Breaking Down Novak Djokovic's Backhand

Novak Djokovic has one of the best two-handed backhands in tennis. Let's take a deeper look at why his backhand has no limits. First, he prepares very early, fast and super compact. This allows him to effectively counterpunch and change directions, no matter the speed of the ball. Now look at his fit. He steps forward into the court and has a very large and strong base, which allows him to take maximal energy from the ground. Notice here that he's using a closed stance. He's able to do that effectively because he's right eye dominant, meaning he can still see the ball and the court very well from this position. He starts the motion with his weight on the back foot, and then he transfers to his front foot. When the ball bounces, he starts to swing his racket forward. The racket head drops below the height of his wrist. Notice how his wrist completely drops, allowing the hand to work. Novak's follow-through is impressive. Look how far in front he goes with his arms. His left arm is fully extended long after the contact. This also shows how much he's using his left hand. Now you're ready to hit a killer backhand, just like Novak.