Stefanos Tsitsipas Vows to Carry Forward Roger Federer’s ‘Legacy’ as the Flag Bearer in the New Era

Published 04/18/2024, 10:22 AM EDT

Roger Federer’s apparent retirement has left a void in tennis. Not just for his elegance and skill, but also for his iconic one-handed backhand. Now, Stefanos Tsitsipas, a rising star who wields the same shot, is stepping forward. Tsitsipas vows to carry Federer’s “old-school shot” legacy, raising questions: Can he become the new flag bearer for this dwindling style? Will the one-handed backhand survive in a new era of tennis?

In an interview with The AO Show, the World No. 7 said, “I want to inspire more people to pursue single-handed backhand to keep it in the game. Lately not many have been playing that way and it has become more sort of a rare things to see among the tennis scene. I’d like to be someone who carries the legacy.”

Stefanos Tsitsipas is having a wonderful time over the last few days. He recently won his third title in Monte-Carlo and now he has got off to a winning start at the Barcelona Open as well. Currently placed at the 7th spot in the PIF ATP rankings, Stefanos fell out of Top 10 just two months back, creating history as there was always AT LEAST one in the Top 10 every single week since ATP rankings began in 1973.

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The one-handed backhand, once a staple of the sport, seemed to be fading into history. But a resurgence is underway! For the first time in almost three years, the ATP Top 10 rankings boast not one, but two players wielding this iconic shot: Stefanos Tsitsipas, climbing to a career-high No. 7, and Grigor Dimitrov holding strong at No. 10. Surprisingly, only 10 of the Top 100 players play one-handed backhand.

Per ATPTour.com, at this year’s Indian Wells, the single-handed backhand admitted that he is one of the players to carry forward the legacy. “I feel like I am part of the players that carry on the legacy of the single-handed backhand,” Tsitsipas said this year at Indian Wells. “If it was not for me, if it was not for Grigor, if it was not for Lorenzo [Musetti], if it was not for Richard [Gasquet], this shot would barely be seen on the Tour.”

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Stefanos believes the one-handed backhand is a pretty “cool” shot to play on the courts. He switched to using one-handed backhand at the age of 8, just to emulate the Rodger Federer. Although, Stefanos knows the advantage of a two-handed backhand, he is not the one to quit the one-hander. He wants to be like Federer and Pete Sampras, too. And Stefanos Tsitsipas wants to translate the special art into the future kids.

Stefanos Tsitsipas is pretty much optimistic about the future of single-handed backhand

As per the same source, the 2024 Monte-Carlo winner touched upon how this shot has evolved over years. “Yes, it’s an old-school shot, something that people used to play back in the day, but it has its modernity these days. It has evolved into a modern shot that looks way different than it was hundreds of years ago.”

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Not only this, the Greek tennis player emphasized on the fact that future will see more of single-handed backhand kids inside Top 10. “I do believe that more kids in the future [should] definitely decide to pursue a single-handed backhand and we might see that at big levels again, perhaps even a lot of players playing it inside the Top 10 soon.”

The way single-handed backhand sits in Stefanos Tsitsipas’ heart deeply, we hope it does in the future generation ahead. And the legacy goes on!

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Written by:

Sayantan Roy is a Tennis Writer at EssentiallySports, who crafts tennis tales that not only capture the game's essence but also reflect his creative genius. As a believer in unbiased journalism, Sayantan, a fan of both Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, loves to fuse the world of such tennis rivals and present balanced copies as fan reaction pieces. Engaged in sports since college, he brings that passion to life.

Edited by:

Deepanshi Bajaj

Stefanos Tsitsipas Vows to Carry Forward Roger Federer’s ‘Legacy’ as the Flag Bearer in the New Era

Stefanos Tsitsipas is pretty much optimistic about the future of single-handed backhand

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