The Fall of the One-Handed Backhand at the 2026 US Open

The one-handed backhand was the dominant playing style for the first 100 years or so of professional tennis. Players began adopting the two-handed backhand around the start of the Open Era in the late 1960s, but it was not until the 1990s that one-handed playing truly fell out of fashion.

The End of a 149-Year Streak

Since the Wimbledon Championships began in 1877, at least one player with a single-handed backhand has made the semifinals of a Grand Slam tournament every single year. That 149-year streak officially ended when Stefanos Tsitsipas was eliminated from the Round of 16 at the 2026 US Open.

The Greek player was the last one standing in the main draw who still wielded the rare stroke. He fared pretty well at Flushing Meadows up until that point, defeating Cincinnati Open champion Arthur Fils in the first round, taking down Lloyd Harris in the second, and then beating Jiri Lehecka in the third.

Tsitsipas and his one-handed backhand finally met their match against American powerhouse Ben Shelton. He was no match for his opponent’s power and speed, falling in three straight sets at Arthur Ashe.

The Slow Decline of the One-Handed Backhand

The introduction of the two-handed backhand was the main reason that the one-handed technique began to be seen less and less in professional tennis. Jimmy Connors and Björn Borg led the two-handed rise on the men’s side, and Chris Evert did the same for women’s tennis. The topspin backhand then became a major weapon with players like Andre Agassi and Monica Seles.

Nevertheless, there were still some men’s singles players who carried the one-handed torch forward, causing spikes of popularity during this period of slow decline. John McEnroe and Ivan Lendl were notable examples in the 1980s, followed by Pete Sampras and Stefan Edberg in the 1990s.

The great Roger Federer was a final standout in the 2000s and 2010s who won 20 Grand Slam titles while playing with his dominant right hand. The one-handed backhand meanwhile even more quickly died out in women’s singles tennis.

Federer’s One-Handed Backhand

Federer was honored at the 2026 US Open for his legendary one-handed tennis career. At the celebratory event “Roger Federer: An Icon Returns to New York,” the Swiss player discussed the disappearance of the stroke. He even mentioned his own child struggling to play without both hands.

“I'm still hopeful it's not the end,” Federer said. “I think when your coach is a one-handed tennis player, you will most likely be a one-handed tennis player too. Nowadays, probably the coaches are mostly double-handed players, and it's just easier.”

The Last One-Handed Backhand Win at the US Open

Dominic Thiem was the last men’s singles player to win a US Open title with a one-handed backhand. The Austrian player played the final in 2020 at Arthur Ashe Stadium without an audience due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Thiem defeated Alexander Zverev in a five-set thriller (2-6, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 7-6) that ended in a 7-2 tiebreak game during the final set.

Justine Henin was the last women’s singles player to win a US Open title with a one-handed backhand. The Belgian player did so back in 2007 when she defeated her fellow countrywoman Svetlana Kuznetsova in straight sets (6-1, 6-3).

Recent One-Handed Backhand Players

Since Federer’s retirement, only three players have successfully made it to a Grand Slam semifinal with their one-handed backhand stroke: Tsitsipas, Italian player Lorenzo Musetti, and Canadian player Denis Shapovalov. All three men qualified for the main draw but were eliminated before the quarterfinals in 2026.

When Tsitsipas was interviewed by the US Open about the stroke’s decline, he said, “Every single decade, we’re decreasing. We’re like dinosaurs going extinct.” In the same interview, Musetti suggested that the trend is “partly a consequence of the fact that, realistically, the two-handed backhand offers an advantage in modern tennis.”

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