The one-handed backhand, the pinnacle of elegance in the world of tennis, has been present in the lives and games of many great champions. Today, however, it is used less and less. Do the numbers say so? How true is the claim that this coup is on the decline?
Think about him one hand backhand leads us to imagine figures like that of Stan WawrinkaRoger Federer, Richard Gasquet o Dominic Thiem. Even if we look even further back, names like that of Guga Kuerten, Pete Sampras, Rod Laver, Arthur Ashe or Ken Rosewall they could also be part of a select group of superheroes who wield a very special weapon. But the evolution of tennis has pushed younger players to leave behind this shot, opting for two-handed backhands that offer a greater sense of security, more adaptable to the flat, constant and strong rhythm of 21st century tennis and, above all, everything, much easier from teaching from the formative stages.
At Puntodebreak, specifically on our YouTube channel, we wanted to investigate all aspects and a statement that is increasingly making a dent in the general public: Is it true that the one-handed backhand is on the decline? Is it a shot, even, that could eventually disappear from professional tennis? Undoubtedly, the second question seems hyperbole, but the data and trends reveal an unequivocal reality: the passage of time reflects a truly significant decrease in the use of the one-handed backhand among players on the circuit… and the prospects future events may worry us even more.
Beyond explaining and providing even more context in the video that we link to you, the data is cold and, when reviewed quickly, makes you think. At this moment, the ATP circuit has up to 13 players who use the one-handed backhand in the top-100, with a tennis player (Stefanos Tsitsipas) who keeps the flame of this shot alive within the top ten in the world, as well as several young players with room for improvement and years to safeguard the one-handed backhand in the vast majority of important tournaments ( Stefanos himself, Lorenzo Musetti, Denis Shapovalov). It’s enough? If we go back to 2009, barely 14 years ago, at this time the top-100 was made up of 28 players with one handed backhandor what is the same: in just over a decade there are less than half of the tennis players with a one-handed backhand in the world tennis elite.
THE FUTURE, EVEN MORE WORRYING?
But the data that really sets off alarm bells can be found in the current U21 ranking. The supposed leaders of the future are part of a generation with names like Carlos Alcaraz, Holger Rune, Arthur Fils, Luca van Assche or Ben Shelton, players with very different profiles but who share one characteristic: they all use the two-handed backhand. Right now, there is not a single player with a one-handed backhand among the top 15 sub-21s in the ATP rankingand there are only three tennis players under that age who wield the one-handed shot within the top-1000: Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard (#239 in the world), Toby Coded (#358 in the world) and Peter Benjamin Private (#745 in the world).
What are the reasons behind this incredible downturn? Are there solutions in the short, medium and long term? It’s the last part of our video analysis, in which we list several reasons why the one-handed backhand is becoming more of a rarity among the best. An analysis, by the way, completed in a fantastic way by the comments of people, who have pointed to socioeconomic, cultural or educational reasons to add even more information to our research. And you, what do you think this is due to? Do you agree with the concern and the reasons for it expressed in the video? All yours!
2023-08-06 21:16:31
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