The 30 Greatest Two-Handed Backhands in Tennis History

The shot that was considered a beginner's compromise until a teenager from Florida won eighteen majors with it. Pick the best two-hander the game has produced.

1. 1
   Novak Djokovic

   The most reliable backhand in the modern men's game, hit equally well down the line.
   1000pts
2. 2
   Andre Agassi

   Took the ball early on both wings and redirected pace better than anyone.
   944pts
3. 3
   Lindsay Davenport

   Flat, heavy and struck from the baseline, her backhand matched her forehand for raw pace.
   763pts
4. 4
   Maria Sharapova

   Hit her backhand as hard as her forehand, flattening it out to finish points from the baseline.
   676pts
5. 5
   Li Na

   A crisp, compact backhand down the line was the shot that won her the French and Australian Opens.
   625pts
6. 6
   Rafael Nadal

   Heavy, high-bouncing and far better than its reputation on clay.
   625pts
7. 7
   Chris Evert

   Made the two-hander respectable, winning eighteen majors from the baseline with it.
   566pts
8. 8
   Bjorn Borg

   Topspin off both sides at a time when almost nobody hit it that way.
   566pts
9. 9
   Kim Clijsters

   Hit her backhand from full splits on hard courts, a defensive and attacking shot all at once.
   566pts
10. 10
    Serena Williams

    A backhand hit at forehand speed, especially on the return.
    566pts
11. 11
    Mats Wilander

    A backhand he could switch to one hand mid-rally when it suited him.
    566pts
12. 12
    Kei Nishikori

    Compact and precise, the shot that carried him into a US Open final.
    500pts
13. 13
    David Nalbandian

    Widely regarded by peers as the purest two-hander of his era.
    500pts
14. 14
    Iga Swiatek

    Punishing down the line and central to her clay-court dominance.
    500pts
15. 15
    Andy Murray

    His most dependable shot, and the one that built his passing game.
    500pts
16. 16
    Simona Halep

    Clean, flat and hit with almost no margin for error.
    423pts
17. 17
    Monica Seles

    Two-handed on both sides, flat and struck impossibly early.
    333pts
18. 18
    Jannik Sinner

    Flat, fast and early off both wings, his backhand is rated by coaches as the best of the current generation.
    333pts
19. 19
    Nikolay Davydenko

    Took the ball absurdly early and redirected it flat, a backhand that beat Federer and Nadal on hard courts.
    333pts
20. 20
    Tracy Austin

    Teenage champion of the late 1970s whose metronomic two-hander helped her beat Chris Evert at the 1979 US Open.
    333pts
21. 21
    Angelique Kerber

    Left-hander who hit her backhand from a crouch at low balls and redirected pace with unusual wrist action.
    333pts
22. 22
    Daniil Medvedev

    Struck from an absurd depth of court and almost impossible to hurry.
    333pts
23. 23
    Coco Gauff

    Her backhand is the steadier wing, a shot that holds up under pressure and carried her to major titles.
    333pts
24. 24
    Lleyton Hewitt

    Counterpunched off a short, punchy two-hander that turned defence into passing shots on his way to world No. 1.
    333pts
25. 25
    Jimmy Connors

    Flat, early and aggressive, decades before that was standard.
    227pts
26. 26
    Marat Safin

    Enormous power off both wings when everything was working.
    227pts
27. 27
    Alexander Zverev

    Long levers and a compact swing make the backhand his safest shot, especially driven crosscourt from the baseline.
    227pts
28. 28
    Marcelo Ríos

    Left-handed shotmaker who flicked two-handed backhands at angles nobody else saw, reaching world No. 1 in 1998.
    227pts
29. 29
    Martina Hingis

    Disguised and redirected the ball off a two-handed backhand that relied on timing rather than power.
    227pts
30. 30
    Victoria Azarenka

    Her down-the-line backhand was the shot behind two Australian Open titles and a run at world No. 1.
    227pts

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