federer ball toss

[polakosaur]

does federer vary his ball toss on different serves or does he maintain the same toss for all types of serves like sampras, the crappy tv coverage doesn't let you even see the serve in one continuous viewing sequence

[NoBadMojo]

he puts it in the same place..that is what makes it impossible to read..and where he puts it is in front and more over his head (to the left) which gives him all the work on the ball. Ed

[fastdunn]

I think he tosses at roughly same spot.
His serves do not have the most kick, or biggest power
or the most viscious spin on the current pro tour.
But he has this very accurate, well balanced serves
with enough pace and adquate disguises.
I think he sometimes does fool his opponent
with his tosses sometimes like tossing a bit back
(looking like he's going to put kicks) and then hitting
flat/side spin serves... which makes his opponents
and viewers further confused.....

[@wright]

Same ball toss for different serves, does that sound familiar? A guy named Pete used to do that.

[Rocky Top]

Just to echo fastdunn -

Federer seems to be especially effective disguising the serve in the ad court. He can shade his toss a bit to the left to make it look like he is going to kick it to the backhand (which was devastating against Henman yesterday), and then bust a flat ball down the middle. I think his fluid motion also disguises the heat that is coming - almost makes it seem faster.

[chad shaver]

Originally Posted by @wright

Same ball toss for different serves, does that sound familiar? A guy named Pete used to do that.

That, combined with his accuracy (as fastdunn said) makes for a very bad day for opponents. I was very impressed with the way he served Agassi off the court on so many occasions.

[polakosaur]

do other players do the same too, same toss or just him and sampras, cause on tv you can never see the whole motion from beginning to end in a continuous sequence, they switch from close up to far shot

[Stinkdyr]

Aggassi wasn't bad for an earringed baldy who used to dye his Nevada mudflap and wear acid-washed shorts.

[@wright]

Funny stuff, Stink. The only time I can remember Roger serving poorly was The Aussie Finals, but Safin did too, so it didn't really matter.

[Django]

Rocky Top's absolutely correct. Fed's kick serve out wide on the ad court is tough for Agassi, and absolutely devastating to a one-handed backhand like Henman's. So you'll see returners shading a bit to their left and up to go after it, then getting busted down the T.

They're not getting fooled by the toss; just guessing wrong.