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I just joined your site yesterday. I have been a long time reader/subscriber to tennisone, from since you were writing for it. I always felt with that on that site, your series on the Sampras serve was the best single piece I read on that site. I just read your two part piece on what you call the "new model", the Roddick serve yesterday on your new site. I think it may even surpass your previous effort with the Sampras serve. You said it all when you said one has to understand first what someone like Roddick is doing before you can begin to see whether or not you can implement any elements into your on motion. I have always been fascinated by the serve, and I feel like until now, the best stuff I had read about it has been on tennisone. Jim M on tennisone used to be convinced that the unique position of the elbow just after the ball in struck(elbow high bent, racquet head low) was a key ingredient of all the best servers, such as Sampras, Roddick, and Goran I. to name a few. I got caught up in that for a while, I even wrote you at tennisone one time and you respectfully told me that that one position was not something to key on in your opinion. You are so right when you point out how most of us, even pros, can get caught up in something like this to our detriment.
You mentioned at the end of your piece on the Roddick serve that you are unsure if any other pro(you mentioned Nadal) has Roddick's motion. I certainly agree with you that Nadal's serve, although it appears to be similar, certainly does not produce the same product. Genepri may also fall into this category. You also mentioned that you are looking at possibly another player and his serve. Last year, I went to the Nasdaq for two or three days(I go every year) and saw most of the match of a young Frenchman, Gael Monfils. He seemed to have almost the exact motion of Roddick, with what seemed to me, to be a very similar final product, a great serve. I was sitting very close to court(he was on court one), and I was sitting directly in line with the baseline, so I could get a feel for how far in the court his ball toss was. I still remember the racquet whoosh I could hear, particularly on his second serves, with his tremendous racquet head speed which produced a very heavily spun ball. I did not hear this distinct sound with any other server I can remember. He may be worth taking a look at as you continue to analyze what is the most fascinating and as someone said on tennisone one time, the most diabolical shot in tennis. I look forward your future pieces.
You mentioned at the end of your piece on the Roddick serve that you are unsure if any other pro(you mentioned Nadal) has Roddick's motion. I certainly agree with you that Nadal's serve, although it appears to be similar, certainly does not produce the same product. Genepri may also fall into this category. You also mentioned that you are looking at possibly another player and his serve. Last year, I went to the Nasdaq for two or three days(I go every year) and saw most of the match of a young Frenchman, Gael Monfils. He seemed to have almost the exact motion of Roddick, with what seemed to me, to be a very similar final product, a great serve. I was sitting very close to court(he was on court one), and I was sitting directly in line with the baseline, so I could get a feel for how far in the court his ball toss was. I still remember the racquet whoosh I could hear, particularly on his second serves, with his tremendous racquet head speed which produced a very heavily spun ball. I did not hear this distinct sound with any other server I can remember. He may be worth taking a look at as you continue to analyze what is the most fascinating and as someone said on tennisone one time, the most diabolical shot in tennis. I look forward your future pieces.
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