By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Sunday March 10, 2024
Indian Wells – Stefanos Tsitsipas is glad to affix the refrain of voices which are exhibiting help for the one-handed backhand. The 25-year-old Greek, a two-time Grand Slam finalist, talked lovingly in regards to the one-hander, and vowed to do his greatest to revive the shot to glory.
“I do really feel prefer it’s probably the most lovely shot in tennis,” Tsitsipas, who defeated Frances Tiafoe 6-3, 6-3 to achieve the spherical of 16 at Indian Wells on Sunday. “I do consider it is probably the most tough factor to study in tennis, however in fact it has its rewards as type of creating alternatives, opening up the court docket. I believe it is a large weapon for courts which have type of a excessive response to the ball, particularly clay courts, as effectively.
“I do discover it a ravishing shot that additionally, if perfected in the precise approach, it may be an enormous deadly weapon for individuals who really feel assured hitting that shot.”
That stated, Tsitsipas admits that the single-handed backhand, nonetheless lovely, could be a tough animal to tame.
“It is a advanced shot to grasp and to excellent, and it takes quite a lot of time to get to a degree the place you develop an incredible single-handed backhand, one that could be a weapon,” he stated.
“I additionally assume that folks have the tendency to decide on the double-handed backhand [because of] the convenience of it, how much less advanced it’s to study and how one can all the time help your left hand to shut out sure photographs or save sure photographs that maybe a single-handed backhand would slice as an alternative.”
Athenian Artistry 🎨
Stefanos Tsitsipas with the @BMWUSA Play Of The Day 🎾 pic.twitter.com/JvUlSqQPFz
— BNP Paribas Open (@BNPPARIBASOPEN) March 11, 2024
Tsitsipas is aware of the one-hander has limitations, however he would by no means take into consideration hitting a backhand every other approach. And he really believes his backhand offers him benefits that he can exploit.
“I do really feel prefer it’s probably the most lovely shot in tennis,” he stated. “I do consider it is probably the most tough factor to study in tennis, however in fact it has its rewards; creating alternatives, opening up the court docket. I believe it is a large weapon for courts which have a excessive response to the ball, particularly clay courts, as effectively.
So I do discover it a ravishing shot that additionally, if perfected in the precise approach, it may be an enormous deadly weapon for individuals who really feel assured hitting that shot.”
Tsitsipas says he’s proud to hold the one-hand flag, and he says he believes that simply because there aren’t any within the Prime 10 in the meanwhile doesn’t imply that it gained’t be a shot that’s as soon as once more employed by a Grand Slam champion – possibly even him.
Backhand do Tsitsipas conforme pediram. pic.twitter.com/Bv3zukTbJX
— Mundo Do Tênis 🎾 (@mundodotenispod) March 2, 2024
“I really feel like I’m a part of the gamers that keep on the legacy of the single-handed backhand. If it was not for me, if it was not for Grigor (Dimitrov), if it was not for Lorenzo (Musetti), if it was not for Richard (Gasquet), this shot would barely be seen on the tour.
“Sure, it is an old-school shot, one thing that folks used to play again within the day, but it surely has its modernity nowadays. It has advanced into a contemporary shot that appears approach totally different than it was tons of of years in the past.
“I do consider that extra youngsters sooner or later would positively resolve to pursue a single-handed backhand and we would see that at large ranges once more, even perhaps quite a lot of gamers taking part in it inside the highest 10 quickly.”
