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Guys, let’s be real here\u2014when you watch Carlos Alcaraz<\/strong><\/p>\n or Jannik Sinner<\/strong><\/p>\n tearing through the ATP tour, what’s the one shot you almost never see them hit with confidence? That low, skidding slice backhand<\/strong><\/p>\n that used to be the bread and butter of every complete player. The modern baseline grind<\/strong><\/p>\n has produced athletes with absurd topspin RPM<\/strong><\/p>\n and explosive movement<\/strong><\/p>\n , but somewhere along the way, the strategic nuance of the slice got… well, lost. And honestly? I think that’s becoming a massive problem for the next generation trying to break through at Grand Slam<\/strong><\/p>\n level.A lot of fans ask me whether this even matters anymore. Fair point\u2014after all, Sinner just won the Australian Open 2025<\/strong><\/p>\n and Alcaraz has three Slams<\/strong><\/p>\n already. They’re doing fine without slicing their way through matches. But here’s what I think: look closer at their five-set losses<\/strong><\/p>\n , their clay court struggles against varied pace<\/strong><\/p>\n , their inability to shorten points<\/strong><\/p>\n when legs get heavy. That missing slice dimension keeps showing up at the worst possible moments.So what does this mean for the tour, exactly? Let me work through this.Why the Slice Disappeared<\/strong><\/p>\n You might be wondering how something so fundamental just vanished. The answer sits in junior development<\/strong><\/p>\n and equipment evolution<\/strong><\/p>\n . Modern polyester strings<\/strong><\/p>\n and oversized racquet heads<\/strong><\/p>\n reward aggressive topspin<\/strong><\/p>\n \u2014you can swing harder, aim higher over the net, and trust the physics to bring it down. Coaches at academies<\/strong><\/p>\n worldwide noticed this around 2010 and started building players as topspin machines<\/strong><\/p>\n from age twelve.From my view, the slice became… unfashionable? Like, it signals defensive positioning<\/strong><\/p>\n , slower tempo<\/strong><\/p>\n , old-man tennis<\/strong><\/p>\n . Young guys want to crush forehands<\/strong><\/p>\n and outlast opponents<\/strong><\/p>\n in 20-shot rallies<\/strong><\/p>\n . The slice doesn’t fit that Instagram highlight<\/strong><\/p>\n aesthetic. It’s subtle. It requires touch<\/strong><\/p>\n and patience<\/strong><\/p>\n \u2014two qualities that don’t trend well on social media.Keep reading, because the data here is actually pretty wild.The Numbers Don’t Lie<\/strong><\/p>\n Most people don’t notice this, but watch a 2005 Federer<\/strong><\/p>\n match versus 2025 Zverev<\/strong><\/p>\n . Roger’s backhand was this living, breathing weapon<\/strong><\/p>\n \u2014he’d slice low to force upward hits<\/strong><\/p>\n , then crash the net<\/strong><\/p>\n or rip a topspin pass<\/strong><\/p>\n . It was conversational<\/strong><\/p>\n . Zverev, for all his groundstroke weight<\/strong><\/p>\n , essentially hits one speed and one shape. When that rhythm breaks down, he has no pressure-release valve<\/strong><\/p>\n .But Wait\u2014Isn’t Topspin Just Better Now?<\/strong><\/p>\n Here’s where I question my own argument. Some coaches swear that modern athletes<\/strong><\/p>\n don’t need slices because their defensive speed<\/strong><\/p>\n neutralizes what slices used to accomplish. Fair\u2014Alcaraz’s court coverage<\/strong><\/p>\n is borderline supernatural. He can retrieve drop shots<\/strong><\/p>\n that would have been winners against 2000s-era players<\/strong><\/p>\n .But… (and this matters) best-of-five-set tennis<\/strong><\/p>\n isn’t just about retrieval. It’s about energy management<\/strong><\/p>\n . It’s about changing the narrative<\/strong><\/p>\n when your body screams no. The slice does something irreplaceable: it buys time without ceding offense<\/strong><\/p>\n , it disrupts opponent rhythm<\/strong><\/p>\n , it creates lower bouncing balls<\/strong><\/p>\n that force uncomfortable half-volleys<\/strong><\/p>\n .From my view, players without slices are running marathons<\/strong><\/p>\n when they could be running smarter races<\/strong><\/p>\n .Who Still Has It?<\/strong><\/p>\n Not everyone abandoned the craft. Daniil Medvedev<\/strong><\/p>\n uses his slice as tactical punctuation<\/strong><\/p>\n \u2014not beautiful, but functional. Novak Djokovic<\/strong><\/p>\n , even at 37, still mixes in that low, sliding backhand<\/strong><\/p>\n when he needs to reset chaos. Grigor Dimitrov<\/strong><\/p>\n has that elegant one-hander<\/strong><\/p>\n with natural slice variation. But these guys are… exceptions? Dinosaurs<\/strong><\/p>\n holding onto techniques that youth academies<\/strong><\/p>\n barely teach anymore.The Next Gen<\/strong><\/p>\n \u2014Rune<\/strong><\/p>\n , Shelton<\/strong><\/p>\n , Fils<\/strong><\/p>\n , Mensik<\/strong><\/p>\n \u2014they’re built for velocity and spin<\/strong><\/p>\n , not shape and chess<\/strong><\/p>\n . When they face clay court specialists<\/strong><\/p>\n who loop high and heavy<\/strong><\/p>\n , or crafty veterans<\/strong><\/p>\n who mix pace<\/strong><\/p>\n , they look… one-dimensional? Like they have no answer key<\/strong><\/p>\n for disruption.What This Means for Grand Slams<\/strong><\/p>\n This is where I get genuinely worried about the sport’s future. Wimbledon<\/strong><\/p>\n still plays lower and faster. US Open<\/strong><\/p>\n nighttime conditions get slick. Australian Open<\/strong><\/p>\n can swing between extreme heat<\/strong><\/p>\n (ball flies) and cool evenings<\/strong><\/p>\n (ball sits up). Players without slice versatility<\/strong><\/p>\n become surface-dependent specialists<\/strong><\/p>\n rather than complete champions<\/strong><\/p>\n .Think about it: Alcaraz’s 2024 Wimbledon loss<\/strong><\/p>\n to Djokovic<\/strong><\/p>\n featured long stretches where Novak’s slice shortened points<\/strong><\/p>\n , saved legs<\/strong><\/p>\n , forced errors<\/strong><\/p>\n . Carlos had to generate all the pace<\/strong><\/p>\n , create all the angles<\/strong><\/p>\n . That’s exhausting over five sets<\/strong><\/p>\n . It’s not coincidence that his French Open titles<\/strong><\/p>\n came on higher bouncing clay<\/strong><\/p>\n where his topspin patterns<\/strong><\/p>\n dominate.The Development Crisis<\/strong><\/p>\n Here’s what keeps me up at night. Junior coaches aren’t just neglecting<\/strong><\/p>\n the slice\u2014they’re actively discouraging<\/strong><\/p>\n it. I’ve heard from parents at Florida academies<\/strong><\/p>\n that coaches reprimand kids for “pushing” when they slice. The cultural message<\/strong><\/p>\n is clear: aggression<\/strong><\/p>\n equals topspin<\/strong><\/p>\n , patience<\/strong><\/p>\n equals weakness<\/strong><\/p>\n .But tennis history suggests otherwise. Federer’s slice<\/strong><\/p>\n set up his forehand<\/strong><\/p>\n . Pat Rafter’s slice<\/strong><\/p>\n enabled his net attacks<\/strong><\/p>\n . Stefan Edberg<\/strong><\/p>\n literally built a Hall of Fame career<\/strong><\/p>\n on backhand slice approaches<\/strong><\/p>\n . These weren’t defensive concessions<\/strong><\/p>\n \u2014they were offensive weapons<\/strong><\/p>\n disguised as safety.From my view, we’re engineering out versatility<\/strong><\/p>\n in favor of physical uniformity<\/strong><\/p>\n . And that makes the sport… less interesting? Like watching identical algorithms<\/strong><\/p>\n compete instead of contrasting styles<\/strong><\/p>\n .My Take<\/strong><\/p>\n So can the next generation survive without a reliable slice backhand? Honestly… some will. \n\n
\n \nShot Type<\/th>\n Usage Rate (ATP Top 50, 2005)<\/th>\n Usage Rate (ATP Top 50, 2025)<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n \n Slice backhand<\/strong><\/p>\n ~35% of backhands<\/td>\n ~12% of backhands<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Topspin backhand<\/strong><\/p>\n ~55% of backhands<\/td>\n ~82% of backhands<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Drop shots per match<\/strong><\/p>\n 8-12<\/td>\n 4-6<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Net approaches<\/strong><\/p>\n 18% of points<\/td>\n 7% of points<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n