United Cup, Tsitsipas' outburst: "My backhand is not going anywhere"
- Thread starter Winner Sinner
- Start date
Wawrinka?
Youngheart
Professional
Some people should think of what they wish for, when they say that all pros should get rid of OHBHs.
I like to watch the different styles. Tennis would look a bit less interesting, if everyone had the same swing.
Imagine two players
same strokes, same game plan, same clothes, same attitude, etc,... like watching
an individual player having a hard practice by himself against the backboard.
------ So Be It
------
I like to watch the different styles. Tennis would look a bit less interesting, if everyone had the same swing.
Imagine two players
same strokes, same game plan, same clothes, same attitude, etc,... like watchingan individual player having a hard practice by himself against the backboard.
------ So Be It
------
Big_Dangerous
Talk Tennis Guru
He did say he also tried a two hander at one point in his younger days but his two handed bh was worse than his one hander, so he kept the one hander. I will say, whatever he did to his backhand between 2016 when he got hurt and then 2017 when he came back to win 2 slams and 3 masters 1000 finals, was pretty remarkable.
Big_Dangerous
Talk Tennis Guru
Much of that is skewed because of how many times they played on clay, particularly in Nadal’s prime, when virtually nobody could beat him on clay.
Still worth repeating that Federer did beat Nadal the majority of times they played from 2015 through the end of their respective careers.
Fed beat him in Basel in 2015, AO 2017, IW and Miami in 2017 and Shanghai in 2017, IW in 19 and also Wimbledon that same year
Nadal only beat Federer once during that span, which unsurprisingly was on clay at RG in 19…
Big_Dangerous
Talk Tennis Guru
Well, 7 of the last 8 times. He did lose to Rafa at the French in 2019, but then beat him at Wimbledon that same year, in what ended up being their last professional match against each other.
Youngheart
Professional
Wow!! The way that so many other people "badmouth" Tsitsipas, I'm surprised to learn that he had those great wins!! Good news.
Rosstour
Talk Tennis Guru
TennisManiac
Hall of Fame
Answer the question. I'll ask again. Is that why Fed beat Nadal the last 7 times they played?
I understand your passion. I too have a 1 hander and 3 different people have told me it is as elegant as Federer's. But read Navratilova's comments on the 1HBH. And recently 2 years ago a club junior girl's father converted her to a 1HBH and I can see how it is no longer as effective as before.
kangaroo1973
Professional
Pericard s backhand is way better than Citybus's
Purestriker
Legend
Fed actually said he would teach his kids the two hander and not the one hander.
nolefam_2024
Bionic Poster
2 hander is the only way.
If you think about it, guga must be the last world number 1 with 1 hander in that era. Fed is immensely talented that the 1 hander didn't keep him down. But there has not been another number 1.
There is wawrinka as multi slam winner with Fed but Stan is just 1 year younger than Andy Roddick.
We saw how thiem and Dimitrov has failed in career reaching the top. And backhand had a lot to do with it.
kangaroo1973
Professional
Dimitrov s BH is average.
Thiem s 1hbh is one of the best in history. ****ing rocket.
Take a look at 2019-2020 Thiem Djokovic matches
Yeah and at the Nadal academy
Who around here is "wishing for" the elimination of the one-handed backhand just to satisfy some impulse for uniformity? I haven't seen any comments advocating for the demise of this stroke just to ensure a more boring, variety-free game.
What has happened is that people have merely recognized that the standard two-handed backhand (with the optional one-handed slice as needed) is simply superior for most players in most playing situations. There was a whole thread on this topic (https://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/ind...e-its-official-the-1hbh-is-dead.764989/page-4) which ran for well over 100 posts; then I revived it, and it ran for another 75+ posts. Tennis has essentially evolved beyond the obligate one-handed backhand, regardless of the "wishes" of any observers. On-the-court facts are undeniable.
T&M Returns
Rookie
Even though he managed to still win majors, Nadal wasn’t nearly as good after 2013 as he was prior. When both guys were at their best we all saw what happened.
Rosstour
Talk Tennis Guru
What happened in 2013? Nadal turned 27 and exited his statistical physical peak.
What happened in 2008? Fed turned 27 and exited his statistical physical peak.
Both guys were never at their best at the same time.
B
Bride of Alcaraz
Guest
Also when you compare Nadal's video game-style speed around the court in 2008, he was noticeably slower in 2010, despite winning 3 slams.
And dropped another notch in speed by 2012 too
His downward trend began at the exhausting 2008 Olympics, as he clearly was slower at the 2008 US Open, and then the savage marathons at 2009 AO (which he survived with cortisone) totally ended his physical peak!
kangaroo1973
Professional
What ended Fed s peak was monoAlso when you compare Nadal's video game-style speed around the court in 2008, he was noticeably slower in 2010, despite winning 3 slams.
And dropped another notch in speed by 2012 too
His downward trend began at the exhausting 2008 Olympics, as he clearly was slower at the 2008 US Open, and then the savage marathons at 2009 AO (which he survived with cortisone) totally ended his physical peak!
Rosstour
Talk Tennis Guru
It was terrible timing as it coincided with falling out of peak age range
One by itself would've been manageable
kangaroo1973
Professional
I disagree. Fed s season was slightly worse than 2006 season, yet he won 3 slams and WTF. He was literally on top of the world, undisputed no.1 and almost unbeatable. Then came mono, Fed would never be the same again, we saw some flashes of his former self such as 2010 Australian Open, 2008 USO or 2009 Cincinatti, but the era of unprecedented dominance was over.
2010 post AO- that lung virus - I consider an official end to his prime, not peak.
kangaroo1973
Professional
Rosstour
Talk Tennis Guru
Right, I think he would have bounced back if he had been younger. But he wasn't
kangaroo1973
Professional
I do not think so. He was 26 when the mono kicked in.
Djokovic for example reached his absolute peak (2015) at the age of 27-28. Fed was at his absolute best, when he contracted mono and would never be the same again. Just take a look at his 08 matches, compromised movement, sweating ( highly unusual for Fed) and overall tennis performance regressed- losses to Fish( one of the worst Fed performances ever) , his archpigeon Roddick in Miami, Štěpánek on clay. He somewhat rebounced in NYC, demolishing Murray. But good old days were gone.
Aabye5
Talk Tennis Guru
Man, this is looking worse than Zed and the yips. He was able to survive...can Stef?
SpinToWin
Talk Tennis Guru
he doesn’t have extreme grips
Purestriker
Legend
He needs to apologize to 4G.
SpinToWin
Talk Tennis Guru
All this OHBH vs 2HBH talk yada yada. The main difference between the two is the return. The 2HBH is simply better there, full stop. Meanwhile the OHBH has a higher ceiling on the attack from the baseline.
The way the game currently is played having a better first shot is more important, as the average rally length is short. Stef’s main issue returning is that his slice doesn’t even compare favourably to two handers imo. He struggles to neutralise serves as a result, not to mention get into an attacking position.
However, none of this relates to what was his bread and butter that made him top 10: dominant serving performances backed up by his forehand. His serve and forehand are the main source of decline, he’s not holding serve or controlling points with the forehand as he used to.
The way the game currently is played having a better first shot is more important, as the average rally length is short. Stef’s main issue returning is that his slice doesn’t even compare favourably to two handers imo. He struggles to neutralise serves as a result, not to mention get into an attacking position.
However, none of this relates to what was his bread and butter that made him top 10: dominant serving performances backed up by his forehand. His serve and forehand are the main source of decline, he’s not holding serve or controlling points with the forehand as he used to.
nolefam_2024
Bionic Poster
No need to attack 2 hander. The gap is vastly bigger on return. Even in rallies a two hander is better. Aggressive tennis today needs defense as well. No one is moving up all the time.
tennis24x7
Hall of Fame
I hope you are right or Murray is going to take Djokovic to the cleaners!
Aabye5
Talk Tennis Guru
Stef needs to forget the backhand for a moment. This is getting to be a spiral of despair. He's spending so much time worrying about it, the rest of his game is suffering.
Focus on what he does well: serve + forehand. Needs to volley. He's good enough in tiebreaks to muster out some wins, even if his ROS is not allowing him to break. Alcaraz aside, he was still competitive against Zverev and Sinner last year. But he has to get to those matches.
Once he regains some confidence, then he can look at his backhand again.
Focus on what he does well: serve + forehand. Needs to volley. He's good enough in tiebreaks to muster out some wins, even if his ROS is not allowing him to break. Alcaraz aside, he was still competitive against Zverev and Sinner last year. But he has to get to those matches.
Once he regains some confidence, then he can look at his backhand again.
nolefam_2024
Bionic Poster
He was competitive on clay. There is some difference.
Aabye5
Talk Tennis Guru
True, although his last two matches against Zed in Paris-Bercy (one in 2023) were both fairly close.
