OTW Extra Email Archive - April 2025
Notes from the Tour: Who's the best left-hander right now?
Thursday 24th April 2025
What do Barack Obama, Leonardo Da Vinci, Nicole Kidman, David Bowie, and Martina Navratilova have in common?
They’re all famous left-handers…
If approximately 10% of the population are left-handed. Then lefties are comparatively well-represented when it comes to professional tennis…
According to TennisAbstract.com, there are currently 12 left-handed players in the women’s Top 100. And 13 in the men’s…
3 of the last 10 women’s Wimbledon winners have been left-handers (Marketa Vondrousova, Angelique Kerber, Petra Kvitova)...
Of course, you can make stats win any argument you choose… 10 of the last 15 men’s French Open champions have been left-handed… but all 10 of those titles were won by the great Rafael Nadal (!)
Household-name tennis legends who played left-handed - and won multiple Grand Slam titles - include Nadal, Navratilova, John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors, and Monica Seles.
In my research for this article, I dug up this BBC piece from a few years back:
You can’t make one clear statement as to exactly why a left-hander might be a tricky opponent/ better tennis player… but lefties certainly offer a different challenge to many, with the vast majority of people & players being right-sided…
For example, Jack Draper’s swinging left-handed serve definitely played a part in his 33/1 charge to the ATP Masters 1000 title at Indian Wells last month. The ball bouncing and sweeping out wide to an opponent’s backhand from the advantage court.
Who’s the best left-hander right now?
Here at Ones to Watch, we like to look forward…
With the likes of Nadal now retired, and recent left-handed women’s Wimbledon champs off the betting shortlist for now: Vondrousova (injured), and Kvitova (now age 35, and yet to win a match on the tour since returning to the tour as a new mother)...
Here are five young left-handers to look out for right now…
Women:
Diana Shnaider - world ranking no.13 - age 21. Won 4 WTA titles in 2024…
Alexandra Eala - world ranking no.72 - age 19. Reached the Miami Open semi finals on her debut last month…
Men:
Jack Draper - world ranking no.6 - age 23. Won his first ATP Masters in March…
Ben Shelton - world ranking no.13 - age 22. ATP Munich runner-up last week. Made the semi finals at the US Open in 2023, and also reached the semi finals at the Australian Open this January…
Learner Tien - world ranking no.69 - age 19. A former Junior finalist at both the Australian Open and US Open. Announced himself on the senior scene this year, winning 6 matches in a row to come through qualifying and reach the last 16 on his Australian Open debut…
In the women’s, Russia’s Diana Shnaider is the top-ranked left-hander right now. With Great Britain’s Jack Draper the highest-ranked male. Both are on the clay in Spain this week for the Mutua Madrid Open, Masters 1000-grade event…
Not a full Ones to Watch member yet? If you want to get your hands on ALL my big-odds, Each Way, tournament picks. Including Madrid this week - and with the French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open all to come. Get onboard here…
Enjoy the tennis…
Best wishes,
Oliver Upstone