In the last 30 years, the way the game is played has evolved dramatically. But one shot, the slice backhand, has made it through virtually unchanged. Ken Rosewall, a fixture in pro tennis until the mid ’70s, had one of the best slice backhands of all time. Tim Henman’s slice is in many ways identical. But if you look closely, you’ll see some subtle differences that separate Henman’s stroke, outstanding as it is, from Rosewall’s all-time weapon.

1 GRIP » Though Rosewall used a Continental grip for his slice backhand, as has virtually every high-level player, he placed his hand low on the handle. You’ll notice that the butt-cap of the racquet is not visible. Holding the racquet like this kept Rosewall’s wrist loose, enabling him to generate greater racquet-head speed and, therefore, more pace. Henman has a more conventional grip.

2 BACKSWING » Rosewall’s slice was the most penetrating I ever played against. It was always deep and the ball felt heavy when it struck my racquet. One key to this aspect of Rosewall’s backhand was that his take-back was not as high in relation to the ball as those of other players, including Henman. As a result, Rosewall’s slice backhand was flatter than most. Henman, who has a higher backswing than Rosewall does, produces more spin and less pace. Rosewall’s lower backswing also kept his racquet more in line with the ball, providing him with outstanding control.

3 RACQUET FACE » In addition to having a higher backswing, Henman also keeps his racquet face more open than Rosewall does, and there’s no doubt he’s going to put some heavy spin on the ball. Rosewall’s racquet face is not nearly as open. He’s still swinging from high to low but with an almost fl at, or perpendicular, face. That, combined with his lower backswing, gives him less spin but more pace.

4 SHOULDERS » A full shoulder turn is a critical component of a good one-handed backhand, slice or otherwise. Both Rosewall and Henman are exemplary in this regard. If we were to go back and view their preparation earlier in the stroke you would see both of them looking over their right shoulders before they begin their forward swings.

5 RIGHT ARM » Both bend their right arms slightly when they take them back, but then straighten them before impact. A common mistake I see with one-handed backhands is a bent arm at contact, which leads to inconsistency because the degree of bend can vary from shot to shot. Even worse, some believe hitting this way is a prime cause of tennis elbow.

6 LEFT ARM » Notice how both players use their nondominant arms for balance. Players with solid one-handed backhands always use their non-hitting arms as a counterbalance. On slices, their arms go up and back in a motion that mirrors their dominant arms.

7 STANCE » Even though both these guys are within milliseconds of contact, they’re still sideways to the ball. Players with one-handed backhands should have this image imprinted in their minds. They shouldn’t begin opening up with their shoulders and their stances until after they hit the ball or else they’ll tend to hit across the ball rather than through it, sacrificing power and depth.

Article by Cliff Drysdale, Photos by Russ Adams, Clive Rose/Getty Images – Tennis.com

Problem
You lack the power you’d like on your one-handed backhand, especially since you seem to swing with plenty of force. Many times this happens because your racquet is accelerating at the wrong time. Instead of speeding up into contact, you’re actually accelerating the racquet after impact. This can lead to an exaggerated and off-balance follow-through.

Solution
On your backswing, hold the upper throat of your racquet with your nondominant hand so the head is back by your hip and your hitting arm is away from your body. Don’t let go of the racquet until the forward swing snaps it out of your grasp. Think of creating all the power and racquet speed on your stroke from the snap out of the backswing to the point of contact. Make sure your nondominant arm and shoulder don’t rotate around with the start of your forward swing. They should work as a counterbalance, helping you resist the tendency to rotate open and providing more power for the front shoulder to pull and drive the stroke. You’ll find that your racquet is now accelerating up to full speed before contact rather than afterward. This will generate more leverage in your swing and make for a natural follow-through.

Article by Pat Doughery, Photos by Manuela Davies/Propix – Tennis.com

When you’re on the move and the ball is going to be at your shoulders, jump off your front leg while raising your back one up. It’s virtually the same form you’d use to shoot a layup with your nondominant hand in basketball. You start your swing as you come off the court and make contact with the ball at the top of your jump. While still in the air, complete the stroke with full extension before you land back on the court and start to move for your next shot.

Article by Rick Macci, Photo By Al Bello/Getty Images – Tennis.com

In today’s game, and you see it all the time at the professional leve, players are most comfortable when they’re in a routine of hammering balls back and forth. They like to exchange shots hit from their strike zones, which is between thigh and chest height, and use some degree of topspin on a majority of shots. You can be successful playing this style, but it makes your game pretty predictable. If you work a dependable slice into your repertoire, though, you’ll add some variety to your attack.
A slice is effective for many reasons. If you’re stretched wide, the slice can be a safe, defensive shot that will get you back in the point. When hit as a rally ball, the backspin slows the pace of the shot and keeps the ball low and out of your opponent’s strike zone. And when you’re inside the court, you can be more aggressive with the slice by driving a deep, low, skidding shot that you can follow to net. It’s also the spin you need to be successful with volleys and drop shots. Here’s a quick lesson on the slice for all skill levels.

BEGINNER

OBJECTIVE: Learn the proper swing path and keep your wrist firm.
When players first learn the slice, they sometimes start by drastically swinging down on the ball. Although the basic motion is from high to low (opposite of the low to high you’re first taught for your ground strokes) and back to high, it’s actually fairly subtle. If you hack down severely on the ball, you may put a great deal of underspin on it, but the resulting shot will float and have little pace, penetration, or consistency. You never want to lose that feeling of hitting through the ball. The other thing to stress is keeping your wrist firm. Many players snap or flip their wrists, trying to get pace and spin on the ball, and end up suffering the same problems as those who chop down when they swing.

For a penetrating slice, use a swing that moves gradually from high to low and back to high. This way you hit through the ball instead of chopping at it.

In fact, the swing path of the slice is almost parallel to the court. One way to think of the motion is to compare it to that of a karate chop. You start with your arm bent, and you straighten it out toward contact with a gradual reduction from high to low, keeping a slightly open racquet face. That way you’re still driving the racquet through contact.

INTERMEDIATE

OBJECTIVE: Incorporate your bigger muscles into the shot and learn to cup the ball.
Players who use their whole bodies when they swing are generally more consistent with their strokes. Take the serve as an example: A player who gets good body rotation and uses his shoulders and legs is going to have a more effective serve than someone who just uses his arm. Using the big muscle groups will sustain consistency for the course of the match, whereas using only the smaller ones will cause fatigue (which will lead to inconsistency). With the slice, it’s no different.

To better control the ball’s flight path and add pace to your slice, cup the outside edge of the ball.  If you cup the inside, the ball will float with sidespin.

At this point in your development, you understand the proper swing plane of the slice. You can repeatedly use good technique, but if you’re relying on your arm and hand to power the shot, your slice will never have adequate bite or penetration, and late in a match, when you get tired, it could break down. So stepping into the slice with your legs and stretching your arms out (with your hitting arm moving toward the contact point and your off arm behind you) will involve your quads, chest, and back—your best power sources.

Besides using your whole body to hit the slice, you also need to have good feel and control. That’s where “cupping” the ball begins to become important. When you cup the ball, you cut under and around the outside edge of it. If you’re a right-hander, you’re trying to cup the left corner of the ball (the opposite corner for lefties). This helps control the flight path and adds zip to the shot.
 If you hit the inside part of the ball, that means your wrist is ahead of the racquet face, which will result in more sidespin than backspin on the shot. It takes great talent to control this type of slice because the ball has a tendency to sail. Cupping the outside of the ball is a much more reliable technique.

ADVANCED

OBJECTIVE: Develop your shot awareness and begin to use your slice as a weapon.
As I’ve mentioned, slice affords a player variety because there are several different ways in which you can hit it. At this level, you can call upon all your options, and understanding your positioning and status in the point will help you determine which slice to use. For example, being on the dead run and far behind the baseline would call for a defensive slice. In an even backhand rally from the baseline, you may choose to use the slice as a change of pace to throw your opponent off. And inside the court, you can move forward and use your slice to attack. This is what I call shot awareness— having a clear grasp of what’s coming at you and what shot to use in response. From this perspective, you can use your slice to create openings by getting your opponent out of position. For example, if you’re in a backhand crosscourt rally and you get a ball that lands short, hit a deep, skidding slice down the line to open up the court. Or from the same position you can carve a short, sharp angle that forces your opponent up and wide into an uncomfortable position— almost like a drop shot, but with more pace and less arc. If your opponent has to attack off that, you’ll have a good look at a passing shot. And if he tries to retreat to the baseline, you’ll have an opening on his forehand side. Players with versatile slices, like Roger Federer and Tim Henman, often use this tactic against clay-courters who are leery of coming to net.

During a backhand rally, a sharply angled slice can throw off your opponent’s rhythm by drawing him off the baseline and wide of the court.

Article by By Paul Annacone, Illustrations by Jim Chow – Tennis.com

1. The ball has just bounced, but look at how Hewitt has already prepared his racquet using his non-dominant hand to support the frame. Notice, too, how the elbow of his hitting arm is bent and the wrist is cocked. This is one of the secrets of technique for the defensive backhand; as he extends toward the ball, Hewitt will still have some measure of racquet-head speed even though he’s completely stretched. Most players who struggle with this kind of shot simply reach out to the ball without first coiling the wrist and arm, resulting in a weak reply.

2. Unlike a regular stroke, which requires small adjustment steps, Hewitt is on the extreme defensive and must make one large stride to reach the ball. As he steps out with his right foot, Hewitt starts his forward swing by letting go of the frame with his left hand and straightening out his hitting arm. What’s special about this picture is Hewitt’s balance. Even at top speed, his center of gravity is directly beneath him and his chin and eyes are pointed at the ball. This takes excellent coordination and agility.

3. This is a magnificent display of athleticism that most of us just have to sit back and admire. There aren’t many people with the core strength and the flexibility in the legs and ankles (his left one is scraping the court) to pull this move off. What’s applicable to your game is the way Hewitt extends the racquet with a nice square face. And since he generated some racquet-head speed, his return will not only go over the net, it will have some velocity on it. Notice, too, how Hewitt keeps his back straight and his head up. This helps maintain beautiful balance and will enhance his shot.

4. Hewitt is in such a desperate situation that his body is almost completely turned away from the net. Yet his posture doesn’t suffer. One of the reasons his body is so composed is that he extends his left arm out to counterbalance his right. Had the left arm come around, Hewitt would have lost his balance. As he completes his swing, Hewitt’s racquet face is slightly open. This gives the ball height over the net, and he now has a chance to get back into the point.

Article by Nick Saviano, Photos By Manuela Davies/Propix – Tennis.com

In a game dominated by power hitters, Martina Hingis’ brand of control-oriented tennis makes her a fan favorite. A genius at geometry, the former world No. 1 uses the whole court to beat her opponents. Not only does she use angles and drives to move them side to side, but she also regularly throws in hard-to-read drop shots to get them running up and back. Here’s how she executes them.

1. Hingis has recognized that she has to hit a backhand, and her preparation has begun as it would for a backhand drive. There’s nothing at this point that would give her opponent a clue that she’s going to deliver a drop shot instead. Also, notice her location on the court. She’s right on top of the baseline and moving forward, which is ideal for the drop shot. You don’t want to try difficult finesse shots from deep behind the baseline.

2. Look at her feet. You can tell she’s using small, measured steps to put herself in position for the oncoming ball. Although Hingis may not be the fastest player on the tour, her footwork—the way she prepares with her feet for each shot—is among the best. As a result, her entire body, from her shoulders to her feet, is perfectly balanced. She appears to be using a semi-Western grip with her left hand and a Continental with her right, which is ideal for two-handed backhands.

3. We now see the first hint that Hingis won’t be driving the ball. Her hands are separating on the grip, indicating that either a slice or a drop shot is on the way. She uses her left hand to cradle the throat of the racquet and assist in the take-back. Also, because Hingis uses a Continental with her right hand on her two-hander, she doesn’t have to change her grip with that hand regardless of her shot selection. Her weight is loaded onto her back foot as she gets ready to step into the ball.

4. We can now tell that Hingis is committed to a drop shot, and not a slice, because her racquet is going higher but not much farther back. If she were planning to deliver a slice, the racquet would be more behind her. Note that Hingis’ body is facing the side of the court, something that players with two-handed backhands often fail to do. For a drop shot, let the ball come to your side more than you would for a drive.

5. Hingis’ weight has almost fully transferred onto her right leg as she continues to move into the ball. Again, look at her balance. The legs, hips, shoulders—everything is in the right position. Her hands are perfectly behind the ball and she’s measured exactly how she wants to address it. Her left hand is still cradling the throat of her racquet and her left palm is lined up with the racquet face, helping to guide it into position.

6. Hingis makes contact right in the middle of the string bed. Keeping your shoulders closed helps you swing through the ball, and players with one-handed slice backhands do that by letting their off hand move back and act as a counterbalance. Players with two-handers tend to push through with their off hand—as Hingis does here—and, as a result, have to make a special effort to stay turned.

7. After hitting the ball, Hingis continues to move through the shot and into the court. Her footwork is exemplary. She’s using what’s called a carioca step, which allows her to move forward while remaining sideways. If you look back, you can see her core has remained sideways since the second frame. Her focus is still on the contact point; her head has remained still, and she hasn’t looked up to follow the ball yet.

8. Hingis has started her recovery and has begun to look to the other side of the court to gauge the success of her drop shot. She’ll continue to move forward after striking the ball and will try to anticipate her opponent’s reply, if there is one, and take it out of the air if possible. She never assumes that her drop shot will be an outright winner. This is a great lesson for everybody.

Article by Lynne Rolley, Photos by David Kenas – Tennis.com

As you begin the forward swing with your hitting arm on a one-handed backhand, the other arm needs to extend back and away from your body.  This movement serves as a counter-balance, and keeps the back shoulder from rotating forward during the swing.  While the two-handed backhand is more rotational- like on the forehand, your hips and trunk rotate through the shot- the one-handed backhand is a more lineal stroke.  Extending the non-dominant hand out and away from the body “anchors” this lineal movement on the one-handed backhand.

There are differences in what the non-dominant hand does on the finish of the swing depending on the shot you choose.  For a slice backhand, the hitting arm finishes low and in front of the body so the non-dominant hand extends away and upward.  On a topspin drive, the hitting arm finishes above your head so the non-dominant hand is conversely extended down and away from your body.  This counter-balance action is crucial, particularly when the shot is hit on the move.

Article by Bill Mountford, Director of tennis at USTA National Tennis Center

The great thing about Novak Djokovic’s game is how complete it is. He can do pretty much anything. And while his forehand is a punishing stroke, his backhand might be the more solid of the two shots. Djokovic can hit the ball cross-court or open up the court with a shot down the line. It’s a big part of his constantly improving game.

1. This is a classic preparatory position for a two-handed backhand. Djokovic is looking over his dominant shoulder to track the ball and has excellent balance and posture. His hands are slightly higher than his waist, with the racquet head above his wrists and pointed back and up at 2 o’clock. He’s behind the baseline, but Djokovic is giving himself ample opportunity to step into the shot.

2. Djokovic takes his racquet back by employing a full shoulder turn. It’s a fairly straight backswing with the racquet head up. It appears as though Djokovic is making a loop, but the position of his frame is a result of his full upper-body rotation. At this point, Djokovic plants his left foot and loads all his weight on it. He’s ready to start his forward swing.

3. Djokovic’s hands get more involved in the stroke as he raises them and increases his shoulder turn. He’s beginning to transfer his weight by stepping forward with his right foot, which is parallel to the baseline. (Ideally his foot would be at a 45-degree angle with the baseline to allow him to open up faster.) The thing to appreciate is the position of Djokovic’s hips. They’re fully rotated and coiled, and as the sequence continues he does a great job of releasing them into the shot.

4. As he gets ready to unleash on the ball, Djokovic points the butt cap of his racquet toward the other side of the net. He’s starting to drop his racquet head, but he’ll only get under the ball enough to give it a little bit of topspin. Djokovic is also pushing off the toes of his back foot and starting to open up his hips.

5. Djokovic makes contact in front of his body and at waist level. Notice how his hands are moving away from his torso and working together; neither is dominating the other. His legs are straightening to lift his body up into the shot, and his hips and shoulders are opening up. Djokovic’s shoulders are more uneven than usual, but that could be a slight improvisation to compensate for the ball’s height and position.

6. There’s so much momentum created by his racquet acceleration, trunk rotation, and the weight shift in his legs that Djokovic is off the court when he follows through. Even though he’s in full swing, his head and body remain composed. Djokovic’s arms extend through the hitting zone as his hips open up. His belly button, which was pointing to the side in his backswing, now faces the net.

7. Both of Djokovic’s elbows are pointing away from his body as he follows through. All his weight is now on his front foot, and his left leg is starting to come around to aid in his recovery. Djokovic has kept his head down throughout the stroke; only now is he tracking his shot. Judging the ball’s flight path and his opponent’s reaction will give Djokovic a better idea of where to position himself for his next shot.

8. The ball has left the frame, but Djokovic is still completing his long follow-through. This is a great lesson for rec players—finish the swing first, then recover. Djokovic’s left leg is swinging out so he can plant it and move back toward the center of the court. He’s low to the ground, with his balance still perfect. That will help him explode to wherever the next ball goes.

Article by Harold Soloman and Andy Brandi, Photos by David Kenas – Tennis.com

Justine Henin is a big player for such a small woman. I first saw her play when she was 10 years old and it was apparent even then that she was tremendously talented. Her signature shot, the one-handed backhand, was well on its way to becoming the beautiful stroke it is today. There’s nothing Henin can’t do with her backhand. In this sequence we see her produce one of the most difficult shots in the game, the backhand topspin lob.

1. Disguise is key for an effective topspin lob and there’s nothing about Henin’s preparation that signals that she’s about to hit one. Instead, she gets directly behind the ball and positions herself as if she’s going to hit any other passing shot. The racquet is up behind her head and her shoulders and hips are turned, which is critical on a one-handed backhand. You can’t see it in this photo, but her left hand is cradling the racquet at the throat to assist in her shoulder turn. She’s also bending her knees and loading her weight on her back foot.

2. Henin begins to drop the racquet head under the ball. Her left hand is just coming off the throat, which gives you an indication of how much she uses it to guide the racquet. She has an extreme grip as opposed to the classic Eastern backhand grip. I’d call it a semi-Western backhand, because her hand is so far around on the handle. Her balance and posture are excellent, and her head is very still as she begins to transfer her weight to her front foot.

3. Only now can you tell that Henin is going to hit a lob. Her racquet head has dropped very low so it’s well under the ball. She’s going to bring her racquet up quickly to brush behind the ball and lift it over her opponent’s head. Her hitting arm is extended out and she’ll make contact well ahead of her front foot. Her head has not moved since the first frame.

4. If you compare this frame to the previous one, you can see Henin’s sharply vertical swing and how she’s rotated her arm to produce the topspin she wants. She can do that because her extreme grip keeps her racquet face more closed than a conventional Eastern. I also like how her left hand stays back to counterbalance her hitting arm. She has fully transferred her weight to her front foot and sent the ball on its way, yet her head is virtually in the same place it was in the first frame.

5. The momentum resulting from Henin’s extreme upward swing path and the extension of her hitting arm has carried her slightly up onto the ball of her front foot. But Henin has maintained perfect posture and balance, showing that she has excellent technique and strong core muscles.

6. It’s interesting to see that Henin has kept the same 90-degree angle between her racquet and forearm in the last three frames. Instead of using her wrist to flick the racquet as you might expect, she rotates her forearm and shoulder to produce a sharp upward sweep. Though we can’t be certain, this may be because she decided to hit the lob at the last instant. Either way, she disguised and executed it perfectly.

Article by Lynne Rolley, Photos by David Kenas – Tennis.com