Devilishly powerful shot into the bottom-left corner again, Novak nets, 40-30, but deuce as a poor shot selection sees Alcaraz whack a backhand into the net post.

The drop shot once again proved fruitful for Sabalenka. A beautiful change of pace on the backhand side produced 30-40 and a forehand junk ball died upon landing to deny Svitolina the ...

Plus, the change from a backhand grip to a continental grip is a shorter transition and frequently done for hitting a slice. Both aspects help maintain the disguise of the drop shot.