ATP Tour

Tsitsipas the last hope for a 150-year one-hander record… Stef has a streak to save!

Stefanos Tsitsipas has a streak to save!

Into the fourth round at a major for the first time since 2024, the Greek star will not just be playing to maintain his own Grand Slam resurgence when he takes on eighth seed Ben Shelton on Sunday at the US Open. Tsitsipas will also be defending a 150-year legacy of one of tennis’ most iconic shots: the one-handed backhand.

At least one player with a one-handed backhand has reached a major semi-final in men’s singles every year since the inaugural edition of Wimbledon in 1877. Yet 2026 has so far proven a tough Grand Slam year for the ATP Tour’s brigade of one-handers, with none reaching the last four at any of the Australian Open, Roland Garros or Wimbledon.

Now, all hope of maintaining the streak lies with Tsitsipas, who is the only man with a one-hander left in the US Open draw following Denis Shapovalov's defeat against Shelton on Friday night.

Having been told about the streak earlier in the week in New York, Tsitsipas is certainly aware of the record and seems ready to pick up the mantle for one-handers everywhere. “I’ve got a 150-year streak to save”, the Greek wrote Saturday on X.

Tsitsipas was asked about the dwindling presence of the one-handed backhand on Tour after his second-round victory against Lloyd Harris in the Big Apple, and also about WTA star Diane Parry’s strategy of using a two-hander on serve returns before switching to her one-hander when afforded more time to set herself later in rallies. Tsitsipas, a former No. 3 player in the PIF ATP Rankings, says that is not an approach he would consider.

“I would never be able to pull that off,” the Greek said when asked about Parry’s mid-rally switches. “[The two-hander] is a different shot. You’ve got to use your left hand, it’s much more involved in the shot. To go from returning with a double-handed backhand and then back to a single-handed backhand, I feel like it’s too much work. I’ve got to simplify it. I’ve never thought about doing that myself, but I’ll give you that, [the one-hander] is disappearing.

“I even said that to Grigor [Dimitrov] the other day. You see, every single decade, we are degrading. We are like dinosaurs going extinct.”

A 13-time ATP Tour champion and two-time major finalist, Tsitsipas has made his name with a brand of tennis based on big serving and aggressive groundstokes. The 28-year-old is clear on the most important steps to hitting a quality one-handed backhand, and particularly emphasises that preparation for the shot is key.

“It requires excellent footwork and technique,” Tsitsipas, who is bidding to become the first one-hander to win a men's singles crown since Dominic Thiem at the 2020 US Open, said. “That is the only downside [compared to] a double-handed backhand.

"I feel like with a double-handed backhand you can always save the situation, if you’re a bit late or out of position, you can always use your left hand to sort of ‘scoop’ it in. There is no such thing with a one-handed backhand: If you’re late, you’re late. You missed the train.”