Best Racquets for the One-Handed Backhand 

Which racquet do you play with (if you have a 1-hander)

Hardly comment but had to jump in, Tommy Haas one of my favorite players ever played with the legendary pro stock racket PT57A or the Head Pro Tour 630 in retail. Nothing like the Prestige which is an amazing racket in its own right.

I have a ohb. I like the way a thinner beam feels in the left hand on the take back. Generally, a stable, headlight racket. The racket needs to either feel whippy or have good plow through. It just feel stable and I like when I can use the weight of the racket to hit through the ball. Personally have always loved Prestige pros, prestige mid, and prince phantom 93. switching to radical pro wasn't any better or worse. currently loving prince phantom 100. generally speaking, any players racket (headlight) that feels good for the rest of your game will work.

Great video Nick. Sticking with a racquet and working on the fundamentals is the best way to think about it, regardless if you play with one or two handed backhands.

You have forgotten one with a beautiful one handed back hand , Gabriela Sabatini She played with the Pince Graphite

I used Speed Pros for years at a high level and loved it on my OHB…stock weight with overgrip and dampener is 336g. Just changed to the Extreme Tours as I just love its whippy manoeuvrability…Stock with Overgrip and dampener It’s 328g so a bit lighter than I’m use to but I actually really like it on this racquet and it’s outstanding for OHB/Slice..I’m tinkering with some added weight but I I think I prefer it lighter as it keeps all the fun in this racquet

Great video. I play with Artengo TR960 control tour 18/20 pattern. I added 2 overgrips and lead at 3 & 9. The racquet is 6 points headlight strung.

Thanks for making the list of single-handed tennis racket. Good information. I have a babolat strike with lead tape at 3 & 9. Good racket.

For me I hit better BH with a heavy head light racquet that has thin profile which helps with the swing speed.

... always regretet beeing a two-hander, but in the late 70ies it was thougt to be suitable for starting kids. I always have admired players who had a clean one-handed backhand . Simply a beautiful shot. I wonder if you could ever do a video about Rod Lavers backhand.

I find that some of the weaknesses you describe with the one-handed backhand can be somewhat fixed by how you grip it. I have my palm more behind the racquet, I guess you would call it a semi-western backhand grip. In fact, I don't switch grip between my semi-western forehand, I just move my racquet windshield-wiper style from fh to bh and I'm ready to swing. Makes it a lot more stable AND easier to swing up (more comfortable angle for the wrist). The only downside is you are more vulnerable to bad footwork or bad timing because if you're a little too close to the ball or hit a little late you're more likely to screw up than with an eastern grip.

my fav will always be the yonex 97 so nice so precise , love It!

For my 1HB, I noticed that either I need higher static weight with head-light balance (Like RF97 or Vcore Pro 330 2019) or less head light setup with a relatively lighter racquet (like Blade 98). One point which is overseen in such analyses is the fact that a one-hander player hits usually slices more than 60% of his/her shots (not everyone sends the ball below your waist level), so whatever that racquet is, it has to have decent slicing characteristics.

There's a little guest behind you, Nick, at 1:39

Head light with an aero beam and generally spin friendly helps on a OHB. HEAD Extreme MP and YONEX Ezone 98 have been two of my favourites for this

I still have a soft spot in my heart for Head Prestige/Radical line; Volkl worked well for me for a while too.

I have just returned to tennis after more than 20 years. My racquet is a Prince Graphite Comp 90, 349g (strung), 14x18. When a teenager, I started with a one-handed backhand, moved to two-handed when I bought a Donnay Bjorn Borg but now can't remember how to play the stroke and am back to one-handed. Found your video very helpful as I am obviously looking for a more modern racquet. Until I found your own, and Tennis Nerd's, videos about this topic, I had been veering towards a 100 head because other videos suggested a larger head for older players - I am 63. Now I am confused again! And that's even before I start thinking of strings, tensions and whether it would better to try an L2 grip instead of my current L3. I am looking at taking demos of Babolat (Drive/Strike), Tecnifibre, Yonex and Dunlop.

Did you realize there is a new head prestige? its called the Prestige Classic 2.0 and is a 1:1 copy of the Prestige Tour 600 that I play since decades. Love the feel of the one-hander with that one!

I've changed 2 PS97, now I play with v14 315g I must say for me this is the best raquet for one handed backhand. Wilson Blade 100 is not a bad option as well, but me personally prefer the PS, long live Federer!

Yet another great one-hander is Joe Salisbury (6-times Grand Slam champion in doubles) playing with Tecnifibre T-Fight 305 (98 sq.inch head size, 18/19 string pattern)

My 1 handed backhand is my best shot. Babolat Pure Drive works for me.

Hi Nic, Great video. I was using the Aero 98 with Babolat Gut in the mains 25 kg/RMP Rough 24 kg in the crosses. I just switched to the Pure Strike 2024 with the same strings and 4 g of Tungsten Tape in the hoop. I was spraying the balls more with the Aero. With the new Pure Strike, I can paint the lines. I have a one-handed backhand.

I am a tennis coach in Europe , I train young elite to enter college tennis and I play with a Wilson clash 100 v1 one handed backhand stringed at 20kg . So I agree with you that racket doesn't make the player and I'm not sure switching to other rackets would really improve my game but for now I have a good feeling with combination of clash and very low tension, my backhand is very smooth and I love it ❤

Coach Nick here gets big time cool points for his outfit alone. Got them Js on with Jordan hoodie and RF hat. That right there is greatness. You also got to tell the people they gotta put the stencil on the racquet. That alone will boost your game to about 23% extra

Hitting topspin and slice on the 1HBH are totally different, and many racquets don't do both well. Some recent ones that do are Head Speed Pro, Prestige Pro, Technifibre Tfight305 ISO, Percept 97D, and Blade V7 18x20. A little heft and a lower launch angle are good for slice.

love the squirrel aha ❤

I'm using a VCore Pro 97HD (320g untrung) and once I've gotten used to it (took like 2 months) I'm playing really well. It's so effortless hitting backhands with and it's allowing me to finally leave my shoulder tendonitis behing.

I play with a prince phantom 93P. Great for the one hander

Great RU-vid channel the best I found, congrats. I think you’re the right person to ask for advice. I’m was 4.5 player close to 5.0 from my young age. I leave the tennis many times during years because tennis elbow problems. Last time I play was 6 years ago. I want come back and I want use gut strings Wilson champion choice. My last rackets very little use or none because leave the tennis is Volkl vsense 9 this show me 55 +/- 5 what tension you recomend in main and cross .Also if you recomend other type of rackets. I’m baseliner player a lot spin and one hand backhand. Thank you in advance. I forgot tell you and 48 years old

I have a non-RF version of Pro Staff 97 with unstrung weight of 315g and like the stable feel of the racquet. Most recreational players buy this version instead of the RF 97 which is too heavy at 340g unstrung. I will try the Head racquet for comparison when given the chance

Personally I was hitting very well my 1h backhand with an old Dunlop Aerogel 300 with a low balance point (320mm) hence quite head light. I switched to Yonex now which does everything better except this particular shot.

Love those shoes

I grew up hitting my one hander with the memorable Dunlop 200g hotmelt (95sqin 340g unstrung). At around 30, after 16 years of using that I changed to the dunlop 200gXL (still 95sqin but 315g and extended). After using that for 2 years I switched to the pro staff 95 (332g), which was more powerful then the 200g and similar (even tho not extended to the 200g XL in power. I quickly tried the wilson blade 98 (too head heavy for what I was used) and the yonex Vcore 97 (which i liked).. then I picked up my girlfriend's racket for a joke and never switched. Played and won several matches in low level tournaments with it and happily use it to date. What racket was that: an old head instinct 100sqin 290g.. 50grams short of most rackets I loved.. Moral: I always thought a one handed backhand was for heavy, headlight control rackets.. and when the ball is coming at medium pace with no surprises and time to set up the shot it is true.. but the when you're running around, you're tired and having a bad day, there's nothing like a reasonably light racket that offers some extra power, extra sweetspot and lets you start the movement a little late but still make it to the contact zone on time (impossible with a head-heavy heavy racket and still hard with a headlight heavy racket like the ones above). And then one day I realized i was playing with the non extended version of the racket gasquet uses and everything suddenly made sense..

I try to get a racquet with a 32cm balance strung for my OHBH. Too head-heavy or just right you think?

(1) Maneuverability, which is associated with HL, (2) larger sweetspot but with smaller head size, (3) go with siffer racket.

Nice video!. but you need to push te racket downwards under your hip with your left hand, you get a lot more power and topspin.

My personal experience with the 1hbh is that low polarization is more important than head-lightness per se (at least when in the range of 320+ SWs). Generally, polarization means high SW with low weight, and such rackets tend to be more HH (as taking too much weight off the hoop compromises stability and power). But, you can also use polarization to achieve HL balances with high SW without pumping the total weight up too much (adding weight at 12 and buttcap). In fact, for a given weight and SW, the lower (head-lighter) the balance, the more polarized it would be (or lower MGR/I). Recently, I've been trying both a Vcore 95 and a Prince Tour 95, and even though both are at a similar weight (and beam thickness), and the Prince being 3 points head-lighter, the Vcore definitely feels quicker on the backhand. Another even clearer example would be to compare the Tour 95 with an old Tricomp 90 as both are 350g, ~340 SW, but the tour 95 being 31,6 cm and Tricomp 32,8 cm balance (roughly 4 points difference). That amounts to approximately 20,6 and 21,1 MGR/I, and my experience is that the head-heavier (higher MGR/I) feels better on the 1hbh. So, I'd say first of all, don't go too high on SW, especially if you like adding weight to your racket, and particularly if you pick light rackets with headlight balances.

Intuitive Tennis - which model Head Prestige - the Pro or the Classic did you test out?

I've found from experimentation that I need a racquet that's between 98-100 sq inches, though 98 seems to be the best for me. Any larger and I lose control and hit out too often, any smaller and i mishit too much. I've been playing with Angell K7 Reds for the last few years. It's a traditional feeling 98 that's lighter than what I used to play with. I'm experimenting with a Furi Arma Pro 98 that feels similar but has more free power. I'll probably switch to it eventually.

Vcore 98 make my single backhand like so smooth

wilson Blade 98 16*19, fully enough it's not in your list of racquets. Any particular reason

I use yonex v core pro 97 for one handed

It does not seem like it but I like the PUre Aero Rafa. I realize Rafa has a 2h-BH and the racquet is stiff and only 1-2 pts. headlight, but I hit my best topspin and slice BHs with this frame.

Interesting, I usually find players (myself included) using the one-handed backhand prefer bigger grips, not smaller. What does everyone else think?

My goal is to use less head movement in my backhand, and a heavy racket no good for me. Yonex and head liquid metal are great for my backhand. So Nick nails it again.👍

Regarding Yonex rackets being great for 2hbh, I suspect it's mainly because they have pretty long handles. After all any racket is good for a 2hander. Vcores are great in my experience for 1handers.

I play an update of the Graphene XT Prestige Pro you hit with at 6:17, the Prestige Tour 2021. While I normally hit a 2HBH, this frame begs a 1HBH. I'm not sure why because its 331sw is a bit high. Maybe it's how its full CAP makes every contact buttery? Either way, I have to ask, why did you choose this frame in particular for this 1HBH vid?

Same here. It has to be a head light one, at least 6 point unstrung. Also it should have substantial weight. I need more inertia(?) from racquet for my backhand than for my forehand.

Something about the Pro Staff really unlocked my backhand. Maybe the weight helped me get the timing right? No good for my forehand. I have one but I only break it out when I’m having issues with my one hander. I’ll practice with the Pro Staff on the ball machine for an hour and it gets everything straightened out again.

It looks like you're using a Head Graphene XT Prestige racquet, now I got one of those a while ago (Prestige MP) and even with multifilament the racquet is stiff as a board !!! Did you experience that too? I wonder what I could do to get it to play nicer. It's such a beautiful frame, but it's sitting in a tennis bag in the attic atm 😞

Guga & Haas played with a Head Pro Tour (PT57A) 95 si head size rather than a Head Prestige 98 si head size version so the specs are quite a bit different fyi. Also its arguable Federer's backhand improved as a result of the move from 90 si head size to 97 si vs Edberg's (one of the all-time great 1-handers as you noted) coaching. Not aware of any ATP M one-handers that play (or played) with a head size greater than 98 si (most are/were 95si or less). Maneuverability (along with control) becomes an issue for a 1-hander as the head size increases so that's the primary reason most ATP 1-handers are rackets less than 100 si imo. I doubt many recreational 1-handers that are decent players would choose a > than 98 si frame for the same reason (maneuverability) imo. Your take maybe applies more to beginners but not so much to intermediate to advanced level rec. players imo.

Interestingly, I prefer bigger grips on my one-hander and smaller on my forehand. But yeah, I can manage. Also, head sizes between 95 and 98" work best for me. And I prefer box beams and as you said, headlight balances. But it is all a matter of what you are used to. There is a younger guy in our club and he has an incredible one-hander with a super head heavy Blade. As he grew up on it, his muscles and everything adapted, so it is easy for him to swing it, while I totally dislike the racquet on my backhand.

I think the reason why smaller racquets are considered to be better suited for OHBs is because they correlate with a lower twist weight (ie the weight on the sides of the racquet). The higher the twist weight, the more stable a racquet, but also the harder to maneuver. Thus, it’s more fatiguing and harder to get a good timing with a high twist weight.

Well, speaking of ohb I love the way yonex vcore 97 330 grams plays. Incredibly stable, there is no ball too heavy coming your way with that beast. But aftet one set playing it I'd need spare arm and shoulder 😅

Nick Great video ! Your racquet head needs to be a little higher on the take back. It's below your shoulder! IMHO!

I have a two-handed backhand, great video anyway! 😀😀

The fact that people recommends smaller frame is that this specification typically comes with heavier and head light racquets, it s not the size of the frame that matters it's the weight and the balance. Usually 100in racquet has thick beam and does not provide a good plow trough for one handed backhand unless you customize it.

Yonex Percept 97. Perfect combo of maneuverability and stability.

Best way to solve the “nothing behind” and “gap” issue is to go with solid OHBH grip instead of almost conti you’ve been using. In case of strong EBH grip there’s quite fat and strong thumb base right where you need it. Of course without much experience playing OHBH they are unfamiliar, but once learned it’s very reliable. Also keeping racquet more laid back, just like on FH side, like Wawrinka or Thiem, makes it stable and solid even on returns (opposite to old-school “stay sideways” arming technique for OHBH).

Fitting that you make a video about everyone's first love on Valentines Day

I am curious on your thoughts on other youtube tennis racquet reviewers telling players that a racquet may not be suitable for others because of how a racquet plays or specs. For example, I find the pure strike VS easy to use for a one handed backhand but reviewers says that only advance players can use it properly but I noticed it is not always the case. Great video by the way.

Hi there, great video. I just wanted to say, in my experience the wrong racket can utterly ruin your day, if you play competitively. I have a yonex RDX 500 90 sq inch racket and I've used a modern yonex 95 sq inch. Both rackets are lovely to hit with but they are thin beamed and relatively heavy. This makes hitting on the run and dealing with fast shots very difficult. I usually play with a Dunlop 98 sq inch, 320g, medium beam. I estimate using a racket that's way too advanced for you can reduce your effectiveness by at least 10-20%, maybe more. Then it gets in your head and you're done. Conversely, too light a racket completely disrupts my swing and I get really tight because I lose confidence. Again, I think you can lose around 10-20% of your level with a racket that's too light, too big etc. Also, I find sometimes a slightly thinner beamed racket can be better for the one hander as it's easier to manoeuvre. But you need to find the balance between manoeuvrability and being effective in points by getting enough on the ball.

head boom pro is very good. also babolat pure drive

I use Pro Staff 97 just because it looks cool. I also feel so much comfortable hitting a one-handed backhand than my forehand. I am willing to switch though. For some reason Tecnifibre rackets have come to my attention recently. Does anybody have a Tfight or anything of that kind to share thoughts on the one-handed backhand with these kind of rackets?

I play also a single-handed backhandand and I have played/tried many dozen racquets over the years. I would strongly advise every amateur to choose a racquet, that makes the most out of his/her serve. Heavy racquets have advantages for single-handed backhands but a big disadvantage for the serve, because the weight must be moved.

we have played against each other at the Glockenpokal in Gescher 20 years ago🤣

Now I play Wilson SIX ONE TEAM 95. I have always been a very defensive player and only this racket taught me how to play offensively. My one-handed backhand is sometimes better and sometimes worse, but overall I think this racket is great. I tried playing with Babolats, but they don't suit me at all. Generally speaking, I think I play Wilson best, but this is not a rule. A tennis racket is a matter of individual preferences.

1:40 hello little fella

The old Yamaha Secret 04 as used by Yannick Noah

@jeffpaxton9172 8 minutes ago Generally speaking you will have less control with a one hander so will want a racquet that offers less power and more control to compensate. That’s why people recommend the smaller head size for the one handed backhand. Also a lower swingweight frame will help you generate topspin easier and it will also help you with earlier preparation for the stroke. Lower swingweight = increased racquet head speed which equals more topspin.

What about Wilson Blade 98?Is it good?

I wonder if you did your one hander experiment with the HEAD you just used what your results might have been??

I like Yonex Vcore pro 97 Hd with my one hander

Wawrinka played with a Prestige before switching to the Yonex .

Im a rec player and use the RF97 weighing 365g. My SHB has been measured at 178kph 😎

i don't think of the one-hander as a weak shot at all. i play two-handed because it feels safer, but i have always felt that my one hander is way more natural/intuitive ;) and i can get a lot more easy power from it than with my two hander. the unit turn into the takeback with the one-hander feels like winding up a rubber band, or throwing a frisbee, and then you just release it and get crazy power from the uncoiling. the two hander always makes me feel cramped, and the biomechanics of the takeback feel awkward; i just learned it initially, and stuck with it. i've been wanting to commit to switching to my one-hander for a couple years now (maybe still return serve two-handed, since that feels solid to me), but i'm scared of the issues with high balls / super fast balls with no time / awkward low balls / short approach shots, etc.-the two-hander feels more like a Swiss-Army knife with a lot of tools for any situation. sorry for the longwinded comment, Nick, but: do you think those disadvantages can be overcome with enough practice? i also have a pretty good slice, honestly, which can sometimes be a weapon; do you think slicing the higher balls is a good option?

re: Yonex and Warkwinka/Shapo, they both use 95" heads...

One of biggest advantages of a one hander is the ability to hit a hit a better slice. There's nothing better to hit a a slice with than a good 18 x 20 pattern.

why his one hander feels like a backhand slice but just pushed forward to made a shot and made it less slicier, i dont know how to tell it sorry

Prince baby!!

Guga played with the PT57A, not the prestige

Idea for an episode: I've seen a promising ambidextrous youngster. Do you think this could be an innovation in the game? Of course it has been tried before but maybe new training methods could provide an ambidextrous superplayer?

How about Henri Lecont

Gustavo Kuerten never played with the Prestige. He played with the Head Pro Tour. Players with a one-handed backhand who used the Head Prestige are Mark-Kevin Goellner, Marc Rosset (he switched from two to one hand), Arnaud Boetsch, Alberto Mancini, Henri Leconte, Emilio Sanchez, Agustin Calleri Alberto Berasategui Alex Calatrava Alex Radulebcu Alexander Peya Alexandra Stevenson Andrei Pavel Andrew Richardson Brad Gilbert Claudia Kodhe-Kilsch Emilio Casal Grant Stafford Guillrmo Garcia Lopez Hicham Arazi Hyung-Taik Lee Jason Stoltenberg Javier Frana Javier Sanchez John McEnroe Jose Acasuso Julian Alonso Kristian Pless Leonardo Lavalle Mark Knowles Mark Koevermans Mark Petchey Mark Philippousis Nuno Marques Oliver Delaitre Stanislas Wawrinka Stefano Pescosolido Thierry Champion Thomas Muster Victor Hanescu Vincenzo Santopadre

Sabatini hit with prince Graphite 107

Been playing with the Prestige Pro for over 10yrs but demo it first to be sure it's for you.

Harry of TennisSpin gave the opposite advice when choosing a grip for the OHBH. He recommended a larger grip so it would be a quicker turn to the Eastern backhand grip. Who’s right here? I think Nick is.

Cedric Pioline???? Better memory please

Stephan Edberg used the WPS 85. Roger used the 85 initially then moved to the 97.

I'm old school and my backhand is one-handed. I use a Gamma Big Bubba 137sq racket, and the hit comes out very fluid. See a short of my channel, playing: ru-vid.comEWeEl2EA3WA

honestly i think the hardest part of using the 1handed backhand are defensive shots

I think you missed one crucial point. 1h backend is a very complex stroke and when you don't have much time under pressure it becomes extremely hard to generate power. Rackets with huge head lack of manuveribility and make this problem even harder.

At the req lvl, a change of racquet wont improve your strokes. Its 99% about footwork, technique, mentality etc. People get baited into buying new gear to fix their game and blame their gear when losing matches! Stick to a raquet and focus on improving the things that matter or you wont see progress:-) I use an old random racquet from the 80s, its just as good as any other

Haas played with Dunlop 200g more though I think

I play with 1-hander for over 30 years with all types of racquets and in my opinion for 1-hander the frame should be be thin.

Everyone seems to ignore the obvious . It depends on certain other factors as well . Grip size to head size . A size 2 grip with no overgrip and long arms will be more suited to a 95 to optimized 97 . A size 3 for 97 to 99 and larger for a larger grip . Mass of the player matters as well. The larger the mass the more expected that he or she will be a back of court player . It is very strange to see a large grip sized player like Wawrinka and others playing solely with a 95 other than for control . I am a 4 1/4 grip. So for me the 98 prestige works best as a 2 hander , the pro staff 97 regular is more comfortable using the one hand . No overgrips ! unless you are an in-between grip size or for cosmetic purposes , I see no practical purpose for the overgrip . You are just increasing the grip size and loosing feel . If the leather grip was not acting as a crutch to add weight to the handle. there would be little benefit other than feel and smoother grip transitions. A synthetic leather grip can do that .

Yonex vcore 95

How the heck is RPM blast on a Head Prestige more powerful than a Luxilon ALU Power x Gut hybrid on the RF 97 :)))) That makes 0 sense unless you have a very big differential in the tensions....

Babolat pure aero

I’ have seen the Great G.Vilas hit with a Coca-Cola bottle.Did I answer this question??