Roger Federer called time on his wonderful career at the end of 2022. The Swiss maestro dominated the tennis court with grace and poise. However, the one thing that made Federer stand out from the rest was his easy on the eye, one-handed backhand. The Swiss star made a name for himself with this weapon throughout his career.
Over the history of tennis, only a handful of players have successful used the one-handed backhand effectively. Pete Sampras, Rod Laver and Roger Federer are the names that come to mind when you think of a graceful backhand. The three generation of tennis stars have carried the baton of ‘single-hand backhand’ with them.
However, now since Federer’s retirement, there are no players in the top 10 ranking who have a one-handed backhand. During his interview with GQ magazine, Federer admitted that he is disappointed with this fact, but hoped for better times ahead.
Throughout the course of his career, Federer has motivated current tennis stars to use the one-handed backhand. Currently on the ATP Tour, there are a few players who have admitted that they were inspired by the Swiss maestro. Here is a list of five players who played the one-handed backhand because of Roger Federer –
Stefanos Tsitsipas
Stefanos Tsitsipas has admitted that he tried playing the one-handed backhand at the age of 8. The Greek star further added that he was trying to copy his childhood hero Roger Federer. Tsitsipas also feels that it is the coolest shot to play and helps improve his game.
Dominic Thiem
Thiem has one of the best one-handed backhands in the game. The Austrian star recently admitted that Federer was the biggest inspiration behind his single-hand backhand. Thiem added that among the ‘Big Three’, only Federer had a single-hand backhand and he could relate to the Swiss star more.
Chris Eubanks
Chris Eubanks is the young American tennis star who has got a devastating single hand backhand. Eubanks started off initially with a two-handed backhand but switched to a single-hand backhand because of his love for Roger Federer. The American admitted that he switched to a single-hand backhand at the age of 14 and has not looked back since.
Denis Shapovalov
Denis Shapovalov currently has one of the best one-handed backhands in tennis. The Canadian star has modified his game to the way Roger Federer played (according to Tennis Tonic) and has seen positive results. Still on 24, Shapovalov has a lot of time ahead of him to improve his game and challenge for titles.
Lorenzo Musetti
Musetti is another tennis star who has looked up to Roger Federer from his childhood. The Italian is the first to admit that he lacks control on his single-hand backhands but is working towards it. However, Musetti has admitted that when he was watching Federer as a child, he aspired to be like him and started practicing a one-handed backhand.
