Grigor Dimitrov's Miami Open run heralds the return of one-handed backhand into ATP top 10 just weeks after its disappearance

Grigor Dimitrov's run to the final at the 2024 Miami Open has ensured that not only will he make a return to the ATP top 10 rankings next week, but the single-handed backhand will also have representation among the elite again.

This week, Dimitrov played some of the best tennis of his career to reach his third-ever ATP Masters 1000 final in Miami. The Bulgarian defeated Carlos Alcaraz, Alexander Zverev, Hubert Hurkacz, Yannick Hanfmann and Alejandro Tabilo en route to the title, where he will face World No. 3 Jannik Sinner.

On account of his performance, Grigor Dimitrov is set to crack the top 10 singles rankings at No. 9 in the world, and can rise as high as No. 7 if he triumphs at the Masters-level event on Sunday. The 32-year-old has also salvaged the hopes and dreams of tennis fans who love the one-handed backhand.

At the end of February, the single-handed backhand groundstroke didn't have a single representative in the top 10 for the first time since the inception of the computer rankings, as Stefanos Tsitsipas dropped to No. 11 after a string of disappointing results in 2024. The Greek had previously been the flagbearer for the one-hander after Roger Federer's 2020 sabbatical due to a right knee injury caused his ranking to dip outside the top 10 in 2021.

Federer, on his part, was ranked in the top 10 from 2002 to 2016 and 2017 to 2020. While the Swiss maestro exited the top rankings for a few months between 2016 and 2017 due to a torn meniscus in his left knee, Stan Wawrinka ensured that the one-handed backhand wouldn't lose its place in the elite.

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"I'm counting on every guy that's still out there with one hand to keep on pushing" - Grigor Dimitrov

Roger Federer and Grigor Dimitrov together kept the one-hander alive in 2017

Earlier this month, Grigor Dimitrov gave his thoughts on the single-handed backhand's waning influence on tennis. The Bulgarian maintained that technical advancements in the game meant that fans would see fewer players with one-handers in the top rungs.

He did, however, bat for the aesthetic value of the shot and asserted that most players with a single-handed backhand have immaculate timing on the ball.

"When it comes to a different generation, yeah, we're going to see less and less. For sure I'm counting on every guy that's still out there with one hand to keep on pushing and playing for that," Grigor Dimitrov told Tennis.com. "Of course, I will probably be the biggest supporter of that shot."

"I think the beauty of the one hand is just there's so much to it in order to hit the ball right with one hand. It starts with the timing, looking at the ball, the swing, the height."