How Tennis Techniques have Changed (for the better?)

Tennis is a constantly evolving sport that has experienced major developments in its recent history which have been imposing continuous change on the beautiful game. If you are burning to understand why these changes are occurring and how they have affected the technique with which tennis is played, this is the right article for you.

We examine the changes in grip, swing and stance so that you have an idea of how tennis has evolved to become the game we play today and understand why the technique that you are using or being taught today can help maximise your potential and improve your tennis skills.

Borg popularised the double-handed backhand

Looking at tennis in recent history, the most pivotal changes occurred in the 1970s. The period was mainly of significance due to the growing popularity of the double-handed backhand. Initially criticized, three number one ranked players (Borg, Connors, Evert) proved their effectiveness by winning major tournaments, dominating the game with their double-handed backhand.

Another important change was the growing popularity of topspin at the time. A decent number of players were already using it, but Bjorn Borg boosted its popularity by showing the world that it could even be used to win on fast-moving surfaces like the lawns of Wimbledon. Czech/American tennis player Ivan Lendl took this to another level by using topspin to hit hard and consistently, which is why he is often regarded as the “father of modern power tennis”.

The 1980s were also a turbulent period as the way in which tennis was played from a tactical viewpoint changed dramatically. Serve and volley, which involves rushing to the net straight after a serve had always been the most common tactic but suddenly lost popularity.

This change occurred for two reasons: the surface and the rackets. The surface impacted this as serve and volley were most effective on grass courts due to the ball’s fast and low bounce off the serve, making it difficult for the opponent to hit a good return and passing shot.

As grass courts became less common, the popularity of serve and volley, therefore, also decreased. The racket, which underwent a revolution in the mid-1980s was also of significance as it was first built from steel and then graphite which made it stronger, lighter, and more powerful than the previously used wooden rackets.

These improvements made serve and volley, which usually results in short rallies, easier. Wimbledon, therefore, decided to adjust their lawn and balls to advantage so-called baseliners who stay behind the baseline providing a more entertaining match for the audience.

These changes to the environment in which tennis was played alongside advancements in the racket industry can be seen as the immediate causes for changes to the widely used technique. The effects on grip, swing, and stance are outlined in the following.

The grip is probably the component of the technique that has undergone the most change with different variations still being used today. The changes were mainly caused by topspin starting to become an essential part of the game.

Nadal hits with heavy topspin using a Western grip

The continental grip, which nowadays is used solely for serve and volley, had been the grip for every single shot as it suited the playing style on grass which requires less topspin. This grip also provided a good amount of power for relatively little effort. It was, furthermore, so popular as until the mid-1970s three out of the four major tournaments were played on grass.

With grass becoming less popular and slower courts like clay being on the rise, the continental forehand grip was no longer suitable to today´s high speed, high spin, high bounce game. The grip thus shifted to the so-called eastern grip which is achieved by rotating the hand further around the racket when gripping it. While its invention is credited to Bill Tilden in the 1920s, it was Bjorn Borg in the 1970s who proved it to be a game-changer. The grip was later adapted to become the semi-western grip which is a variation where the hand is rotated even further around the racket.

This is very popular and the most effective grip today as it not only allows you to play with a lot of topspin but also to handle high bouncing shots well. The only disadvantage which especially beginners tend to face with this grip is that it is used solely for the forehand meaning that you must react quickly and rotate the racket in your hand before hitting other shots like backhands or volleys. Because however, this is no problem for intermediate and advanced players, the semi-western is widely seen as the most suitable forehand grip for today’s style of tennis.

In addition to the grip, the swing also changed over time. Besides the obvious transition from a single-handed to a double-handed backhand, there were also some changes to the forehand swing. To some extent, this is related to the change in grips from continental to semi-western as the modern grip naturally creates an arch with the swing.

This is suitable for today’s game because of the topspin this arch imposes on every shot.  In comparison to the classical swing, the modern swing can, however, be considered more difficult to master as it involves more moving body parts in its motion making it more difficult for your brain to coordinate. The more movement you allow in the arm segments and joints the more difficult it gets to control the ball consistently as the exact same motion will be harder to replicate.

The classical forehand is in that respect easier for beginners as it did not involve a looped backswing and the ball was hit rather flat. Because the entire motion has become more complex, the point of contact has become a more significant feature with the modern forehand and smaller errors in the swing are more likely to have larger negative consequences on the shot, possibly leading to less consistency for beginners.

Lastly, there have also been significant changes to the stance used for the groundstrokes. While the backhand is usually still hit with a relatively closed stance in which (for a right-hander) the right foot is positioned in front with the body facing the side-line of the court, there has been more change to the forehand stance. What used to be a closed stance has now shifted to a semi-open or sometimes even completely open stance where both feet are positioned beside each other on the baseline at the point of contact. Some professional players do this more than others with David Ferrer being a good example for a very open forehand.

Federer’s open stance forehand

While a shot with an open stance is more difficult to control as inexperienced players tend to lose balance and/or fail to transfer the bodyweight forwards and through the ball. It is, however, still becoming more popular because it takes less time to prepare for a shot in an open stance which makes it suitable for the constantly increasing speed of the game. Furthermore, a more open stance makes the direction of your shot less predictable for your opponent as you can target more angles than with a closed stance. You can, therefore, expect to see more and more players, playing with a more open stance in the future.

In conclusion, it has become clear that tennis is an extremely versatile sport for which the ideal technique depends on the balls, the court, the racket, and your own style of play. Changes to the environment have impacted the widely used technique to make it more suitable to the current conditions. Major changes like the implementation of a double-handed backhand is an example that summarises the thoughts that:

1. Technique is a personal preference as not everyone uses the widely known one (e.g. Roger Federer uses single-handed backhand)

2. Within these overarching changes, the technique still varies from player to player (e.g. Different backswing on the double-handed backhand)

Smaller differences like varying grips reinforce the notion that within a general technique like the double-handed backhand, players still have different preferences. Additionally, every technique also has its disadvantages leading us to the claim that there can never be one perfect technique that suits everyone. So our suggestion for you… Beginners should start with the widely accepted technique which your Play!Tennis coach will teach you. As you become an intermediate or advanced player you can make minor adjustments to the technique so it makes you feel the most comfortable ensuring that you can play your best tennis!