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Serve and volley- changes in last 20 years


coffee_rules

Serve and volley  

4 members have voted

  1. 1. Do you like the 90s serve and volley game in Wimbledon?



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I'm a little mixed when it comes to this. On one hand we had blind net rushing, and no point construction in the 90s, where servebotting alone would probably be enough to go deep in the slams. Less baseline play or hope for attacking baseliners to win Wimbledon. On the other hand, due to the decline of serve and volley, we have had less variety in game styles, with the majority following Djokovic/Chang/Lendl style of baselining, and pushing from the baseline. We have also had changes in court speeds the last 20 years, thus enhancing the ability to handle serve and volley, neutralising it's effectiveness. With a majority of the courts slowed down, there is scope for endless grinding from the baseline.

 

So I guess, it's mixed reaction from my side. We do need serve and volleying for variety, especially on grass, but at the same time, blind net rushing during every point is no fun, and makes for boring tennis.

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Court speed in 90s was a farce, servebotting, 2-3 shot rallies, boring. I very much prefer to see players constructing points, like a chess game. S/V shouldn't disappear entirely but was excessive in 90s and luck was a big factor in determining results since margins were so small, one break of service and that's it, set in the pocket. Also racquet changes have made S/V game difficult, in addition to court speed. 

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Upsets have become rare cos of change in court speed, big 3 has benefited a lot cos of this, esp Nadal and even Fed. Anyway IMO Fed with his ROS, BH, slice game always preferred low bouncing conditions to fast courts. Both are linked but still, opposite for Nadal... there is a reason he has won Indian Wells thrice, even Cincy but not Miami. 

 

I voted no in the option, imagine Isner or Karlovic winning GS with their limited games, yuck. 

Edited by Gollum
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I like watching Serve and Volley play at times but the problem in todays game is that a lot of players fear that the shots coming from the baseline from the opponent are going to be flying rockets and and that it will hard for them to get if they come up to the net.


Another problem is that Volley is easier to do these days on the 2nd serve than the first serve. If you are a quick server, then its hard for you to come to the net in time as the opponent is going to smash it fast at you using your serve speed. While the 2nd serve is a bit slower usually to avoid the double fault and that helps the player serving to come to the net quicker and adjust and position himself better to finish the point.

 

A lot of singles players play doubles hence to keep on working on their net game. Shapovalov,  for example, paired with India’s Rohan Bopanna during this year’s US Open, to improve his net game which comes in handy to get quick hands when he needs during volley. 
 

 

 

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On 9/11/2020 at 10:32 AM, Gollum said:

Upsets have become rare cos of change in court speed, big 3 has benefited a lot cos of this, esp Nadal and even Fed. Anyway IMO Fed with his ROS, BH, slice game always preferred low bouncing conditions to fast courts. Both are linked but still, opposite for Nadal... there is a reason he has won Indian Wells thrice, even Cincy but not Miami. 

 

I voted no in the option, imagine Isner or Karlovic winning GS with their limited games, yuck. 

I actually meant no. I prefer watching games now, power game, running across court on the baseline slicing or hitting back powerfully. Nadal is best and hence injured himself most. 

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Did not like the 1990s serve and volley game. Loved the 1980s serve and volley game, before power serving became a thing. Classical volleyers like Edberg, McEnroe, Cash were a joy to watch. Sampras & Becker had immense skill in volleying but 90% of their volleys are just an easy put-away of a barely managed return off of a cannon of a serve. Boring to watch.

 

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