The Agassi Backhand

His ability to take the ball early made Andre special.

When Andre arrived at the academy he was going on 13 and he already had a big forehand. Naturally we
continued to develop it (see part 1). But I also worked very hard and long on his backhand.

Why? With the two hands and with his hand and eye coordination, I saw Andre had the ability to pick up the
ball early off the ground and especially on the service return.

I thought if we succeeded in bringing his backhand up to the level of his forehand, we’d have somebody
special. Turns out I was right.

Watch the variety Andre has on that side. He’ll hit four or five crosscourt backhands with a good arc going
over the net, about 3-5 feet. Then he’ll make the ball dance. He’ll step in and make Sampras back up. All of sudden he’ll hit
the backhand down the line for a winner, or run around it and hit a winner with an inside out or inside in forehand.

Andre holds a continental with his right hand, the left is between an eastern and a semi-western.

For my money, Andre has flat out the…