made their backhands work in their favor. That's true for Courier, Ferrero, Davydenko as well.
 
soyizgood said:
Of the women:
1. Evert (got both men and women to play with 2HBH)
2. Seles (basically set the modern standard for 2HBH)
3. Serena (her best shot, behind her serve)
4. Venus (her sheer athleticism compensated for her unorthodox mechanics for some incredible winners. Arguably the best running 2HBH ever.)
5. Davenport (crisp, clean, deep, powerful, and can do anything she wants with it)
6. Hingis (mastered the angles, redirected the ball, made it look easy)
7. Sharapova (sharp flat crosscourt strokes. Her height allows her to pummel the ball off that wing on high balls. By far her most reliable stroke)
8. Jankovic (Her DTL backhand is just awesome. Her crosscourt isn't bad, but her DTL BH is her signature shot)
9. Clijsters (Nothing fancy about it. She hits so relaxed and has deceptive pace. Takes the ball early and is equally effective crosscourt or DTL)
10. Austin (only saw a few matches of hers. Steady, had quite a bit of topspin, and was a weapon that broke the Evert-Navratilova duopoly at one point)

After that, it's highly debatable for 11-15. Sanchez-Vicario, Kvitova, Pierce, Capriati, Safina, Li (can be erratic but awesome), Azarenka, and a few others.
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Nice list. Just thought of another two handed women's backhand that was okay--Mary Pierce.
 
soyizgood said:
Of the women:
1. Evert (got both men and women to play with 2HBH)
2. Seles (basically set the modern standard for 2HBH)
3. Serena (her best shot, behind her serve)
4. Venus (her sheer athleticism compensated for her unorthodox mechanics for some incredible winners. Arguably the best running 2HBH ever.)
5. Davenport (crisp, clean, deep, powerful, and can do anything she wants with it)
6. Hingis (mastered the angles, redirected the ball, made it look easy)
7. Sharapova (sharp flat crosscourt strokes. Her height allows her to pummel the ball off that wing on high balls. By far her most reliable stroke)
8. Jankovic (Her DTL backhand is just awesome. Her crosscourt isn't bad, but her DTL BH is her signature shot)
9. Clijsters (Nothing fancy about it. She hits so relaxed and has deceptive pace. Takes the ball early and is equally effective crosscourt or DTL)
10. Austin (only saw a few matches of hers. Steady, had quite a bit of topspin, and was a weapon that broke the Evert-Navratilova duopoly at one point)

After that, it's highly debatable for 11-15. Sanchez-Vicario, Kvitova, Pierce, Capriati, Safina, Li (can be erratic but awesome), Azarenka, and a few others.
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Very good. I should have included Sharapova over Austin or Sanchez. and I meant Serena. I tend to forget anyone in the modern slavic brigade .

Evert's was the best and most versatile of the batch. There was nothing she could not do consistently with that stroke. It may be the best stroke under pressure I have seen even when she had lost confidence in her serve and forehand.
 
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BTURNER said:
Very good. I should have included Sharapova over Austin or Sanchez. and I meant Serena. I tend to forget anyone in the modern slavic brigade .

Evert's was the best and most versatile of the batch. There was nothing she could not do consistently with that stroke. It may be the best stroke under pressure I have seen even when she had lost confidence in her serve and forehand.
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I agree with you. One comment on Sharapova however. Sharapova does have a very good two handed backhand but it does sometimes annoy me that she only has one level on her backhand, full power. There is no in between, no touch, no variety. Yes she does have some sharp angles but usually it's full blast or nothing at all. Much like Maria's whole game.

I much prefer the Evert backhand. Much more variety and versatility.
 
pc1 said:
I agree with you. One comment on Sharapova however. Sharapova does have a very good two handed backhand but it does sometimes annoy me that she only has one level on her backhand, full power. There is no in between, no touch, no variety. Yes she does have some sharp angles but usually it's full blast or nothing at all. Much like Maria's whole game.

I much prefer the Evert backhand. Much more variety and versatility.
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Plus I can't think of anyone in the 70s- mid 80's who could generate more power into backhand drives or passes than Evert, except maybe Austin for a few years . Martina put her power into her forehand, serves and volleys but the backhand notsomuch.
 
It's really surprising to see anyone list Jim Courier and Nadal on this list as their backhands are (relative) weaknesses and exploitable. They made/make a living running around their backhands as it's so much weaker then their FH.

I think you have to give it to Connors and Agassi as 1 and 1a for the all time bests. Kafelnikov, Safin, Djokovic, and Nalbandian are the only other ones that really stand out to me, with Nalbandian having the most offensive shot.

A few other second tier players that deserve mention for some of the best 2HBH's
1. Joakim Nystrom
2. Jonas B. Svennson
3. Vince Spadea
4. Andrei Chesnokov
 
Nalbandian has a very, very good two handed backhand, but I think #3 all time is a real stretch. Considering just the recent crop of players, I'd say both Murray and Djokovic should be above Nalbandian on the list. I also don't thnk Nadal's 2HBH is much behind his. What about surface versatility (not just hard courts and indoors, but clay/grass too). In my opinion, Nalbandian's BH should maybe make the top 10 or top 20 in this list of two handers, but I think we have to look for consistency of results, how it fares against the best opponents on all surfaces, and how it performs in majors as well as smaller tournaments. How about tight 5 setters? Is is great for a few matches and not so good for many tournaments at a stretch? I think Nalbandian's 2HBH been great in flashes and especially at Masters events/YEC, but he really has not had stellar results at the majors. I'd agree with Connors and Agassi near the very top and I also think Borg's two hander should be in the top 5. He relied on that shot a ton. With Borg, it was largely "pick your poison" on the groundstrokes.
 
borg number one said:
Nalbandian has a very, very good two handed backhand, but I think #3 all time is a real stretch. Considering just the recent crop of players, I'd say both Murray and Djokovic should be above Nalbandian on the list. I also don't thnk Nadal's 2HBH is much behind his. What about surface versatility (not just hard courts and indoors, but clay/grass too). In my opinion, Nalbandian's BH should maybe make the top 10 or top 20 in this list of two handers, but I think we have to look for consistency of results, how it fares against the best opponents on all surfaces, and how it performs in majors as well as smaller tournaments. How about tight 5 setters? Is is great for a few matches and not so good for many tournaments at a stretch? I think Nalbandian's 2HBH been great in flashes and especially at Masters events/YEC, but he really has not had stellar results at the majors. I'd agree with Connors and Agassi near the very top and I also think Borg's two hander should be in the top 5. He relied on that shot a ton. With Borg, it was largely "pick your poison" on the groundstrokes.
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you are approaching a fine line between measuring the backhand/ its performance itself if you look at results in majors/five setters and the entire player's performance, including shot selection under pressure, footwork and anticipation under pressure,stamina etc. Hell maybe great 5th set success comes from being more willing to volley or whack that forehand
 
borg number one said:
Nalbandian has a very, very good two handed backhand, but I think #3 all time is a real stretch. Considering just the recent crop of players, I'd say both Murray and Djokovic should be above Nalbandian on the list. I also don't thnk Nadal's 2HBH is much behind his. What about surface versatility (not just hard courts and indoors, but clay/grass too). In my opinion, Nalbandian's BH should maybe make the top 10 or top 20 in this list of two handers, but I think we have to look for consistency of results, how it fares against the best opponents on all surfaces, and how it performs in majors as well as smaller tournaments. How about tight 5 setters? Is is great for a few matches and not so good for many tournaments at a stretch? I think Nalbandian's 2HBH been great in flashes and especially at Masters events/YEC, but he really has not had stellar results at the majors. I'd agree with Connors and Agassi near the very top and I also think Borg's two hander should be in the top 5. He relied on that shot a ton. With Borg, it was largely "pick your poison" on the groundstrokes.
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BTURNER said:
you are approaching a fine line between measuring the backhand/ its performance itself if you look at results in majors/five setters and the entire player's performance, including shot selection under pressure, footwork and anticipation under pressure,stamina etc. Hell maybe great 5th set success comes from being more willing to volley or whack that forehand
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I have to agree with Borg Number One here. I love Nalbanian's backhand but he is so often out of shape that it affects his overall play, including his backhand play. We are looking for consistent quality here.
 
pc1 said:
I have to agree with Borg Number One here. I love Nalbanian's backhand but he is so often out of shape that it affects his overall play, including his backhand play. We are looking for consistent quality here.
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Its not the specifics of his assertion on Nalbanion/Borg with which I quibble. It the generalized nature of his language. It sounds to me like we should look at match results and presume backhands were culpable, rather than the stroke performance in that match point by point in those tight situations.
 
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^^^ This is one reason why I said it's more complicated ranking the men's 2HBHs compared to the women's.

Connors produced arguably the best passing shot 2HBH as he was dealing with hordes of serve and volleyers. Borg had similar opponents as Connors. Connors often opted to hit low and for the lines via sidespin and flat backhands while Borg opted to counter folks with his topspin backhand crosscourt in most cases.

Connors was more aggressive in attacking with that backhand, but he also used it as an approach shot to finish at the net. Borg was not as aggressive and often used it to force the error from the baseline. Connors preferred shorter points while Borg was fine with long rallies. Going by just that, who had the better backhand? Hard to conclude there. Borg had more slams, but he burned out early while Connors was holding his own all the way to the early 90's. You can argue for either player, but to me Connors wins as he adapted his game to counter the serve and volleyers, grinders, and the early wave of baseline players... all with a career winning percentage nearly identical to Borg.
 
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soyizgood said:
^^^ This is one reason why I said it's more complicated ranking the men's 2HBHs compared to the women's.

Connors produced arguably the best passing shot 2HBH as he was dealing with hordes of serve and volleyers. Borg had similar opponents as Connors. Connors often opted to hit low and for the lines via sidespin and flat backhands while Borg opted to counter folks with his topspin backhand crosscourt in most cases.

Connors was more aggressive in attacking with that backhand, but he also used it as an approach shot to finish at the net. Borg was not as aggressive and often used it to force the error from the baseline. Connors preferred shorter points while Borg was fine with long rallies. Going by just that, who had the better backhand? Hard to conclude there. Borg had more slams, but he burned out early while Connors was holding his own all the way to the early 90's. You can argue for either play, but to me Connors wins as he adapted his game to counter the serve and volleyers, grinders, and the early wave of baseline players... all with a career winning percentage nearly identical to Borg.
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For me this equation is fairly easy. In the long haul, we can presume that Connors did most of his serious damage in his career with his backhand because he lacked some of the other weapons that Borg had. Connors did not win any big points with his serve. While very quick about the court, he did not win matches with consistent bursts of cheetah like speed. And there was a greater disparity between his two sides than Borg. By elimination we can deduce that backhand carried most of the weight and is more responsible for acheivements.
 
borg number one said:
Nalbandian has a very, very good two handed backhand, but I think #3 all time is a real stretch. Considering just the recent crop of players, I'd say both Murray and Djokovic should be above Nalbandian on the list. I also don't thnk Nadal's 2HBH is much behind his. What about surface versatility (not just hard courts and indoors, but clay/grass too). In my opinion, Nalbandian's BH should maybe make the top 10 or top 20 in this list of two handers, but I think we have to look for consistency of results, how it fares against the best opponents on all surfaces, and how it performs in majors as well as smaller tournaments. How about tight 5 setters? Is is great for a few matches and not so good for many tournaments at a stretch? I think Nalbandian's 2HBH been great in flashes and especially at Masters events/YEC, but he really has not had stellar results at the majors. I'd agree with Connors and Agassi near the very top and I also think Borg's two hander should be in the top 5. He relied on that shot a ton. With Borg, it was largely "pick your poison" on the groundstrokes.
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I certainly wouldn't put Nalbandian's bh above Borg's. Not only was Borg's bh an all time great shot, it held up, no excelled, under pressure at the highest championship levels of tennis.
 
Connors,Agassi,Segura,Mayer,Mc Millan,Bruguera,Kafelnikov,Nadal and Djokovic.Hewitt and Safin also qualify
 
hoodjem said:
Can anyone suggest more names to add to this list?
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Chang, Washington, Ferrero, P McEnroe? Most of the good ones have already been mentioned. Ivanisevic's was okay, but I think he sliced his backhand the majority of the time. Nowadays you see a lot of good 2HBHs out there. Simon, Verdasco have good ones but don't get much hype.
 
I thought Chang's backhand was pretty good and I can see it in the top twenty but I'm surprised Courier's backhand is on the list because I recall reading some negative stuff on Courier's backhand.

If we're talking about singles, how about Solomon and Dibbs?

McMillan was known mainly for doubles with Bob Hewitt so I'm not sure if I could put him in the top twenty.

Hey, did anyone mention a little known player named Rafael Nadal?? He may not have the greatest two handed backhand but it's not bad. I understand it's pretty good on red clay and some other surfaces too.:)
 
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1. Agassi
2. Connors
3. Nalbandian
4. Borg
5. Safin
6. Wilander
7. Djokovic
8. Rios
9. Mecir
10. Kafelnikov
11. Drysdale
12. Hewitt
13. Murray
14. Nadal
15. Bruguera
16. Davydenko
17. Mayer
18. Verdasco
19. McMillan
20. Chang
21. Ferrero
22. Courier
23. Nystrom
 
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Jachim Nystrom and Anders Jarryd´s are worth being in this list.

Better than Solomon´s or Dibbs´and, in the case of Jarryd, a top ten 2HB on the retrun of serve.
 
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