Farewell to the One-Handed Backhand: Wawrinka Leaves US Open, Officially Closing Tennis' Golden Era

Flushing Meadows, New York – The Grandstand court on Tuesday afternoon had no empty seats. Thousands of fans crowded in, standing along the aisles, holding their breath for the final moment of a legend. Stanislas Wawrinka walked onto the court, his face calm but his eyes carrying a hint of nostalgia. He knew, and everyone present knew, this was the last time the most powerful one-handed backhand in modern tennis history would be performed at a Grand Slam. The match ended 7-6(4), 7-6(3), 6-0 in favor of Matteo Berrettini. In the first two sets, Wawrinka still fought on equal terms, pushing his opponent into tense tiebreaks. But by the third set, the stamina of a 41-year-old body had completely given way. The 6-0 scoreline did not reflect class; it reflected the harsh truth of age. I have followed Wawrinka since his days as a promising young player, and I have never seen him lose his fighting spirit so completely. But numbers do not lie. We just have to ask the right questions. The context of this match was far more significant than an ordinary first-round loss. Just two days earlier, Roger Federer – his compatriot, his doubles partner who won Olympic gold in Beijing 2026 – was officially inducted into the Hall of Fame. This event and Wawrinka's farewell form a pair of milestones that close an entire era. Wawrinka received a wild card at the last minute after Patrick Kypson withdrew due to injury. He had even returned to Switzerland before receiving the call to come back to New York. This twist of fate allowed him a proper farewell at the venue where he triumphed in 2026. To understand why Wawrinka's departure is so symbolic, one must look at the weapon that made his name. At age 11, Wawrinka's coach realized the boy's two-handed backhand was a disaster. A bold decision was made: switch to a one-handed backhand. It was a risky move, but it turned out to be the most important career management decision of his life. Wawrinka's one-handed backhand was not like Federer's. It was heavier with topspin, flatter through contact, and capable of finishing points from defensive positions where most players would only return safely. Data from his peak period of 2026–2026 tells an extraordinary story. Wawrinka defeated the world No. 1 in all three Grand Slam finals he won: Novak Djokovic at Roland Garros 2026 and US Open 2026, Rafael Nadal at the Australian Open 2026. Three Grand Slam finals, three encounters with the world No. 1, three victories. This is a rare clutch-point statistic in history. In the 2026 Roland Garros final, he hit 60 winners and broke Djokovic's serve 5 times, ending the Serb's 28-match winning streak at Grand Slams. In the 2026 US Open final, he recorded 46 winners, many from the backhand wing, and broke down Djokovic's defense. There are things that only appear when you sit still longer than one set. And when you sit long enough, you see clearly: Wawrinka's one-handed backhand was not just a stylistic choice, but a genuine point-ending weapon at the highest level. The truth about the decline of the one-handed backhand lies in the physicality of modern tennis. Wawrinka diagnosed it himself: today's players hit extremely hard from both wings. The two-handed backhand offers superior stability against heavy topspin aimed at the backhand corner – the primary attacking pattern in modern baseline tennis. The one-handed backhand requires perfect timing, precise footwork, and extraordinary wrist strength to neutralize high-bouncing balls. Wawrinka's generation was the last to be trained to develop those skills at the elite level. Current data shows only 5 players in the top 100 use a one-handed backhand: Musetti, Shapovalov, Tsitsipas, Altmaier, and Kovacevic. This shot is approaching functional extinction at the highest level. But there is a counterintuitive perspective that the crowd often overlooks. The disappearance of the one-handed backhand is not just a story about technique, but a story about how we train our youth. I have spent years following tennis academies in Europe and Australia, and I have noticed a worrying trend: young coaches, driven by results, are neglecting technique in favor of physicality. Children of 12, 13 years old are already being trained like professional athletes, prioritizing power over the subtlety of each shot. The one-handed backhand, which requires years to perfect, becomes the first victim of this philosophy. Wawrinka is living proof that a properly nurtured one-handed backhand can defeat anyone. He was not a natural genius like Federer, not a physical warrior like Nadal. He was a true farmer from his parents' farm in Lausanne, who turned hard work into a weapon. His words at the farewell press conference said it all: "One of the reasons I played until 41 was to live these moments." Wawrinka's career raises a big question for the tennis world: are we losing a precious part of this sport's heritage? When all players hit two-handed on both sides, does tennis become monotonous? I do not deny the effectiveness of the two-handed backhand – the data supports it. But I also cannot forget those moments when Wawrinka stood in seemingly impossible defensive positions, swinging his one-handed backhand to tear through Djokovic's defense. That is something tennis cannot measure with win rates or service game percentages. That is something only felt in the hearts of fans. Looking at his entire career, Wawrinka has 16 ATP titles, 3 Grand Slams, an Olympic gold medal, and was ranked world No. 3. But the number 16 does not accurately reflect his legacy. It is the 3 Grand Slams – all won by defeating the world No. 1 – that are the true measure. This is a case where the Grand Slam count (3) is a better legacy metric than total titles (16), because the quality of those wins was exceptional. A new team, like a new watch, needs time to run accurately. Wawrinka is the Swiss watch that ran slow but was absolutely precise at the most critical moments. Wawrinka's departure also marks the end of a golden generation of Swiss tennis. A small nation produced two of the greatest players of all time in the same generation: Federer and Wawrinka. Together, they brought Switzerland the Olympic gold in men's doubles at Beijing 2026 – an achievement no other nation can replicate in the modern era with both players in the top 10 in singles. Now that both have retired, Swiss tennis faces a huge void. No male player from the country is in the top 50. Switzerland's success was built on exceptional individual talent, not systemic depth. On the Hall of Fame question, Wawrinka responded with characteristic humility: "I absolutely don't decide for that." But with 3 Grand Slams, an Olympic gold medal, 16 ATP titles, and a world No. 3 ranking, his induction is only a matter of time. The selection process is beyond his control, but his resume speaks for itself. As I left the Grandstand court that afternoon, I saw tears on the faces of loyal fans. They were not just crying for a loss. They were crying for an era coming to an end. The beat keeper does not make the music himself, but without him everything falls out of rhythm. Wawrinka was the beat keeper for a period of tennis when the one-handed backhand was still the most feared weapon on court. Now, as he walks away, we must ask ourselves: will the next generation ever know the beauty of a perfectly executed one-handed backhand? Or will we only see consistent, efficient but soulless two-handed shots? The answer, like everything in tennis, will come from data. But there are things data cannot measure. And I fear we have just lost one of them.