“I admire Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka, the two Swiss,” said 18-year-old pro Stefanos Tsitsipas when he was asked to name his tennis idols. Does it seem odd that a teenager born in Greece would be a diehard Swissophile? Not when you watch Tsitsipas play. Following in his idols’ footsteps, the former No. 1 junior uses a one-handed backhand.
You can see how closely Tsitsipas has studied Federer’s one-hander when he hits a cross court pass. Like Federer, he keeps his head still, flicks his wrist and extends his right arm in a circle above his head. And like Federer, he can make it appear as if he’s going down the line, only to snap the ball in the other direction.
Still, it’s probably a little premature to dub Tsitsipas, who cracked the Top 200 for the first time in January, the new Baby Fed or Grandbaby Fed. What is interesting about his game is what it says about the future of the one-handed backhand.
This story is from the May/Jun 2017 edition of Tennis.
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This story is from the May/Jun 2017 edition of Tennis.
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