A no-frills motion paves the Frenchwoman’s way to the net. Reigning Wimbledon champion Amélie Mauresmo is an all-court player who, unlike most of her peers, regularly attacks the net. And whether she’s coming in off a short ball in a rally or attacking a weak serve, as she is in this sequence, her slice backhand [...]

Aggression plus top-notch mechanics make for a fearsome shot. Serbia’s Jelena Jankovic likes to clock the ball, and in a baseline battle she can hang with the best. Last year, she beat the likes of Nadia Petrova, Elena Dementieva, and Svetlana Kuznetsova on her way to a career-high fi nish of No. 12 in the [...]

Perfect balance, precise footwork, and an uncanny ability to watch the ball make Federer’s backhand a shot worth emulating. It isn’t just that Roger Federer can masterfully hit any shot in the book—and a few shots that aren’t—but that he makes it look ridiculously easy. One of the keys to Federer’s success, and the principle [...]

David Nalbandian has all the ingredients for a great two-handed backhand. A few years ago at the U.S. Open I saw David Nalbandian play for the first time. He was about to turn pro and I was extremely impressed with how smoothly and easily he executed his strokes, especially his backhand. Whenever I teach students [...]

SHOULDERS » Safin accompanies his racquet take-back with a significant shoulder turn. His front shoulder is even with his chin, and you can see a good portion of his back. This will get a great deal of upper-body rotation into the shot and help him generate huge power when he wants it. ARMS » As [...]

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 [...]

A big swing and great timing make this stroke a thing of beauty. 1. Although the ball isn’t in the picture, Gasquet is totally prepared to execute the shot. He has stepped into a semi-closed stance with his right toe angled toward the net. (If the foot were parallel to the net, it would block [...]

Guillermo Coria stays perfectly balanced and composed on his two-handed backhand. HEAD: Coria is making a tremendous effort at this point of the swing, yet his body is nicely composed. His eyes are relaxed and focused on the point of contact, and his head is steady, which allows him to keep his whole body coordinated. [...]

Even a tricky high ball is no match for Ivan Ljubicic’s backhand. Perhaps the most difficult shot for players with one-handed backhands is hitting a ball up around the shoulders. There are three options to use in order to return it: You move in and take it early and on the rise, before it gets [...]

This 19-year-old Hungarian rocketed almost 200 spots up the rankings last season, thanks in large part to her bruising two-hander. 1. Szavay’s preparation is excellent. I like her grip—her right hand is a little over from a Continental, almost like a one-handed backhand grip. This helps keep the racquet face closed so she can hit [...]