Video: 70 Wicked One-Handers from Stanislas Wawrinka

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Video: 70 Wicked One-Handers from Stanislas Wawrinka

Over the past year or so, the name Stanislas Wawrinka has been on the tip of most everybody's tongue when conversations arrive at the age-old question: “Who has the best one-handed backhand in all the land?”

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It didn't used to always be this way, but as Wawrinka has gained notoriety, winning the Australian Open this year, his aesthetically pleasing and notoriously adept, adroit and powerful backhand has become the consensus “best in show” pick by more and more tennis fans and pundits.

The above heart-stopping compilation of 70 of Wawrinka's backhand winners does nothing to discourage discerning students of the one-hander from that notion. If anything it highlights why Wawrinka's backhand is the best by featuring the incredibly diverse array of options he has off that side. Wawrinka's backhand can be equally nasty down the line or crosscourt, and the Swiss can lather up the topspin, hit it flat, or even put a little sidespin on the ball. Wawrinka's also incredibly good at handling high balls (the task that makes many a one-hander break down and cry), and—as is demonstrated in this video on many occasions—he's not to bad at tossing in a dropper or two, either.

What is the most impressive about Wawrinka's backhand is the amount of power and pace he can generate with it. It's that jaw-dropping horsepower that allows Wawrinka to lash winners time and time again against some of the best defenders in the game. Second most impressive is how he is equally adept at hitting crosscourt and down the line, so that he can frequently punch to the gut with one while going for the knockout with the other.

Whether you feel Wawrinka's one-hander is the best in the game, or just one of the best along with Roger Federer and Richard Gasquet (can we really count anybody else in this contest?), we think you'll agree that this compilation—despite it's rough edit—is pretty damn impressive.

When it comes to walloping the one-hander, Stan is most certainly the man.

Thanks to YouTube user Stefan Dimov for the cool vid, and thanks to Beyond the Baseline for pointing us there.

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