Tennis Backhand – One-Handed vs Two-Handed Backhand

Most tennis players, at some point, have questioned whether they should use a one-handed tennis backhand or a two-handed tennis backhand. In this video, Top Tennis Training coach Simon Konov will analyze the major differences between both strokes and go over the pros and cons. Hopefully, after watching this video, you’ll have a better understanding of which stroke you should stick to.

Two-Handed Tennis Backhand

If we look at some of the best backhands of all time, many have used a two-handed backhand. Players such as Andre Agassi, Novak Djokovic, Marat Safin and David Nalbandian all played with a double hander. On the flip side of that, we have players such as Stan Wawrinka, Roger Federer, Tommy Robredo, Richard Gasquet and Gustavo Kuerten who all used a single-hander. In general, the two-handed backhand seems to be much more commonly used by players of all abilities including the pros, this is because of the extra stability you can have with two hands on the grip, as opposed to the one.

Benefits Of Each Stroke

Here are some of the major benefits of the two-handed tennis backhand:

• The ability to use the top hand like a forehand
• The ability to use full rotation of the trunk muscles and open the hips during the contact zone
• The added stability due to using two hands
• Being able to use the pec muscles to support the contact zone
• Being able to pivot around the front foot which aids recovery
• Being able to use an open stance to greater effect

Here are some of the major advantages of the one-handed backhand:

• Greater range of motion throughout the swing because you’re using only one hand
• Ability to master the slice backhand
• Easier to hit on the run
• Can be more loose with the swing