4 minute read
Serve and Volley is Coming Back! By Steve Annacone
Okay, I am a little partial to this specific strategy since my groundstrokes have always been average at best and I don’t have that big weapon at the baseline. In addition, running back and forth to hit balls on the run was never my specialty. My brother, Paul, was a little better than me at this strategy and at his best, was coming in to the net on every serve and return of serve- successfully (#12 in the world in singles and #3 in the world in doubles). I am excited to see a lot of players starting to venture in to the netand winning! It is not exactly like back in the day when Arthur Ashe, John McEnroe, Stefan Edberg, Boris Becker, and many others came in to the net with no invitation.
However, almost all of the top players on the ATP Tour have shown more of their game moving forward in the past few years. Even Rafa Nadal, who is known as one of the best baseliners (and players!) of all-time, has been using the serve and volley tactic in quite a few matches during his hot start to 2022. Carlos Alcarez won the Miami Open and, in the final he went 11 for 11 on points serving and volleying. You read that right; he won all 11 of the points he played using this strategy.
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I have always maintained that tennis tends to go in cycles. There were a lot of great aggressive, moving forward players in the 1960’s and early 1970’s. Then there was Bjorn Borg who revolutionized baseline tennis with his quickness, consistency, and incredible strategy. Many baseliners followed in his footsteps-and then, there was John McEnroe. Probably the greatest natural volleyer I have ever seen, it seemed like he could come in to the net at will and win 80% of the points. Ivan Lendl and Mats Wilander turned that around shortly thereafter until Boris Becker and Stefan Edberg started dominating. Michael Chang, Jim Courier, and Andre Agassi were the featured baseline players of the 1990’s, and then there was Pete Sampras. Pete was great at moving forward but was also great from the baseline-perhaps the best on the run forehand of all time. Roger Federer brought serving and volleying to a new level, although he too could be amazing from the back of the court. We all know about Nadal and Novak Djokovic and how they brought us into the new baseline era we have experienced for the last 15 or so years.
Now it is time for the tide to turn again. I always thought Federer could be the player who brought back the serve and volley, chip and charge mentality to the game, but he has had a lot of injuries and we did not get to see that happen. Hopefully, there is still that possibility. Alcaraz did a great job showing that the tactic can still be very successful. Other players will study what and how he used this in the final of the Miami Open and I believe there will be new players who work specifically on moving forward and will make it their main strategy.
Even though the game has evolved, the speed of the ball is faster, and the court surfaces have favored the baseline players, coming in to the net well can still be the difference in the match, especially if the players are evenly matched from the backcourt.
My advice for all the avid tennis players out there, all of the up and coming juniors, and anyone who wants to be a part of this new surge towards the net, is to get out there and practice moving in to the net gradually, hitting balls from all parts of the court, volleying (old school volleys, not swinging volleys!), and in general forcing yourself on the opponent with your position. I have confidence that the next big serve and volley player is out there and we will soon be seeing them exhibit that incredible instinct, anticipation, and hand eye coordination we have seen in the past.
Be ready—the serve and volley is making a comeback!
Steve Annacone, USPTA Elite Pro, is the Director of Annacone Tennis and MyHamptonsPro, in East Hampton, NY . Steve is also a tennis professional at Ventana Golf and Country Club in Tucson, AZ. In addition, Steve and Miguel Coelho have introduced the JET (Junior Elite Tennis) program at the Tucson Jewish Community Center for high level players ages 8-18. Please contact Steve at info@annaconetennis.com.
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