"I have the best one, Roger Federer called me" - Ons Jabeur, Taylor Fritz, Ben Shelton, Jannik Sinner & others hilariously attempt 1-handed backhand
Tennis stars Jannik Sinner, Ons Jabeur, Ben Shelton and Taylor Fritz were recently spotted in a fun single-hand backhand session during the Madrid Open.
Fritz, Andrey Rublev, Auger-Aliassime and Jiri Lehecka are already through to the semifinals in the second clay-court Masters 1000 event of the season. Sinner and Medvedev, meanwhile, withdrew during the tournament.
Despite his exit from the tournament, Sinner, along with some other tennis stars, was seen in an engaging single-hand backhand session. Most of the players revealed that trying a single-hand backhand was a new experience.
However, Fritz and Jabeur looked confident before trying it. Furthermore, the Tunisian playfully said that she had the best backhand and was called by Roger Federer last time.
"I have the best one Roger called me you know last time," said Jabeur.
Roger Federer was one of the greats who was famous for his single-handed backhand and the cross-court winner.
Jannik Sinner and Jabeur out from the Madrid Open, Fritz through to the semifinals
Jannik Sinner withdrew his name from the Madrid Open recently. It was because of a hip injury that the World No. 2 handed a walkover to Felix Auger-Aliassime, who will now face Jiri Lehecka in the semifinals.
The news came minutes after two-time champion Carlos Alcaraz was eliminated in the quarterfinals by Andrey Rublev. This was Sinner's best performance at the Madrid Open so far.
"Very sad to have to withdraw from my next match here in Madrid. My hip has been bothering me this week and has slowly been getting more painful. Taking the advice from the doctors we decided it’s best to not play further and make it worse,” Sinner wrote on X.
Jabeur, on the other hand, got knocked out by Madison Keys in the quarterfinals of the tournament. Despite not letting Keys open her account in the first set, the Tunisian couldn't sustain the momentum and lost in three sets.
The women's final is set to be played on May 4, where World No. 1 Iga Swiatek will face World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka. Meanwhile, Rublev has beaten Fritz in the first semifinal.