Djokovic serve

[oliensis]

I saw that Djoker served about 114mph on 1st serve avg for US Open Semi.

Anyone else notice that his serve windup has different action on right arm than it used to?

Here's a video from youtube of his serve in '07 US Open Final:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ivfrbx_Uweo

In my memory his serve was bigger back then, but I can't locate serve speed stats from that match. Anyone got those?

Almost looks to me like he's doing something similar now to what Johnny Mac was doing when Mr. Yandell worked w/ him on his serve. (Can't find the article but it's on the site here somewhere.)

Thoughts?

[jeffreycounts]

You're absolutely right. Good find with the YouTube footage.

I was watching him in Cincy and I noticed that his serve takeback looked weird - and I had never thought that before. Here is a still of what he is doing now. Arm almost completely straight and racket very low (does look like Mac, doesn't it?). Arm really needs to be bent here. Interesting that his first serve average speed is 114 - would love to know if it was higher before his takeback changed:

[uspta146749877]

Do u see a difference?

Do u see a difference comparing with

http://www.tennisplayer.net/members/strokearchive/pro_men/novak_djokovic/nd_serve/nd_1st_serve/nd_1st_serve.html?ND1stSDeuceCourtLevelRear.mov

[oliensis]

I'm guessing that the footage in the stroke archives of Djoker's serve is from AFTER the '07 US Open.

Can anyone confirm or refute my guess?

I looked at that footage in the stroke archive before I posted the youtube link above and it looked more like the current windup than the '07 windup.

I had guessed that he changed the windup when he changed racquets. But it looks like he's got the straighter arm w/ the Wilson racquet, so it's before the racquet change.

With the right shoulder already so open so early in the takeback it seems like some of the stretch/shorten cycle would get lost.

E.g., Sampras' right shoulder goes from pronated to supinated and then again to pronated, as is evident from the angle of the racket face during racquet take-back. Djoker's action used to be more similar to this:

http://www.tennisplayer.net/members/strokearchive/pro_men/petesampras/ps_serve/ps_1st_serve/ps_1st_serve.html?PS1stSDeuceRear.mov

Now Djoker's shoulder is supinated and much less elastic-looking during the serve.
It reminds me of the "WTA" forehand's racquet takeback, with the shoulder open much earlier and the wrist already laid back during the takeback phase.

[johnyandell]

yeah it's mainly cincy 2008.

[uspta146749877]

Youtube tennis lesson by Djokovic

You may see as well a serve part of
A free lesson with Novak Djokovic

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Please click

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0dld...eature=related

[jasonfrausto]

I saw that Djoker served about 114mph on 1st serve avg for US Open Semi.

Anyone else notice that his serve windup has different action on right arm than it used to?

Here's a video from youtube of his serve in '07 US Open Final:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ivfrbx_Uweo

In my memory his serve was bigger back then, but I can't locate serve speed stats from that match. Anyone got those?

Almost looks to me like he's doing something similar now to what Johnny Mac was doing when Mr. Yandell worked w/ him on his serve. (Can't find the article but it's on the site here somewhere.)

Thoughts?

Comments were made possibly by Darren Cahill or Brad Gilbert early in the tournament that it looked like Novak changed his takeback on the serve. I remember hearing it during the coverage. It does look different during that stage of the serve, but I'm not sure on the actual purpose of the change. I thought his motion was good before.

[uspta146749877]

You're absolutely right. Good find with the YouTube footage.

I was watching him in Cincy and I noticed that his serve takeback looked weird - and I had never thought that before. Here is a still of what he is doing now. Arm almost completely straight and racket very low (does look like Mac, doesn't it?). Arm really needs to be bent here. Interesting that his first serve average speed is 114 - would love to know if it was higher before his takeback changed:

[/I]

It could be compared with 4 picures
of the paragraph "the backswing phase" of

http://www.tennisplayer.net/members/biomechanics/greg_ryan/researching_the_serve/researching_the_serve.html

Some coaches call it letter U above compared to letter V