The best 2nd serve...

[Pete Semper]

Who had the best second serve ? It doesnt mean the fastest but the most efficient and secure.Edberg, Sampras, Stich, Becker...I would say Sampras for the PERFECT pace/topspin mix.

 

[superman1]

Pete Semper, of course.

 

[ACE of Hearts]

LOL, I agree about Sampras, he went for more and did pretty well.

 

[FEDEX1]

i gotta go with sampras

 

[sharapovafreak]

i go with sampras, roddick, and federer

 

[cmo871]

wooo sampras's beats all. roddicks still had pace but wasnt placed as well as sampras. federers isnt all that special. i miss sampras

 

[quest01]

I would have to go with Pistol Pete when it comes to the best second serve in the business.

 

[vkartikv]

He has the best 1st and 2nd serves. Besides Pete, it's Becker and Edberg.

 

[andreh]

In the 80s and early 90s Edberg was considered to have a really great second serve. I think its effectiveness dimished in his last years. He seemed to toss less to the left and slice it a lot more at the end of his career rather than kicking it.

 

[MEAC_ALLAMERICAN]

I will have to go with Pete Sampras, and a young Andy Roddick.

 

[Andres]

I'd like to add Pat Rafter to the mix

 

[Shaolin]

i go with sampras, roddick, and federer

We have a winner.

 

[The Gorilla]

newcombe ?

 

[ACE of Hearts]

Your dumb if u dont think Fed's second serve is not good.He creates sick spin on his second serve.Most people get worked up over speed on the second serve but i took Sampras's serve based on speed and placement.

 

[Sean Dugan]

You may remember the old This Week on the ATP Tour show on ESPN that was on Thursday? nights in the late 1990's......and had some British guy announcing it

I recall they once asked a number of top ten pros circa 1997 (Ivo, Rusedski, etc) who had the best second serve. I think the general consensus was Becker, Sampras and Stich not necessarily in that order. I remember the interviewed players mentioned that their serves were particularly difficult to read and/or had a lot of action (heavy spin).

I also recall that some magazine (Tennis Week?) published a study around 1998 that measured RPM's on second serves. Sampras had by far the highest RPM second serve. He had somewhere around 4000+ RPM while most other top pros were in the 3000 range.

 

[johnkidd]

I'd say it's a toss up between Becker and Sampras. Both guys we're able to come up big with a second serve when needed in the clutch.

 

[Mad iX]

Sampras definitely. Becker and Edberg hit it well in their primes too.
Federer's is sure but he doesn't seem to attack with it as much. Also, the returner usually doesn't have to worry about him running in behind it, unlike the 3 guys I mentioned before.

 

[chaognosis]

Jack Kramer

 

[diggler]

Sampras. I used to root for Agassi and so many times Sampras broke my heart.

 

[fastdunn]

actually sampras serve had nasty spins for both 1st and 2nd serve.

i think john yandell(?) did a high speed video on 10 top players serves in 90's and
sheer rpm of sampras serve was something like #2 among them.

 

[93sq.]

I think God Pete and Greg Rusedski

 

[Richie Rich]

becker. saw him kick it over a players head one year.