For me there are so many advantages of a double hander over single hander that I can’t imagine in a few years time there being any single handers left at the top of the game.
I think the aesthetics of the single hander like Gasquet and Federer can sometimes make us believe that they are more effective than they actually are.
I am assuming that the new young double handers will also have a good single handed slice like Murray or Djokovic. I certainly try to work equally on the single handed slice and double handed backhand with all my young players at an early age which should help them with their shot selection as they get older.
But as a single hander myself, the amount of times I’m trying to hit through that high backhand and I only wish that I could get both hands on it and smack the daylights out of it! Or on fast serves or wide passing shots etc
No doubt there has and will be the odd exception from Guga in the recent past to Wawrinka in modern times but tennis is constantly moving on with players hitting harder than ever before. The possibility of a single hander standing up to a solid double hander will not improve over time unless of course they start playing on a faster, low bouncing courts, which is unlikely. At the moment the only fast courts on the tour are in Basel and perhaps Rotterdam.
So, the future is probably slow high bouncing courts like Indian Wells and double handers dominating the game. Del Potro and Nadal both demonstrated a classic modern tennis encounter in the final with phenomenal baseline hitting off both sides plus incredible defence and variation with the backhand slice.
Women's tennis is another matter as I think that the slice may return in the women’s game as they are not quick enough (yet) to deal with it. For another blog……............
Would love to hear your thoughts. Please email me:
ian (at) tuscantennis (dot) com
I think the aesthetics of the single hander like Gasquet and Federer can sometimes make us believe that they are more effective than they actually are.
I am assuming that the new young double handers will also have a good single handed slice like Murray or Djokovic. I certainly try to work equally on the single handed slice and double handed backhand with all my young players at an early age which should help them with their shot selection as they get older.
But as a single hander myself, the amount of times I’m trying to hit through that high backhand and I only wish that I could get both hands on it and smack the daylights out of it! Or on fast serves or wide passing shots etc
No doubt there has and will be the odd exception from Guga in the recent past to Wawrinka in modern times but tennis is constantly moving on with players hitting harder than ever before. The possibility of a single hander standing up to a solid double hander will not improve over time unless of course they start playing on a faster, low bouncing courts, which is unlikely. At the moment the only fast courts on the tour are in Basel and perhaps Rotterdam.
So, the future is probably slow high bouncing courts like Indian Wells and double handers dominating the game. Del Potro and Nadal both demonstrated a classic modern tennis encounter in the final with phenomenal baseline hitting off both sides plus incredible defence and variation with the backhand slice.
Women's tennis is another matter as I think that the slice may return in the women’s game as they are not quick enough (yet) to deal with it. For another blog……............
Would love to hear your thoughts. Please email me:
ian (at) tuscantennis (dot) com
Watching Gasquet losing to Berdych at Indian Wells made me think “Is this the end of the single handed topspin backhand in men's tennis"?
