Roddick serve technique

[geekydeveloper]

Today I saw Roddick serve on youtube, and got me thinking, why no one else uses he's serve technique.

What do you think ?

[Ash_Smith]

Probably because it is unique to him. I understand he developed it himself after becoming fed up with not being able to do as his coach asked him to on the serve, when he was 12/13.

I wouldn't necessarily advise players to copy what he does exactly, although the fundamental elements are very, very good, he links them together in a unique way.

[rkelley]

I think there's something fundamentally better about his technique, but perhaps I'm wrong. He definitely had the best first serve I've ever seen based on his percentage in (often in the +70% range - incredible) his winning percentage when he got it in (+90%). Mathmatically, he could just hit two first serves assuming he could maintain those numbers. I really think he should have done that during that last set at Wimbledon 09 against Fed, but everyone can second guess after the fact.

[rkelley]

Ash, what do you see as the good elements of his serve? What's unique in how he links them together?

[SystemicAnomaly]

Players have adopted some elements of the Roddick serve but not usually the whole serve motion. Perhaps Monfils is one of the closest. He has the narrow platform (wide pinpoint) that Andy uses. Monfils and many others have adopted an abbreviated takeback (or a hybrid motion) somewhat similar to ARod.

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

Note that Andy pulls his head down very early once he starts his upward swing. Contrast this with Roger F who keeps his eyes on the ball toss quite a bit longer. Most players will do best to emulate Roger on this aspect of the serve motion. One would need uber-human hand-eye coordination to do it the way that Andy does.

[LeeD]

Gotta say, the one good thing about Roddick/Monfil's serve motion is the wandering takeback from pre trophy to swing. That allows for a loose wrist to naturally lay back before the foreward swing, like a MODERN forehand.
What we have done for years, the static trophy position, racket pointing at the sky, is like a WTA forehand, compared to what Roddick/Monfil's do.
However, are we athletic enough to use the R/M serve, or are we such stodgers we need a WTA prep to be consistent?
I'm of the static trophy pose, rackethead pointing at sky school. Whenever I tried the Roddick style, I seem to get more power, at the expense of extra movement leading to inconsistency. But then, I don't practice my tennis.