Nadal's New Serve

[stotty]

Rafa has been working on a new serve. Carlos wants Nadal's serve to be more of a weapon. I think he's after easier points for Nadal too.

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/nada...lian-open-2019

I have so far only found this online. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yMb6J405Sw

Thoughts?

I have never seen Nadal play better at Wimbledon than against Novak in their 2018 semi final, yet he still couldn't win. Maybe a better serve will make all the difference.

[gzhpcu]

Rather baffling. A report said the new movement should make ball speed after bounce faster than with old serve, that it should be less strenous on his body.... meaning flatter with less spin?

[gzhpcu]

His coach Francisco Roig said: The change is based on three pillars. The first is that when he executes the swing, he takes his hand away from the ball quicker, instead of letting his hand linger. Second, Rafa is working on staying more upright and using his size, rather than launching into the serve by twisting and recoiling. That extra spring motion actually resulted in a reduction of power after the ball bounced. The last thing we’re working on is getting Rafa to plant his right foot in the court upon landing from his serve. An added benefit is that his second serve is also going to throw opponents off. It might be a more risky approach, but the positive part is that his opponents won’t be looking at the same high bounce; they’ll have to be more on their toes and react faster instead of just keeping the ball in play.

[bman]

More stagger

[stotty]

Roll on the Aussie Open. I shall be intrigued to see the changes that have been made.

[don_budge]

More stagger

Dodgy stuff. No substance in the "trash talk". No video evidence whatsoever. Ignore.

[don_budge]

Roll on the Aussie Open. I shall be intrigued to see the changes that have been made.

I wonder if the pre-serve routine is intact.

[gzhpcu]

I wonder if the pre-serve routine is intact.

You bet it is...

[don_budge]

More stagger

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dmCJ_AS6K8

Yep. Much ado about nothing. If there has been any modifications they are very minor. I didn't get to see the pre-serve ritual. For Nadal it is a ritual...not so much a routine. Marin Cilic complained how long it takes Nadal to get his ass into position to play.

https://www.express.co.uk/sport/tennis/909337/Rafael-Nadal-Australian-Open-Marin-Cilic-tennis-news-injury

He makes everybody wait. A clear violation of tennis etiquette. Gamesmanship.

[stotty]

His serve looks a little slicker to me. His first serve seems to be a little quicker also. Far more worrying for me is his court positioning particularly on return of serve. Often he returned a little short and Duckworth slipped in a drop on the next ball. It's not easy getting a full length return in play when retuning from 25 feet behind the baseline. Roger will take him apart if they meet later down the line were Nadal to persist with this returning tactic. It's an unnecessary and I wish he wouldn't do it. Six feet behind the baseline is quite far enough.

[arturohernandez]

His serve looks a little slicker to me. His first serve seems to be a little quicker also. Far more worrying for me is his court positioning particularly on return of serve. Often he returned a little short and Duckworth slipped in a drop on the next ball. It's not easy getting a full length return in play when retuning from 25 feet behind the baseline. Roger will take him apart if they meet later down the line were Nadal to persist with this returning tactic. It's an unnecessary and I wish he wouldn't do it. Six feet behind the baseline is quite far enough.

What about Duckworth? He won more games by attacking Nadal than other people have in the past by staying back.

Is this a sign that Nadal will be taken down or just someone who plays like no one else?

[stotty]

What about Duckworth? He won more games by attacking Nadal than other people have in the past by staying back.

Is this a sign that Nadal will be taken down or just someone who plays like no one else?

I didn't see enough of the Duckworth v Nadal match to make a judgement of the match overall. I just watched 15 minutes' worth of highlights, which kind of told me a lot about the pattern of the match at least. Nadal's default mentality is to hang right back and get that ball in play. He even did it at Wimbledon against some German bloke he lost to a few years back. Sometimes he cannot help himself even when it's suicide. Having said that, I couldn't fault him against Djokovic at Wimbledon last year. He lost but did everything right.

I'd like to see Nadal hit returns earlier and way harder. I'd like to see him at the net more too. He's one of the best volleyers on the tour today, and his overhead is exceptional.

[don_budge]

I'd like to see him at the net more too. He's one of the best volleyers on the tour today, and his overhead is exceptional.

I think he is a very mediocre volleyer. The only time he hits volleys or overheads are on mop up points. I would like to see him at the net more too. I think his opponents might try to draw him in. but that is of course a very, very tricky proposition.

I just watched him flub to backhand volleys and then net a smash.

[stotty]

....and then net a smash.

That's a first. I have never seen him miss a smash, whether they are mop-up types or back peddle and jump types. Roger the same. Both men have outstanding overheads

[bottle]

The Title of this Thread would seem to Invite More Thought on its Subject (but not on it's Subject).

So could someone please explain how Nadal's serve is different from the way it was before? Somebody has already suggested that it is not different. Which might remind one that the more something tries to change the more it stays the same.

I'll look up an old Nadalian serve. Here's one. (https://www.tennisplayer.net/members...tationRear.mov). Hmmm, platform. The new one is pinpoint, right?

Anything else?