Backhand

A solid two-handed backhand is one of the great equalizers in modern tennis. It does not have to be a weapon on day one - but it does have to be reliable under pace, so you can stay in the point long enough to use your patterns.

Here are the keys to building that backhand, with Novak Djokovic as the clearest high-level model.

1. A well-timed split step

Everything starts before the swing. A late or lazy split step means a late unit turn, which means a jammed or stretched contact.

Land the split as the opponent contacts the ball, then push toward your backhand side with the first step already loading the turn.

2. A superb unit turn

Watch how Novak’s right arm (non-dominant for a right-hander on the two-hander) is almost horizontal at the furthest point of his take-back. The shoulders turn as a unit; the racket does not “arm” its way back independently.

3. Racket tip below the hand on the drop

The tip of the racket gets well below the hand on the drop. That sets the low-to-high path for clean topspin and depth.

A common problem: players “tip” the shoulder or drop the hand down while leaving the racket tip still above the hand. That flattens the swing, steals spin, and produces sailers or frames under pressure.

4. The 3-H system

Hip brings the Hands to the ball while the Head stays still.

Drive from the ground through the hip rotation. The hands ride that rotation into contact. The head stays quiet - no pulling up early to watch the opponent, no collapsing into the shot.

If the hands try to “hit” without the hip, the backhand gets arm-y and inconsistent.

5. Full extension

Look at how far extended Novak’s left hand (bottom hand for a righty) is after contact. Extension through the ball is how you buy depth without muscling.

Think “through and up,” not “slap and stop.”

6. Absorb energy with the shoulders - and clear the elbow

Notice how Novak gets his playing-hand elbow around as he reverses his shoulders (the front shoulder becomes the back shoulder). That elbow often ends up pointing toward the back corner.

This is the follow-through that finishes the kinetic chain: the body absorbs and redirects force instead of leaving the arms to fight the ball alone.

Practice structure

Focus	What to do	Success look
Unit turn	Shadow + mini-tennis, early turn only	Chest to side fence before forward swing
Drop shape	Basket feeds, medium pace	Tip clearly below hand at bottom of loop
3-H	Cross-court depth targets	Quiet head, hip-led contact
Extension	Deep middle targets	Finish long, not cramped
Live pressure	Cross-court games to 11	Backhand holds under faster ball

For video modeling and a side-by-side way to study pro shape, see Backhand Technique. For the slice as a change-up and defensive tool, see Backhand Slice.