New york city: A 149-year-old tradition in tennis came to an end on Sunday as Ben Shelton advanced to the US Open quarterfinals, marking the first time since 1877 that no player wielding a one-handed backhand has reached the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam tournament. Shelton's victory over Stefanos Tsitsipas signaled the conclusion of this historic streak, leaving traditional tennis enthusiasts disheartened.
According to Thai News Agency, this shift highlights the growing dominance of the two-handed backhand in modern tennis, a technique favored for its power and speed. Since Wimbledon 1877, at least one player using a one-handed backhand has consistently reached the semi-finals of a Grand Slam event. However, that remarkable record was officially broken in this year's US Open held in New York City.
Tennis legends Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka are among the most notable proponents of the one-handed backhand in recent history. They carried forward a legacy established by iconic players from the 1980s, such as John McEnroe and Ivan Lendl, and further nurtured by 1990s stars like Pete Sampras, Stefan Edberg, and Gustavo Kuerten.
Ben Shelton's rise to prominence in this tournament followed his victory over Denis Shapovalev in the third round before his straight-sets win against Tsitsipas, with scores of 6-2, 6-3, and 6-4 in the round of 16. Shelton's advance effectively ended the era of one-handed backhand players in Grand Slam quarterfinals.
Stefanos Tsitsipas remarked that this decline in the one-handed backhand signifies more than just a change in individual technique. It reflects a broader trend where modern tennis is losing its diversity in playing styles. He lamented the past charm of tennis, which lay in the variety of unique styles and strategies employed by players, contrasting with today's more homogenized gameplay.
Tsitsipas emphasized, "Tennis used to be played with a wide variety of styles, but today that variety has been squeezed into just one style, so everyone plays the same way. Plus, the court conditions are much slower now," underscoring the impact of this evolution on the sport.