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The Big Serve - Big Forehand

In virtually all the tennis coaching material you can read these days, the authors (Timanis, Saviano, Gilbert et al) prescribe four main playing styles.

• The counter puncher / defensive baseliner
• The aggressive baseliner
• The all court player
• The serve – volleyer.

For each style players can be used to illustrate the authors description. Hewitt, Chang and Sanchez Vicario as counter punchers; Agassi, Williams and Davenport as aggressive baseliners; Federer and Hingis as all court players; and Rafter, Sampras and Navratilova as serve and volley experts.

The modern game – with all its advances in racquet and biomechanical technology may have thrown up a new playing style to add to the traditional four. Tennis evolution has created the playing style I call the Big Serve…Big Forehand. I would like trace its origins and use current players to illustrate this playing style.

The new style can by traced by the statistics. In 1994 only six men could serve over 200km/h, it was unique. Ten years on in 2004 statistics showed over 100 men could break to 200km/h mark – that’s virtually every player in the main draw of a Grand Slam. This huge weapon every player now possesses can by attributed to a combination of factors. New racquet and string technology no doubt contributed, but it was the partnership with sports science that made the 200km/h barrier achievable to so many.

All these huge serve’s seemed destined to dominate the game – but of course the game quickly evolved and superb return of serve quickly emerged from Hewitt, Agassi etc… The big serves were coming back, so a second weapon was needed. Once upon a time the big serve was followed by volley – but for two main reasons this was not possible in the modern game.

Firstly the modern serves are so flat and so fast that the player rushing the net has no time to set up a good net position. Serve and volley champions of the past Rafter and Edberg relied more on viciously kicking serves and fantastic net position than pace for success. The second, and underlying, reason that big serves were not capitalised on by net play is that not many players are confident at the net. Young tennis stars are pushed by success at so early an age that a full and rounded tennis education is not possible (More on this in later articles). Add to that the sad decline of doubles and players like Tim Henman and Taylor Dent who have superb volleying skills are rare indeed.

The huge forehand is the essential tool of most players on tour. Give most players a decent look at mid court forehand and you can virtually guarantee a winning stroke. Some players took this to a whole new level and can dominate the game from anywhere on the forehand court, and indeed if the ball is not deep enough they will skip around and punish their opponents from the backhand court also.

To illustrate the type of players I am describing look no further than the American #1 Andy Roddick. The Big Forehand and Serve are his trademarks, classifying him in the four traditional playing styles is difficult. He is certainly no counter puncher and I don’t believe he can be called an aggressive baseliner because his double handed backhand is quite weak. To see his backhand broken down in the 1st round of the 2005 US Open confirmed his suspect backhand. I believe a true aggressive baseliner can do damage off forehand and backhand like Agassi, Safin or Davenport. To see Roddick attack the net is to verify he is neither a Serve and Volleyer or an all court player. He has hard hands and doesn’t move naturally at net. He is the archetypal Big Serve…Big Forehand style of player.

Other examples include Carlos Moya, a huge server, massive forehand and superb athlete who caused Lleyton Hewitt so many problems. The rest of his game is quite normal, a steady double handed backhand and modest volleys, but that forehand!!! Australia’s own Alicia Molik has developed into a Big Serve…Big Forehand style. While early in her career she was developing an all court game behind her serve, which is considered one of the best in the ladies game, during her magnificent run to the top 10 in 2004 – 05 her style was based around a huge serve and forehand with a shaky backhand and infrequent visits to the net.

While it has its limitations (Federer seems to have no trouble tactically dismantling Roddick) the Big Serve…Big Forehand style is a particularly effective way of playing on the pro tour. Think of all the players who have succeeded with deficiencies in their game but a huge serve and forehand:- Krickstein, Courier, Gonzalez, Graf…the list goes on.

As a coach, think of your of your own players. Have you any promising players who have shaky backhands and are unconfident at the net. I have several! Teach them to mix up and slice their backhand, use fast feet and skip around to use the inside out forehand. Do some research into the latest serving technique (such as using forearm pronation and strengthening the rotator cuff muscle group) and get them playing some doubles so they can “learn to love” the net.

All different styles and types of players can succeed on the tennis court. While we all love the all court grace of Roger Federer not everybody can aspire to his perfection. Try the Big Serve…Big Forehand style and enjoy your coaching.

By Rufus Keown