Like the 2 handed backhand in recent decades, will there be a rise in the 2 handed forehand in the future ?

[Silverbullet96]

A bit random question.

I know it seems like a silly thought now, but maybe so was the thought that 2HBHs will be ruling the Tennis world about 40+ years ago. I'm not talking of the very near future, but maybe a few decades down the line, with Tennis slowing down as is the trend, balls getting heavier, etc. the players might require more stability in their FH swing just like they do with the BH now. So do you guys see this happening in the future ?

P.S: I'm aware that this change would make the sport to be a lot less visually appealing, but will it happen anyway ?

 

[Shaolin]

Never

 

[Red Rick]

There's 0 benefit to a 2 handed forehand over a good one handed forehand.

I'm actually curious if we'll ever see a top player who can hit forehands off both sides.

 

[ibbi]

 

[BeatlesFan]

The only two-handed FH players that I can think of who were any good were Seles (who was obviously great), Pancho Seguro and Fabrice Santoro.

 

[BackhandDTL]

A two handed forehand has no biomechanical advantages over a one handed forehand. In fact, its severely limited in comparison.

 

[Im(moral) Winner]

RAFA is right-handed and hits a two-handed forehand.

 

[1HBHfanatic]

There's 0 benefit to a 2 handed forehand over a good one handed forehand.

I'm actually curious if we'll ever see a top player who can hit forehands off both sides.

-life lesson : never say never!
-while i don't like the shot myself, here are some honorable ,"top talent" that need to be mentioned:

-ohh yeah, and we now need to include @TW Staff "chris" to this list,, but i think it might be more due to injury, than choice !!??

 

[1HBHfanatic]

A two handed forehand has no biomechanical advantages over a one handed forehand. In fact, its severely limited in comparison.

-not trying to start an argument or nothing, butttttt
-you could also say this ^ about the 2HBH!!

 

[HazBeen18]

The only two-handed FH players that I can think of who were any good were Seles (who was obviously great), Pancho Seguro and Fabrice Santoro.

Also Gene Mayer. Not a world-class player but reached No. 4 in the rankings.

 

[Remioli]

I really only could see it in the women's game. If anything I'm surprised it didn't blow up after Seles' success. I'd think a bunch of girls would want to emulate her.

 

[ollinger]

The only two-handed FH players that I can think of who were any good were Seles (who was obviously great), Pancho Seguro and Fabrice Santoro.

Frew McMillan ranks fifth on the all-time doubles list with 63 titles, played two handed both sides in the 1960s.

 

[TennisD]

No. People have been trying to make this happen forever, and outside of a few edge cases there is literally no reason to teach anyone to play this way. What's frustrating is that this idea comes up on the 'coaching conference' circuit every few years and ends up wasting the time of at least a few promising players. It's just not necessary.

 

[Red Rick]

What's frustrating is that this idea comes up on the 'coaching conference' circuit every few years and ends up wasting the time of at least a few promising players. It's just not necessary.

What the hell is this thing?

 

[King No1e]

No but I think we'll have more players hitting Jack Sock-style forehands with ridiculous spin and wrist injury-inducing technique.
I hope 1 handers come back into vogue though. Maybe if Shapo and Tsitsi are successful enough, they could revive it for future generations.

 

[flanker2000fr]

No.

 

[Zoid]

A bit random question.

I know it seems like a silly thought now, but maybe so was the thought that 2HBHs will be ruling the Tennis world about 40+ years ago. I'm not talking of the very near future, but maybe a few decades down the line, with Tennis slowing down as is the trend, balls getting heavier, etc. the players might require more stability in their FH swing just like they do with the BH now. So do you guys see this happening in the future ?

Won't ever happen in the men's game especially as equipment gets better and material allows lighter frames - look at what has happened to the forehand as racquets have gone from wood to graphite - the swing has become more and more wristy as time goes on. A two handed forehand goes against this advantage.

-not trying to start an argument or nothing, butttttt
-you could also say this ^ about the 2HBH!!

big difference - a backhand has your hands in sync (i.e. not reaching) the hand furthest from the racquet is the one that is on the bottom, making it easier to generate power and angles.

 

[vive le beau jeu !]

There's 0 benefit to a 2 handed forehand over a good one handed forehand.

I'm actually curious if we'll ever see a top player who can hit forehands off both sides.

a slam-winning version of a guy like that?

 

[Slowtwitcher]

@grzewas please pick up the white courtesy phone.

 

[Tshooter]

No. People have been trying to make this happen forever, and outside of a few edge cases there is literally no reason to teach anyone to play this way. What's frustrating is that this idea comes up on the 'coaching conference' circuit every few years and ends up wasting the time of at least a few promising players. It's just not necessary.

 

[Arak]

The 2HBH should be banned.

 

[Bamoos]

No but I think we'll have more players hitting Jack Sock-style forehands with ridiculous spin and wrist injury-inducing technique.
I hope 1 handers come back into vogue though. Maybe if Shapo and Tsitsi are successful enough, they could revive it for future generations.

Young players need to be emulating Federer, Del Potro, Gonzalez style FHs.

 

[Silverbullet96]

A two handed forehand has no biomechanical advantages over a one handed forehand. In fact, its severely limited in comparison.

Like I said, surely the same would have been said about 2HBH a few decades ago, but the heavier balls ultimately required players to have more stability in the BH swing.
It's easy to make the observation that the 2HBH is also limited as compared to 1H, but stability became more necessary than anything else, & today the 'limited' 2HBH has become the go-to version of the shot, and the 1st choice for coaches to teach young players.

 

[King No1e]

Young players need to be emulating Federer, Del Potro, Gonzalez style FHs.

Federer, for sure. I see elements of it in Dimitrov, Tsitsipas, Shapo, and Rublev's shots. Idk about Delpo and Gonzalez though, because those are extremely flat, low-margin shots.
IMO the most effective, repeatable, textbook forehands are Berdych and Verdasco. Not as much freakish wrist movement like Fed, but a similar fluid, aggressive, percentage shot.

 

[Slowtwitcher]

Like I said, surely the same would have been said about 2HBH a few decades ago

Yes back in the day when everyone was hitting a baseball with a one-handed backhand motion.

 

[Silverbullet96]

Yes back in the day when everyone was hitting a baseball with a one-handed backhand motion.

What ?

 

[Slowtwitcher]

What ?

Exactly.

 

[David Le]

No but I think we'll have more players hitting Jack Sock-style forehands with ridiculous spin and wrist injury-inducing technique.
I hope 1 handers come back into vogue though. Maybe if Shapo and Tsitsi are successful enough, they could revive it for future generations.

I wouldn’t say that. It’s more like we’ll see players still have a sh**ty thbh. There’s a teenager that I hit with from time to time who has that “Next Gen” forehand take back with the elbow leading (Thiem, Kyrgios) I believe we’ll see more of that.

 

[Tshooter]

The only two-handed FH players that I can think of who were any good were Seles (who was obviously great), Pancho Seguro and Fabrice Santoro.

Like another poster mentioned, G. Mayer was pretty good. And K. Curren used to hit a 2HF once in a while for reasons I don’t recall.

 

[Nate7-5]

I hit both 1 and 2HBH depending on the shot - 2-handed returning a serve. Also hit a 1-handed forehand on my left backhand side if Im taking it immediately off the bounce at my feet or a quick slap forehand by holding the racquet where the grip meets the throat.

 

[1HBHfanatic]

The 2HBH should be banned.

-you get my vote!
-me being a 1HBH'er, trying to hit a 2HBH feels like im driving with the parking brake on

 

[1HBHfanatic]

Yes back in the day when everyone was hitting a baseball with a one-handed backhand motion.

-yes,, and now you are seeing people trying to play ping-pong with a 2HBH,,

-this is one of the signs of the on coming apocalypse, the end is near yall

 

[King No1e]

-you get my vote!
-me being a 1HBH'er, trying to hit a 2HBH feels like im driving with the parking brake on

This is the best way I've heard it described.

 

[King No1e]

I will say, it's not impossible to make the 2HBH looks pretty. Marat Safin is living proof of that.

 

[Cashman]

I'm actually curious if we'll ever see a top player who can hit forehands off both sides.

I doubt it. You could quite easily train a player to hit ambidextrous forehands, but the grip transition is way too slow to make it a practical option for match play.

 

[Rafa.the.Magnificent]

No.

 

[Jamesporter]

Maybe we should ask Chris Edwards.

 

[Arak]

-you get my vote!
-me being a 1HBH'er, trying to hit a 2HBH feels like im driving with the parking brake on

That’s exactly how I feel!

 

[sredna42]

a slam-winning version of a guy like that?

Only if they're actually born truly ambidextrous.

 

[Nadal_King]

Nadal is right handed imagine him hitting forehands of both wings

 

[Backspin1183]

Two handed forehand would be a liability for most players.

 

[socallefty]

Even scrawny kids who are elite juniors can generate a lot of power with their 1HFH whereas they all need to hit 2HBHs to generate similar pace. At a young age, the few kids who have 1HBH have more spin, but way less pace than many of their 2HBH peers - as they grow stronger the 1HBH starts getting higher in pace.

So, I think there is no reason to evolve to a 2HFH even for little kids who are not very strong as they can hit a 1HFH very hard if they have good technique - with the benefit that the 1HFH has more reach and it is easier to generate more spin. So, there is really no reason to see tennis evolving to a 2HFH.

 

[Arak]

Only if they're actually born truly ambidextrous.

I actually know a kid who is truly ambidextrous, and plays forehands on both sides, to the exasperation of his teacher. It’s just easier for him to hit forehands than to learn the backhand.

 

[Mikael]

Jan Michael Gambill says hi

 

[Silverbullet96]

Two handed forehand would be a liability for most players.

Now, surely yes. But in a few more decades when the game gets slower ? That's what I ask.

 

[socallefty]

How is tennis slowing down? Players at all levels from pros to kids are hitting harder than ever before helped by modern racquets, modern technique and poly strings. The average speed and spin of both groundstrokes and serves keeps going up. Just look at the pro player speed/spin stats or go look at videos of old matches and compare with today‘s matches. I’ve been watching pro and college matches live for decades and never has the speed and spin of shots and serves been higher than today.

The tennis authorities had to slow down the courts because the pace and spin of shots and serves was getting too high to have any long points on fast courts. The increase in pace and spin of passing shots has effectively led to the decline of serve-and-volley tennis at most levels as even in pro/college doubles you see 1-back and 2-back formations.

You see stronger, taller athletes playing tennis with modern fitness methods to train them and I can only see groundstrokes and serves getting faster. At some point, we are going to see limits on racquet stiffness, poly strings etc. and maybe further slowing down of courts to slow the game down further.

 

[Deleted member 771407]

-not trying to start an argument or nothing, butttttt
-you could also say this ^ about the 2HBH!!

Well I have a 2hbh but I'm curious about this too.

 

[Silverbullet96]

How is tennis slowing down? Players at all levels from pros to kids are hitting harder than ever before helped by modern racquets, modern technique and poly strings. The average speed and spin of both groundstrokes and serves keeps going up. Just look at the pro player speed/spin stats or go look at videos of old matches and compare with today‘s matches. I’ve been watching pro and college matches live for decades and never has the speed and spin of shots and serves been higher than today.

The tennis authorities had to slow down the courts because the pace and spin of shots and serves was getting too high to have any long points on fast courts. The increase in pace and spin of passing shots has effectively led to the decline of serve-and-volley tennis at most levels as even in pro/college doubles you see 1-back and 2-back formations.

You see stronger, taller athletes playing tennis with modern fitness methods to train them and I can only see groundstrokes and serves getting faster. At some point, we are going to see limits on racquet stiffness, poly strings etc. and maybe further slowing down of courts to slow the game down further.

More spin means the ball loses more speed in the air. You should look carefully at old matches, and see how much more running the players had to do even though they weren't hitting as hard, compared to today, simply because the balls were flying through the air noticeably faster.

 

[Deleted member 771407]

More spin means the ball loses more speed in the air. You should look carefully at old matches, and see how much more running the players had to do even though they weren't hitting as hard, compared to today, simply because the balls were flying through the air noticeably faster.

They were not flying faster through the air, the were bouncing faster (faster courts)

 

[Silverbullet96]

They were not flying faster through the air, the were bouncing faster (faster courts)

I knew this would come up. Let's agree to disagree.