“ENEMIES STRIKES AT THE WEAK POINTS”
Tennis is sport which requires a person to be expert in multiple aspects of the game, in order to create an impact and to be the No 1. Frankly speaking, all players do not possess all the skills, but irrespective of the fact that they do not posses all skills. The players who strive to master the game day in and day out, even after multiple failures, upsets and injuries are the once who dominate. For instance, the legends none other than Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Serena Williams etc. they rank in the top 5 slots in the list of the Top 10 Best Backhands in Tennis of All-Time.
There are many youngsters and professional players who are agile, fittest and dominant in the game. They master there forehand or the backhand shots, along with that they posses few skills, which make them standout when compared to others. But the most important and vital part which needs to understood here is, there are many factors on which the game of tennis depends, of which the most important is mastering backhand with the same intensity as you mastered your forehand, yes you heard it right. Many fail to do so, many fail to focus on the weak zone. As said by a great philosopher “Those who master their weakness, are half way ahead of those who keep on focusing on their strength”. And those who train their weak aspects, are the examples which you talk about, such as Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, serena Williams etc.….
Top 10 Best Backhands in Tennis of All-Time
Novak Djokovic
He surely does not need an introduction. Placed no.1 for 373 weeks and has won 21 grand slams, is in itself a grand achievement for this 35 years old Serbian player. As stated above that, a person who focuses and strives to work on his weaknesses by leaving no stone unturned becomes the best version of himself. Similarly, it applies to Novak Djokovic too, he has improved his forehand two-folds and to everyone’s amazement his backhand three folds.
The best part about his aggressive playing style is, he delivers the best and most unexpected returns. Many critics and experts believe that he has the best backhand of all time and can deliver and place the ball wherever he wants according to the situation. Players on tour try to attack on the weak hand, but he undoubtedly delivers remarkable backhand shots which leave the opponent awestruck. Placed 5th in the current ATP Rankings, he dominates the backhand game like none other.
Also Read: Why Zero is Called Love in Tennis?
Andy Murray
An All-Court Defense baseliner, the Scottish player is known for his expert defensive baseline play. Murray has the ability to deliver powerful returns irrespective of the quality of the serve by the opponent, he can turn the defensive game into an offensive one through his rapid and powerful backhand shots, which creates an upset for the opponent. Murray delivers unexpected lobs out of nowhere off his consistent backhand play. However, his forehand is not as powerful as his backhand.
Richard Gasquet
Do you know that he was known as “BABY FEDERER” when he initially started playing tennis. He was known for his very famous one-handed backhand. Richard Gasquet is placed 3rd and before Rafael Nadal on the list of 10 Best Backhands in Tennis of All-Time for a reason, as he is the master of backhand. He is very agile and very quick in his entire range of motion while playing backhand shots. Generally, one handed backhand is not as reliable as double handed backhand since, one needs to compromise with the accuracy, but he an exception. He delivers with accuracy and perfection.
Also Read: Top 10 Most Durable Tennis Shoes
David Nalbandian
Sometimes in life every hardworking person does not achieve every dream which he thinks of achieving. For instance, Mario Balotelli, considered to be one of the best potential football players and an immensely talented player in the world. Many coaches and managers in football arena predicted that, one day Mario will rule football on and off the field. But due his behavior and conduct, off and on-field, his career took a blow even before starting. Since he knew he had a god gifted talent, he never used to work hard.
Also Read: Top 5 Fastest Tennis Serves of All-Time
Similarly, in tennis David Nalbandian is considered to be one of the biggest underachiever. He was very talented and his double handed backhand shot was considered to be the coolest among all the players on tour.
Nalbandian boasts a smooth, fluid and seamless motion while hitting his backhand, where there is no pause in the racquet during the take-back, a problem which many recreational players face while hitting their backhand, but his career faced a blow, as he suffered constant injuries and the most important thing being, he was competing in the era of roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, and Rafael Nadal etc.…
Marin Cilic
Most agile and active players on the court with fast reflexes. Marin Cilic, 34-year-old slim personality from Croatia is another top-class player, who has mastered backhand strokes. Although he has won only 1 grand slam, he is considered as one of the best players around the world. His footwork, quality of shots is unparallel, however he was not able to win many major titles during his Tennis career due to some odd circumstances. One of which is Marin starts off well in the match and he dominates the opponent, but as the match progresses, he loses focus and this is the reason due to which he had to face many upsets in his tennis career.
Stanislas Wawrinka
Stanislas Wawrinka belongs to Switzerland. The 37-year-old Swiss player has won 3grand slams in his entire career. He plays doubles for his country and his partner for doubles is the legend himself, roger Federer. The most important thing which should be noticed here is that, he is opposite to his partner. Roger Federer is extremely good with his forehand, wherein Stanislas Wawrinka is extremely good with his backhand attack. He has used this advantage as the striking weapon to destroy the opponents with utmost ease. The things to watch him while playing are his offensive and aggressive shots along with great movement on all types of courts.
Also Read: Top 5 Youngest Grand Slam Winner in Tennis History
Rafael Nadal
In the initial stage of his career Rafael was trained by his coach, and insisted on sharpening the use of forehand, as he realized that, it will be a weapon to prove himself. But gradually as the time passed, he started focusing on backhand training, he thought it might be used a weapon in emergency and to amaze the opponents by delivering unexpected shots, and it certainly proved to be true since, he became a legend. Even though Rafael does not use this shot often, but it has proved to be as the weapon in times of need for him.
Kei Nishikori
One of the best players to be emerge from the island nation. Kei Nishikori was considered to be the world class players. It is always said in tennis that height is the major component for players to succeed. But this is not the case with Japanese tennis sensation Kei Nishikori. Although Nishikori was not able to hold the first place in the ATP Rankings, he was able to hold his position in top 10 tennis players around the globe for many weeks. Nishikori generates very high racquet speed and topspin on his backhand which he usually hits very deep into the court, which is certainly troublesome for opponents to hit a winner off his backhand.
Nicolas Almagro
This Spanish player has left his mark everywhere, as everybody knows, we cannot find anything other than red clay on Spanish courts, this player has mastered all types of courts, with his exceptional playing style. The most surprising thing about Nicolas Almagro is that he plays single hand backhand with such ease and balanced posture, which makes him one of the best single hand backhands across the globe.
During an interview he was asked about his favourite shot, he without a second thought said, its forehand. But unfortunately, this is not what is true, he has the most agile and fast backhand. His short stature is probably something which cripples his game during continuous baseline exchanges, forcing him to make errors as the match goes longer.
David Goffin
David Goffin has a different playing style, standing on the baseline and trying to pull off offensive shots when the opportunity arises. He has been able to turn his backhand into a deadly weapon, and it is very technically sound as well. His favorite backhand is a shot down the line when he gets the opportunity. He is an excellent mover on the court, so he will take his time developing a point until he sees an opportunity to hit one down the line. He is pretty patient for a player who has some put-away shots.
Also Read: Top 5 Players with Most Grand Slam Titles in Tennis History