Justin Henin sees her signature shot disappearing

Scour through the top 25 of the WTA rankings and there’s definitely something missing: a player with a single-handed backhand. Justine Henin, who rode that particular stroke to seven Grand Slam singles titles, recently discussed its diminishing presence in the women’s game.

In an interview with Sky Sports, Henin, who fought off multiple Hall of Fame-worthy two-fisters to reach the top spot in the sport, stated the one-hander appears to be going by the wayside.

“It’s not getting popular anymore,” she said. As the game has evolved over the past several decades, going that route with the backhand has been met with some skepticism. Even when Henin started playing as a young girl, there was a push for her to follow what was becoming the traditional route on that side.

“So many people, like my dad, wanted me to take it on with two hands because I was not powerful enough,” she said. Inspired by former world No. 1s Stefan Edberg and Steffi Graf, Henin stood firm in her decision, developing a near-flawless technique.

Belgium’s first Grand Slam titlist added in the interview that the one-handed backhand can help offset some of the power in the women’s game as it can be a more versatile shot.

“I really defend a lot the need to give as many weapons as possible to young players, to allow them to play,” she said. “When you have a slice and a drop shot, you can defend, you can change your rhythm, you can do a lot of things, but I’m not sure if it’s going to be as popular.”

As she works on shaping the next generation at her own tennis academy, Henin said that it’s up to the individual to determine how they want to particularly hit their backhand, but added, “we strongly believe we can give to the player in terms of creativity, to just try and enjoy the game.”