RACQUET HEAD » At this point in the stroke, the ball is slightly below the level of the sweet spot of Connors’ racquet. This means he’s going to hit a flat shot, which will have good depth and penetration. The downside is that less spin usually means a smaller margin for error.

WRISTS »Using a straight-armed backswing generally leads to having rather firm wrists. This gave Connors extremely consistent ball contact and deadly accuracy. The drawback is that it’s difficult to get much spin on the ball, which is why Connors mostly hit flat.

SHOULDERS » One difference between the one-hander and the two-hander is upper-body rotation. With the former, you stay mostly sideways through contact and separate the arms for balance, while the latter requires turning into the ball. Connors rotates his shoulders, but not much. The result is an economical stroke.

ARMS » When Connors takes his racquet back, his arms are completely straight and away from his body. This leads to a shorter, flatter, and less powerful stroke than if he bent his elbows. But it’s an efficient, controlled swing that’s still effective. For his era, Connors had a huge backhand.

LEGS » Two-handed players are more likely to hit from an open or squared stance, which Connors does here. His legs are straight, as he did tend to play pretty upright. The legs are another power source, and not incorporating them in the stroke will drain pop from the shot.

Article by Cliff Drysdale, Photos By Steven Szurlej – Tennis.com