"That was personal, didn't like that"- Roger Federer laments about fall of the 1-handed backhand even as he reveals teaching his own kids the 2-hander

Roger Federer recently revealed that he was personally disappointed at the news that no player with a single-handed backhand has been in the top 10 ATP rankings for the first time since its inception in 1973.

Federer won 20 Major titles during his long and illustrious career, enamoring tennis fans with his elegant single-handed backhand groundstrokes and slices. The former World No. 1 retired from pro tennis at the 2022 Laver Cup. He has been living the good life ever since, keeping himself busy with his brand collaborations.

Federer still keeps tabs on men's tennis, though. Speaking to GQ Sports, the Swiss maestro expressed dismay at one-handers losing their place in the elite after Stefanos Tsitsipas' poor results this year caused him to fall as low as No. 11 at the end of February.

And while Roger Federer gave a shout-out to past and present top players who played with a single-handed backhand, he maintained that he had taught his children the double-hander.

"I felt that one. That one was personal. I didn’t like that. But at the same time, how do you say, it makes the one-handers—Sampras, Rod Laver, me— it makes us special as well that we’ve carried the torch, or the flag or whatever, for as long as we did," Roger Federer told GQ Sports. "So I love seeing players with one-handers like Stan [Wawrinka] and [Richard] Gasquet and [Stefanos] Tsitsipas. Dominic Thiem has a wonderful one. Grigor [Dimitrov], good friend."

"I think it’s (single-handed backhand) still going to exist, it’s going to come back, it’s going to be there," he added. "But I mean, I taught my four kids a double-hander. Not that I can teach them a double-hander. I'm a terrible example."

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"I wish that sometimes we had a little bit more variety" - Roger Federer

Roger Federer hits a volley at Laver Cup 2022

Roger Federer was also cautious about the direction where tennis as a tactical game was headed, while wishing for more variety in playing styles. The Swiss maestro insisted that every pro seeks a certain rhythm during rallies, which can be disrupted if their opponents mix the type of shots they hit.

"What we get more and more nowadays is that I wish that sometimes we had a little bit more variety, and also back and forth coming to the net a little bit more, not just side to side. We’ll see where the game will go," Roger Federer told GQ Sports. "But obviously the problem is when you have a lot of similar players playing against each other, a lot of the points end up being played in a similar fashion."

"And my goal on the tour was always—playing every point in a similar way against my opponent is what he wants. What he doesn’t want is if I mix it up and have variety."

The 20-time Major winner then compared tennis to arm wrestling to illustrate his point better.

"So for me, seeing two guys play against each other and have 20 same points back to back to back, come on," he added. "It can be very interesting. It’s like an arm wrestle. But I like to say, 'Let’s not enter the arm wrestle. Let’s enter another game.'”