How to play the Backhand like Serena Williams

One of the most powerful defense shots in tennis, the backhand, is quite a rage in the contemporary tennis court. However, the shot has been a buzzword since the 1970s and has been a fix with luminaries like Martina Navratilova, Chris Evert, or Steffi Graff. Cut to the current scene,

Serena Williams is famous for her backhand and so is her elder sister Venus – not to forget Maria Sharapova. The club-level, beginners, and junior players often struggle to come up with a standard backhand shot. However, not to worry any more, as here goes your how to do guide on serving your backhand just like world’s #1 Serena Williams.

Utilise your whole body

The backhand is not just about using your hand or arms- in fact, it’s about involving your entire body in the motion while hitting the ball. You have to get low, very low at times, to hit the backhand shot. If you have observed well, the backhand is generally hit with a closed or neutral stance, which implies your front foot has to be your main driver in weight transfer.

Junior or amateur players often miss out on a proper backhand as they do not bend their knees, which results in a mere poor all-arm backhand.

Mind your racquet

The racquet’s face must be tilted downward more on the backswing. The face of the racquet usually tilts upward when the player swings forwards and you have to have it facing downward so that it can meet the ball vertically. Hold the racquet’s face at a vertical state at a place where you usually meet the green ball – and then, with no turn of the wrist, simply pull your racquet back right to your usual backswing posture.

As mentioned earlier, it must face downward and that’s the very angle which you have to achieve at the commencement of every swing. A lot of players make the mistake of drooping the racquet head much below the hands which in turn “golf”s the ball upward.

Focus on more topspin

As per the experts, you should stress on hitting with improved topspin. In case you end up brushing up the ball, it will result in a faster fall as the ball flies forward.

Tips for two-handers

Rotate the right hand counterclockwise. When it comes to best grip combo, the Eastern forehand posture for the left hand and Continental position for the right hand is the ideal one. In case the left side is already inclined to the Eastern position, but the player is used to Western or Semi-Western forehand, she must try to move the left hand nearer to that posture. However, for most of the players, the right side is easier to adjust.

Tips for one-handers

Try to rotate the hand counterclockwise in such a way that the knuckle of the index finger gets more on the plane of your racquet handle -which is again perpendicular to the plane of strings. It will help you with better topspin.