By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Sunday March 10, 2024
Indian Wells – Stefanos Tsitsipas is completely happy to hitch 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 concerning the one-hander, and vowed to do his greatest to revive the shot to glory.
“I do really feel prefer it’s essentially the most stunning 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 essentially the most troublesome factor to be taught in tennis, however after all it has its rewards as kind of creating alternatives, opening up the court docket. I feel it is a huge weapon for courts which have kind of a excessive response to the ball, particularly clay courts, as effectively.
“I do discover it a wonderful shot that additionally, if perfected in the appropriate method, 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 stunning, generally is a troublesome animal to tame.
“It is a advanced shot to grasp and to good, and it takes a variety of time to get to a degree the place you develop a tremendous single-handed backhand, one that could be a weapon,” he stated.
“I additionally assume that individuals have the tendency to decide on the double-handed backhand [because of] the benefit of it, how much less advanced it’s to be taught 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 another method. And he actually believes his backhand provides him benefits that he can exploit.
“I do really feel prefer it’s essentially the most stunning shot in tennis,” he stated. “I do consider it is essentially the most troublesome factor to be taught in tennis, however after all it has its rewards; creating alternatives, opening up the court docket. I feel it is a huge weapon for courts which have a excessive response to the ball, particularly clay courts, as effectively.
So I do discover it a wonderful shot that additionally, if perfected in the appropriate method, 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 mean time 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 stick with it 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 individuals used to play again within the day, however it has its modernity lately. It has developed into a contemporary shot that appears method totally different than it was a whole bunch of years in the past.
“I do consider that extra children sooner or later would undoubtedly determine to pursue a single-handed backhand and we would see that at large ranges once more, maybe even a variety of gamers taking part in it inside the highest 10 quickly.”