In the continuing absence of Roger Federer from the ATP Tour, tennis purists have had to look elsewhere for their stylistic kicks and in particular for a new favourite stroke to match the fluidity and grace of either Federer’s forehand or backhand. It is possible that many of them may eventually settle on the lovely single-handed backhand of Lorenzo Musetti, a stroke that the young Italian hits with such ease and power that it evokes memories of the finest single-handed backhands ever seen in men’s tennis, including those of Federer, Stan Wawrinka and John McEnroe. However, even as Musetti continues to rise up the world rankings, it must be asked whether a single-handed backhand will ever be enough again to challenge at the very top of men’s tennis.
由於羅傑·費德勒繼續缺席ATP巡迴賽，網球純粹主義者不得不在別處尋找他們的風格踢球，特別是尋找一種新的最喜歡的擊球來匹配費德勒正手或反手的流暢性和優雅性。 他們中的許多人可能最終會選擇洛倫佐·穆塞蒂（Lorenzo Musetti）可愛的單手反手擊球，這位年輕的意大利人以如此輕鬆和有力的方式擊球，讓人想起男子網球中有史以來最好的單手反手擊球， 包括費德勒、斯坦·瓦林卡和約翰·麥肯羅。 然而，即使穆塞蒂的世界排名繼續上升，單手反手是否足以再次挑戰男子網球的最高水平。
The single-handed backhand has always been the tennis aesthete’s favourite stroke and regarded by them as infinitely more pleasing to the eye than the double-hander. The double-handed backhand inevitably creates a sensation of effort and control; it is a very conscious shot, as it were, which is only made to appear remotely natural by years of practice and fine tuning. By contrast, the single-handed backhand, when played well, creates the opposite impression, namely of ease, comfort and even naturalness. At its absolute best, it can be played more quickly and instinctively than the two-hander, simply because it does not require a player to grip the racket with both hands to generate power.
單手反手一直是網球愛好者最喜歡的擊球方式，被他們視為比雙手更順眼。 雙手反手不可避免地會產生努力和控制的感覺； 可以說，這是一個非常有意識的鏡頭，只有經過多年的練習和微調才能顯得有些自然。 相比之下，單手反手打得好時，會產生相反的印象，即輕鬆、舒適甚至自然。 在絕對最好的情況下，它可以比雙手拍得更快、更直覺，這僅僅是因為它不需要球員用雙手握住球拍來產生力量。
One major reason for the popularity of the single-handed backhand among tennis stylists is that it was the backhand of choice of three truly great players who might be regarded as The Holy Trinity of Artistic Tennis: Nicola Pietrangeli, the two-time French Open winner (1959 and 1960), whose legendary flair was rediscovered by a later generation because of its similarity to that of Federer; John McEnroe, the seven-time Major winner (four US Opens and three Wimbledons), who, before Rafael Nadal came along, was widely regarded as the greatest left-hander to play tennis; and, of course, Federer, the 20-time Major winner, whose precise and even poetic expression on both wings has captivated millions of tennis fans around the world for the last 20 years. The fact that these three great players, who embodied the idea of tennis creativity rather than tennis strength, all played with a single-handed backhand only confirmed what already appeared to be the inherent superiority of the single-hander to the comparatively ungainly, even ugly, two-hander.
單手反手在網球造型師中流行的一個主要原因是，它是三位真正偉大的球員選擇的反手，他們可能被認為是藝術網球的三位一體：尼古拉·皮特蘭格利，兩屆法網冠軍（1959年和1960年），由於與費德勒相似，他的傳奇天賦被後人重新發現；約翰麥肯羅，七次大滿貫冠軍（四次美國公開賽和三次溫布爾登網球公開賽），在拉斐爾·納達爾出現之前，他被廣泛認為是網球界最偉大的左撇子；當然，還有費德勒，這位 20 次大滿貫冠軍得主，在過去的 20 年裡，他在雙翼上精準而富有詩意的表情吸引了全球數百萬網球迷。這三位體現網球創造力而非網球力量的偉大球員，都以單手反手打球，這一事實僅證實了單手對相對笨拙甚至醜陋的人的固有優勢。 , 兩手。
Given that most tennis players, either male or female, have had a two-handed backhand ever since it became the dominant type of backhand from the early 1970s onwards, the single-handed backhand has always had rarity value in the Open Era (since 1968, when tennis went fully professional). Consequently, whenever two single-handers meet, especially if they are male, it is noteworthy. That was the case in the Final of the ATP Tour Finals in 2019, when Dominic Thiem met Stefanos Tsitsipas and the Austrian said before the match that it would be a treat for the tennis purist. It certainly was, but that was the last significant match-up, in a Major Men’s Final or Tour Finals Final, between two single-handed backhands and it is increasingly difficult to imagine when the next one will be.
鑑於大多數網球運動員，無論是男性還是女性，自從 1970 年代初成為反手的主要類型以來，雙手反手都使用過，單手反手在公開時代（自 1968 年以來）一直具有稀有價值。 ，當網球完全專業化時）。 因此，每當兩個單手相遇時，尤其是如果他們是男性，這都是值得注意的。 2019 年 ATP 巡迴賽總決賽的決賽就是這種情況，當時多米尼克·蒂姆遇到了斯特凡諾斯·西西帕斯，而奧地利人在賽前表示這對這位網球純粹主義者來說是一種享受。 確實如此，但那是最後一場重要的比賽，在主要男子決賽或巡迴賽決賽中，兩個單手反手之間的比賽，越來越難以想像下一場比賽會在什麼時候。
That is because the single-handed backhand is coming under increasing threat from the double-hander. At the very highest level of the men’s game, that has been evident over the last 15 years, or the era of “The Big Three”. Arguably, the single biggest deficiency, or at least relative deficiency, in Roger Federer’s otherwise outstanding all-court game was the fact that his single-handed backhand just could not generate the same power as the double-handers of both Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. That was especially evident on the high-bouncing clay of Paris, where Nadal’s forehand, when it was played into Federer’s backhand, often leapt off the court to such an extent that Federer found it almost impossible to return the ball, let alone return it with interest.
這是因為單手反手正受到越來越多的雙手威脅。 在男子比賽的最高水平上，這在過去 15 年或“三巨頭”時代已經很明顯了。 可以說，羅傑·費德勒在其他方面出色的全場比賽中最大的缺陷，或者至少是相對的缺陷是，他的單手反手無法產生與拉斐爾·納達爾和諾瓦克·德約科維奇的雙手相同的力量。 . 這在巴黎的高反彈紅土上尤為明顯，納達爾的正手擊球到費德勒的反手時，經常跳出球場，以至於費德勒幾乎不可能將球回球，更不用說回球了 興趣。
Of course, prior to Federer’s remarkable late-career renaissance, when he returned triumphantly in January 2017 to win three of the next four Majors that he played, the great Swiss had spent much of the previous six months (the second half of the 2016 season) recovering from injury and determinedly remodelling his backhand to cope with the extra power and aggression of Nadal’s double-hander. In the short term, it undoubtedly worked, particularly in the classic 2017 Australian Open Final between the two men, when Federer finally defeated Nadal in a Major Final for the first time in nearly 10 years. In the long run, however, it is surely indisputable that Nadal and Djokovic’s double-handed backhands have ultimately seen off the single-handed Federer backhand, although the injuries that Federer has suffered at the end of his career have also contributed to what must now be regarded as a terminal decline.
當然，在費德勒非凡的職業生涯後期復興之前，當他在 2017 年 1 月凱旋回歸併贏得接下來的四場大滿貫賽中的三場時，這位偉大的瑞士人在過去六個月（2016 賽季後半段）度過了大部分時間 ）從傷病中恢復過來，並決心重塑他的反手，以應對納達爾雙手的額外力量和侵略性。 在短期內，它無疑奏效了，尤其是在兩人之間的經典 2017 年澳網決賽中，費德勒終於在近 10 年來的第一次大滿貫決賽中擊敗了納達爾。 然而，從長遠來看，納達爾和德約的雙手反手最終戰勝了費德勒的單手反手，這無疑是無可爭辯的，儘管費德勒在職業生涯末期所受的傷也促成了現在必須要做的事情。 被視為終端下跌。
A similar pattern, with the double-handed backhand dominating the single-hander, has been emerging in all of men’s tennis and not just within the Big Three. At last month’s Australian Open semifinals, for example, Daniil Medvedev won relatively easily against Stefanos Tsitsipas. Indeed, such was the domination that Tsitsipas, like all players with a single-handed backhand, must have been left wondering what he has to do to compete with such monstrous two-handed backhands. It is too late in his own career to even to consider switching to a single-handed backhand, but much younger players might just wonder whether it is worth trying to.
類似的模式，雙手反手主導單手，已經出現在所有男子網球中，而不僅僅是在三巨頭中。 例如，在上個月的澳網半決賽中，丹尼爾·梅德韋傑夫（Daniil Medvedev）相對輕鬆地擊敗了斯特凡諾斯·西西帕斯（Stefanos Tsitsipas）。 事實上，這種統治力使得西西帕斯像所有單手反手的球員一樣，一定想知道他必須做什麼才能與如此可怕的雙手反手競爭。 在他自己的職業生涯中，甚至考慮改用單手反手都為時已晚，但許多年輕球員可能只是想知道是否值得嘗試。
Among those younger players, of course, is Lorenzo Musetti, who now possesses what is surely the most sumptuous single-handed backhand in men’s tennis. That was evident last year in his breakthrough tournament, the French Open, when he produced a seemingly endless succession of stunning backhands to advance to the fourth round, where he even took a two-set lead against the Calendar Slam-hunting Djokovic before the Serb fought back with such intensity that the young Italian was forced to retire injured in the fifth set.
在這些年輕球員中，當然是洛倫佐·穆塞蒂，他現在擁有無疑是男子網壇最華麗的單手反手。 去年在他的突破性賽事法網公開賽中就體現了這一點，當時他打出一連串令人驚嘆的反手擊球晉級第四輪，他甚至在塞爾維亞人之前以兩盤領先追趕日曆大滿貫的德約科維奇 反擊如此激烈，以至於這位年輕的意大利人在第五盤中因受傷被迫退賽。
After that spectacular display on his Major debut, Musetti, perhaps unsurprisingly, suffered a major comedown, one that seemed to last for almost the entire second half of last season. Consequently, it was wonderful to see him returning to form in Rotterdam last week, when he reached the quarter-finals by beating Sweden’s Mikael Ymer (another of the game’s rising stars) and Hubert Hurkacz, the world no.11, who was ranked inside the top 10 at the end of last year. In both those wins, and particularly against Hurkacz, the Musetti single-handed backhand was the most rapid of rapiers, striking winners down the line and cross-court seemingly while the opponent was still taking a grip of his racket with both hands.
在他的大滿貫處子秀上的那場壯觀的表演之後，也許不出所料，穆塞蒂遭遇了重大的倒退，這種倒退似乎持續了幾乎整個上賽季的後半段。 因此，很高興看到他上週在鹿特丹重返賽場，當時他擊敗瑞典的米凱爾·伊梅爾（比賽的另一位冉冉升起的新星）和世界排名第 11 的休伯特·赫爾卡茨（Hubert Hurkacz）進入四分之一決賽 去年年底前10名。 在這兩場胜利中，尤其是在對陣 Hurkacz 的比賽中，穆塞蒂單手反手是最快的劍桿，在對手仍然用雙手握住球拍的情況下，似乎可以在底線和橫場擊球。
Unfortunately for Musetti and his growing band of admirers, he lost in the Rotterdam semi-final to another young star who spectacularly announced his presence on the ATP Tour, Jiri Lehecka of the Czech Republic. At 20, Lehecka may be only a year older than Musetti, but he looked a lot stronger, including on the backhand wing, as he eventually won a hard-fought match in three sets. Having beaten Denis Shapovalov and Musetti in the same week, Lehecka already looks like he is another product of the great Czech tradition of tennis, who could yet follow in the illustrious footsteps of Jaroslav Drobný, Martina Navratilova, Ivan Lendl, Barbora Krejčíková et al.
不幸的是，對於穆塞蒂和他越來越多的崇拜者來說，他在鹿特丹半決賽中輸給了另一位在 ATP 巡迴賽上引人注目的年輕球星，捷克共和國的伊里·萊赫卡 (Jiri Lehecka)。 20歲的萊赫卡可能只比穆塞蒂大一歲，但他看起來更強壯，包括反手側翼，因為他最終在三盤比賽中贏得了一場艱苦的比賽。 在同一周擊敗丹尼斯·沙波瓦洛夫和穆塞蒂之後，萊赫卡看起來已經是捷克偉大網球傳統的另一個產物，他還可以追隨雅羅斯拉夫·德羅布尼、瑪蒂娜·納芙拉蒂洛娃、伊万·倫德爾、巴博拉·克雷伊奇科瓦等人的輝煌腳步。
In addition, Lehecka could join the growing band of young male stars with powerful double-handed backhands who could rise above Musetti and his single-hander to challenge for Majors in the future. Both the precocious Carlos Alcaraz and Musetti’s compatriot Jannik Sinner, who are probably the two brightest young stars in men’s tennis, have double-handed backhands and at this stage it is impossible not to fear that Musetti will have enormous problems in getting past any or indeed all of them if he is ever to win a Major. And if Musetti cannot win a Major with his cannon of a single-hander, then perhaps no-one with a single-hander can.
此外，Lehecka 還可以加入日益壯大的年輕男星隊伍，憑藉強大的雙手反手，他們可以超越 Musetti 和他的單手，在未來挑戰 Majors。 早熟的卡洛斯·阿爾卡拉斯和穆塞蒂的同胞揚尼克·辛納可能是男子網壇最耀眼的兩位年輕球星，他們都是雙手反手，在這個階段不可能不擔心穆塞蒂在通過任何或確實會遇到巨大的問題 如果他想贏得Major，所有這些。 如果穆塞蒂不能憑藉他的單手大砲贏得少校，那麼也許沒有人可以單手打。
Thus it might be that in another generation or two, the single-handed backhand will ultimately become as obsolete as the two-handed forehand, which at one point in the early evolution of tennis was the dominant form of forehand. That might be inevitable, but if it happens it would still be a shame, as another part of the unique DNA of artistic, truly aesthetic tennis would be lost forever.
因此，在另一或兩代人中，單手反手可能最終會像雙手正手一樣過時，在網球早期發展的某個時刻，正手是正手的主要形式。 這可能是不可避免的，但如果發生這種情況，那仍然是一種恥辱，因為藝術、真正審美網球的另一部分獨特 DNA 將永遠消失。
