Otacon
Hall of Fame
Let's hope that coaches and parents of players realize that a one-handed backhand can still bring success at the highest level, contrary to all the predictions that have been made in recent years.
The one-handed backhand is far from being obsolete in the modern game
- Thread starter Otacon
- Start date
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Deleted member 762530
Guest
I watched Musetti play against Wawrinka yesterday. I was really impressed by his performance but also by his one-hander! I‘ll definitely keep an eye on him, partly due to his backhand as well. Too bad it‘s so rare nowadays. Hopefully Thiem and Tsitsipas will encourage people to still consider it.
Tennis_Hands
Banned
burma_shave
New User
Definitely a weakness for one-handers, but Thiem seems to do okay.
This Shapovalov backhand from yesterday's match (at 3.12 in the video) is a thing of beauty:
(I'm a two-hander btw.)
Born_to_slice
Legend
Different technique. Kuerten's bh was much loopier.
Tennis_Hands
Banned
Musetti not in Nadal's quarter at RG.
You heard it here first.
You heard it here first.
Red Rick
Bionic Poster
It's mostly a 2nd serve return issue. Fed's 2nd return game is super average. They need an insane 1st return to have above average return game, without it, they need an insane hold game to stand out. Otherwise you're automatically left with a decreased ceiling and relying way too much on clutching everything out every time which is not that sustainable in the long run.
T
TheNachoMan
Guest
Two hander is more practical but one hander is more a e s t h e t i c
Hitman
Bionic Poster
Shapo has that trademarked LOL...looking forwards to seeing it more and more over the years. For me, the most exciting player to watch from the next gen.
mental midget
Hall of Fame
first time seeing him play. he is immediately one of my favorites to watch. really impressed by his game and although this is wildly premature, i saw shades of federer in how much racket head control he has–great reflex volleys and he threw up several stab-lobs from tough positions that all found their way into the court. he's got great feel for the game.
TennisManiac
Hall of Fame
One handers are KING!
Villain
Professional
Bet you wouldn’t say that to Marat Safin’s face.Two hander is for women, and men who can’t handle the racket with one hand
Villain
Professional
I wouldn’t call it resurgent when one new guy shows up with a one-hander. Fed, Wawrinka, and Kohlschreiber will all be retiring in the next few years. That leaves what, four guys in the top 100 that will have one-handers? Didn’t even Fed say he would have a two-hander if he was doing it all over again and he was probably the best one-handed returner?
bluetrain4
G.O.A.T.
Is it really that few? Obviously 1-handers have decreased, but they always seem to be around at a base level that I feel wasn't greatly diminished recently.
Villain
Professional
Yeah I think that would only leave Shapovalov, Tsitsipas, Thiem and Musetti. Forgot to mention Gasquet, who will also likely be retiring in the next few years. Best case, you are at a return disadvantage at the pro level and most one-handers tend to make more errors on that wing in spite of the fact they typically hit with more spin.
might be connected as well to the modern 1HBH grip and swing patch
well, given that Thiem and Stefanos are in top 10, it's not bad at all.
also given that Shapovalov might be knocking at the top 10 door
Villain
Professional
That is a good point. Once Fed is back you could have 40% of the top ten be one-handers. Unfortunately for one-hander fans, that will still only equate to about 8% of the top 100 and I bet that goes down as you start looking at the top 300 or 500.
so it looks like an "all in".
either you get all the way to the top, or you struggle with it where folks are burning cash in their pursue of a tennis career
augustobt
Legend
I can't believe he lost a GS QF to ****ing Carreno Busta!!!!!!
RelentlessAttack
Hall of Fame
Really hope he can put it all together
Hitman
Bionic Poster
Don't we all. I've already gone out on a limb to say he is the chosen one of the next gen.
jm1980
Talk Tennis Guru
Pretty hard to see how he'll get into Nadal's quarter (or anyone's quarter, for that matter) seeing how he was too lowly ranked to get into RG. He couldn't make it into qualies and all the WC have already been handed out:Musetti not in Nadal's quarter at RG.
You heard it here first.
ATP Entry List: 28 Settembre - 11 Ottobre 2020
jm1980
Talk Tennis Guru
A flurry of unforced errors, of course. Brawn beaten by brain in PCB
Dartagnan64
G.O.A.T.
Yes, he's a gunslinger and that makes him entertaining. We all love to watch the guys that go for their shots over the retrieving defender. It's too bad the equipment and fitness changes in the sport make the latter a more successful style. It would be great to see more successful all courters again rather than see them continually lose to guys that just get the ball deep and wait for you to make an error.
BevelDevil
Hall of Fame
Are you getting that 8% figure by extrapolating from the known top players? Or is that an actual count of the top 100? I would think that there are more top 100 randos with 1hbhs, especially the clay court guys.
Kalin
Legend
Tennis_Hands
Banned
Pretty hard to see how he'll get into Nadal's quarter (or anyone's quarter, for that matter) seeing how he was too lowly ranked to get into RG. He couldn't make it into qualies and all the WC have already been handed out:
ATP Entry List: 28 Settembre - 11 Ottobre 2020
www.tennisteen.it
You do realise that it was a joke about how these things go, no?
Oh, no, you don't!
Villain
Professional
I saw a somewhat recent article that had a list of top 100 players with one-handers. There are fifteen total listed but about half of them will be retiring relatively soon and four are no longer in the top 100. I’m just guessing, but I can’t imagine there will be an equal number of one-handers who will be replacing them in the top 100. We’ll see I guess.
https://www.atptour.com/en/news/federer-tsitsipas-future-one-handed-backhand-2019
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King No1e
G.O.A.T.
Luke Shapovalov Skywalker
socallefty
G.O.A.T.
I’m glad as it makes baseline tennis so much more aesthetically pleasing to watch. It would be great if Thiem, Tsitsipas, Shapovalov and Musetti become permanent fixtures in the top 10 along with some 2-handed young players I admire like Sinner and FAA - once Nadal and Djokovic retire.
mental midget
Hall of Fame
that’s gonna be half your top 10 right there.
1HBHNation
Rookie
thiem will make it grand again
Villain
Professional
I acknowledged that in an earlier post but I don’t think that changes the fact we are witnessing the slow death of the one-hand topspin BH and that it will likely never be as common as it was even in the 90s, let alone the 50s or 60s. I’m not saying I wish for it to happen, quite the opposite. I like variety and seeing different styles, but the reality is what it is. The one-hander unfortunately has more disadvantages than advantages in the modern game and that’s why we don’t see it as often.
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