greatest motion on the serve
- Thread starter fgbowen33
- Start date
lilxjohnyy
Hall of Fame
i like any serve that looks like that stance at the top of a trophy for tennis
alkibiades
Rookie
yes, galain!!
You are correct -- it's perfect. I think Noah's service motion is overlooked because while he had an excellent serve, it never was quite the weapon of Becker's, Sampras', Rusedski's, etc. But Noah had PERFECT form, and he also had flawless tempo and rhythm, devoid of hitches or pauses. And when he was hot it was effective too. I remember he served Lendl off the court on clay at Forest Hills in 1986 or 1987 in the semis of a now-defunct tournament, the name of which escapes me at the moment.
Johnny Mac's serve in 1983 and especially 1984, while unorthodox, had the best rhythm I have ever seen -- no hitch at all, just a smooth building of speed to impact. His tempo altered over the years; I think if he had continued to serve the same way his serve could have remained more of a weapon later in his career. If you can get past his unorthodox stance, in 1984 his was also just about perfect. But Noah wins the prize.
You are correct -- it's perfect. I think Noah's service motion is overlooked because while he had an excellent serve, it never was quite the weapon of Becker's, Sampras', Rusedski's, etc. But Noah had PERFECT form, and he also had flawless tempo and rhythm, devoid of hitches or pauses. And when he was hot it was effective too. I remember he served Lendl off the court on clay at Forest Hills in 1986 or 1987 in the semis of a now-defunct tournament, the name of which escapes me at the moment.
Johnny Mac's serve in 1983 and especially 1984, while unorthodox, had the best rhythm I have ever seen -- no hitch at all, just a smooth building of speed to impact. His tempo altered over the years; I think if he had continued to serve the same way his serve could have remained more of a weapon later in his career. If you can get past his unorthodox stance, in 1984 his was also just about perfect. But Noah wins the prize.
Rabbit
G.O.A.T.
chaognosis
Semi-Pro
Yes, Gonzales had one of the best motions. Everything was so fluid and consistent - I have always admired his low ball toss. If I had a time machine, the serve I would really want to see is that of Ellsworth Vines. I have only seen video clips (there's one online at histoiredutennis.com), but it is easy to appreciate the smoothness and power of his swing.
stormholloway
Legend
Why not? I think he has a beautiful motion. Great disguise and superb accuracy.
I like Henman's a lot, though I can't pick just one.
The Gorilla
Banned
I think safin also has a great motion
stormholloway
Legend
In fact, Federer has THE perfect trophy position for his serve. I think there's a stronge case for him.
superstition
Hall of Fame
Bill Tilden
galain
Hall of Fame
Ha! Okay - perhaps I'll allow you that Stich was a little smoother than that, but c'mon mate - Noah vs Stich? Meh....
Rabbit
G.O.A.T.
Well, Noah had a certain French flair in his service motion and was generally artistic
But, Stich had the German precision and smooth acceleration through the whole motion producing pace, spin, and placment with a seemingly effortless motion
It was like a Renault versus a Porsche...
By the way, I haven't forgotten that I still owe you some grits...
aimr75
Hall of Fame
love the elegance of roddicks serve 
but seriously.. sampras, safin get my vote
arthurs has a very nice serve too
________
Uhwh Warehouse
but seriously.. sampras, safin get my vote
arthurs has a very nice serve too
________
Uhwh Warehouse
Last edited:
ACE of Hearts
Bionic Poster
Pistol Pete, just loved his motion.Roger's motion doesnt have much movement.
stormholloway
Legend
Anyone have a good clip of the Stich serve? I've been watching him vs. Sampras on youtube but I'd like to see it more clearly.
Jonny S&V
Hall of Fame
I said this in another best service motion thread that all the Croats have the best service motions. Almost all of them have the lower ball toss and quick motion (especially Ljubicic and Ivanisevic). The best serve out there was Ivanisevic, but the best looking serve defenitly is Safin, absolute perfect form for a pin-point serve. The best platform has to go to Sampras though.
The Gorilla
Banned
davydenko too
MEAC_ALLAMERICAN
Legend
I will have to go with Pistol Pete and Richard Krajicek.
prostaff18
Semi-Pro
Am I the only one who thinks that Rafter's serve is awesome? It may not be very good to use, but it is so smooth. Going by looks his serve, to me, looks the best. I also like to watch Edberg serve. But Rafter gets my vote.
I have only seen Big Bill serve one time on an old video so I can’t say anything about his serve. But I have herd that it was awesome. Is anyone old enough to remember seeing his serve in person? My neighbor says that his serve was huge. He says even for today’s standards. My neighbor is also like 100 years old so his memory may be a little off.
I have only seen Big Bill serve one time on an old video so I can’t say anything about his serve. But I have herd that it was awesome. Is anyone old enough to remember seeing his serve in person? My neighbor says that his serve was huge. He says even for today’s standards. My neighbor is also like 100 years old so his memory may be a little off.
Stich - the most deceptive. Its so easy and fluid you think you can get the same power, I swear Stich did black magic.
Sampras - you know by looking it has power and grace and its not possible for mere mortals to try and duplicate.
Fed - like the rest of his game, perfect biomechanics that ARE possible for any decent player to emulate and learn from. The difference is we can only do 1/1000 times.
Rafter - how to destroy your shoulder and get massive kick.
Sampras - you know by looking it has power and grace and its not possible for mere mortals to try and duplicate.
Fed - like the rest of his game, perfect biomechanics that ARE possible for any decent player to emulate and learn from. The difference is we can only do 1/1000 times.
Rafter - how to destroy your shoulder and get massive kick.
z-money
Semi-Pro
i agree it looks cool
suwanee4712
Professional
Those are the exact reasons why I like Stich's the best. You want it to be simple and fluid. That makes for less chance for something to go wrong. He was a great server when he was on a roll.
I also like Pete's a lot. The body torque he got made for some great power with a classical motion and grip. Stan Smith's was wonderful too. And whatever stroke Ramesh Krishnan tried to hit was so silky smooth. When good, his serve wasn't necessarily powerful, but usually well placed and was hard to read for his opponents.
Mick
Legend
do you guys like the service motion where the ball toss arm and the racquet arm both go up at the same time or the service motion where the ball toss arm would go up first ?
I prefer the one where both arms would go up at the same time but I noticed that quite a few players would serve the other way (for example Nicole Vaidisova)
I prefer the one where both arms would go up at the same time but I noticed that quite a few players would serve the other way (for example Nicole Vaidisova)
Last edited:
mavsman149
Hall of Fame
I like Henmans, Rafters, Safins, and Kuertens
stormholloway
Legend
I'm still in search of a good motion. I practiced serves last week with my old motion and my shoulder hurts. It's the way I'm raising the racquet. It's kind of like Edberg. I'm looking to get a sort of Rusedski/Stich looking motion where the racquet drops straight down, back and up.
vive le beau jeu !
Talk Tennis Guru
i'll stick with my old list !
Pete Sampras
Stefan Edberg
Goran Ivanisevic
Boris Becker
John McEnroe
Pat Rafter
Roger Federer
Mark Philippoussis
Yannick Noah
Greg Rusedski
Joachim Johansson
Marcos Baghdatis
don't know if they had the most efficient technique... i think so but anyway i found their serves "esthetical" !
some players, you enjoy their aces, find them exciting
when i was a kid i, i was receving the BBC in brittany... when there was sunny weather above the Channel ! there was often "snow" on the screen (i don't know how you say that in english
Dark Victory
Rookie
Agreed.
I often rewatch Sampras vs Krajicek at Wimbledon and that shotgun service motion never fails to awe me. The low ball toss coupled with how quickly (and aesthetically) he whacks the ball does it for me.
superstition
Hall of Fame
Give Roddick a woodie with the old-style tight string pattern and let's see how many aces he'll hit with his abbreviated motion.
I think someone like Tilden deserves credit for producing a monster serve with a low power wood racquet. This was also back when tennis balls had less bounce. Martina even noted that the balls bounce higher than they did during her early career. More spring in the ball means a faster serve. I've also read that tennis balls were reduced in size to save money, which increases serve speed.
Tilden's "cannonball" serve was said to have hit 150, but there were no machines to measure that. I've seen photos of his service motion and it is much more impressive than a "modern" serve like Roddick's, which uses a super-powered racquet to generate speed.
superstition
Hall of Fame
Everything about Rafter's game is second rate when compared to Sampras'.
hoosierbr
Hall of Fame
My favorites in no particular order:
Krajicek
Sampras
Edberg
Stich
Rafter
Rusedski
Arthurs
Henman
Kafelnikov
Thomas Johansson
I modeled my own serve after Ivan Lendl. Like Stich, Lendl had a smooth, effortless motion. Didn't have as powerful a serve as Michael but still pretty darn good.
As for the above poster who said Rafter's game was second-rate to Sampras', I'll take Rafter's volleys any day. So would a lot of other people.
Krajicek
Sampras
Edberg
Stich
Rafter
Rusedski
Arthurs
Henman
Kafelnikov
Thomas Johansson
I modeled my own serve after Ivan Lendl. Like Stich, Lendl had a smooth, effortless motion. Didn't have as powerful a serve as Michael but still pretty darn good.
As for the above poster who said Rafter's game was second-rate to Sampras', I'll take Rafter's volleys any day. So would a lot of other people.
stormholloway
Legend
Courier's reminds me of Lendl's, though more herky jerky.
After looking at it for a while, I really like Stich's smooth motion.
Now, who has some good clips of it?
After looking at it for a while, I really like Stich's smooth motion.
Now, who has some good clips of it?
