Tennis Singlehanders in the top 100

The single-handed backhand (often called the 'single-hander') is a difficult stroke to execute but is one of the single most aesthetically pleasing shots in the sport of tennis.

Generally hit with more topspin than a double-handed backhand, the single-hander allows low balls to be hit with greater power and penetration than a double-hander.

It used to be the preferred backhand type in the seventies till the likes of Connors and Borg materialized on the tour and the double-hander began to gain in popularity.

Juxtaposed with the shifting of two Grand Slam events away from the game's fastest surface of grass (Australian Open and US Open) in the mid seventies, advances in racquet technology over the years (from wooden to composite frames), "homogenisation of surfaces" and the use of a heavier tennis ball significantly slowed down the game and made it easier for a player to use a double handed backhand.

The double hander, as opposed to the single-hander, is a far easier shot to master and is more effective to counter high balls on the backhand side and lefty slice serves out wide.

A player with a double-hander does use a single-hander to hit a slice or to retrieve a very wide ball on the run but a single-hander would never employ a double-hander even if the shot is more beneficial to return high balls above the shoulder.

Despite the dramatic downturn in fortune for the single hander over the years, single handed players like Stefan Edberg, Pete Sampras and more recently Roger Federer have had tremendous success in the backdrop of the burgeoning double-hander club.

However both backhand types are pretty effective in equal measure, if employed with the right technique, as tennis doesn't reward players for aesthetics alone.

At the end of the day, a single hander or a double hander is a matter of individual player preference.

Not surprisingly, Jimmy Connors was the only top ten player with a double handed backhand in the year end 1973 world rankings.

In May 1999, that number improved to three and swelled to nine for large swathes of the late 2000s as Federer was the only player in the top ten to use a single-hander.

Ten years further down the line, the number of double-handers in the top ten is down to seven.

However the 30% prevalence rate of the single-hander in the top ten today is a statistical anomaly and not a microcosm of the shot's prevalence in the top 100.

As on the week starting 5th August 2019, only 16 of the world's top 100 ranked players employ a backhand unaided by the non-playing hand as opposed to 43 single handed players in the top 100 in May 1999.

Let us have a look at this exclusive 'club of 16' in descending order of ranking of the concerned player.

# 16 to # 13:

# 16: Marius Copil (WR: 88)

At no. 88, Romania's Marius Copil is the lowest ranked player in the top 100 to employ a single handed backhand.

# 15: Leonardo Mayer (WR: 82)

Leonardo Mayer, an Argentinian dirtballer, has had his best career results on clay - the toughest surface for a single hander because of the slowness and high bounce, romping to titles on the clay of Hamburg in 2014 and 2017, and a third final in the German port city in 2018 where he came up short against Nikoloz Basilashvili.

# 14: Ivo Karlovic (WR: 81)

More famous for his booming serves and aces, the 6' 11' Karlovic, the tallest active player on the ATP tour, employs a single hander. The Croatian has 8 career singles titles and is a 11 time finalist on the tour.

# 13: Philipp Kohlschreiber (WR: 73)

The man from Augsburg in Germany, Kohlschreiber has won on all three surfaces. Six of his eight career singles titles have come on clay. The German has also reached the fourth round at all the four majors.

# 12 to # 9

# 12: Feliciano Lopez (WR: 67)

One of only two lefthanders in the top 100 to employ a single handed backhand, Feliciano Lopez, affectionately known as 'Feli' has seven career singles and a doubles Grand.Slam title to his name. The Spaniard is a four time Grand Slam quarter-finalist (3 times at Wimbledon and once at the US Open).

# 11: Richard Gasquet (WR: 66)

When in full flight, the Frenchman's single handed backhand is the most beautiful in the game. A three time Grand Slam semifinalist (twice at Wimbledon and once at the US Open), the Frenchman has triumphed 15 times on the tour and is also a three time Masters 1000 finalist.

# 10: Marco Cecchinato (WR: 61)

Born in Palermo, Italy, the 26 year old Marco Cecchinato is a 2018 French Open semifinalist (lost to Thiem) and has three career singles titles.

# 9: Grigor Dimitrov (WR: 54)

Former world no. 3 Dimitrov is a seven time titlist on the tour, his biggest titles coming at the 2017 ATP Tour Finals in London and the 2017 Cincinnati Masters the same year.

The Bulgarian is also a two time Grand Slam semifinalist (Australian Open and Wimbledon).

# 8 to # 5:

# 8: Daniel Evans (WR: 53)

The Englishman is a two time finalist on the tour (Sydney 2017, Delray Beach 2019). His best Grand Slam is a fourth round appearance at the Australian Open in 2017.

# 7: Pablo Cuevas (WR: 49)

With a career high singles ranking of 19, the Uruguayan has six singles titles against his name and has also triumphed nine times in the doubles circuit.

# 6: Denis Shapovalov (WR: 32)

The 20 year old Canadian is the youngest single-hander in the top 100. The 2016 junior Wimbledon champion is one of only two lefthanders (Feliciano Lopez) ranked in the top 100 to employ a single handed backhand.

# 5: Dusan Lajovic (WR: 28)

2019 Monte Carlo Masters runner-up (lost to Fognini), 29 year old Serbian Dusan Lajovic won his first title on tour with a triumph over Hungarian Attila Balazs on the clay of Umag. He has a career high singles ranking of 23.

# 4: Stanislas Wawrinka (WR: 22)

Not too long ago a top ten player himself, 22nd ranked Stanislas Wawrinka is the highest ranked player outside the top ten to employ a single handed backhand. The 'other' Swiss is a three time Grand Slam champion (2014 Australian Open, 2015 French Open and 2016 US Open) and has a Masters 1000 title to his name (2014 Monte Carlo).

# 3: Stefanos Tsitsipas (WR: 5)

One of only three top ten players to employ the single hander, the soon to be 21 Stefanos Tsitsipas is a three time titlist on the tour. The young Greek beat six time champion Roger Federer in the fourth round enroute to his maiden Grand Slam semifinal at the 2019 Australian Open (lost to Nadal).

An eight year old Tsitsipas experimented with both types of backhands, eventually going for the single hander as his idol Federer also uses one.

# 2: Dominic Thiem (WR: 4)

14 time singles titlist Dominic Thiem is a two time Grand Slam finalist (2018-19 French Open) and has a Masters 1000 title to his name (Indian Wells), beating Federer in a three set 2019 final. In a rarity for singlehanders, Thiem's single handed backhand effectively counters the high bounce on clay, helping the Austrian to 10 titles on the surface.

Thiem is also one of the few active players on tour to have a title on all three surfaces.

# 1: Roger Federer (WR: 3)

World no. 3 Roger Federer is the highest ranked player in the world to employ a single handed backhand. Through large swathes of the late 2000s the Swiss was the lone single hander in the top ten.

Troubled in the past by Nadal's high kicking lefty serves to his backhand side, especially on clay, Federer remodelled his backhand to a flatter version to thwart the Nadal threat on faster surfaces.

The record 20 time Grand Slam champion and 102 time singles titlist's single handed backhand is a thing of beauty, piercing opponents' defenses with a gorgeous down the line or sizzling cross court rendition. Federer's backhand slice is one of the most potent on tour, luring opponents to the net for the Swiss to pass, or to break the rhythm of opponents with subtle changes of pace.

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