desert heat
prominent member
Meh. Sampras was great because no one could return his slice serve. Federer and Steffi had ridiculous forehands. Both were also pinpoint with their serves too. All were great movers on the court. Players like Djoker and Agassi didn't have the serves but were the best returners of all time.
Having a 1 handed BH has nothing to do with it. It helps to be able to hit both. Only having 1 is a liability for those smart enough to exploit it. Someone with a great 1 handed BH is not going to do shit without at least 2 of those other 4 traits. See Richard Gasquet.
sampras had a great serve, but what made it even greater was his ability to serve and volley, and play an all court game. sampras had the edge over agassi because agassi was one dimensional, like many players with 2 handed backhands are..
a one hander is more versatile. you can hit flat, topspin, or slice and dice, yet still get plenty of power.. it also enables a player to stretch out and cover more ground.
laver, sampras, federer, graf, navratilova, all seem to have one thing in common. these people are the best of the best.