How to reduce server dominance part CXII

[bjk]

Expand the serve box and then limit players to one serve. The biggest advantage big servers have is getting two chances to hit their best shot. Expanding the service box and giving servers only one serve would also speed up the game. It would also disproportionately benefit shorter players because it would give them a better angle without improving Karlovic's angles by very much. Don't tell me this isn't a problem, Olivetti just hit a dozen aces in a row. How is that fun to watch for the fans?

 

[bjk]

The NBA added a three point line and made the sport a lot more interesting. The sport is no longer dominated by Marfans cases like Rik Smits and Yao Ming and Patrick Ewing.

 

[Username_]

build a wall

 

[tacou]

how bout no serves? chair ump feeds the ball to a random side. ball has to go over the net 3 times before point is live.


what? my idea is terrible? any idea to minimize the effectiveness of an important shot in the sport is a terrible idea? OK fine.

 

[reaper]

I have a different idea. Make the surface slower inside the service line than it is behind the service line. That way it's nullifying to some degree the big servers but rewarding attack once the ball is in play.

 

[Freddy Cat]

How about just make it so you have to serve underhand?

 

[Dartagnan64]

They added 3 point lines in basketball, lowered the pitcher's mound in baseball, stopped DB's from clutching and grabbing WR's in football, stopped defensemen from drilling forward in front of the crease in hockey. All in efforts to improve the entertainment value and competitive balance of their sport. You can argue how successful those measures were, but kudos on the governing bodies for trying to always evolve and advance to societies demands in sports entertainment.

I personally like the OP's idea and absolutely don't think it would ruin tennis at all. If anything it would up the tension. Do you go for a big serve in a crucial moment or not? You don't get a second chance. Kind of like football teams going for it on 4th down.

Some of you are such sticks in the mud about change. The world changes. So should sports as an entertainment industry. Those that refuse to change are often doomed to die.

 

[Mack-2]

Tobias Simon broke the record for number of aces in a 3 set match a couple days ago.

 

[Sudacafan]

Tobias Simon broke the record for number of aces in a 3 set match a couple days ago.

Wow.
46% of his service points were aces. 46% = 52 / (80 + 33), roughly one ace every two serves.
60% of the service points he won were aces. 60% = 52 / (65 + 21)

 

[AnOctorokForDinner]

Wow.
46% of his service points were aces. 46% = 52 / (80 + 33), roughly one ace every two serves.
60% of the service points he won were aces. 60% = 52 / (65 + 21)

Amazing statistics, wish that happened more often

 

[metsman]

these threads are the worst

 

[tacou]

Some of you are such sticks in the mud about change. The world changes. So should sports as an entertainment industry. Those that refuse to change are often doomed to die.

The serve is the most important shot in the game. How is minimizing its impact an improvement? There are like 3 "big servers" on tour and they've combined for 1 big title (Miami this year) in the last decade+

 

[Deleted member 757377]

top10's average height is 6'4"

 

[Red Rick]

The NBA added a three point line and made the sport a lot more interesting. The sport is no longer dominated by Marfans cases like Rik Smits and Yao Ming and Patrick Ewing.

Right now, tennis has 4 separate sort of points for a player

- First serve points
- Second serve points
- First serve return points
- Second serve return points

Taking away the first serve will take two of those away. This will not make the game closer, it will massively increase the differences in points won between different players

In short

Every single tournament will be won by Djokovic and Nadal.

 

[bjk]

The idea is to reduce serve dominance AND increase court speed and ball speed. Right now the tour is trying to slow everything down in order to reduce server dominance. Slower balls, slower courts. The balls at Wimbledon are incredibly heavy or that's what players say. That hurts big servers but it also helps grinders. So big servers and grinders are really the same problem. Zverev is the perfect example of this, he is both a big server and a grinder, the worst possible combination. Reduce server dominance and then you can speed up the game and there will be more players playing a wider diversity of styles rather than just big servers vs grinders, who dominate the tour now.

 

[Sudacafan]

Amazing statistics, wish that happened more often

Though amazing indeed, I am not sure if I’d like this happens more often.

 

[FD3S]

How do you plan to address the advantage that elite (hell, even above average to merely average) returners will receive? Even with sped up courts and balls across the board and as much spin on the serve as a player can muster, the balance of power won't have shifted enough to compensate across the tours at large.

I remember an article that said the second serve speed average for men was 150.4 KPH/93.4 MPH, which sounds about right. It's safe to assume those figures haven't gone up, and those figures already spell tee-off time for most returners after a few games; plus, no player is going to risk a fault when they're down BP under this proposal.

 

[bjk]

The plan is only one serve but expanded serve box so players won't be hitting traditional second serves. Right now second serve fault rate is about 10% and DF rate is 4%. Assuming that the service box could be expanded to the point where players were defaulting at about 8% rate and also going for more on 2nd serve than they do now. Servers would have to adjust to the trade-offs - bigger serve or safer serve? Right now they don't face tradeoffs with 2 serves.

 

[TennisDawg]

And yet the big servers don’t dominate the majors.

 

[Jaitock1991]

Why limit the dominance of serve in the first place? It's literally the last standing thing that still gives players other than baseline robots a slightly realistic chance in the game.

 

[Jaitock1991]

The idea is to reduce serve dominance AND increase court speed and ball speed. Right now the tour is trying to slow everything down in order to reduce server dominance. Slower balls, slower courts. The balls at Wimbledon are incredibly heavy or that's what players say. That hurts big servers but it also helps grinders. So big servers and grinders are really the same problem. Zverev is the perfect example of this, he is both a big server and a grinder, the worst possible combination. Reduce server dominance and then you can speed up the game and there will be more players playing a wider diversity of styles rather than just big servers vs grinders, who dominate the tour now.

Interesting thought.

 

[sureshs]

How about just make it so you have to serve underhand?

It is called pickleball

 

[George Turner]

How about you have to serve with your head?

 

[FD3S]

The plan is only one serve but expanded serve box so players won't be hitting traditional second serves. Right now second serve fault rate is about 10% and DF rate is 4%. Assuming that the service box could be expanded to the point where players were defaulting at about 8% rate and also going for more on 2nd serve than they do now. Servers would have to adjust to the trade-offs - bigger serve or safer serve? Right now they don't face tradeoffs with 2 serves.

So you'll be changing the court dimensions as well? Or will the serve box simply be larger but the rest of the court will remain the same? Will it be wider, longer, or both? Will the same changes apply for doubles?

Lotta questions here, I feel.

 

[coloskier]

The OP must be 5'4"......

 

[IowaGuy]

In short

Every single tournament will be won by Djokovic and Nadal.

Well, they did win 3 out of 4 GS this year

 

[IowaGuy]

Expand the serve box and then limit players to one serve. The biggest advantage big servers have is getting two chances to hit their best shot. Expanding the service box and giving servers only one serve would also speed up the game. It would also disproportionately benefit shorter players because it would give them a better angle without improving Karlovic's angles by very much. Don't tell me this isn't a problem, Olivetti just hit a dozen aces in a row. How is that fun to watch for the fans?

Don't worry, clay season will be here soon, and then you can enjoy watching the baseline grinders once again

 

[Shaolin]

Tobias Simon broke the record for number of aces in a 3 set match a couple days ago.

Hmm. 56 aces to 4 double faults. Not too shabby.

 

[bjk]

Don't worry, clay season will be here soon, and then you can enjoy watching the baseline grinders once again

I've started to like watching clay a lot more. Madrid is fun to watch because it's clay but it's also really fast. And I think players prefer playing on clay. It wouldn't surprise me if the tour moves to clay over the long term to reduce injuries and slow down the game, although now the trend is away from clay.

 

[un6a]

Simplest way to make servers less dominant is make serveice box about 5cm shorter.