Bottom serve has become fashionable in the tennis elite: resource or canchereada?

Nick Kyrgios, Alexander Bublik and even former world number one Andy Murray … There have been several players who have joined the low serve “trend” during their time at Wimbledon. That asset – a kind of drop shot taken from the bottom line, instead of the usual serve – reappeared in the world of racketeering a few years ago. In the beginning it was very rarely seen in matches, but today it is more and more common. And even if it turns out curious and even funny to some, it continues to generate controversy and there are not a few detractors who point out that, although it is legal because the regulations do not prohibit it, it is not for this reason that it is right to use it.

“There is no rule that says you can’t take it from the bottom, so it’s not bad. Next, each player makes the decision they think is most convenient to win the point. I can’t say anything about it,” he said. a chat with Clarín Carlos Berlocq, former 37th in the standings and current coach of Tomas Etcheverry.

“Even, I do not agree to use it. As a player I would never have taken from the bottom nor would I want my player to. I can’t understand it and I wouldn’t feel comfortable doing it, nor seeing my player perform that shot “, continued the Chascomunense, in an opinion shared by many in the tennis world.

Kyrgios is often considered the pioneer of this service, the person responsible for introducing and “disseminating” it in the daily life of modern tennis. And it was-e still the subject of much criticism– when you do. But the truth is that long before the Australian began his adventures in professional tennis, there had been cases of players using the “spoon serve”, as some call it, in official matches.

One of the most remembered, certainly for the setting and circumstances, was what michele chang against Ivan Lendl in the round of 16 at Roland Garros 1989. He was in the fifth set, when the American, 17 years old and 19th in the standings, led 4-3 and 15-30 against the Czech, world number one. The unusual serve knocked off his rival, who quickly stepped forward and hit a forehand; but Chang took the point and, from that moment, led a game that ended up winning 4-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 6-3.

“This created a very interesting element to the match and certainly made the battle, not only physical but also mental,” the American reflected in a chat with the ATP in 2019. He admitted: “I never have. done again. It never happened to me to use it. yet, oddly enough. “

“Kyrgios was questioned about elimination from below. Today it even ends up being cool and viral that others imitate that alternative. He was branded as rude, a bad athlete and even a bad partner, disrespectful to the public. As an example I bring the memory of Michael Chang to Ivan Lendl in the final of Roland Garros. In that case it was an asset, because he was cramped, to get the point; but since the image of the American was very good, no one attributed it to a bad gesture “, Javier Frana recalled a few days ago in his usual opinion column for Clarín.

“I street Miloslav Mecir (Editor’s note: Slovak, four in the world in 1988), who was a super talented player, pulling him out from underneath Martin Jaite at Roland Garros. And more recently I’ve seen it in high-level players like the Italian Sara Errani, which has become number five on the chart and uses it. She, for example, is usually caught serving, with 15 double fouls per game, and to avoid continuing like this, she serves from below. I don’t think it’s bad. I am from the most conservative school and it would never have occurred to me to come out from below. It was a serve you used when you were just starting out and still didn’t know how to do that shot; but then it meant you had no level. Today I see it as a joke, part of an asset, “he reflected mercedes pacecurrent captain of Argentina’s Billie Jean King Cup team.

This curious way of serving is not viewed favorably by those who see it as a way of mocking or disrespecting the rival. Such criticisms were received, for example, by the Argentine Renzo Olivo when he wore it during the second round match of Challenger from Szczecin of 2017, which he lost to the Japanese Taro Daniele. She heard so many reproaches, that she went out to give explanations.

“It was an added asset in a difficult time, when there was so much wind that it was difficult to even launch the service. It was not to have fun or disrespect anyone. It is valid and also adds something different to the viewer, like the pipe in football, which is positive in many respects, “said Rosario in a message posted on his social media.

“At first maybe someone did it to devalue their rival, for ‘save it. But I think today they do it more to change the pace, surprise, make sure they hit the serve in times of tension and change the speed. I think, like everything in tennis, it requires precision and practice, “said Paz, who has reached the 28th step of the table.

Rafael Nadal himself, who has received this type of service more than once, in matches against Kyrgios and the American Mackenzie McDonaldfor example, he has always been clear with his position.

“If you do it with the aim of improving your game or tactically, I support him one hundred percent. If he disrespects his rival, I don’t like him”, assured the Majorcan.

Over the past eleven days, on the green fields of the All of England, several players were encouraged to serve from below. Kyrgios, one of the best performers, has done it several times. But he took it to another level during his tense third-round clash with Stefanos Tsitsipas, who he won in four sets.

When he was 2-3 and 40-0 in the first set, the Aussie pretended to bounce the ball – as all players do before serving – but surprised with a quick serve from below … between the legs . The Greek takes the lead quickly and manages to hit the ball, but it hits the net and his opponent takes the point. The Oceanic served like that again later, which his opponent didn’t like at all and added tension to a hot match.

Murray also benefited from this asset in the match he won in the first round against James Duckworth, compatriot of Kyrgios. Scoring 2-1 and 15-0 in his favor in the third set, the Scotsman bounced the ball once and sent it into the net with a weak forehand. The Aussie came to give him back but he was out of place on the pitch and the British ended up taking the point.

The trend has reached the youth tournament, where the Macedonian Kalin Ivanovsky, 18 years old and 1,691 in the table, was encouraged to throw him when he served for a game, being 6-1, 5-2 and 40-0 ahead. He hit him between the legs, like Kyrgios, and grabbed his rival, the Mexican, so fuzzy Rodrigo Pacheco Mendezwhich thus sealed the victory.

Nothing so unusual, the same, about what he did Alexander Bublik during the third round match against Francesca Tiafè. The Kazakh, who already has that shot incorporated as another weapon in his arsenal, was 0-3 and 40-30 in the fourth set, having won the first and lost the next two. And without much to lose, he pulled it out.

Once, two, three … six times he eliminated the American from below in the fourth game. Only two went well and he also added a double fault, being ahead, when two in a row were bad; but he ended up taking the game, to discount 1-3. Even though he failed to get through the match, the American ended up in that same part.

After the unusual situation went viral, Kyrgios himself commented on Twitter: “I love it, it’s different. But if I were me I would be accused of tanking and fined a minimum of 15 thousand pounds.”

Franco Squillariformer number 11 in the world and current director of the Development area of Argentina Tennis Associationmade sure you don’t understand why a player decides to run this type of service so many times, often used by players like Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, Hungary’s Marton Fucsovics and even powerful servers, such as Croatian Ivo Karlovic.

“It is a 100% resource to de-focus the opponent, when you see him far behind, for example. I have received it in my career and it usually happens in the important moments of the game. The receiver has to be very attentive. It can work when you do it. one, maybe two. But if you do it so many times, like Bublik, they’ll get carried away and it probably won’t be as effective, “commented the semifinalist at Roland Garros in 2000.

Another of the great critics of this resource, the man from Buenos Aires, assured: “It is valid and the regulation allows it, but I do not agree with it. I think it dirties the game and goes beyond what is the essence of tennis. player. I don’t like it. “

The lower serve is gaining more and more importance in professional tennis, but it is far from convincing everyone. Criticized by some, celebrated by others as genius or malice, he appeared in several matches at Wimbledon and did nothing but revive a discussion that has been going on for several years.