Grigor Dimitrov's slice
Traced frame by frame from real footage.
Dimitrov slices far more than the field. At Wimbledon 2026 he sliced 81 of 114 backhands against Berrettini, 71 %, when the men's average was 26 %. Charting data also shows him among the few players who win more with slice returns than with drives.
- 1The racquet is taken back high, above the level of the ball, with the face open.
- 2The swing comes down and through the ball rather than up it.
- 3At the finish the arms separate and the racquet stays out toward the target, the body balanced on the front leg.
Our own observations from the traced frames. Flip through the plate above to check them.
By the numbers
Wimbledon 2026, third round against Berrettini: 81 of 114 backhands sliced (71 %). The men's tournament average was 26 %.
ESPN, Jul 2026 (Brain Game Tennis data)In 650 charted matches, he was among the few players, with Federer, López and Tomic, who win more with slice returns than with flat or topspin returns.
Jeff Sackmann, Tennis Abstract, 2015
What you can copy
Djokovic, in the same ESPN piece, calls the slice a very useful play on worn grass, but hard to rely on if it isn't natural to you.
ESPN, Jul 2026