Avoiding Backhand in Tennis Match: How to Stop Fearing and Start Winning

For many tennis players, the phrase "avoiding the backhand in a tennis match" sounds painfully familiar. It's not just a technical flaw; it's a condition that deeply penetrates your game strategy, forcing you to bypass the backhand, awkwardly shuffling your feet to hit a forehand even from the most disadvantageous position. You feel how, sometimes consciously or subconsciously, you run away from the backhand, depriving yourself of initiative and allowing your opponent to dictate terms. This turns your game into a constant attempt to minimize risks, instead of attacking and winning points. If you fear hitting the backhand in tennis, then you understand how this affects your peace of mind on the court and your overall results. But there's good news: this problem can be solved.

In this step-by-step guide, we will delve into the roots of this problem, explore psychological barriers, and offer concrete strategies so you stop avoiding the backhand in a tennis match and start using it as a powerful weapon. We will help you not only improve your technique but also truly begin to trust your backhand in tennis, transforming it from an Achilles' heel into a strong point.

Step 1: Acknowledge and Analyze the Problem (Backhand Psychology)

The first and most important step is to admit that you have a backhand problem and that it's not just a "bad shot," but often the result of a mental barrier. When you consciously or subconsciously start avoiding the backhand in a tennis match, it directly affects your tactics, forcing you to make suboptimal decisions. This can manifest as a "weak backhand in a tennis match," where in practice the shot looks decent, but under pressure, it "falls apart."

Why does this happen? Players often start to fear hitting the backhand in tennis due to several failures that have become ingrained in their memory. Each miss only intensifies the fear. It's a cycle: unsure → avoid → play poorly → even more unsure. This is where backhand psychology in tennis comes into play. We tend to focus on mistakes rather than successful shots. For example, remember that game when your doubles partner said, "Your backhand isn't going anywhere today"? One such phrase can sink deep and undermine all backhand confidence in tennis. I personally saw a promising junior, who confidently hit backhands in practice, start to frantically bypass the backhand in tennis in a match after two errors, even if he had hit five winners with it before.

What to do:

Identify triggers: In what situations do you start avoiding the backhand? Is it an opponent's serve to your left hand, difficult down-the-line balls, or just the start of a rally?
Keep a journal: For several games, write down when and why you felt backhand fear in a tennis match. This will help identify patterns.
Positive self-talk: Instead of "Backhand again, I wish I could get rid of it," try "Yes, it's a backhand, but I can hit it."

Success criterion: You have realized that the backhand problem has a psychological component and are ready to work on it.

Step 2: Conduct an Honest Technical Audit of Your Backhand

It's impossible to overcome fear if there's no foundation to rely on. Sometimes avoiding the backhand in a tennis match is a defensive reaction to real technical flaws. If your backhand is truly unstable, then your psychological backhand confidence in tennis will be low. That's why it's important to conduct an objective technique analysis of your shot.

What needs fixing? Perhaps the problem lies in your grip, backswing, contact point, body rotation, or follow-through. Each of these elements can contribute to overall instability. For example, many players with a one-handed backhand don't use their body to generate power, relying only on their arm, which leads to early fatigue and loss of control. The two-handed backhand often suffers from incorrect use of the non-dominant hand. The one-handed backhand requires special attention to body rotation and shoulder turn to generate sufficient power. If you want to delve deeper into this issue, I recommend reading our article on Djokovic's Backhand Breakdown: A Step-by-Step Guide to Mastering the Two-Handed Shot.

How to conduct an audit:

Record yourself on video: This is the most objective way. Record several of your backhands from different angles: side, back, front. Ideally – both on the court and in a match.
Compare with a benchmark: Compare your technique with professional players whose backhand you admire (e.g., Stan Wawrinka for a one-handed or Novak Djokovic for a two-handed). Pay attention to the key phases of the shot.
Utilize expert analysis: Upload videos of your shots to a platform where coaches can conduct a professional technique analysis. This will give you a clear understanding of what to work on. For example, you can upload a video to playbettertennis.app and receive a detailed report.

Success criterion: You have a list of specific technical elements that need adjustment, confirmed by video analysis or a coach's opinion.

Step 3: Develop a "Comfort Zone" for Your Backhand in Practice

The problem is that when we fear hitting the backhand in tennis, we try to avoid it even in practice. Our goal is to create an artificial environment where you will deliberately hit it, and without fear of making mistakes. This is key to developing backhand confidence in tennis.

Specific exercises:

Targeted drills: Go to the court with only one intention: to practice your backhand. Ask a partner or coach to feed balls only to your backhand.
Using a ball machine: Start with the simplest conditions. The coach or ball machine feeds balls that are easy to hit with your backhand, with ideal bounce and speed. The goal is to find the rhythm, feel the ball, and establish correct technique.
Progressive difficulty:

100 perfect backhands: Set a goal to hit 100 backhands without a single error, focusing on technique, not power. If you make a mistake, start from scratch. It sounds simple – but in practice, it requires immense concentration. Cross-court backhand: Dedicate 80% of your backhand practice time to cross-court shots – this is the most reliable and frequently used shot. As we wrote in the article about Reliable Cross-Court Backhand in Tennis: 7 Steps to Dominating the Court. * Varying the zone: Gradually change the zones where the ball is fed: depth, width.

Positive reinforcement: Acknowledge every good backhand. If you hit a good shot, even if you make a mistake afterward, note to yourself: "That one was good."

Example: My long-time student, Alexey, frantically avoided the backhand in a tennis match, constantly running away from the backhand in tennis even on easy balls. We started by having him hit only backhands from the ball machine for the first 20 minutes of each practice, without a target, without an opponent, just trying to feel the shot. At first, even that was difficult, but after a month, he was calmly hitting 50-60 shots in a row, and his backhand confidence in tennis grew.

Success criterion: You can consistently hit 20-30 backhands in practice, feeling control and stability, without internal resistance.

Step 4: Integrate the Backhand into Game Tactics (Overcoming Fear Under Pressure)

It's one thing to hit in practice from a ball machine, another to trust your backhand in tennis in the heat of a match, when you feel backhand under pressure in tennis. This is where tactical and psychological work comes into play. You must actively look for backhand opportunities, rather than waiting for the ball to come to you.

How to do it:

Deliberate backhand provocation: In practice matches or games with friends, ask them to specifically hit to your backhand. Your task is not to bypass the backhand in tennis, but to actively meet it.
"5 backhands in a row" tactic: Set a goal to hit 5 backhands in a row in one rally. Even if you make a mistake on the sixth, the first five were focused work.
Playing for score with focus: During a match, focus on one shot – your backhand. Try to hit it consciously and with full concentration every time the ball comes to your backhand, ignoring the score. This will help reduce backhand fear in a tennis match.
Limited games: Play games where you can only win points if the last touch was a backhand. This will force you to actively use this shot.

Unexpected fact: Many professional players, even with a strong forehand, specifically look for an opponent's backhand if they know it's weak. But there are also those who purposefully develop their backhand so as not to be predictable. For example, Roger Federer, despite his incredible forehand, constantly worked on his one-handed backhand, turning it into one of the most elegant shots in tennis history. "Tennis is not just about power, but also about knowing how to use your weaknesses as opportunities," said Andrey Medvedev once.

Success criterion: You regularly (at least 50% of rallies), when given the opportunity, meet the ball with a backhand, without trying to bypass the backhand in tennis or run away from the backhand in tennis.

Step 5: Developing Backhand Variations (From Passivity to Aggression)

Once you no longer fear hitting the backhand in tennis, it's time to turn it from a defensive into an attacking shot. Developing various shot options will increase your tactical flexibility and strengthen your backhand confidence in tennis.

What variations to develop:

Cross-court backhand: This is the foundation. Make sure your cross-court is stable and deep. It should be a reliable weapon for moving the ball to the other side.
Down-the-line backhand: This is a riskier but very effective shot that can change the rhythm of the rally and unbalance your opponent. Start practicing it at a slower speed, focusing on accuracy.
Backhand drop shot: An excellent option for diversifying your game and drawing your opponent to the net.
Backhand with spin (topspin and slice): Topspin adds depth and pushes your opponent back, while a slice can be used to change pace or approach the net.

Exercises:

Combination drills: "One cross-court, one down-the-line." Ask your partner to hit to your backhand, alternating deep and shallow balls, so you can practice both offensive and defensive options.
Target practice: Place targets on the court (e.g., small cones or markers) and practice hitting them using different backhand variations.
Simulate match situations: Ask your partner to recreate situations where you need to quickly decide which backhand to use (e.g., "hard shot to the body, then to the backhand down the line").

Quote: "The more shot options you have in your arsenal, the less chance your opponent has of reading you. This is especially true for the backhand, which is often underestimated." – Serena Williams.

Success criterion: You can consciously choose the right backhand variation depending on the situation in the rally, rather than just hitting the ball back.

Step 6: Psychological Preparation for Playing Under Pressure

All the accumulated experience and training can fall apart when backhand under pressure in tennis begins. Mental resilience plays a decisive role here.

What will help:

Visualization: Before a match, close your eyes and imagine yourself confidently hitting backhands in different situations – winning points, returning strong serves, successfully hitting down the line.
Between-point routines: Develop a short routine (e.g., three deep breaths, adjusting your strings) that you will perform to calm down and refocus, especially after a backhand error.
Focus on the process, not the outcome: Instead of thinking "I'm afraid I'll make a backhand error again," focus on correctly executing each element of the shot: "I will focus on shoulder turn," "I will make a good backswing." This reduces backhand fear in a tennis match.
Accepting mistakes: It's normal to make mistakes. Every player makes mistakes. The key is how you react to those mistakes. One mistake doesn't define your entire backhand or your entire match. Just tell yourself: "Next point."

Example: I myself went through a period where a weak backhand in a tennis match was my constant problem. My coach advised me to deliberately use my backhand in key moments during practice matches, even if I felt unsure. "Intentionally put yourself in a situation where you have to trust your backhand," he would say. It was very difficult, but over time I began to feel that I could trust my backhand in tennis even in crucial moments.

Success criterion: You can remain calm and focus on technique, not fear, when hitting a backhand in critical moments of a match.

Step 7: Regular Analysis and Adjustment

Finally, tennis is a continuous learning process. Working on your backhand doesn't end after you stop completely avoiding the backhand in a tennis match. To be confident in your shot, it must remain relevant.

Your actions:

Regular video: Periodically record your matches and practices. Note progress and areas where you still fear hitting the backhand in tennis or where it is unstable.
Feedback: Regularly work with a coach to get an objective assessment. This can be through personal training or remote work, for example, via free initial analysis on playbettertennis.app.
Adaptation: New techniques emerge in tennis, opponents study your game. Be prepared to adapt your backhand, both technically and tactically. If you feel that your one-handed backhand cannot cope with the speed of modern tennis, perhaps it's worth considering a two-handed one – we wrote about this in the article One-Handed vs. Two-Handed Backhand: How to Choose the Shot That Will Change Your Game.

Success criterion: You actively monitor the state of your backhand, make adjustments, and constantly strive to improve it, preventing it from becoming a weak link again.

FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions about the Backhand and Fear

Why do I fear hitting the backhand in a match, even though it works in practice?

In practice, there isn't the same pressure as in a match. Backhand psychology in tennis plays a key role: the fear of making a mistake, losing a game, or giving up a point makes you avoid the backhand in a tennis match. This often leads to tension, loss of coordination, and consequently, errors, which only intensifies backhand fear in a tennis match.

How do I start trusting my backhand in tennis if it constantly goes out or into the net?

Trust comes with repetition and success. Start by practicing basic technique in low-pressure conditions, as described in Step 3. Gradually increase the difficulty. Every successfully hit backhand, even in practice, builds your backhand confidence in tennis. Focus on hitting the ball in the court, not on power.

What if my opponent constantly hits to my weak backhand?

This is a natural tactic. Instead of running away from the backhand in tennis, use it as an opportunity to practice. Your task is not only to return the shot but also to try to seize the initiative. Return deep to force your opponent back, or use a cross-court shot to open up the court. Consider an attacking down-the-line backhand that can catch your opponent off guard.

How quickly can I improve my backhand and stop avoiding it?

The speed of improvement is individual and depends on your diligence, the quality of your training, and your willingness to work on your psychology. With a systematic approach that includes both technical and mental work, the first noticeable changes can be seen within 1-2 months. Completely eradicating the habit of avoiding the backhand in a tennis match may take longer.

Conclusion

Stopping avoiding the backhand in a tennis match is not just a matter of technique, but also deep self-work, on your psychology and belief in your abilities. This step-by-step guide gives you the tools to ensure your weak backhand in a tennis match becomes a thing of the past, and backhand confidence in tennis becomes your new reality. Start applying these recommendations step by step, and you will see how your backhand transforms from a fear into a reliable weapon on the court. Don't be afraid, don't bypass the backhand in tennis – meet the ball and control the game.

To get a detailed analysis of your current backhand and personalized recommendations, upload a video of your game to playbettertennis.app. We will help you on this journey!

Avoiding the Backhand in a Tennis Match: A Step-by-Step Guide to Stop Fearing and Start Dominating