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Andre Agassi's former coach, Brad Gilbert, has recently ranked Roger Federer ahead of Ivan Lendl, John McEnroe, and other tennis greats in his top 10 list of one-handed backhands from 1980 to the present. Federer’s one-handed backhand, known for its finesse and effectiveness, has been a key weapon throughout his career.
On Monday, Gilbert posted his top 10 one-handed backhands list on X. Federer topped the list, with Swiss compatriot Stan Wawrinka at No. 2. Swedish legend Stefan Edberg, a six-time Grand Slam winner, is at No. 3.
American icon John McEnroe is ranked fourth on the list, with Ivan Lendl following at fifth. The rankings for numbers six through ten include Boris Becker, Tommy Haas, Gaston Gaudio, Richard Gasquet, and Albert Costa. Gilbert further acknowledged that his list of top one-handed backhands was based on immediate thoughts, and said he may have overlooked players such as Michael Stich and Philipp Kohlschreiber.
“my list for best one handed bachands let’s say from 1980 #1 Fed #2 Stanimal #3 Edberg #4 Mac #5 Lendl now gets tricky 6-10 #6 Boris #7 Haas #8 Gaudio #9 Gasquet #10 Al Costa, this just off the top head probably forgetting a few like Stich and Kohly 2more good ones too” - Brad Gilbert wrote.
Roger Federer once expressed his disappointment with the lack of one-handed backhands in the top ten
In March 2024, during an interview with GQ magazine, Roger Federer expressed his disappointment upon learning that Stefanos Tsitsipas had dropped out of the ATP top 10. The 20-time Grand Slam champion described it as feeling like a "dagger," saying:
“That’s a dagger right there, I felt that one. That one was personal. I didn’t like that. But at the same time, how do you say, it makes the one-handers – [Pete] Sampras, Rod Laver, me – it makes us special as well that we’ve carried the torch, or the flag or whatever, for as long as we did.” - Federer said
The 43-year-old added that he loves seeing players use the one-handed backhand, saying:
“So I love seeing players with one-handers like Stan [Wawrinka] and [Richard] Gasquet and Tsitsipas. Dominic Thiem has a wonderful one. Grigor [Dimitrov], good friend.”
Dimitrov, meanwhile, has experienced a resurgence and moved up to No. 9 in the ATP rankings.
