Get Lost Loser

Opinion

Is the One-Hander Dead?

Someone asked me if I think a player with a one-handed backhand will ever win a grand slam again.

My immediate answer was yes. Why?

1. Crazy, seemingly impossible things happen all the time

2. A one-hander winning a slam doesn’t seem that crazy (remember that Federer guy?)

3. If you give it enough time, someone will eventually do it again, right?

But the more I watch the game evolve, the less confident I am that someone with a one-hander will lift a slam trophy ever again.

Modern tennis rewards those with the ability to both generate and absorb power, skills that are 5x easier with two hands on the racket than one. With two hands, players can engage more of their upper body and therefore hit the ball harder. And they get more stability when someone hits a hard ball at them, allowing them to more easily send it back with power.

This puts one-handers at a disadvantage in two critical areas:

1. Return of Serve: Players are serving faster than ever. And without the stability that two hands provide on the return, one-handers are forced to chip their returns often, and immediately start the point on defense (or neutral at best). In the long run, one-handers struggle to break serve as often as they need to win consistently.

2. Defense: Players are also hitting their groundstrokes harder than ever. As a result, absorbing power and turning defense into offense is vital. Djokovic is the best at this. With his two-hander, he can neutralize any big shot that comes his way, and steal points at a higher rate than one-handers.

It’s sad to see the one-hander go extinct. It’s easy on the eyes, and an elegant reminder of tennis’ origins. But based on where the game is going, it’s not a practical way to win at the highest level. So no, I don’t think a player with one will ever win a slam again, on both tours. Queue country club coaches saying, “back in my day…”

Trivia

Which player’s logo is this?

A. Danielle Collins

B. Dominic Thiem

C. Madison Keys

D. Daniil Medvedev

Find out at the bottom!

Meet the Player

Miomir Kecmanović

From: Serbia 🇷🇸

Best Slam Result: 4th Round (AO)

Career High Ranking: 27

Fun Fact: Speaks Serbian, German and English

Game Analysis: First off, give me this guys’ legs. They’re Berdych-level tree trunks. With technique that’s easy on the eyes, Kecmanovic is one of the purest ball strikers on tour. The Serb punishes groundies one after another until his opponents get full mind, body and soul cramps.

Career Prediction: While I like watching Miomir, great groundies aren’t enough to reach the top. He needs to develop a bigger serve (plus move better) if he wants to crack the Top 25. If I were him, I’d try to tap his countryman Novak Djokovic to coach him as soon as he retires. “C’mon big bro, please!” might get it done.

In Case You Missed It

Headlines from Around the Tours

🙅🏼‍♂️ “They should 100% get rid of dubs.” - Reilly Opelka. The American serve bot didn’t hold back on Instagram in response to the US Open’s revamped Mixed Doubles event. He continued, saying “they [doubles players] don’t sell a single ticket, they take up practice courts/physios/resources, they don’t turn a profit and they complain that they don’t make enough $$. That’s pretty greedy behavior if you ask me.” FWIW, I think that’s an extreme take. It’s true that doubles is dying as a commercial product, but I don’t think getting rid of it entirely is the answer. The tour needs to put me in coach incentivize big name singles players to play dubs.

💥 Andreeva cracks the Top 10. With her win in Dubai (WTA 1000) last week, 17 year old Mirra Andreeva became the youngest player to break into the Top 10 since 2007. The Russian beat Rybakina and Swiatek en route to the title, and is by far the most promising youngster on the WTA. I’m calling’ it — she’ll be No. 1 in the world within the next 18 months.

🎓 PSA: Get out and watch a college tennis match! Want to see players scream C’mon! after their opponent double faults? Or some of the shadiest line calling you’ve ever seen? Then get out to a college tennis match — you’ll be disturbed amazed. But for real, college tennis is super fun, cheap, and the level at the top is insanely high.

Memes

Confirmed: Fed has no manners.

Answer

D. Daniil Medvedev

The former World No. 1 teamed up with Lacoste to come up with his simple, block-lettered logo.