Will Grigor Dimitrov bring the one-handed backhand back into the top 10?
Grigor Dimitrov has an outside chance of getting back into the top ten in the tennis world with good results in Indian Wells - and thus also bringing the one-handed backhand back there.
by Florian Goosmann
last edit: Mar 11, 2024, 10:00 pm
Dimitrov has been in dazzling form in the last few months and has once again played within reach of the top ten tennis players in the world in the ATP rankings.
And that: with a one-handed backhand. It recently made headlines in a sad way after three weeks ago for the first time since 1973 (the beginning of the ATP world rankings) there was no one-hander in the world's top ten. The reason: Stefanos Tsitsipas had slipped out.
The main reason for the extinction of the one-handed sword is the more stable power of the two-handed sword, especially when returning, as well as the possible open stance when hitting. And the time - the one-hander needs more in childhood and youth to learn the more complex variant of the backhand. Time that many young people no longer have. The advantages of the one-handed backhand - a volley and slice that are easier to learn - no longer play as big a role in today's baseline power tennis as they used to.
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Dimitrov and the one-handed backhand: "A wonderful feeling"
A sad thing for the tennis aesthete Dimitrov. The Bulgarian described the one-handed backhand as "one of the most difficult shots in tennis", and of course he - who plays this shot so beautifully - is one of the biggest supporters of this shot. And went into raptures. "I would be happy if more players played this shot. Being able to play a slice, plus the (follow-through) backhand with one hand - that's pure beauty. Every time I hit this shot, it's a wonderful feeling me."
Part of this beauty also has to do with the fact that you have to do so many things to hit the ball correctly. "It starts with the timing, how you look at the ball, the swing, the height of the impact point. It's a lot! Just thinking about it and breaking down the shot (...), all I can say is: Wow, that "It's pretty cool."
Dimitrov certainly has a chance of turning back the clock, at least temporarily, and personally bringing the one-handed backhand back into the top ten in the coming weeks: In Indian Wells he only has 10 points to defend from last year, and only 45 at the subsequent tournament in Miami.
His backhand is currently 415 points in the live ranking to Alex de Minaur: two-handed and currently number 10 in the world.