If you struggle with the slice backhand, you’re not alone. It's an extraordinarily difficult shot. That's because there is a big difference between how we think it works and how it actually works. In this post I am going to explain the differences so you can understand how this might apply to your backhand.
Based on what we see on TV at high speed and how some coaches demonstrate it on court, most of us feel we should be carving down the back of the ball in a straight line. Just like I have illustrated in the image with the green lines.
The thing is, if you hit the ball like that, it would simply loop upwards gently into the court. This is because the ball always starts its journey travelling perpendicular to the racket face.
So to get the ball to travel with the right trajectory, we need a steeper face angle at contact - just slightly tilted back from vertical.
Have a look at this image to see what really happens during the slice backhand.
Did you see the racket face position at contact?
Moving beyond that and on to the less examined side of the sliced backhand, what’s even more striking is just how much the racket face angle changes during the swing!
90 degrees before contact, the strings almost point to the sky. But rolling the forearm (supination) through this last arc delivers a near-vertical face and with it, the perfect balance of power and spin as the ball scythes a lethal path to the other side of the court. Beautiful to watch. Extraordinarily difficult to execute.
I'm going to come back to this crucial last 90° arc the racket travels through prior to contact, but first a slight tangent. If you flip the image over (see below), you’ll notice the racket face positions EXACTLY mirror those of the topspin forehand! Look out for the corresponding 'pat the dog' position when the racket face almost points directly down before the racket arcs around to contact.
This is no coincidence. The physics needed to deliver both power and spin are identical. (This symmetry is just another reason why I am so in love with this sport!)
Zoe was recently at Indian Wells and took some great footage of Musetti's slice backhand. Have a look at the video below and see if you can see the things I have described above:
- open strings pointing upwards 90 degrees before (ie when the racket is point to the back fence
- an almost vertical racket face at contact
I'll help you out...
And here's the interesting counter-intuitive thing that most people miss on the slice backhand:
The forearm has to roll towards the target.
Have a look at the anti-clockwise orange arrow. This supination of the forearm is the only way you get the strings from pointing to the sky to pointing almost horizontally at contact. Those who play slice well typically don't even know they do it. I certainly didn't. I only spotted it while watching the slow-motion footage of my shot.
It feels very unnatural when you actively swing this way without a tennis ball. But it's essential if you want to add any kind of power to your slice backhand. Without it the ball will simply float upwards with no penetration.
The good news is that you can practice this motion very easily on the Tennis SpinPro. The screen angle on the SpinPro is set at the same angle as the green line in the image because that's the angle your racket face has to be at contact. One of the progressions you can work on is starting in the position with the racket pointing to the back fence and the strings pointing skyward. And then arcing through 90 degrees to make contact with the racket face angle matching the screen.
I hope you have found this analysis as interesting as I have. We will make sure to publish a video that explains this in more detail and demonstrates how to do it.
FAQs
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Why is the slice backhand so difficult?
The slice backhand is an extraordinarily difficult shot. Many players think it should feel like carving straight down the back of the ball, but that idea does not match what really happens.
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Why does the ball not travel correctly if you hit straight down the back of it?
If you hit the ball like that, it would loop upwards gently. That happens because the ball starts by travelling perpendicular to the racket face.
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What do you need at contact to make the slice backhand work properly?
You need a steeper face angle at contact. This helps the ball travel with the right trajectory instead of floating up.
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What happens to the racket face during the slice backhand swing?
The racket face changes a lot during the swing. About 90 degrees before contact, the strings point to the sky, then forearm rolling through the last part delivers a near-vertical face.
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Why is the slice backhand compared to the topspin forehand?
If you flip the image over, the racket face positions mirror those of the topspin forehand. The physics is identical, which is part of what makes the sport so fascinating.
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