Federer on the changes in modern tennis

“The game is always in motion” – Roger Federer

Federer, 43, led the Big 3 era for two decades, but he believed the future of tennis will look very different from the past as the sport becomes increasingly physically demanding: “The best players are the best players, the most mentally fit, physically strong and fastest are the best players,” he said.

“The boys and the ladies will start hitting bigger forehands and backhands, being more fearless because they know they will be rewarded,” added the eight-time Wimbledon champion.

“It’s not so much about technique anymore. I’ve been fooled enough times over the last 10, 15, 20 years and thought, ‘I’m not sure about this technique,’ but with racket and string technology you can iron out those problems. As long as you hit hard and clean through the ball, anything is possible in tennis, to be honest.

One of the many outstanding features of Federer’s complete game throughout his career was his iconic one-handed backhand, which is considered one of the best in history. However, this shot is becoming increasingly rare at the top level, with the main exponents currently being Grigor Dimitrov, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Federer’s contemporary Stan Wawrinka.

“Juniors tend to look up to the best players in the world and when they see the two-handed backhand they think that’s the way forward, even though it’s not,” Federer added. “I believe the one-handed backhand still has a place in the modern game. Of course, with the two-handed backhand you can fight more on returns and defense, whereas the one-handed backhand can be much more demanding.”

The former world number one defended the idea that the one-handed backhand can adapt to modern tennis, but argued that more top players need to showcase the shot to inspire future generations. Federer opined that modern tennis “maybe just lacks variety, but that’s because there are so many double-handers these days who don’t use the slice as much.”

Furthermore, the “Swiss Maestro” expressed his high hopes for the future of tennis, saying that despite the gradual changes that have occurred since his time as a player, he still enjoys watching the game: “On the whole, I enjoy it too.” “Today, watching tennis, and it will always be in a safe place because tennis is a wonderful sport,” he said. “The game is where it was, just a step up. I always feel like it’s continuing to go up.”