Backhand

The backhand is the side of the court most amateurs fear and most professionals turn into a weapon. There are two valid families — the two-handed backhand for stability and the one-handed backhand for reach and disguise — each with its own biomechanics.

Two-handed backhand

The dominant hand sets the racket face; the non-dominant hand provides the swing path and acceleration. Think of the non-dominant arm as hitting a left-handed forehand (for a right-hander). This is why most coaches teach beginners to two-hand: it borrows the stronger arm's natural motion.

Grip combinations vary, but a continental bottom hand and an eastern top hand is the most common. Stance is usually neutral or semi-open, with a strong shoulder turn.

One-handed backhand

The one-hander uses an eastern or extreme-eastern backhand grip. Power comes from a deep shoulder turn, a full extension at contact, and a held finish with the shoulder pointing at the target.

It offers superior reach, easier slice, and better volley transitions, but demands more strength, earlier preparation, and is more vulnerable to high-bouncing balls to the body.

Preparation and rotation

Regardless of style, the unit turn is the first move — shoulders and hips rotate together as soon as the ball is read. Late shoulder turn is the single most common error on the backhand side.

Contact is in front of the front hip. The racket head should travel from low to high to impart topspin, or high to low for a slice.

Common mistakes

Running around the backhand instead of trusting it — a long-term confidence killer.
Late shoulder turn — the racket falls behind the body and contact becomes pushy.
Two-handers letting the dominant arm dominate, removing the natural left-handed forehand action.
One-handers collapsing the elbow on contact — costs power and consistency.
Standing too tall on high balls instead of stepping back or taking the ball early.

Drills

Slice-only rally — 5 minutes, no topspin, to feel the racket face and stable wrist.
Crosscourt-only baseline rally — 50 balls, no down-the-line allowed.
Approach + transition volley — backhand approach followed by a forehand or backhand volley.
Two-handed → one-handed slice on the run, to build hand awareness.

Brief history

The one-handed backhand was the standard until the 1970s. Chris Evert and Jimmy Connors popularised the two-hander, which became dominant in the 80s and 90s. Today the one-hander survives at the top level through players like Stefanos Tsitsipas and Lorenzo Musetti.

Notable players

Stan Wawrinka — arguably the heaviest one-handed backhand of all time.
Novak Djokovic — gold-standard two-handed backhand, perfect contact and direction.
Stefanos Tsitsipas — modern one-hander with topspin and slice.
Iga Świątek — flat, penetrating two-handed backhand down the line.