The End of an Era: 149-Year One-Handed Backhand Streak Ends at US Open

The Streak That Survived 149 Years

Since the first tournament at the All England Club in 1877, men’s tennis always featured at least one player armed with a one-handed backstroke in the semifinal rounds of a major championship during every single calendar year, as reported by En Cancha. That historical chain spanned nearly a century and a half.

Legendary figures built their reputations on the elegance and versatility of the single-hander. From Rod Laver and Ken Rosewall to Björn Borg, John McEnroe, Pete Sampras, Roger Federer, and Stan Wawrinka, the stroke defined the sport’s aesthetic peak. Yet, entering the final Grand Slam of the 2026 season, the tradition faced imminent collapse after the Australian Open, Roland Garros, and Wimbledon all concluded without a single one-handed backstroker among their respective final four contenders.

Tsitsipas Confronts the Extinction of a Style

Stefanos Tsitsipas entered his fourth-round Flushing Meadows clash against Ben Shelton carrying the weight of history. Weeks before taking the court, the Greek star acknowledged the milestone on social media, writing, “Tengo una racha de 150 años que salvar,” according to Sport. Needing a victory over Shelton to keep his championship hopes alive and preserve the record, Tsitsipas fell short as the American dictated the match.

Reflecting on the shifting landscape of professional tennis prior to his elimination, Tsitsipas spoke candidly about the diminishing presence of his signature stroke among top-tier competitors. “Incluso se lo dije a Grigor el otro día. Ya ves, cada década vamos a menos. Somos como dinosaurios que se extinguen,” Tsitsipas remarked, as cited by Sport, referencing fellow one-handed player Grigor Dimitrov.

Tactical Pressures and the Rise of Power Tennis

Modern tennis demands explosive baseline power, rapid recovery times, and relentless ball velocity. Sport notes that the sheer speed of today’s groundstrokes has made the technical vulnerabilities of the one-handed backstroke increasingly difficult to manage at the elite level. While players like Lorenzo Musetti served as reliable torchbearers by reaching the semifinals at Roland Garros and Wimbledon in recent seasons, physical ailments and fluctuating form prevented the next generation of stylists from keeping the 2026 streak afloat.

Alternative adaptations remain rare. On the women’s tour, French player Diane Parry experimented with a hybrid approach, using two hands to return serves before transitioning back to a single-hander, though Tsitsipas dismissed such mechanical shifts for his own game. “Yo nunca sería capaz de hacer eso… Pasar de devolver con un revés a dos manos y luego volver a un revés a una mano me parece demasiado trabajo. Tengo que simplificarlo,” he explained to Sport.

With Tsitsipas’s exit in New York, the sport turns a definitive page. The 2026 season officially closes the book on an era where the single-handed backstroke was a guaranteed fixture in the closing rounds of major tennis, leaving players who still wield the stroke to fight for survival in a game dominated by double-handed power.