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What do you like more: topspin backhand or slice?

4K views 38 replies 24 participants last post by  caisenma 
#1 ·
Recently I saw a lot of tards talking about the beauty of slice backhand. But for me one of the ugliest things in tennis is watching how players like Lopez, Johnson, Karlovic, Groth, 2014-2015 Federer, Muller slice every single backhand. It reminds me of amateur tennis where unskilled guys are unable to hit proper topsin backhand and keep slicing. So, what do you think?
 
#3 ·
Nadal actually has a nice slice to restart rallies from tough or awkward positions.

Slices are hella sexy, bring nice variety to tactics. Love it when used effectively with a low bounce to approach the net too. Or the low, biting slice to set up a passing shot. Lots of options.

It's the best when a player employs both topspin and slice backhands.
 
#4 ·
What are the odds a member of the Rafa clan starting a thread like this...

Players who are able to hit and use proper slice technique next to TSBH are more skilled than those who aren't able to. Slice is very effective, because it changes the pace and direction and makes sure the opponent can't use the speed of the ball.

Ball striking is part of tennis and I'm very happy there are players who show diversity in shot selection.
 
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#5 ·
I don't mind a slice here and there, but I dislike slicebots, I prefer watching players with poor BH slice than players with poor top spin BH. Take Flopez for example, he kept slicing crosscourt against Cilic, very rarely hitting any topspin. He was just waiting for Mugrin to miss. And yet Flopez is hailed as some kind of attacking genious.
 
#7 ·
First of all, they're called Feliciano Lopez and Marin Cilic. It's a fundamental sign of respect to call people by their actual name.

Could it be you're not able to see the beauty of an attacking slice ball? Lopez used the slice BH to approach the net. Hitting a BH means the ball arrives faster on the other side. Using slice means getting more time for positioning at the net.
 
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#6 ·
Making people choose between a slice or topspin backhand:facepalm:, for once can you just enjoy tennis, and stop this tard polarization.
 
#10 ·
I much prefer watching No1e hit his cross court topspin backhand 25 times in one rally, looks so epic.
 
#13 ·
Is it safe to conclude that you prefer a one dimensional way of BH? It explains a lot.

Tennis will be very boring if players only use on type of BH
 
#14 ·
I don't have a preference for a type of shot. In tennis it's more important that the chosen shot is used effectively.

What's the point of a topspin BH if the person executing it keeps on hitting it out.
 
#17 ·
Very few players have a good slice. Roger and Tommy Haas have great touch on their slice backhands. They can use it to hit a dropshot, force their opponent to come in off an awkward short ball (Federer used to kill Roddick with this tactic) or create a great angle with a soft slice. Nobody has a slice backhand like Steffi Graf's, however, that hard, biting slice that was a helluva weapon on the old Wimbledon grass.

Two slice backhands that drive me nuts are Novak's and DelPo's. Novak suffers from poor technique (he looks like a club player when hitting a slice) and makes far too many unforced errors when slicing the backhand. In light of how often DelPo resorts to the slice (75-80% of all backhands), you'd think he'd develop more of a driving, Graf-style slice. Instead, he just floats it back. It's a shot that pushes the ball back into play but accomplishes nothing.
 
#19 ·
I absolutely despise it when slice is overused/used exclusively. I used to slice exclusively and I hated that about my game, so I developed my BH and now my topspin BH is my preferred shot (I miss more FHs than I do BHs).

Now, I must say that the slice is an excellent tool. And excellent tool, and it can absolutely be weaponized. You can even catch a really good volleyer off guard when you slice right at them.

Having said that, if it's the only thing you do, it just feels lame. You're not trying to change the rhythm, you're not trying to construct a point, and you're not trying to actively win they point. You're just trying not to lose it, since anyone with a decent slice is pretty much guaranteed not to miss, and your opponent probably will....unless they slice it back, and the point devolves into a slice war. And then it all comes to whose slice will force the other guy to the net after the ball lands super short (ending in an ugly error most of the time).

If you have tactics in mind (other than trying not to miss), I think it's fine. But if you're just trying not to miss, it's basically pushing. And if it's all you do, it just makes your game look extremely limited.
 
#20 · (Edited)
Good thread. Players who only slice and slice everytime (especially on grass) when the rally is already neutralized it exposes the said player's one dimensional tennis ability because he is incapable of hitting a topspin backhand to finish the point by either hitting a winner or force an error. Topspin BHs are not only great to watch but also is a bigger weapon on any surface.
 
#22 ·
I think a combination of both is welcome. It becomes too boring if one just uses that one shot with not much variety, as with most baseline grinders only employ the topspin, while as slicebots/servebots only employ the slice. In terms of OHBH, I still think it would be harder to learn with that, seeing you need much strength to operate using it, even though IMO it seem to create more variety than a DHBH could. It also seems more effective as an offensive shot.
 
#26 ·
TSBH. Odd comparison. Slice is cool to see to confuse opponents now and again but it's not really a vital shot. The WTA player Monica Niculescu nearly put me off slices altogether. *shudders*
 
#29 ·
No, I didn't make a mistake. Federer's backhand was his biggest weakness in 2014-2015 and the reason why he lost all big matches to Djokovic. Just compare USO finals in 2015 and 2016. Djokovic was the same, but backhand of his opponents was different. Stan was pushing Nole back with deep and powerful topspin backhand, while Federer didn't somehow hurt the Serb with that slice-jerking.
 
#39 ·
they're both good, and equally important.

from purely an aesthetic POV, seeing a viscous cross-court/downtheline backhand is a thing of beauty.

then again, seeing an inside-out slice backhand used as a chip-and-charge is also a great thing.

... not sure why i have to say this, but all shots are important, and the more you have at your disposal, the better
 
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