Scott Murphy: The Slice or Underspin Backhand

Despite the great emphasis today on the topspin power game, the fact remains having a slice backhand is an absolute must, whether you hit your backhand with one hand or two.

The use of underspin is multi-faceted: for groundstrokes, return of serve, approach shots, half volleys, and volleys. Patrick Rafter is an example of a player who may use all of these possibilities in a single point. Andre Agassi may hit two-handers for 90 percent of a match, but suddenly call on the slice backhand in a given situation. Then there’s the great Steffi Graf who hit virtually all of her backhands with underspin.

You can’t be a complete player or a successful competitor without it. In match play you need slice in a wide variety of situations: to neutralize a heavy topspin shot, to mix up the pace of a rally, to keep the ball low, to buy time on defense, and play balls that are low, high, wide, or short. (It’s worthwhile mentioning that some tennis pundits prefer to call slice, “underspin” because in the literal sense a sliced ball curves. However I think for most people the shots are considered one in the same and in this…