While Roger Federer’s forehand gets a lot of press, especially the inside-out version, his elegant backhand can sometimes get overlooked in the hubbub over his mysterious forehand grip and stroke. That’s a shame, because his backhand might be one of the most beautiful strokes in the game, even if it has let him down from time to time in huge matches.

Basics of Roger Federer’s Backhand Grip

The gorgeous Roger Federer backhand begins with the Federer backhand grip, which some analysts have called a modified Eastern grip. In most photos of the Federer backhand grip, it looks as if his index finger knuckle is aligned at about 1 o’clock on the racquet handle if it were held out straight from his body. This special grip gives his racquet the angle it needs to swipe through the stroke and whip enough topspin onto the ball so that it drops just inside the opposite baseline.

Now that the Federer backhand grip has been deciphered, let’s look more closely at his complete stroke, one of the last one-handed backhands among the top players in the world:

Initial Racket Preparation of the Roger Federer Backhand

In his racquet preparation for the backhand, Federer holds it far above the point of contact. This is an important point for most amateur players; even if the racquet is held back before hitting the backhand, is it high or low in the first part of the preparation?

In most players’ cases, it is low, robbing the backhand of much of its potential power. If it’s high, the racquet can make a complete loop through to the ball, adding much zing to the pace and telling your opponent that picking on your backhand is not a wise idea.

Beyond the Federer Backhand Grip: Getting the Proper Body Turn and Coil

As part of his preparation Federer also holds the racquet’s throat with his left hand, probably a reminder to hold the racquet even further back than is customary. You, too, can use the other hand if you hit a one-handed backhand, to pull the racquet further back than you might be naturally inclined to. It also will help you turn your back properly, as it does Federer.

As his back is turned, he peers at the ball over his shoulder, loading his core muscles for a quick but powerful rotation that will bring his upper body to a square position when contact is made. Preparation is about more than racquet position; your back must also be turned to get your core involved in the stroke, especially for devotees of the one-handed backhand. That’s also what makes this stroke a thing of beauty when properly struck.

Racket backswing Leads Directly to the Downswing in the Federer Backhand

As Federer continues his loop to the ball, he drops the racquet head below it to prepare for the contact that will soon arrive. In comparing the initial preparation to the split second before Federer hits the ball, one body part that has not changed at all is his head. It is still and his eyes are following the ball into the racquet. Your eyes might be the most important part of your body for any ground stroke.

This is especially important to remember if a match is not going your way. Take a deep breath and simply concentrate on hitting the ball solidly. A large part of that will involve you watching the ball all the way to the racquet head. Try it next time that you hit, and you’ll be using your sweet spot more than you are accustomed to.

Contact Point Using Roger Federer’s Backhand Grip

As Federer meets the ball, his racquet is usually parallel to the ground. A lot depends on where the shot has been hit and whether or not he has to reach to get it. This will be true for you as well. All things being equal, and assuming that you have time to properly set up before launching your backhand, the racquet should be approximately parallel to the ground as you meet the ball. The stance at this point is more closed than on the forehand.

Because the backhand shot will have less power due to the physics of the shot and your body’s movement, a more closed stance is required. This will guarantee greater rotation as you put the full force of your body into the ball. Federer has also transferred his weight from back to front, and seeing his back foot perched on just one toe proves this weight shift.

In other photos, Federer demonstrates an incredibly flexed calf on his front leg proves that he is using it to crush the ball. What do your feet look like at this point? Flat to the ground?

Then you are probably not transferring your weight as you should. You will need all of that momentum to hit the one-handed backhand with enough force to turn it into an asset for your game.

The Roger Federer Backhand Grip: A Natural Low to High Follow Through

As Federer begins his follow-through, his shoulders are perfectly parallel to the baseline, presenting a fortified wall to the ball. In many action shots, Federer’s back foot is entirely off the ground at this point. All of his weight has been moved up front to power through the ball. If you ever hope to hit your one-handed backhand with suitable pace, you will need to present a similar wall to strike the ball.

Two other constants strike the viewer in looking at Federer’s technique: the Federer backhand grip remains as the knuckle has stayed at 1 o’clock, and his eyes are still on his racquet head, still peering at the point in space where strings met ball.

Now to the most photogenic part of the properly executed one-handed backhand: the exquisite follow-through, as best exemplified by Federer and Justine Henin on the women’s side. Federer has brought his racquet far above his shoulder as he has struck the ball with maximum topspin, going from below the waist to above the shoulder.

To complete the beauty of this typical photo, Federer has extended his left arm out and behind him as a counterbalance. In this moment, Federer looks more like a ballet dancer than a tennis player. He would look equally comfortable in Swan Lake as on the hallowed grounds of Wimbledon.

Comparing Your Own One Handed Backhand Shot to Roger Federer

Now, onto your backhand, especially those of you who favor the one-handed variety. Where is your racquet at the end of the shot? Just a few inches past contact? Where is your free arm and hand? Tucked into your body? Are you stiff and under-confident or free and graceful? What you look like on that follow-through will tell everyone all they need to know about your one-handed backhand, yet this is often the most neglected component of the shot. It shouldn’t be. Practice your follow-through until you look something like Federer, who appears ready to take winged flight over the entire tennis complex after hitting his glorious backhand.

Federer’s Slice Backhand Technique

The technique used for a slice backhand will differ a bit from the steps described above, but the main differences will be the weight transfer from back to front (more limited) and the rotation of the core (also diminished). A slice backhand hit with too much whip of the body will either soar into the air or fall short of the net. The slice will be hit with a more open stance, but the follow-through should not be neglected.

The height of the ball will often determine whether or not you hit a slice; high balls will be almost impossible to put any topspin on, thus necessitating a slice option. That’s not all bad. Sliced backhands will stay low and force your opponent to get low or miss the shot.

Federer Backhand Grip – One of the Prime Examples to Model in Today’s Game

The Federer backhand, one of the true objects of beauty in the men’s game, begins with his modified Eastern grip and continues with fundamentals that you, too, can adopt: head still, eye on the ball, closed stance, coiled body, low to high swing, dynamic follow-through. All of these will change a bit if you hit the backhand with two hands, but if you want to hit a one-hander, Federer is an excellent example to follow.

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The post Federer Backhand Grip – Understanding The Roger Federer Backhand Grip appeared first on Tennis Instruction.

Federer’s backhand is a powerful, efficient stroke that is adaptable and versatile. We frequently see Roger Federer play his one handed backhand on the rise as well as from deep behind the baseline. He has the ability to play from various parts of the court. Federer’s backhand is designed to neutralize his opponents shot and maintain good depth on his returns. Unlike most opponents, Roger Federer’s backhand is not an obvious weakness that can easily be exploited. It’s a solid and consistent shot.

The Federer Backhand Grip

Roger Federer’s backhand is a textbook stroke. Federer’s backhand follows a classical approach to the one handed backhand. Federer uses a standard backhand grip for the one handed backhand which is widely known as the best suited grip for the stroke.

One of the reasons why Federer’s backhand is a powerful and efficient shot is due to technique on the backhand. Federer’s backhand is noted for his exquisite technique, in fact one of the best one handed backhands on tour in terms of efficiency. It’s a fluid and efficient stroke that seamlessly flows from one part to the next without any hitches.

Federer’s Backhand Preparation

The preparation of the Federer backhand is an important part of the one handed backhand technique. Roger Federer prepares for the one handed backhand with a unitary body turn. This is called a Unit Turn. A unitary movement is one such that allows the body to turn and coil as a unit, allowing the body to load up power into the core muscles which is essential to generate power.

Preparation is an essential part of world class tennis technique. It is the beginning of the stroke and will determine the player’s ability to generate power and spin later on in the motion. Smooth and fluid preparation is key in tennis technique to achieve an advanced one handed backhand.

World Class preparation for the one handed backhand involves turning the body “back” together to achieve maximum coil. This means that the body should initiate the unitary turn prior to any backswing. An example of poor preparation is taking a big backswing on the one handed backhand without a proper unit turn. This will cause players to arm shots.

At times, we see Federer increase the amount of topspin and rotation with the one handed backhand for safety and greater margin for error. At other times, Federer is able to hit the one handed backhand with aggression pulling his opponents off the court or setting up for an inside out forehand. This would not be possible without having the ability to generate a topspin backhand.

The Roger Federer Backhand: Backswing

Upon viewing many series of slow motion video and comparing them with the rest of top pros with a one handed backhand, Roger Federer’s backhand shares a lot of commonalities. Like most of his peers on tour, Federer starts his backhand with a unitary turn of the body. Then, some compact version of a take back is executed only after his body has turned around forty five degrees. By the time Federer begins any real backswing, the body has turned sideways.

Roger Federer’s Footwork on the Backhand

Watch Roger Federer’s backhand as he hits a quick backhand return. Federer quickly recognizes the incoming ball and gets into the backhand grip. He makes a quick pivot, turning the shoulders and coiling the body with a pivot. This pivot turns the body and brings the racket along for the ride. By simply turning his shoulders and taking an abbreviated and backswing, he is able to make contact with the ball and direct the return for a winner.

On most other occasions, Federer’s backhand is hit with a closed stance and he takes a full complete backswing. This is ideal when he has more time to hit the ball and fully set up for the incoming shot.

Contact Point

As soon as Federer reaches the contact point, the arm usually is straightened out at contact. During the takeback and backswing phase, the arm is usually slightly bent, but at contact point the arm has usually straightened out considerably. Often times Federer’s contact point is in front of the body. The issue of the arm position should occur naturally, provided that the technique earlier on in the swing was correct. This is partially facilitated by the backhand grip, which naturally puts the contact point out in front with the arm ideally straightened out at contact.

Finish and Followthrough

The Federer backhand follow through is essentially the same as with most pros on tour today with the one handed backhand. In today’s modern tennis game, players are hitting the one handed backhand with more pace and spin. The follow through is usually finished up high. In some cases, pro players are using some element of a brushing motion to impart additional topspin to their shots. Federer’s backhand is no exception. This allows for a one handed backhand with both power and spin. At other times, Federer will drive his backhand to flatten out the shot when necessary. This permits for a one handed backhand with greater variety and shot selection.

There are elements of Federer’s backhand that players at any level can develop into their own game. Since Roger Federer’s one handed backhand technique is superfluous, a player cannot go wrong from analysis and modeling even a small part of Roger Federer’s backhand in their game.

Conclusion

The Roger Federer backhand is an integral part of the game of tennis. The analysis of the one handed backhand will likely continue as players evolve as part of every new generation of tennis champions. One thing will never change; however, and that is the Roger Federer Backhand. Federer’s Backhand will likely be a timeless classic textbook stroke that will be referenced for many years to come by future aspiring tennis players.

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The Birth of the Richard Gasquet Backhand

In the spring of 2005, Roger Federer was dominating men’s tennis, winning almost every tournament he entered. Although he was upset by Marat Safin in the semi-finals of the Australian Open earlier that year, no one expected that he would lose anytime soon to any other player, especially a young and inexperienced one. But surprisingly, that is exactly what happened in Monte Carlo.

Federer came up against an 18 year old French player named Richard Gasquet. The kid was very good and was playing a game that was truly pleasing to the eyes. He had graceful strokes and moved smoothly and effortlessly – just like Federer. But while it was mainly the forehand of Federer that impressed everyone, this kid had a different shot that drew oohs and aahs.

It was the Gasquet backhand that garnered all the attention. It was flashy, powerful and had great variety. He could loop the ball high, drive it hard, create angles, hit passing shots, slice, drop and lob. He was using it to full effect and it helped him escape a Federer match point to create one of the monumental upsets in all of tennis for that particular year.

Gasquet actually had been a highly touted player since 2002 when he was 15. He played his first match on the main tour at that age. He also played his first grand slam match at Roland Garros that year.

The Federer win was his first big result against a top player. Since then, Gasquet’s results have fluctuated but he has frequently been ranked in the top 20. He has had some injury problems and been criticized for not being mentally stronger. But he has had his moments. In 2007, the signature

Gasquet’s backhand: A World Class One Handed Backhand

Gasquet backhand helped him produce an astounding 93 winners in an upset win over Andy Roddick in the Wimbledon quarterfinals. Though he would go on to lose his semi-final match against Federer, to date it remains as his best performance at a grand slam event. But if you count doubles, then consider that he won the French Open mixed doubles title with fellow French player Tatiana Golovin in 2004 at the age of 17.

The Gasquet backhand is a very long and well-timed stroke. It begins as soon as he realizes that the ball is coming over to that side. He needs to have great anticipation because a swing as long and fast as his requires precise timing. He gets into a closed stance by stepping out to the ball with his right foot. Although his stance is closed, his right foot points a little to the net.

This will allow him to uncoil more fully into the shot later on. His knees are bent comfortably and his hips are perpendicular to the net. This entire position of the lower body at the beginning of the stroke provides a stable foundation for the swing.

Richard holds the racket in a strong eastern backhand grip. Back in the day when one-handed backhands were the norm, this was called the semi-western backhand grip. Compared to the traditional eastern backhand grip, this grip puts more of the hand and wrist behind the racket. His non-dominant left hand is also holding the racket but at the throat. This hand helps him take the racket back.

Gasquet Backhand Backswing

The top of the backswing of the Gasquet backhand is quite high; the racket head gets above the level of his head. His shoulder turn is so full that his chin is above his right shoulder. This exaggerated coil of the trunk enables him to store maximum potential energy that will be unleashed later on into the shot. His head is calm, low and facing the ball, focusing on it. Although Gasquet’s technique is great for creating a powerful shot, it is also difficult to time so not all players take a swing as elaborate as his.

With the ball approaching closer, Gasquet now begins his forward swing. From the apex of the take back, he now starts the circular downward and forward motion of the racket. The left hand remains on the throat until the racket head has dropped below the level of the ball. The right arm is straight and the wrist remains cocked back so that the butt cap of his racket is facing the net. As he continues to unwind his body, the wrist will later catch up to his arm at impact, creating immense racket head speed.

Gasquet Backhand Down Swing

At the moment of impact, the racket head is now moving at maximum speed. His body continues unwinding synchronously from the shoulders to the torso to the hips. His knees remain bent and his contact point is out in front of his body. The arm is straight at impact and it will stay so for the rest of the swing.

The Gasquet backhand strike zone has a good range of height – from knee level to around shoulder height. He can therefore handle a low skidding slice or a high kicking topspin shot equally well. The legs begin to lift his body up and carry him forward, transferring all his weight into the shot. His head remains still and focused on the ball. It remains so even after contact. This ensures that his shot will consistently have good control and minimizes the chance of any mishits.

Richard Gasquet Backhand Footwork and Weight Transfer

The Gasquet backhand has ideal weight transfer. At impact, body weight is has transferred completely to the front foot or right foot. The transfer of weight makes his left foot leave the ground as if he’s kicked off to launch into the shot.

With the legs lifting him up and the racket head going through the ball from low to high, topspin is applied to the shot. Throughout the swing, the left arm provides balance by extending backward.

A unique feature of the Gasquet backhand is a flick of the wrist at the moment of impact. This action provides him with disguise and variety. This snapping motion varies with the amount of topspin he wants to put into the shot.

Almost all of his regular backhands have topspin, but the degree of spin is greatly variable. As a consequence of this flick, his follow through will also have alterations depending on the amount of spin he has applied to the ball.

If he has hit with heavy topspin, his racket head will be above the level of his head at the end of the follow through. A flatter shot will end up just above shoulder level.

In either case, the arm remains straight and extends out fully into the direction of the ball and continues around his body. His racket will actually finish behind him as he opens his hips to face the net again.

Richard Gasquet Backhand Contact Point

In fact, if you superimpose a picture of Gasquet at the top of his take back over a photo of him at the end of the follow through, you will see that the racket heads on the pictures overlap significantly. Richard recovers for the next shot easily because he has unwound properly and has remained in perfect balance.

Richard Gasquet Backhand Follow Through

Gasquet’s picturesque backhand continues in the tradition of graceful single handers like Gustavo Kuerten and Justine Henin. Players who use one hand on the backhand usually count that wing as the weaker one but not Gasquet. He is at least as strong, if not stronger, from the backhand.

From this analysis of the shot, it is easy to see why. If you want to have his backhand, you have to make sure that you have his extraordinary sense of timing. It can be easy to copy the high take back, full swing and extra-long follow through but it will be very tough to time the ball properly. It would be more advisable to simply admire the grace, power and beauty of the Gasquet backhand.

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These trophies include: a) eighteen ATP World Tour Masters 1000 and b) nine grand slams. He has two Wimbledon trophies (2008 and 2010), one US open trophy (2010), one trophy in the Australian open (2009) and six French open trophies (2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2010). Nadal now belongs to the group which is called as the elite group in tennis professional players. Other players in this group include the likes of Roger Federer and Andre Agassi who also have trophies in each grand slam category.

Rafael Nadal is considered as an aggressive tennis player especially in baseline rallies. He is also very popular for his heavy topspin groundstrokes and that includes the Nadal backhand trademark. Aside from that, his opponent is always outplayed because of his very fast footwork. This very quick and fast footwork of Nadal makes his opponent afraid to execute drop shots because Nadal can cover the court that not many professional players can do. He is also one of the best defensive players in professional tennis. He can always convert his defensive game into an offensive one and win a point. Aside from being a defensive player, Nadal is also a very good offensive player. This can be accounted to his speed, agility and of course his technical and mental capabilities.

Rafael Nadal is on top of his game, and this can be credited to one of his best weapons in tennis, the Nadal backhand. Nadal’s two-handed backhand is discussed below.

Nadal Backhand Grip

Rafael Nadal is a left-handed player and the grip he employs in his dominant hand (the racket hand) is the Continental grip. The tennis grip he employs on his right hand (non-racket hand) is the Semi-Western grip. The Semi-Western grip allows Rafael Nadal’s backhand to produce more topspin than the Eastern forehand grip. This makes him different from other left handed-players because most of them use the Eastern forehand grip on their non dominant. In the two-handed stroke, it is the non dominant (right hand for left- handed player like Nadal but left hand for right-handed players.) that is responsible for the power that is produced during the shot. Nadal is one of the best tennis players in terms of the power and amount of topspin produced in a backhand shot.

Ready Position

Nadal’s backhand ready position is the typical ready position where he stands facing the net with his dominant hand (left hand since he is a left-handed player) holding the racket, while his non-dominant hand supports the racket at its throat. The racket points to the left net post. His feet also point towards the net.

Preparation

The Nadal backhand preparation is characterized with his knees and arms in a relaxed manner with his knees slightly bent. His upper body is also slight bent forward. Then as he anticipates a shot to his backhand side, he then executes a split step as his opponent is about to hit the ball. This allows him to be ready to move to any directions.

Initial Takeback

The Nadal backhand takeback is lower than the other professional players. His arms are fully stretched with his racket head tip almost pointing to the ground at knee level. At the same time, Nadal bends his knees rather than bending his upper body. In case Nadal needs to stretch wide to reach the ball, he spreads his feet wide with this right foot pointing towards the net as his leverage to recover quickly after the return.

Many players find it difficult to use the two-handed backhand technique when the ball is too low and prefer to use the one-handed backhand, but not in the case of Rafael Nadal‘s backhand. Nadal keeps a low center of gravity as well as maintains a low to high swing pattern.

Top of the backswing

Nadal employs a standard backhand when he executes the two-handed backhand. Thus his backhand execution is characterized by a laid back manner wrist. Nadal brings his racket back at waistline level with his arms fully stretched. At the same time, he does a 90 degrees shoulder turn. Other professional players bring their racket back above their waist line. His racket face is slight closed. The high point of his backswing is when his racket points to the back fence or the back side of his court.

Forward Swing

In Nadal’s forward swing, his two hands are fully stretched, with his eye glued to the ball and with the racket face positioned down to the ball. This movement allows Nadal to produce heavy topspin in his two-handed backhand because the brushing effect of the racket face into the ball. At this instance, Nadal’s weight is also transferred to the front foot or right foot (left foot for right-handed players).

Before contact

Split seconds before contact, the racket face is vertical and the long axis of the racket (from the end part of the handle to the top most part odd the racket head or simple the longest dimension of the racket) is in parallel position with the ground. At the same time, he bends his knees while pushing his legs upwards. Again his eyes never leave the ball.

Racket slightly closed on Contact

During the point of contact (when the ball touches the racket face), Nadal’s positions his racket face in a slightly closed manner (the racket face or stringbed side that comes in contact with the ball slightly facing the ground). Rafael Nadal’s backhand is unique for the way that he is able to lift the ball upwards rapidly to generate a heavy topspin backhand.

Nadal does it successfully because the way he swing his racket, he is able to create enough upward friction between the ball and the racket strings. In addition, Nadal also hits the ball when it is on the rise. As a result, the upward angle of the rising ball creates topspin as the racket moves upward after contact. Thus even if Nadal’s racket is slightly facing the ground, the topspin created on the ball allows for a high net clearance.

Contact Point Heights

The two handed backhand can be a difficult shot if the point of contact is high, especially if the contact point occurs at the chest level or higher. Most likely, this type of shot causes more strain on the players arms. If Nadal has to execute this high point contact, normally he hits the ball on the center of percussion point of the racket face. This is the point of the racket where the ball produces minimal early shock on his hands, thus lessening the strain. Although this does not happen in the Nadal backhand often, but he still has the capabilities to execute this to his advantage.

After contact

Due to the heavy topspin of the Rafael Nadal backhand, his racket goes up higher immediately after contact. It is even higher than the height of the ball that is already traveling back to his opponent’s court. At this instance of Nadal’s backhand, his racket face is still in a slightly closed position. This could be the continuation of the slightly closed face racket position during contact.

Nadal Backhand Follow-through

Normally, the longer and the quicker your swing is, the higher the possibility that your racket will end up behind your back on the follow-through. In the case of the Nadal’s backhand, his follow-through is always at his back. This shows his remarkable racket head speed. Rafael Nadal’s backhand is unique in his arm configuration. Nadal does not bend both elbows after he strikes the ball. Instead, Nadal’s left arm is actually straight at contact, at this position is maintained after contact into the follow through. This is another aspect of the Nadal forehand that is difficult to perfect, thus many players find it very uncomfortable.

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The post Nadal Backhand – Analysis of the Rafael Nadal Backhand Technique appeared first on Tennis Instruction.

Novak Djokovic Backhand: Foundation to the Game

Serbian world number one Novak Djokovic is putting up one of the most dominant seasons in the history of men’s tennis. To date, this 2011, he has lost only one match. A major key to his success is his all-around game that features absolutely no weaknesses. But it wasn’t always that way. He used to be fragile and easily fatigued. People questioned his fighting spirit. But there was part of his game that had been there all along. It was the Djokovic backhand.

When Roger Federer was thoroughly dominating men’s tennis, tennis fans were looking desperately for someone to challenge the greatness of the Swiss maestro. Federer was a beloved champion, but tennis needed someone to play the role of challenger. Rafael Nadal, who would go on to dominate Federer on the clay courts, wasn’t good enough yet to get to the finals of the biggest hard court events in order post a serious challenge for the top ranking.

In 2007, a young and ambitious Djokovic was scheduled to meet Federer in the 4th round of the Australian Open. Amazingly, he proclaimed that he was targeting the world number one ranking. How dare he be so brazen if even Nadal was way behind Federer in terms of ranking points? People thought he was all talk as he lost that match.But the keenest observers knew he was on to something. He had the talent and the game that could potentially be developed further.

Novak Djokovic Backhand Technique

The foundations were already there and the Djokovic backhand was one of its bedrocks. Novak quickly learned from that experience. Later that summer, he became the first player to beat both Nadal and Federer to win a Masters Series event. He was also runner up to Federer at the US Open where fans got to see his humorous personality. He was aptly nicknamed the Djoker.

But he proved that he was more than just a funny guy. At the Australian Open in 2008, he upset Federer in the semi-finals and went on to win the tournament for his first grand slam title. Still, there were lingering issues regarding his endurance and mental fortitude.

Never one to give up a dream, he constantly searched for ways to improve his weaknesses. He consulted people on how he could change his diet, his training, his strokes and his psychological approach to the game. Little by little and sometimes by learning through trial and error, he improved.

Key to Success Behind the Novak Djokovic Backhand

All the while, the Djokovic backhand remained as solid as ever, with the rest of his game rapidly catching up. By the end of 2010 he had reached another grand slam final, losing the US Open championship to Nadal. He then led his nation to the Davis Cup and it was then when he truly took flight.

Like all of the top players of recent times, Djokovic is an aggressive baseliner. He is the modern version of past baseliners like Ivan Lendl and Andre Agassi.

The main difference between him and the older generation is his ability to transition from defence straight to offense with just one big shot. This has been the hallmark of every great player in the past 10 years or so.

It certainly defined the playing ability of his rival Nadal. But whereas Nadal was clearly stronger from the forehand than from the backhand, the Djokovic backhand is every bit as lethal as his forehand.

The secret to Djokovic’s current success is that he is really the first player who has ever had absolutely no weaknesses. It was previously thought that Federer had the most complete game ever seen, but then Nadal came along and exposed Federer’s weakness for handling high-bouncing topspin shots to his backhand.

Reasons for the Novak Djokovic Backhand Dominance

With Novak, there simply is no compromise. Forehand, backhand, serve, return, movement, variety, strategy, tactics, mental toughness, fitness, stamina – he really has it all. He is even adding an improved slicing and volleying ability to his arsenal.

The Djokovic backhand has remained a most solid weapon. It is also the reason that he has beaten Nadal 5 straight times this year. Nadal’s favourite play is to hit heavy topspin cross court forehands. This plays to the backhand of a right-handed opponent like Djokovic. This is usually the less solid side for most players. But for Novak, it is every bit as strong as his forehand. He takes the ball early and can rip it hard cross court or open up the court by blasting it down the line. He can also roll it at an acute angle or suddenly turn his hands under and hit a drop shot. He is also improving his backhand slice, which is a one-handed shot.

Foundational Elements of Djokovic’s World Class Backhand Technique

The great thing about having both forehand and backhand as strengths is that you can play perfect positional tennis. No ground is given up by running around one particular wing. Even when he is pinned at the backhand corner and the next ball that comes is only slightly left of centre, Djokovic will move to his right to hit another backhand because doing so will put him exactly at the middle of the court. By contrast, Nadal and Federer both favour their forehands so much that they frequently run around their backhands and leave a lot of space open for their opponent’s shots.

In the past, they got away with this because they hit their forehands so well and covered the court so quickly that it was such a big risk to play to the space they created. But now, with Novak showing the way, players will be braver and hit more aggressively against any opponent who doesn’t play perfect positional tennis.

Novak Djokovic Backhand: Preparation and Unit Turn

The Djokovic backhand begins with the proper grip. He holds the racket with a continental right hand grip and an eastern left-handed forehand grip. Novak has great eyes and anticipation. He stays low, keeping his feet constantly moving.

He is always well-balanced and on the balls of his feet. As soon as he sees that the ball is coming over to his backhand side, he turns his shoulders and hips. He coils so completely that his back is almost facing the net and his right shoulder is under his chin. He takes the racket back high with the right arm straight and the left arm bent and relaxed. The high take back allows him to store a lot of potential energy.

Novak Djokovic Backhand: Hitting Arm Position

The straight right arm provides consistent leverage for control while the loose and relaxed left arm will unleash the power later on in the swing. Novak is able to hit from any stance but adheres to keeping the weight on the back foot on the back swing. Because his feet are so fast that he usually is able to set up properly and balance himself whether from an open or closed stance. His head is low and his eyes fix on the ball. It will not move through almost the entire stroke.

Novak Djokovic Backhand: Downswing and Forward Swing

As the ball approaches, the Djokovic backhand enters the forward swing phase. The racket head now drops below the level of the ball with the butt of the racket pointing toward the net. He bends his knees to adjust to the height of the shot and keeps his back relatively straight.

Djokovic Backhand: Weight Transfer

He then accelerates the racket head, first by uncoiling the hips and trunk, then opening up the shoulders. As he hits the ball in front of him, his left arm straightens out and his right arm bends at the elbow, keeping aligned with the wrist and racket. His body weight is now on his front foot, propelling himself into the shot.

Novak Djokovic Backhand Contact Point

As the ball leaves his racket, his head is still motionless. But the arms continue on through the hitting zone. The Djokovic backhand can be hit relatively flat and hard or with heavy topspin.

His momentum carries him forward and brings the shoulders around. The racket head finishes over his right shoulder and the left shoulder is now the one facing the net. He lands, split steps and recovers very quickly back to the ready position.

For years, every aspiring tennis player wanted to be Federer or Nadal. They were the ones to copy, never mind that they favoured one wing over the other.

Mere mortal club players will do so much better to just strengthen their weaker wings. With the current domination by Djokovic, players may want to rethink who they want to pattern their games after.

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The Rise of Justine Henin’s Backhand

Despite several seasons of brilliance by the crafty and average-sized Martina Hingis, most people agreed that she would be the last of her kind.

Meanwhile, an even smaller and slighter built player from Belgium graduated from the junior ranks and started making waves on the pro tour.

More surprisingly, she was using a one-handed backhand, and she was hitting it just about as hard as anyone who had a double-hander. Her name was Justine Henin.

The Justine Henin backhand quickly became a much-admired shot by observers like commentators, fans and even her fellow pros. Her technique was so good that despite her limitations in size and strength, she could produce heavy shots off that side. She also showed amazing variety, with her ability to hit slices, drop shots, angles and lobs.

Most people believed that anyone who wielded a one-handed backhand was weaker from that side. She was definitely the exception to that rule.

Justine Henin Hardenne’s Backhand: Her Career

It took a few years before Henin reached the top 10 in the rankings and announced herself as a grand slam title contender. Her game needed to develop and become more solid. Her forehand was strong but her technique broke down when she was rushed.

Her serve also needed to be faster and have more variety. She had good technique but her lack of height and physical strength inhibited her from hitting it as hard as her bigger contemporaries.

She was a competent volleyer but she needed her ground game to be stronger in order to set up her net game. She was fast and agile, but the physical toll of trying to hit hard and run down her opponent’s shots sometimes became too much and as such, she suffered frequently from injuries. She therefore needed to be physically more robust.

Mentally, she also needed to be tougheras she suffered from nervousness when trying to close out matches.

But the Justine Henin backhand was a great starting point on which to build a game that could challenge the top players and ultimately triumph over them. This exceptional shot featured tremendous disguise and early preparation. She used a strong eastern (sometimes called the semi-western grip).

Justine Henin Backhand Technique

She turned her whole body sideways into a closed stance and coiled her shoulders and hips, using the left hand on the throat of the racket to guide it back. She took the racket head up to head level and focused on the ball, head motionless.

Justine’s feet are always comfortably apart providing good balance, with the weight on her back foot and her knees bent according to how high or low the ball is coming at her.

Justine Henin Backhand: Downswing

As the ball approached her, she began to drop the racket head below its level. Her left hand started to release the racket at this point and she began to transfer her weight to her front foot. With her head still motionless, her forward swing now began to unleash. Her arm extended outward to make contact with the ball in front of her.

Justine Henin Backhand: Non Dominant Hand

Justine Henin Hardenne’s left hand stayed back to act as a counterbalance. She hit hard through the ball while the racket head remained at a 90 degree angle with respect to her forearm. Only after contact did the shoulder rotate and bring the racket head up to vertical. Justine Henin usually put topspin on her backhand, so her extension and external shoulder rotation was quite exaggerated. Her follow through was long and her weight transfer complete but she remained in perfect balance and quickly recovered back to the ready position.

The Henin Backhand and It’s Rise to the Top of Women’s Tennis

With such an exquisite technique, John McEnroe proclaimed in 2001 that the Justine Henin backhand was the best in all of tennis – men’s or women’s. Only 19 then, Henin reached the semi-finals of the French Open and the finals at Wimbledon. She was now definitely headed in the right direction for achieving greatness.

In 2003, she upset Serena Williams at the French Open semi-finals and in doing so, established what would become a long and often acrimonious rivalry with the American. Henin went on to win her first grand slam title by beating Kim Clijsters, another player whom she would often play against in the biggest stages of tennis. Her rivalries with these two players were marked by a significant contrast in styles.

The one-handed Justine Henin backhand more than held its own against the dangerous double handers of Williams and Clijsters. More importantly, her serve and forehand were no longer liabilities, so she could go on and play her stylishly aggressive, free-flowing game even against such powerful shot makers. Henin finished that year ranked number one.

Justine Henin’s Backhand – A versatile stroke

The Justine Henin backhand was a tremendous defensive shot as well. She could disguise lobs by simply waiting until the last moment to steeply swing upward and create massive topspin and arc. She did not use her wrist but rather kept the similar mechanics as on her regular topspin backhand, only changing the direction of the swing (more upward instead of forward). She could also change the pace with slices and drop shots.

Henin Backhand – Backswing

She shifted to the continental grip for these shots and took the racket back high. With the same closed stance and complete coil of the hips and shoulders as her topspin, she knifed through the ball, coming from high to low.

Her long follow through and weight transfer resulted in a deep, low and biting slice. On drop shots, she had a more abrupt and delicate high-to-low motion and a generally shorter follow through with less weight transfer.

Justine Henin Backhand in Winning Grand Slams

2006 was another banner year for Henin as she reached the finals in all four grand slam events. But she won only one of those finals as other players started figuring out a way to handcuff her elaborate style. The similarly talented Frenchwoman Amelie Mauresmo, a fellow exponent of the single-handed backhand, beat her in two of those finals with an aggressive net-rushing game. Henin sought out to add even more elements to her game.

For 2007, the Justine Henin backhand now featured more judicious use of the slice as an approach shot and not just as a rally shot or change-of-pace tactic. Although she missed the beginning of the year with some personal problems, she went on to dominate the rest of the way, posting a 63-4 win-loss record and winning 10 tournaments including her fourth French Open and second US Open.

It was clearly her best season ever.

Regrettably, the effort she spent for that year left her burned out and suffering from niggling injuries. By the spring of 2008, she had decided to retire. As people began to lament never being able to see the graceful Justine Henin backhand anymore, the women’s tour was thrown into total chaos.

Players with no grand slam titles got to number one and those who were able to win them suffered too many injuries and distractions to maintain a consistent ranking. In late 2009, Henin announced she would come back.

She promptly reached the Australian Open final in 2010, losing to old rival Serena Williams.

Then, at Wimbledon, against another old rival in Kim Clijsters, she fell and hurt her right elbow. It was a precarious injury that would later lead to her decision to retire permanently from the tour in January 2011. The elbow, after all, is a critical joint for the one-handed backhand. She said it was final this time, but since she’s changed her mind before, there may yet still be hope to once again witness the graceful and powerful Justine Henin backhand wielded on the courts.

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The David Nalbandian backhand has set marks in the professional tennis history not only for the flawless backhand technique, but for defeating the best tennis players in the world of professional tennis. One of the elements that sets Nalbandian’s backhand apart is his ability to generate a powerful and explosive backhand with one of the most efficient swings on tour for the two handed backhand stroke.

Not only has Nalbandian’s backhand stood up against the best two handed backhand shots in the world, he has also been able to outmatch his one handed backhand predecessors. David Nalbandian’s backhand has it’s own place in professional tennis and his two handed backhand will stand as a role model for many tennis players worldwide.

History Behind the Nalbandian Backhand Domination

Roger Federer is widely considered as the greatest tennis player of all time. When he was a junior, his talents were already praised and people predicted huge things for him, especially after he won the 1998 Junior Wimbledon crown. But there is one player who totally owned him during his time as a junior up until his early years on the pro tour. This player’s name is David Nalbandian.

In the early part of the new millennium, David was one of the highly touted young guns on the men’s tour, along with Federer, Andy Roddick, Juan Carlos Ferrero, Marat Safin and Lleyton Hewitt. He surprised everyone when he reached the 2002 Wimbledon finals, losing to then number one Hewitt.

Variety in Nalbandian’s Backhand Shot

People were impressed with the Nalbandian backhand. It was precisely timed and he could hit any kind of shot with it – angles, looping balls, drop shots, flat powerful drives – in any direction. Proclaiming that he wasn’t going to be a one-hit wonder, people expected great things from him, anticipating that he would soon join his contemporaries as a grand slam champion. But it didn’t turn out that way.

While all his major rivals won grand slam titles and got to spend time at the top of the rankings, Nalbandian kept stalling in the semis and sometimes even getting ousted in the early rounds of the majors. His best ranking was number 3 and he never again got into another grand slam final. He was plagued with injury, fitness and motivation problems. But somehow, he would come up with excellent performances at the most unpredictable times.

At the Tennis Masters Cup in 2005, Nalbandian lost a one-sided round robin match to Federer but was still able to qualify for the final where they faced off again. This time, he beat Federer in five sets after coming back from two sets down. It was one of only four losses for Federer that entire year and it prevented him from tying John McEnroe’s single season win-loss record. Nalbandian’s backhand was one of his biggest weapons in that match.

David Nalbandian’s Backhand Analysis

In the fall of 2007, after spending much of the year battling injuries and posting mediocre results, he defeated both Federer and Rafael Nadal to win the Paris Masters tournament. Again, it was his backhand that was simply divine in that tournament. He created severe angles and cracked unreadable down-the-line winners. Neither Federer with his inside-out forehand and slice backhand, nor Nadal with his lefty topspin forehand and relentless retrieving could break him down, especially from that side.

Nalbandian may never become the great player people predicted he would be but his two-handed backhand will go down in history as one of the most technically perfect shots in the game. It has power but he generates it effortlessly. The whole stroke is smooth and efficient because he has perfect balance. His extension on the follow through is also ideal. Beginners would be well-advised to model their double handed backhands after Nalbandian’s.

The Nalbandian backhand, like all great shots, begins with proper preparation. As soon as David sees which side the ball is coming over to, he begins his stroke. His adjusts to his backhand grip which is a combination of an eastern backhand grip for the right hand and a semi-western grip for the left hand.

David Nalbandian Backhand Grip

This grip is ideal for players who like to hit the ball with topspin, and the Nalbandian backhand sometimes does feature heavy topspin.

Nalbandian likes to use this topspin to loop the ball if he wants to slow down the pace against a player who prefers flat balls, create sharp angles and make the ball dip quickly below the net if his opponent is trying to take control of the net.

The Nalbandian backhand can be hit from any stance, but most commonly, he hits from a semi-open stance. His feet are comfortably apart, providing a good base for balance and proper weight transfer.

His knees are bent and the right foot is in slightly in front as he begins to load up his weight on his left leg. He will be stepping forward with his right foot as the stroke unfolds. The take back of the racket is a bit high and the arms are fairly straight. His head is up with his eyes firmly focused on the incoming ball.

Nalbandian Backhand Backswing

As the ball comes closer to him, David continues the circular backswing bringing the racket down below the level of the ball. However, he does not bend the wrist too much. In fact, his arms and wrists are kept relatively straight. Although he will be hitting with topspin, he is not going to execute this shot in a very wristy manner.

He will be driving firmly through the ball, so there will be a highly potent combination of topspin and speed. His shoulders are completely turned sideways and he is almost showing his back to the net. He has coiled completely. His weight will now be shifting toward his right foot which has now begun to step forward into the shot.

David Nalbandian Backhand: Forward Swing

The next phase of the Nalbandian backhand is the forward swing where contact occurs. He swings hard at the ball with arms still straight but loose and relaxed. The racket hits the ball from behind and pushes upward (creating topspin) and forward through the ball (for speed). David’s right leg straightens out as it lifts his entire body up. This adds power and topspin, making the shot that much heavier.

David Nalbandian Backhand: Use of the Non Dominant Hand

All great double handed backhands have a common feature. The power of the shot comes mainly from the non-dominant hand and the control comes from the dominant hand. The Nalbandian backhand is no exception. His left hand is the one that has driven through the ball with great power, while his right hand has guided the racket head as to the direction of the ball and how much topspin he has put on it.

As he continues his forward swing, his left arm remains straight and extends fully out into the target after contact. The shoulders open up followed by the torso, hips and the left leg which comes back around to face back to the net. The racket head does not stop but rather, it continues its fast motion and wraps up finishing over his right shoulder. All of these motions are occurring in one big, connected and smooth chain.

David Nalbandian Backhand: Recovery Position

The last part of the Nalbandian backhand is the recovery. He brings his left foot back down to the court parallel to his right foot. He keeps light on the balls of his feet. He is not ready to move back to the centre of the court and get set for the next shot, if there’s going to be another. This is another aspect of this shot. Even if he has hit it aggressively with the intention of putting the ball away, he is always finishing the shot with balance and good recovery. He is always ready to hit another shot.

David Nalbandian Backhand: Conclusion

As regular players, we all have our own idols and frequently strive to be as much like them as possible. We copy their attire and shoes. We try to use the same racket they use. Most of all, we try our best to imitate their strokes. Nalbandian is not one of the most popular players anymore, having fallen away from the top 10 for a while now. There are younger, fresher and more exciting players that have come along since.

Some of them have already posted better results in their brief careers than Nalbandian has in more than 10 years as a pro. But no one can deny the technical superiority of the Nalbandian backhand. It is, and will remain, a model for all players who wish to improve their own two-handed backhands.

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Andre Agassi’s backhand is Hall of Fame material not just for the Grand Slam Wins behind the shot, but for the technique and grace behind the shot that once controlled the hierarchy of professional tennis.

Andre Agassi Backhand: Worthy of Hall of Fame

If there was a separate Hall of Fame just for specific tennis strokes, the Andre Agassi backhand would definitely be inducted there. Agassi the player was recently inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame in Rhode Island.

Much has been written about how he had transformed himself from a punk-rebel kid with an affinity for the spotlight and a disdainful attitude towards the game to a well-respected elder statesman, philanthropist and dedicated sportsman.

However, considering that he was first and foremost a tennis player, his strokes were the real tools that got him to where he is now. His backhand, like the Pete Sampras serve or the Roger Federer forehand, is a stroke of pure genius.

The Andre Agassi Backhand: Background Behind It’s Development

Andre Agassi was one of the first high-profile players to come out of the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Bradenton, Florida. The coaching philosophy in that place was to play aggressive tennis from the baseline. With the modern graphite rackets, players were taught to take the ball early, hit very hard to take immediate control of the point and go for winners whenever possible. This was perfect for the physical gifts that Agassi had. He was blessed with unbelievable hand-eye coordination and balance.

Agassi moved quickly and got into position for just about every shot. From day one, his groundstrokes were technically some of the best in the world. But the shot that stood out most was the Agassi backhand. It was expected that his forehand would be great and it was but the backhand was every bit as good. Also, most players were pretty strong from the forehand already, but few were equally strong from the backhand.

Learning From the Andre Agassi Backhand

The Agassi backhand was hit with great power and precision. Usually, it was a relatively flat and very penetrating shot.

Since he took it quite early, it was very difficult for the opponent to anticipate its direction.

Whenever he needed to, he could also apply heavy topspin and create sharp angles, topspin lobs, change-of-pace looped shots or make it dip quickly over the net when he was facing a net rusher.

Like the rest of his shots, his backhand was very cleanly struck. For this reason, he could go for what would seem like low percentage shots like the backhand down the line and make them with regularity.

Agassi Backhand Technique

The Agassi backhand began with an immediate and complete shoulder and hip turn as he took the racket back. He did this as soon as he knew that the ball was coming over to his left side. He anticipated so well and read the ball so clearly that he could prepare a lot earlier than many other players.

The racket was held with two hands, which is how most Bollettieri students hit their backhands. Agassi’s left hand was in an eastern forehand grip while his right hand was in between an eastern backhand grip and a continental grip. The take back were not too high and his arms were already extended but still relaxed and loose.

His feet were comfortably apart and usually in a closed or semi-open stance, with the weight loaded on the back foot (his left foot). Alternatively, Agassi could also hit from an open stance but he still was able to balance well, turn his shoulders and hips and transfer his weight into the shot.

Agassi Backhand: The Backswing Technique

As the ball approached him, Agassi began his forward swing. He brought the racket down below the level of the ball but not too much, unless he was planning to hit with a lot of topspin. He also didn’t close the racket face but instead kept it perpendicular to the ground.

The butt of the racket pointed toward the ball and he bent his knees according the height of the incoming ball. He kept his back straight and balanced over his legs, which now began to transfer weight from the back leg to the front leg. Then, when the ball was in the hitting zone, he unwound his whole body into the shot.

Agassi Backhand: The Coiling and Uncoiling Effect

Importantly, his right leg didn’t inhibit this uncoiling motion because his foot and knee would pivot and point out toward the net instead of to the side. The hips and shoulders could therefore uncoil without any hindrance and weight could be transferred more smoothly from the back foot to the front foot.He could really step into the shot.

While the lower body and torso uncoiled, the arms straightened out and the racket head slapped the ball hard and squarely from behind with only a slight brushing up motion. On a more topspin-heavy shot, he would exaggerate this brushing up motion but keep the general mechanics of the stroke all the same.

Contact Point of the Andre Agassi Backhand

The exact contact point was in front of his body so that his arms were extended almost fully. Also, his torso was already facing the net at this phase of the stroke. Another significant aspect of the Agassi backhand was the position of his head throughout the shot. It was always very still and his eyes were focused on the ball the whole time.

Another main characteristic of the Agassi backhand was the position of the racket face throughout the stroke. He kept it in a neutral position almost perpendicular to the ground.

He did not close the racket face on the backswing as many other players do and he did not roll over the ball by closing the face on the follow through. The only time he did so was on the occasional heavy topspin backhand.

Agassi’s Ability to Add Variety and Spins to His Backhand

Later in his career, he would use this shot more because he couldn’t rely solely anymore on overpowering his younger rivals like Roger Federer. But in general, he did not use this windshield-wiper type of follow through.