Could Tsitsipas, Dimitrov be leading one-handed backhand resurgence?

Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour

The one-handed backhand has surged back into the spotlight.

For the first time in nearly three years, two players with one-handed backhands are in the Top 10 of the PIF ATP Rankings this week. Stefanos Tsitsipas soared to No. 7 while Grigor Dimitrov is No. 10. 

Just two months ago, the week of 19 February, there were no one-handed players in the Top 10 for the first time in the history of the PIF ATP Rankings, leading some to wonder if the shot has a future.

“I feel like I am part of the players that carry on the legacy of the single-handed backhand,” Tsitsipas said this year at Indian Wells. “If it was not for me, if it was not for Grigor, if it was not for Lorenzo [Musetti], if it was not for Richard [Gasquet], this shot would barely be seen on the Tour. Yes, it's an old-school shot, something that people used to play back in the day, but it has its modernity these days. It has evolved into a modern shot that looks way different than it was hundreds of years ago.

“I do believe that more kids in the future [should] definitely decide to pursue a single-handed backhand and we might see that at big levels again, perhaps even a lot of players playing it inside the Top 10 soon.”

The last time two players with one-handers were in the elite group was the week of 25 October 2021, when Tsitsipas was No. 3 and Dominic Thiem was No. 9.

Overall, 10 members of the Top 100 wield a one-handed backhand. Joining Tsitsipas and Dimitrov are No. 24 Lorenzo Musetti, No. 42 Christopher Eubanks, No. 49 Daniel Evans, No. 58 Christopher O’Connell, No. 59 Dusan Lajovic, No. 66 Daniel Altmaier, No. 86 Stan Wawrinka and No. 97 Aleksandar Kovacevic.

Four players in the Top 10 of the PIF ATP Doubles Rankings — No. 2 Rohan Bopanna, No. 3 Horacio Zeballos, No. 6 Joe Salisbury and No. 7 Rajeev Ram — also play with a one-hander.