“Extraordinary Players Came”- Stefanos Tsitsipas’ Old Prediction Haunts Him After Us Open Loss
- On Sunday in New York, Ben Shelton defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-2, 6-3, 6-4, ending a 149-year Grand Slam streak where at least one player with a one-handed backhand reached the men's singles semi-finals every year since Wimbledon in 1877.
- Usage of the one-handed backhand has plummeted dramatically; Tsitsipas noted that while 97% or 98% of players employed the stroke in the 1950s, adoption has fallen to just 2% or 3% today.
- Tsitsipas attributed the decline to a narrowing of modern tennis styles, stating, "Tennis used to be played with so many different variations of style and that variation has narrowed to one particular style these days, where everyone is playing the same. Courts have become slower."
- Before defeating Tsitsipas, Shelton eliminated Denis Shapovalov, another prominent one-handed backhand player, in the third round, effectively removing all remaining practitioners of the stroke from the tournament.
- Historically, the shot dominated professional tennis, with Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka continuing a lineage that included John McEnroe, Ivan Lendl, Pete Sampras, Stefan Edberg, and Gustavo Kuerten from the 1980s and 1990s.
20 Articles
20 Articles
US Open 2026: Shelton win ends 149-year Grand Slam streak for one-handed backhand
Ben Shelton’s win over Stefanos Tsitsipas marked the first time since 1877 that no player with a one-handed backhand reached the men’s singles semifinals of a Grand Slam in a calendar year.
Federer, Sampras, Kuerten... no one: After 149 years, end of an era in tennis
For the first time since 1877, no male player with a one-handed backhand has reached a Grand Slam semi-final this season, marking the decline of a storied tennis tradition. Once dominant, the one-hander has given way to the more practical two-handed backhand. Modern coaching trends and the evolving speed of the game have contributed to its fading presence among top players.
Tsitsipas laments fall of the one-handed backhand as 149-year run ends
Ben Shelton’s run to the U.S. Open quarter-finals dealt a blow to tennis traditionalists on Sunday after his win over Stefanos Tsitsipas left the men’s draw without a one-handed backhand and ended a 149-year Grand Slam streak. The elegant stroke has steadily yielded ground to the two-handed shot in the modern power game and at […]
“Extraordinary Players Came”- Stefanos Tsitsipas’ Old Prediction Haunts Him After Us Open Loss
When Stefanos Tsitsipas made that prediction in 2021, he believed Djokovic was the last giant standing and that his generation was next. Then a 19-year-old Carlos Alcaraz blew that idea apart. In 2022, he beat Nadal, Djokovic, and Zverev in consecutive matches in Madrid, and suddenly the future Tsitsipas had pictured for himself did not […]
Stefanos Tsitsipas failed to make it against Ben Shelton, losing 3-0 sets (6-2, 6-3, 6-4) and was eliminated from the US Open. The post Shelton – Tsitsipas 3-0: Stefanos failed and was eliminated from the US Open appeared first on in.gr.
Spanish tennis player Carlos Alcaraz, the defending champion in New York, defeated Tommy Paul 6:4, 6:3, 6:4 in the round of 16 at the US Open after two hours and 23 minutes of play. It is interesting that four matches were played in this round and in each of them an American played and they achieved three victories.
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