One-handed backhand tiers

[Corbon]

Topic inspired by watching Almagro vs Wawrinka Buenos Aires SF right now.


Fix or suggest

Top Tier
Almagro
Wawrinka
Gasquet

2nd Tier
Federer
Kohlschreiber
DImitrov
Haas
Youzhny

Whatever Tier
The Rest

[Robbin92]

Sijsling should be under the whatever tier. He just swings and hopes the ball lands anywhere within the lines.

[Moralspain]

All those guys have great one handed BHs, i would also add

L.Mayer
Robredo
Daniel Brands

just adding more guys to the list, not saying these are the best ones

[supinesmokey13]

haas backhand is top class i think it should be tier one and as for sijisling his backhand is good he just isnt consisent at all in terms form not his backhand. and the only things that seperates the guys you put in tier one and two except gasquet and fed is power and all the others hit the bh up line well its actually the shot they are known for plus haas IMO has the best one handed return in the game today. dont forget sergi stakhosky he has a good one too. also fed has the best slice bh and hits the bh half volley from the basline better than anyone and hits the one handed version of that nole backhand on the full stretch with an open stance the best

[LeapedCastle04]

Blake at his best had an insanely powerful backhand too. Sometimes i still watch that match between him and Agassi. Those two we're assaulting the ball in that match.

[ICEMAN_9588]

I'd put Dimitrov and Haas in 1st level. Backhand is their best shot so far.

[Saarbrigga]

Best one-handed BH ever (on clay to play long exchanges):

GUGA!

[supinesmokey13]

i think dmitrov's fh is his best shot though its close but the forehand is more of a weapon and it could improve if he adopted fed-like balance and footwork. edberg , leconte, pioline they had sweet one handers too dont forget gaudio

[Corbon]

Both wings by Blake were among the most powerful on the tour in his prime but they could disappear in a match because of Blake's high risk shots. He almost always plays a flat or top spin backhand, only reverting to slice when the ball is already almost behind him. In his prime I would definitely put his backhand into the 2nd Tier category but not anymore.

[Corbon]

i think dmitrov's fh is his best shot though its close but the forehand is more of a weapon and it could improve if he adopted fed-like balance and footwork. edberg , leconte, pioline they had sweet one handers too dont forget gaudio

Imo Lendl had the best one-handed backhand of the 80's and early 90's.

[C4iLL]

The best one handed backhand in history is by far the one of Kuerten. It's perhaps even the best BH of the history !

[djarvik]

Kurten's BH was good on Clay court. But he would get destroyed by guys like Waw right now, who will eat him up in a cross BH battle.

I always like to compare the BH to H rallies, these are the most indicative. And out of all the players right now, I think Waw can take anyone in such a rally. He is not only comfortable in changing directions, he is one of the few who can actually hit winners with his BH in Neutral position - create with BH as oppose to react.

Almagro would be my next choice, but he lacks precision and consistency of Waw. But he can create with his BH in neutral position, and that to me places him above of Gasquet and the rest. Gasquet is VERY good when given time, but he is easily pushed on that side. Waw would outhit him in BH rally. Gasquet's BH is spinner as well.

I would personally say that Waw has the most effective BH out there right now. That is to say it "pays" him more dividends than any other BH to the respectful player.

The second tier would be Almagro, Gasquet.

The rest I agree with.

[Corbon]

Yeah, the one flaw I see with Gasquet's backhand (which is sometimes compared to Nadal's forehand), is its vulnerability under pressure. If he can swing freely, he can totally dictate points and construct winners but if he is forced to block/push it back, his BH will lose most of its efficiency. Others players like Federer and Almagro are better at defending their backhands that way (TS4 = Shot Counter).

Almagro often takes too much risk, which 1/3 times resulting in fabulous winners but 2/3 times in UE's. In this regard, Stan's backhand is more reliable, even though it lacks the Spaniard's sheer punch. Both men have lovely bh drop shots which they can disguise extremely well.

Summary, Stan got the overall best BH but not too good to put him above Gasquet or Almagro imo.

[L Sanchez MD]

I sometimes wonder if Wawrinka's BH is the best of the entire tour, not just single handers. Out of the top 10, there's no way it's lower than 3rd.