1. Azarenka is in perfect position to belt this backhand. Her back foot is the key to the setup: She uses it to balance the rest of her body. Her arms are relaxed, her shoulders are turned, and her racquet is up, which will give her swing the loop necessary to create topspin. The best word for this picture is comfortable. Azarenka has no tension in her body as she prepares to hit the ball.

2. A strong shoulder turn is the key to a great stroke. Azarenka has so much rotation in her torso that the middle of her back almost faces the net. Be warned, though: This extreme turn is unnecessary for the club player. The amount of rotation in the previous photo is plenty. As the ball comes into view, Azarenka begins to drop her racquet and transfer her weight to her front foot. She keeps her back straight, her knees bent, and her head still.

3. As she begins to uncoil, Azarenka drops the head of her racquet below the level of the ball. There’s a lot of flex in her right wrist, as if she’s curling the racquet around her body. There’s slightly more weight on her right foot. Notice that even though the ball is at shoulder level, Azarenka has flex in her knees. That will allow her to swing from low to high.

4. This photo reveals how unique Azarenka’s backhand is. Most players keep their hands together on the racquet handle. Azarenka hits with about an inch of space between her hands. She uses her off hand to drive through her two-hander as much as anyone on tour—it looks like she would have a killer left-handed forehand. She hits the ball well out in front and her knees straighten as she makes contact. The energy from her swing propels her forward.

5. Azarenka’s backhand has a lot of whip because of the way she holds the racquet handle and the fact that she uses her left hand so much. Her technique won’t work for every player, but great strokes usually have a few things in common: Balance, timing and fluidity. You can see from this picture that Azarenka has it all.

6. Azarenka follows through around her head and watches the ball zip toward its target. Her belly button, which faced sideways and slightly backwards in the first photo, now faces the net. So do her feet, which puts her in perfect position to plant and move to the next shot.