The Andy Murray Backhand Stroke - Analyzed!

By John Key

Following his amazing efforts at the 2008 US Open, Andy Murray has truly arrived and is a force to be reckoned with on the men's tennis tour - and so has his two-handed backhand. Andy's backhand really is a classy stroke and a great example of the two-hander for junior and adult players to copy.

So Why is it So Good?

There are so many good points about Andy Murray's backhand that it is difficult to know where to start.

The Movement

His movement, compared to a couple of years back is like the difference between chalk and cheese. His general court coverage and his ability to chase balls down is awesome. His tuning around the ball (those small sharp steps around the ball) is also vastly improved. It has now become extremely difficult to get the ball past Andy.

The Drive

It's scary how many options Andy has open to him on his backhand drive! His racket-head control is full of snap and his timing is perfect. He really makes this shot tell in a rally, partly due to the way he positions himself up the court striking the ball very early after the bounce. Andy's constant smothering of the ball is very tiring for the opponent to play against as they are given very little time between shots.

One minute he winds up with a full blown shot, the next he abbreviates, blocks or floats the shot. He has an uncanny ability to mix the pace, stopping his opponent from settling into a comfortable rhythm.

Andy has a straight right arm on take-back and flexes his arms slightly on impact. Lovely! Many of Andy's drives around the baseline are played with an open stance and with excellent weight transference. He has superb balance, very rarely collapsing when making contact with the ball (a common mistake when social players get too close to the ball).

The tremendous racket-head speed Andy generates has got to be my favourite part of his drive. The tip of the racket overtakes the grip with ferocious speed on the Murray drive. As a result, his arms and racket are wrapped over his shoulder on completion of the shot.

The Slice

Andy utilizes a text book take-back and follow-through and like so many two-handers, he plays his slice as a one-handed shot. Time after time he weaves this shot into his rallies for change of spin, change of pace and for approach shots. Sometimes he just floats his slice backhand to length without much pace and other times zaps it over the net fast and low. He also utilizes a cheeky short cut shot that fizzes low.

The Drop Shot

As Andy possesses a really natural slice backhand, the drop shot is a natural progression for him. Nowadays Andy is selecting when to play the drop shot with more care, resulting in a far more effective drop shot.

The Service Return

Week after week on the men's tour Andy can be seen hitting his returns early, constantly hitting to the feet of the incoming serve-volleyer. His natural ability to abbreviate and adapt his technique makes his return a real weapon. He moves forwards into the court and following a split step, pounces on the ball. His superb racket-head control means that the clipped shots and improvised flicks are a breeze.

If an opponent decides to stay back on the baseline, Andy will constantly nail his returns into the corners of the court. Intimidating to say the least!

Andy Murray has arrived and is here to stay!

As a coach, John Key has worked with all levels of tennis players from beginners to junior national champions, Davis Cup and Wimbledon. His tennis website Backhandworld.com offers lots of free coaching tips and advice for all standards.

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