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From the coach
FROM THE COACH
SUPER SERVICE
1 STAGE ONE: Serena, like many of the great servers starts with her feet slightly wider than shoulder width apart. Importantly Serena doesn’t grip the racquet too tight, which allows for a free-flowing motion. Serena has a very relaxed and natural service motion. Notice how she rocks back onto her right leg, which is extremely important for rhythm on serve.
2 STAGE TWO: Serena is very consistent with her ball toss and manages to throw it in the same position almost every serve. This makes it hard for the returner to read where she is hitting it. Her body weight begins to shift forward, engaging the legs for maximum power. The ball toss is slightly in front of her and fractionally out to the right.
3 STAGE THREE: This is where Serena gets herself into the jump position by bending her knees. Note that her heels come off the ground as she continues to load up the legs. Her left arm reaches up, encouraging full extension at the top of the serve.
What Serena’s opponents say about her serve: “Serena is so good at mixing it up. And even sometimes when you see it, it comes so fast that even when you’re there, it’s hard to return it back.” CAROLINE WOZNIACKI
“It’s a bomb. It’s also very hard to read where she’s serving, so you guess or you’re just lucky because when she’s serving, you just have no idea where the ball is going to go.” AGNIESZKA RADWANSKA
“That leap is one of the reasons she gets such power into the serve. It’s like a chain. It starts from the legs, goes up through the arms and ends with the wrist. It is one fluid movement with her from start to finish.” KIM CLIJSTERS
“She can put 10 serves in a row in one spot and that’s the biggest weapon she has to me. She can hit it anywhere, at any angle, and wherever she wants to put it.” KAROLINA PLISKOVA
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AUSTRALIAN TENNIS MAGAZINE
“I think her technique is perfect, so when she throws the ball, you don’t know if you have to go to the right or go the left.” GARBINE MUGURUZA “She is one of the only players with a technically sound serve; perfect mechanics. She manages to turn her shoulders but keep the same toss. So if you’re trying to read it, you can’t.” LINDSAY DAVENPORT
Serena Williams’ serve is considered one of the most technically sound shots on tour. It is powerful and consistent, leading now-retired German rival Steffi Graf to describe it as “the biggest weapon there has ever been in the sport”. JOSH EAGLE dissects the strengths of the formidable stroke…
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STAGE FOUR: Serena drives off the ground and up towards contact, straightening her legs. Her incredible leg strength helps drive the racquet head speed through this section of the serve.
STAGE FIVE: As Serena makes contact at full extension, you see both feet off the ground. Her right hip and back leg drive provides enormous power to her serve. Her head stays up, preventing her from pulling down during the serve.
“It’s one of the biggest weapons for anyone, male or female. It definitely bails her out more than any other shot and more than other people’s shots. Like Roger Federer or Nadal’s forehand, it sets up the point right away.” MARTINA NAVRATILOVA
“It’s not that she serves only fast. She just varies the speed and the slice and the spin, and she’s so exact on the spots. She just keeps you guessing and on your toes because you don’t know what to expect. There’s none comparable.” ANDREA PETKOVIC
“I think she’s the toughest serve because she has power and placement and good technique.” SIMONA HALEP
6 STAGE SIX: Landing on her left foot inside the baseline, Serena’s racquet follows through across her body. I really like how controlled she is throughout her entire motion, never trying to over hit it. Her head is always up with eyes on the ball, with very little tension in the body at all times. She remains extremely balanced at the end of the serve motion, ready to return.
Josh Eagle, a former professional player who achieved a career-high doubles ranking of No.11 in 2001, has worked as Australia’s Davis Cup coach and won Tennis Australia’s High Performance Coaching Excellence award in 2012. AUSTRALIAN TENNIS MAGAZINE
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