The sight of Roger Federer entering Court Philippe Chatrier sets off a crescendo of two hands colliding like cymbals.
Federer celebrated the revival of the one-handed backhand after winning a battle of one-handers vs. Leonardo Mayer, 6-2, 6-3, 6-3, storming into his 12th Roland Garros quarterfinal.
Federer: Why I Play
At the start of play today, five of the final 16 men in the French Open singles draw—Federer, Mayer, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Stan Wawrinka and Dominic Thiem—wielded one-handers.
Players who possess some of the strongest two-handed backhands—world No. 1 Novak Djokovic, 11-time champion Rafael Nadal, Alexander Zverev, Kei Nishikori, Benoit Paire, Karen Khachanov and Fabio Fognini—can all play the one-handed slice as well.
Federer says he's pleased by the success of one-handers and believes Thiem and Tsitsipas will inspire future generations to play the one-hander.
"Yeah, it's good to see. I'm happy, very happy," Federer said. "Dominic and then two guys, I wonder if there are other guys in the tournament still. But Mayer, for instance, yes. It's nice that it's not a dying breed, because Stefanos will be around for a long time. So will be Dominic. And that will inspire a new generation."
Unafraid to enter the philosophical age-old debate on the value of the one-hander vs. two-hander, the 20-time Grand Slam champion says bluntly "everything feels wrong" about the two-handed backhand.
For Federer, the one-handed backhand is a more free-flowing and fulfilling stroke.
"I think at the end of the day, it just feels better to hit one-handed," Federer said. "You feel more free by hitting with the one hand. I always felt locked up if I even nowadays try to hit a doublehander. It doesn't feel good, you know, in the chest, in the body, the arm, everything feels wrong about it."
The 2009 Roland Garros champion says the majority will always play the two-hander, but he believes the one-hander has empowered him to use his variation effectively.
"It's nice that there are still guys doing it, and I think it will always be that way," Federer said. "But I think the majority will be double-handed backhands, just because I think it's, with the heavy racquets and all that stuff in the beginning, you start with two hands. Everybody does. And sometimes you just don't ever let it go, because it feels natural to keep your two hands on the grip."
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