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Backhand

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Backhand



 
 


The backhand is a tennis shot in which the player's swings the racquet away from their body in the direction of where the player wants the ball to go. For a right-handed player, this means that a backhand begins on the left side of their body, continues across their body as contact is made with the ball, and ends on the right side of their body.






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Justine Henin


The backhand is a tennis shot in which the player's swings the racquet away from their body in the direction of where the player wants the ball to go. For a right-handed player, this means that a backhand begins on the left side of their body, continues across their body as contact is made with the ball, and ends on the right side of their body. The backhand can be a one-handed or two-handed stroke.

Because the players dominant hand "pulls" into the shot, the backhand generally lacks the power and consistency of the forehand
Forehand

The forehand in tennis is a shot made by swinging the racquet across one's body in the direction of where the player wants to place the shot. For a right-handed player, the forehand is a stroke that begins on the right side of his body, continues across his body as contact is made with the ball, and ends on the left side of his body....
, and is usually considered more difficult to master. Beginner and club-level players often have difficulty hitting a backhand, and junior players may have trouble making the shot if they are not strong enough to hit it. Many advanced players still have a significantly better forehand than backhand, and many strategies in tennis aim to exploit this weakness.

Grips


For most of the 20th century, the backhand was hit with one hand using either an eastern or continental grip. The first notable players to use a two-handed backhand were the 1930s Australians Vivian McGrath
Vivian McGrath

Vivian Erzerum Bede "Viv" McGrath was an Australian tennis champion of the 1930s. Along with John Bromwich, he was one of the first great players to use a two-handed backhand....
 and John Bromwich
John Bromwich

John Edward Bromwich was a male tennis player from Australia who, along with his countryman Vivian McGrath, was one of the first great players to use a two-handed backhand....
. Beginning with Jimmy Connors
Jimmy Connors

James Scott "Jimmy" Connors is a former World number one male tennis player rankings American tennis player. He held the top ranking for 160 consecutive weeks from July 29, 1974 through August 29, 1977 and an additional eight times during his career ....
 and Chris Evert
Chris Evert

Christine Marie "Chris" Evert is a former List of ATP number 1 ranked players professional tennis player from the United States. She won 18 Grand Slam singles titles, including a record 7 at the French Open....
 in the 1970s, many players began to use a two-handed grip for the backhand. Pete Sampras
Pete Sampras

Petros "Pete" Sampras is a former List of ATP number 1 ranked players tennis player from the United States of America. During his 15-year career, he won a record 14 Grand Slam men's singles titles , and had a 203?38 win-loss record over 52 Grand Slam singles tournament appearances....
 and Stefan Edberg
Stefan Edberg

Stefan Bengt Edberg is a former List of ATP number 1 ranked players professional tennis player from Sweden. A major proponent of the serve-and-volley style of tennis, he won six Grand Slam singles titles and three Grand Slam doubles titles during the course of his career....
 notably switched from the two-handed to the one-handed backhand late in their development.

Strengths and weaknesses


Often players choose their backhand type based on their handedness -- if the player is somewhat ambidextrous the two-handed backhand might be best.

Two-handed backhands have some important advantages over one-handed backhands:

Two-handed backhands are generally more accurate because by having two hands on the racquet, this makes it easier to inflict topspin on the ball allowing for more control of the shot.

Two-handed backhands are easier to hit for most high balls.

Two-handed backhands can be hit with an open stance, whereas one-handers usually have to have a closed stance, which adds further steps (which is a problem at higher levels of play).

But one-handed backhands have some advantages over two-handed:

One-handed backhands allow greater reach.

One-handed backhands are able to hit low balls with much pace and penetration.

One-handed backhands are generally more powerful since there is relatively little upper body rotation, the hitting hand is free to swing into the shot with no hindering elements.

One-handed backhand players move to the net with greater ease than two-handed players because the shot permits greater forward momentum and has greater similarities in muscle memory
Muscle memory

Muscle memory is a common term for neuromuscular facilitation, which is the process of the neuromuscular system memorizing motor skills....
 to the preferred type of backhand volley (one-handed, for greater reach).

The backhand should be hit more in front of the body than the forehand which can be hit with a deeper hit spot. Allowing a cross court shot

One-handed backhands players are much less likely to develop the habit of playing volleys with two hands.

Many of the greatest players of all time used the one handed backhand. Such players include Don Budge, Ken Roswell, Roger Federer, Justine Henin, Amelie Mauresmo, Pete Sampras, Stefan Edberg, Ivan Lendl, Boris Becker, Rod Laver, Arthur Ashe, Anthony "Tony" Roche, and Patrick "Pat" Rafter.

Great backhands

The player long considered to have had the best backhand of all time, amateur and professional champion Don Budge
Don Budge

John Donald Budge was an United States tennis champion who was a World number one male tennis player rankings player for five years, first as an amateur and then as a professional....
, had a very powerful one-handed stroke in the 1930s and '40s that imparted topspin onto the ball. He used an Eastern grip, and some pictures show his thumb extended along the side of the racquet for greater support. Ken Rosewall
Ken Rosewall

Kenneth Robert Rosewall Order of Australia Order of the British Empire is a former amateur and professional tennis player who won Grand Slam singles titles in Australia, the United States, and France....
, another amateur and professional champion noted for his one-handed backhand, also used a continental grip to hit a deadly accurate slice backhand with underspin throughout the 1950s and '60s.

In his 1979 autobiography Jack Kramer
Jack Kramer (tennis player)

.John Albert Kramer was a champion U.S. tennis player of the 1940s. A World number one male tennis player rankings player for a number of years, he is a possible candidate for the title of the greatest tennis player of all time....
 devotes a page to the best tennis strokes he had ever seen. He writes: "BACKHAND—Budge
Don Budge

John Donald Budge was an United States tennis champion who was a World number one male tennis player rankings player for five years, first as an amateur and then as a professional....
 was best, with Kovacs
Frank Kovacs

Frank Kovacs was an American tennis player in the mid-century; he was known as the "Clown Prince of Tennis" for his on-court antics but was a good enough player to be each year from 1940 to 1951 one of the best five in the world....
, Rosewall
Ken Rosewall

Kenneth Robert Rosewall Order of Australia Order of the British Empire is a former amateur and professional tennis player who won Grand Slam singles titles in Australia, the United States, and France....
 and Connors
Jimmy Connors

James Scott "Jimmy" Connors is a former World number one male tennis player rankings American tennis player. He held the top ranking for 160 consecutive weeks from July 29, 1974 through August 29, 1977 and an additional eight times during his career ....
 in the next rank (although, as I've said, Connors' 'backhand' is really a two-handed forehand). Just in passing, the strangest competitive stroke was the backhand that belonged to Budge Patty
Budge Patty

John "Budge" Edward Patty was an United States male tennis player. He was born in Fort Smith, Arkansas, United States. He is one of only three American male tennis player who have achieved a French Open-Wimbledon double....
. It was a weak shot, a little chip. But suddenly on match point, Patty had a fine, firm backhand. He was a helluva match player."

On the men's pro tour, dramatic changes have occurred since then. In the 1980s, many great players such as Ivan Lendl and John Mc Enroe were leading the charge with their one handed flat backhand. But a new wave of players, such as Björn Borg, Mats Wilander or Andre Agassi, started to show the world that two-handed backhands could also offer major advantages. Players could now increase the speed and control of their two-hander in key defensive shots, such as returns, passing shots and lobs. Since then, many players followed this trend. Among the main ones, we count Andrei Medvedev, Marat Safin and David Nalbandian. However, the one-handed backhand is still used by many great players, such as Richard Gasquet and Roger Federer.

On the women's pro tour, one of the great rivalries of the 1980s was symbolized by two different backhand styles: Martina Navratilova's smooth one-handed sliced backhand versus Chris Evert's perfectly controlled two handed backhand. Many different styles of backhand arose in the late 1980s. Among the best ones, we count Steffi Graf's exceptional sliced backhand, and Monica Seles's two-handed backhand, characterized by its rapidity of execution. This trend was followed by many players in the 1990s, such as Martina Hingis or the Williams sisters.

Other professional players noted for their exceptional backhand:
  • Gustavo Kuerten
    Gustavo Kuerten

    Gustavo Kuerten is a retired former List of ATP number 1 ranked players tennis player from Brazil. He won the French Open three times between 1997 and 2001, and was the Tennis Masters Cup champion in 2000....
  • Jimmy Connors
    Jimmy Connors

    James Scott "Jimmy" Connors is a former World number one male tennis player rankings American tennis player. He held the top ranking for 160 consecutive weeks from July 29, 1974 through August 29, 1977 and an additional eight times during his career ....
  • Ivan Lendl
    Ivan Lendl

    Ivan Lendl is a former List of ATP number 1 ranked players professional tennis player of Czechs origin. He was one of the game's most dominant players in the 1980s and remained a top competitor into the early 1990s....
  • Stefan Edberg
    Stefan Edberg

    Stefan Bengt Edberg is a former List of ATP number 1 ranked players professional tennis player from Sweden. A major proponent of the serve-and-volley style of tennis, he won six Grand Slam singles titles and three Grand Slam doubles titles during the course of his career....
  • Roger Federer
    Roger Federer

    Roger Federer is a Switzerland professional tennis player who is currently ranked World No. 2. He was the List of ATP number 1 ranked players ranked player for a ATP Tour records#Ranking, from February 2, 2004 to August 17, 2008....
  • Novak Djokovic
    Novak Djokovic

    He won his first Grand Slam singles title at the 2008 Australian Open. After beating World No. 1 and defending champion Roger Federer in the semifinals, Djokovic defeated Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the final, becoming the first player representing Serbia to win a Grand Slam singles title and the youngest player in the open era to have reached the sem...
  • Norbert Ratiu
  • Andre Agassi
    Andre Agassi

    Andre Kirk Agassi is a former List of ATP number 1 ranked players professional Armenian American tennis player who won eight Grand Slam singles tournaments and an Tennis at the Summer Olympics gold medal in singles....
  • Yevgeny Kafelnikov
    Yevgeny Kafelnikov

    Yevgeny Aleksandrovich Kafelnikov is a retired and former List of ATP number 1 ranked players tennis player from Russia. He won two Grand Slam singles titles , four Grand Slam doubles titles, and the men's singles gold medal at the Sydney Olympic Games....
  • Martina Hingis
    Martina Hingis

    Martina Hingis is a retired professional tennis player who spent a total of 209 weeks as World No. 1. She won five Grand Slam singles titles ....
  • Marat Safin
    Marat Safin

    Marat Mikhailovich Safin is a Russian former List of ATP number 1 ranked players tennis player. He is the older brother of Women's Tennis Association player Dinara Safina....
  • Chris Evert
    Chris Evert

    Christine Marie "Chris" Evert is a former List of ATP number 1 ranked players professional tennis player from the United States. She won 18 Grand Slam singles titles, including a record 7 at the French Open....
  • Monica Seles
    Monica Seles

    Monica Seles is a former World No. 1 professional tennis player and a member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame. She was born in Novi Sad, Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia to Hungarians in Vojvodina parents but became a naturalized United States citizen in 1994....
  • Richard Gasquet
    Richard Gasquet

    Richard Gasquet is a French tennis player. He reached a career high of World Number 7 in July, 2007 after making it to the semi-finals of The Championships, Wimbledon 2007, defeating American Andy Roddick in 5 sets, 4?6, 4?6, 7?6, 7?6, 8?6....
  • Rafael Nadal
    Rafael Nadal

    Rafael Nadal Parera is a Spain professional tennis player who has been ATP Entry Ranking List of ATP number 1 ranked players since August 18, 2008....
  • Justine Henin
  • Amélie Mauresmo
    Amélie Mauresmo

    Am?lie Simone Mauresmo is a French professional tennis player. She is a former List of WTA number 1 ranked players. Mauresmo won two Grand Slam singles titles in 2006, at the 2006 Australian Open and at 2006 Wimbledon Championships....
  • Tommy Haas
    Tommy Haas

    Tommy Haas is a German professional tennis player who plays right-handed with a single-handed backhand. He reached a career-high ranking of world number 2 in May 2002....
  • David Nalbandian
    David Nalbandian

    David Nalbandian is an Armenians Argentina professional tennis player who is ranked 12th in the world as of February 23, 2009. During the course of his career, Nalbandian has won ten Association of Tennis Professionals titles....
  • Venus Williams
    Venus Williams

    Venus Ebony Starr Williams is a former List of WTA number 1 ranked players American tennis player who, as of February 23, 2009, is ranked World No....
  • Serena Williams
    Serena Williams

    Serena Jameka Williams is an American professional tennis player who, as of February 2, 2009, is ranked World No. 1 by the Women's Tennis Association, having now held that ranking on four different occasions....
  • Maria Sharapova
    Maria Sharapova

    Maria Yuryevna Sharapova is a Russian professional tennis player. A former List of WTA number 1 ranked players, she was on February 23, 2009, ranked World No....
  • Boris Becker
    Boris Becker

    Boris Franz Becker is a former List of ATP number 1 ranked players professional tennis player from Germany. He is a six-time Grand Slam singles champion, an Olympic Games gold medalist, and the youngest-ever winner of the men's singles title at Wimbledon Championships at the age of 17....
  • John McEnroe
    John McEnroe

    John Patrick McEnroe, Jr. is an American former List of ATP number 1 ranked players professional tennis player. McEnroe won seven Grand Slam title singles titles?three at Wimbledon Championships and four at the U.S....
  • Gastón Gaudio
    Gastón Gaudio

    Gast?n Norberto Gaudio , nicknamed El Gato , is a professional tennis player from Argentina. His career-high Association of Tennis Professionals Entry ranking was No....
  • Pete Sampras
    Pete Sampras

    Petros "Pete" Sampras is a former List of ATP number 1 ranked players tennis player from the United States of America. During his 15-year career, he won a record 14 Grand Slam men's singles titles , and had a 203?38 win-loss record over 52 Grand Slam singles tournament appearances....
  • Björn Borg
    Björn Borg

    is a former List of ATP number 1 ranked players tennis player from Sweden who is widely regarded by observers and tennis players as one of the greatest players in the sport's history....
  • Jelena Jankovic
    Jelena Jankovic

    Jelena Jankovic is a Serbian professional tennis player. She was ranked List of WTA number 1 ranked players for seventeen consecutive weeks until she was overtaken by Serena Williams on February 2, 2009....
  • Gabriela Sabatini
    Gabriela Sabatini

    Gabriela Beatriz Sabatini is a former professional Argentina tennis player. She was one of the leading players on the women's circuit in the late-1980s and early-1990s....
  • Marcelo Ríos
    Marcelo Ríos

    Marcelo Andr?s R?os Mayorga is a retired and former List of ATP number 1 ranked players tennis player from Chile. Nicknamed El Chino and El zurdo de Vitacura , he became the first Latin American player to reach the top position on the Association of Tennis Professionals singles rankings in 1998....
  • Andrei Pavel
    Andrei Pavel

    Andrei Pavel is a former Romanian tennis player, who turned professional in 1995. He began playing tennis at age eight, and moved to Germany at age sixteen....
  • Andy Murray


See also


External links

  • - A specific website for the backhand only!


History



Instructional



Videos

- Not authoritative, but good discussion.