The tennis drill book-2e

14. OPEN-STANCE BACKHAND
Objective
To improve timing and impart power and topspin from the fast uncoiling action
of the lower body.
Description
When using the open stance and executing the backhand groundstroke, players
must prepare quickly to set up for the incoming ball. This drill helps players
accomplish a quick setup and an explosive follow-through.
Execution
Players take a position just inside the baseline and use the open stance while a
partner serves from behind the service line. Players bend their knees and coil
the upper body with their weight on the hitting-side leg. When working on
quick hitting and recovery, players have little time to step into the ball. The
open stance allows players to contact the ball sooner and farther in front of the
body, leaving no time for an opponent to hit a return.
Tips
Use orange and green QuickStart balls to slow the pace. Good running shots are
as much about timing and athletic ability as they are about textbook groundstroke
construction. When on the run, players should play it safe. A backhand
topspin lob or passing shot may offer the best chance to stay in the point.
Justine Henin
Little Lady, Lethal Backhand
Justine Henin was born in Brussels, Belgium on June 1, 1982. She is 5 feet, 5.5
inches (166 centimeters) tall, which is considered short in stature compared
with today’s top 10 women’s players. She plays right-handed and has a onehanded
backhand. Justine was ranked number 1 in 2003. She won 43 Women’s
Tennis Association (WTA) singles titles and 7 Grand Slam singles—4 French
Open titles, 1 Australian Open title, and 2 US Open titles. She retired once in
2008 only to return to compete again, but subsequently lost in the finals of the
Australian Open due to an elbow injury in 2012.
Many top pros have described Henin as the best female athlete they have
ever seen, the best one-handed backhand in tennis, and one of the most talented
women to have played the game ever. In 2011, Time magazine included Justine
in their “30 Legends of Women's Tennis: Past, Present and Future” issue. She
is brilliance wrapped in a tiny package. In 2008, women's tennis welcomed in
a new era of pure brute strength coupled with elegance from players such as
Venus Williams, Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova, and Kim Clijsters. Justine
still stood head and shoulders above the pack with her game style and fluid
stroke elegance combined with an icy mental toughness. Justine had a devastatingly
beautiful one-handed backhand and was like a chameleon in that she
had the ability to unleash dizzying topspin, severely sharp angles, masterful
slice, and wicked drop shots without the blink of an eye.
20 The Tennis Drill Book