Wawrinka's Farewell: The One-Handed Backhand and the End of an Era

I stood in the corridor of the Grandstand court, watching Stan Wawrinka walk out to thunderous applause. At 41, with graying hair and heavier legs, his eyes still held that same predatory gaze that once felled world No. 1s in three different Grand Slam finals. His final match at the 2026 US Open ended 7-6(4), 7-6(3), 6-0 in favor of Matteo Berrettini. Two competitive tiebreak sets, then a bagel – a moment that encapsulated his entire career: still capable of competing at a high level in short bursts, but no longer able to sustain it physically. I have followed tennis for 30 years, and I knew I had just witnessed a historic milestone – the departure of the last generation that used the one-handed backhand as a Grand Slam-winning weapon. The context of this farewell was full of irony. Wawrinka had already returned to Switzerland before receiving the call that Patrick Kypson had withdrawn due to injury, handing him the final wildcard. A three-time Grand Slam champion, former world No. 3, yet the US Open organizers initially did not award him a wildcard – they prioritized a young American player. That says a great deal about how the modern tennis system views value: youth and potential are placed above legacy and honor. But Kypson's injury opened the door, and Wawrinka got his farewell match on the Grandstand – a smaller, more intimate court where thousands lined up to see him one last time. I remember 2026, when he first played the US Open, nobody noticed the young Swiss with the powerful one-handed backhand. Nearly two decades later, the world stood and applauded his retirement. Wawrinka's one-handed backhand was not just a technical choice – it was a statement. At age 11, his coach decided to switch him from two hands to one because his two-hander was "terrible." That seemingly random decision created one of the most feared weapons in tennis history. Unlike Federer – who used the one-hander with spin and elegance – Wawrinka's backhand was heavier with topspin, flatter through contact, and capable of ending points from defensive positions. During 2026-2026, this backhand was considered the single most feared shot in men's tennis. He beat the world No. 1 in all three of his Grand Slam finals: Nadal at the 2026 Australian Open, Djokovic at the 2026 French Open, and Djokovic again at the 2026 US Open. This is a remarkable stat – three separate Major finals, each against the reigning No. 1, all won. The tapes of those matches are the toughest audience – they show a Wawrinka who could raise his game on the biggest stages, something very few players in history can match. The decline of the one-handed backhand is not accidental. Wawrinka himself diagnosed it: "Players today play really hard from both sides." That observation is technically sound. The two-handed backhand offers superior stability against heavy topspin directed to the backhand corner – a common targeting pattern in modern baseline tennis. The one-hander requires exceptional timing, footwork, and wrist strength to neutralize high-bouncing topspin. Wawrinka's generation was the last to develop those skills at the elite level. Currently, only 5 players in the top 100 use a one-handed backhand: Musetti, Shapovalov, Tsitsipas, Altmaier, Kovacevic. Five out of 100 – functional extinction is happening before our eyes. This is not merely a stylistic shift but a fundamental change in how the game is played – the physicality of modern baseline tennis has made the two-hander the rational choice for every developing player. But I want to offer a contrarian view. Wawrinka's career proves that the one-handed backhand is not an obsolete weapon – it simply requires exceptional development. He was 29 when he won his first Slam, much later than other greats. His career arc – late peak, compressed dominance window (2026-2026), then gradual decline – is distinct from both the teenage prodigy trajectory (Alcaraz, Becker) and the sustained dominance trajectory (Djokovic, Federer). The one-hander takes longer to master, but once mastered, it can produce elite results. His 2026 French Open final against Djokovic is considered one of the greatest clay-court matches ever played – he hit 60 winners and broke Djokovic's serve 5 times, ending the Serb's 28-match Grand Slam winning streak. In the 2026 US Open final, he beat Djokovic with 46 winners, many from the backhand wing. The empty bench is not a collapse – it is a piece of an untold story. The story of a player with a modest ATP title count (16) but 3 Grand Slams, all against world No. 1s. That shows the quality of those titles far exceeds their quantity. Wawrinka's departure marks the formal end of the Big Three era. Just two days before his farewell, Roger Federer was inducted into the Hall of Fame. Djokovic remains active but is 37 and declining. The new generation – Alcaraz and Sinner – has already won 6 Slams combined. Wawrinka was the last non-Big-Three player of his generation to win multiple Slams. His career also includes a unique achievement: the Olympic gold in men's doubles at Beijing 2026 with Federer – a rare feat when two players from the same country, both top-10 in singles, combine to win gold. Switzerland, a small nation, produced two legends in the same generation – Federer and Wawrinka – remarkable output. Now both have retired, leaving Swiss tennis facing a huge void. I remember Wawrinka's words about his past: growing up on a farm in Lausanne, he learned hard work – "always trying to give, always trying to fight, always showing up." That is a fighter's manifesto, someone who maximized his talent through effort rather than natural gifts. As I left the Grandstand court that evening, I realized I had witnessed not just a match, but a historical marker. Action first, analysis after – I learned that from the 360-degree camera at the World Cup. And now, looking back at Wawrinka's career, I see clearly: tennis is not about the ball, but about the space around it – the space his one-handed backhand once filled with impossible winners. The question is not whether the one-hander can return, but whether the next generation will accept the initial difficulty to pursue a weapon that can create magic. Wawrinka proved that path still exists – it just requires enough patience and courage to walk it. And when I see kids at the tennis academy in Melbourne still practicing the one-hander every morning, I know his legacy will live on.