TennisOne Lessons

Homage to Backspin

Philippe Azar
Peter Burwash International

Once upon a time, a very nice chap in the UK invented lawn tennis. Back then, racquet heads were small and the frames as heavy as the tree trunks they were made of. Players could only take little swats at the ball and they figured that backspin was the most efficient way of maneuvering it and the opponent. And so it continued for about a century; players sliced and diced their way around the court, trying to conquer the net as often as possible.

A wind of change blew into the mid 1980’s when a new breed of players emerged with big muscles and racquets to match. They discovered that tennis could be won from the back of the court by peeling the felt off the ball. The age of power tennis was born. Out went backspin and net-rushing and in came topspins and outright winners.

One could have thought that this was the end of the road for backspin - but it most certainly was not. Styles and methods are like fashions; they never die - they come and go in cycles. After the last couple of decades dominated by baseline power-hitters, it looks like we’re entering a new era that will once again favor all-court players - those who feel just as comfortable winning at the net as they do from the baseline and who strive to use the full palette of shots available to a tennis player.

On both the men's and women's tour, the modern game is dominated by baseline power-hitters.

As such, the backspin is making a comeback. All it takes is one or two high profile players to demonstrate the versatility of the shot for a whole generation to feel inspired to follow in their footsteps. The likes of Graf, Federer and Santoro have been our shining backspin beacons by showing how this spin is still very much pertinent in the age of sheer brawn and muscle. Their successes have spurred other players to develop their own backspins. The examples are Nadal and Djokovic who have made concerted efforts to use it more frequently – occasionally to good effect!

Nick Bollettieri has produced more Grand Slam winners than any other academy but his methodology consists of hitting a lot of balls hard from the baseline.

Here is an interesting question to consider: how is it that backspin went out of fashion in the first place? Is it exclusively due to lighter racquets and fitter players? What other factors might influence how styles and shots come and go? I believe that coaches around the world need to assume some of the responsibility. As the primary engineers of their protégé’s tennis, they very often have a fundamental and long-lasting influence on the technique, style, and shot selection of their students. Too many teaching professionals have been pushing a brand of tennis based exclusively on power over the last couple of decades. They did so with the ill-conceived belief that only power will win matches. Out went the practice sessions on backspin and volleying and in came a mundane regime of topspin and big backswings.

The top of the world rankings through the 90’s have been dominated by one-dimensional players whose tennis prowess revolved around over-powering rather than out-thinking their opponents. The perfect example of this is the Bollettieri factory which, to their credit, has produced more Grand Slam winners than any other academy in the history of tennis. There is no doubting their success. But at what price? Their most successful alumni - Sharapova, Seles, Pierce, Courier, Agassi, and Majoli - can hardly be described as players who knew the finer arts of their sport. The academy makes no secret that its methodology consists of hitting a lot of balls… hard…. from the baseline.

It’s far easier for coaches to produce clones than allow for individuality. Luckily, the new generation of coaches seems more inclined to let their students develop naturally and it looks like the “lost generation” of the last decades will be replaced by a new class willing to experiment and just as happy to chip’n’charge as they are staying back. Things are looking up.

On the right, Federer hits a biting, offensive slice, while Justine Henin hits a more neutralizing change of pace slice. Both can be very effective.

So much for the past though and let’s look at how the backspin features now and in the future at all levels of the game. While the last generation has been busy honing their perfect topspins to the detriment of other shots, the young guns, especially the male ones, are starting to embrace the favors that backspin can bring to their games. There is a growing realization that this shot is the most versatile of spins as it is not only a defensive but can also be used offensively. All four Wimbledon 2007 semi-finalists (Federer, Nadal, Djokovic and Gasquet), whose style of tennis is usually associated with a concoction of power, topspin and winners, made clear attempts to integrate the backspin into their strategies during the tournament.

Similarly, last year’s surprise Australian Open finalist, Fernando Gonzalez, builds his game just as much around his splendid backspin backhand as he does on his awesome forehand. Be it to draw the opponent to the net, as an approach shot, or to simply break the opponent’s rhythm, they all tried it with varying degrees of success. While Federer is an old master at using the shot effectively, his younger pretenders are still finding their feet and occasionally tripping over them as they go along. But, as long as the intention is there, the results will eventually follow.

So, if the art of using the backspin offensively is being rediscovered, how important is that to the game in the bigger picture? We are emerging out of a decade where the most frequent complaint was that the almost exclusively baseline/power brand of tennis preferred by the pros made for poor viewing. Incredible winners soon lose their luster especially if they are outnumbered by ridiculous errors. The increasing use of backspin can only be good as it opens up a whole spectrum of new possibilities and can only add to the excitement of individual rallies and the game overall.

One of the many reasons that make watching Santoro and Federer such a joy is their ability to mix up patterns of play according to the situation and opponents. Federer’s game is a glorious potpourri of all the shots available to a tennis player and he is not averse to using them all not only in the course of a match but also in individual points. Furthermore, tennis spectators will be able to better-appreciate the skill it takes to play backspin, given that it’s a shot that so many of them rely heavily on in their own weekend matches.

Last but not least, backspin does not stand to favor only the professionals. It is a shot more relevant than ever at all levels of the game. While the top of the game is playing catch-up; for some, mainly the weekend club hackers, backspin never died. As much as they wished to follow in the footsteps of their contemporary tennis heroes by powering and grunting their way through matches and as much as their new racquets came with promises of tennis-enlightenment, the reality on the ground is that backspin is so much easier. With an ever-ageing population of club players, backspin requires so much less effort.

In the next article, we will have a look at the practical applications of backspin and go through at least 30 situations for which it is ideally suited.

Your comments are welcome. Let us know what you think about Philippe Azar's article by emailing us here at TennisOne.

Philippe Azar is a professional with Peter Burwash International (PBI) and has been teaching tennis internationally for more than 15 years. He is presently based at Tokyo Lawn Tennis Club in Japan.

PBI contracts with resorts, hotels and clubs all over the world to direct tennis programs.The company presently has professionals working at 62 facilities in North America, Europe, Asia, Middle East, Caribbean, Pacific and Indian Ocean. During its 30 years in business, PBI tennis professionals have taught tennis to over three million students in more than 135 countries. For more information visit: pbitennis.com