On March 3, I wrote a post on this site titled 'And The Winner Is'( Serve and Return ). It appears I am not the only one who is fascinated by the ability and inability of some players to get the serve back into play.
Take for instance Craig O'Shannessy's recent article on the ATP site 'Beyond The Numbers' titled, 'Nadal Does This One Thing So Much Better On Clay'.
It seems Craig has the same fascination as I do on the one shot that will separate a good player from a great one.
Some comments on Nadal's return are rather entertaining as some even suggest that Nadal is in the first row of the spectator stands to receive serve on the clay courts, yet he has won the French Open 10 times using this tactic.
In fact he isn't much closer in on hard courts either to receive most serves as he strives for the single most important thing in tennis when receiving serve, TIME.
The statistics are in black and white for all to see, Nadal has a career tally of just under 43 per cent of all returning games won on clay. I find that figure to be totally outrageous. How does a player break serve that many times ??
It's time, it has to be TIME.
If a player breaks serve spasmodically then that player is what we commonly refer to as a 'flashy player', someone who occasionally comes up with the goods on the return. Perhaps it has a lot to even do with the server, maybe a double fault or two per game or a few first serves missed which allows a bigger swing on the second.
To break serve regularly means that a player owns an ability to simply keep getting the ball back into play on the return, something that players at all levels struggle with.
Nadal is the one player ( who I believe mirrored Borg's returning style ) that has come up with a formula for returning success yet it does not seem to be replicated by enough players, I find that remarkably confusing.
Bjorn Borg described the return in his book in great detail, he himself seemed confused at why many returners stand so close in to receive the bombs.
Take a look at Rafa vs Isner.
Rafa has a 7-0 record against a man who quite possibly owns one of the most lethal serves of all time. In fact Rafa has only ever lost 4 sets to Isner, two of them in tie breaks, yet he has always found a way to get enough serves back to beat the big fella.
They have in fact played on clay 4 times. If you get a chance, take a look at the Monte Carlo highlights from 2015, entertaining to say the least.
Rafa is almost touching the Rolex sign at the back of the court as he searches for enough space to take a swing at a delivery that defies logic.
There is no doubt that standing back on the return, particularly on the first serve, will give a player a chance to get the ball back a little more regularly than a player who likes to stand up on the baseline though Andre Agassi made a handy living from standing there.
How many players however can see the ball as early as Andre did ??
Personally I would only ever teach a student to stand on the baseline on the first serve if a player continually swung the ball wide in the deuce court. I believe more students will benefit from the Nadal return than the Agassi one.
Last night in Davis Cup action Zverev beat Ferrer in straight sets, breaking serve on TEN occasions. Ok Ferrer does not own a big serve but it's not the weakest serve on the tour and it asks the question of the opponent with the amount of kick he puts on it.
Can you imagine the possibilities on a tennis court breaking serve on a regular basis ??
Oh the joy........
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