The Decline of the One-Handed Backhand: Stefanos Tsitsipas Falls Out of Top Ten in Tennis Rankings

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The end of an incredible tennis era

Stefanos Tsitsipas falls out of the top ten in the world tennis rankings. It is the end of an incredible era. Does a punch die out?

Stefanos Tsitsipas falls out of the top ten
© IMAGO/Xinhua

An era ends: For the first time since the world rankings were introduced in 1973, no professional with a one-handed backhand is in the top ten of the ATP rankings. The Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas was the last representative to hold the flag of the now rare species high until Monday, but has now fallen back to eleventh place and indirectly caused the turning point.

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Steffi Graf, Boris Becker, Roger Federer – many of the sport’s great icons achieved their success with the classic, often praised as aesthetic, one-handed backhand.

One-handed backhands are dying out

When the world rankings were introduced, nine of the ten best men’s players in the world played this variant – the only exception was Jimmy Connors. Eleven of the 28 players who conquered number one in the ATP rankings did without the support of the second hand.

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But that should change over time. The 18-time Grand Slam winner Chris Evert from the USA was considered a pioneer of the double-handed backhand in the 70s and 80s, followed by stars such as Andre Agassi, Rafael Nadal and today’s Grand Slam record champion Novak Djokovic. The one-handed backhand has also disappeared from the top ten among women.

2024-02-19 10:32:39
#incredible #tennis #era