Waiter's Tray serve can be weapon!

[E46luver]

Faced a 4.0 guy today in his 50s.
Waiter's tray serve with big pace.

It was impossible for me to return.
The ball would skid and be knee height.
I just could not dig them out. Just too fast and low.
I hit 10 in a row into the net.
If the serve was in, it was as good as an ace.

It was a low percentage serve
but with 30-40 years of practice, it has been perfected.

I did not feel bad at all.
That serve is a weapon.
I've seen others have major issues against that serve also, not just me.
Respek

 

[Dartagnan64]

Widen you stance and get lower. I play against a lot of flat hitting servers on hard courts that don't bounce. Gotta get low to return those suckers.

 

[E46luver]

Yea, tried that. I was crouched, timing was right, it was just too good for my skill level.
Great serve

 

[Dragy]

Your go-to play against “just hard” low serve is:
1. Receive further back.
2. Use conti grip slicy block to return.
3. Open racquet face and aim high over the net.

no way you cannot return it in singles just hitting intothe net 10 times in a row, oh man...

 

[E46luver]

It was too fast to try to time a slice.
Slice is a pure precision shot.

I tried to move back, ball would be at my ankles.
I tried to move forward, didn't help

Just a great serve.
Just need to not get flustered, and wait for it to stop working

 

[ptuanminh]

Your go-to play against “just hard” low serve is:
1. Receive further back.
2. Use conti grip slicy block to return.
3. Open racquet face and aim high over the net.

no way you cannot return it in singles just hitting intothe net 10 times in a row, oh man...

2 and 3 make sense. But i dont know about receive further back. These serves tend to be short and low margin above the net. The further you stand, the lower the ball is when it gets to you.
Blocking the ball back is good.
Return with a lot of topspin is also a good option, but harder.

 

[Dragy]

2 and 3 make sense. But i dont know about receive further back. These serves tend to be short and low margin above the net. The further you stand, the lower the ball is when it gets to you.
Blocking the ball back is good.
Return with a lot of topspin is also a good option, but harder.

Further back is relative. Many stand right on the baseline used to returning your typical rec serve. Facing a guy that hits it harder, yet mostly in the middle of the box, it’s right to step back at least 3-5ft.
Also the length of the after-bounce ball flight is subject to ball speed mostly. It may never come high, but not magically second-bounce. If it gets to ankle levels to soon, it’s just not as fast as OP is trying to present.

 

[Dragy]

It was too fast to try to time a slice.
Slice is a pure precision shot.

I tried to move back, ball would be at my ankles.
I tried to move forward, didn't help

Just a great serve.
Just need to not get flustered, and wait for it to stop working

Slicy block, like your typical volley, not full cut slice. It’s most easy and safe option. If you hit the net multiple times, was an easy pick to try to hit it as high over the net by sticking the racquet under the ball until you hit it long.

 

[megamind]

OP, I think it is time to play sets!

 

[chic]

I know a couple guys who have serves like this and also think the answer is often to stand back.

No topspin on the ball means the spin isn't driving the ball back into the court. These serves often keep rising way longer than people expect off the bounce due to this lack of spin. 5ft further back is a world of difference time wise and people who serve like this are usually pretty limited in their angles.

Ime I can reach any serve like this in a split step, turn, then single step in whichever direction.

 

[mnttlrg]

OP: I know what you mean. But I would love to see a video of this serve for a point of reference.

 

[tonylg]

Sounds like the OP played McEnroe on grass

 

[travlerajm]

It was too fast to try to time a slice.
Slice is a pure precision shot.

I tried to move back, ball would be at my ankles.
I tried to move forward, didn't help

Just a great serve.
Just need to not get flustered, and wait for it to stop working

The whole reason for using a slice return is that you don’t need to time it. It is the same as a volley stroke at the net. Just like a volley, the path of the racquetface through the hitting zone for the slice return should be linear toward your target. The faster the serve, the less you need to do. Just a firm block.

 

[mad dog1]

The whole reason for using a slice return is that you don’t need to time it. It is the same as a volley stroke at the net. Just like a volley, the path of the racquetface through the hitting zone for the slice return should be linear toward your target. The faster the serve, the less you need to do. Just a firm block.

You are not qualified to give advice since Ttps/E46luver claims that you are 3.0-3.5 and his opponent was 4.0.

 

[travlerajm]

You are not qualified to give advice since Ttps/E46luver claims that you are 3.0-3.5 and his opponent was 4.0.

Good point. But a year of playing on red clay turned my slice forehand return into my best shot. This is my thread!

 

[mad dog1]

Good point. But a year of playing on red clay turned my slice forehand return into my best shot. This is my thread!

Dude. You and your opponents hit bunty shots. His opponents hit harder than nadal. No comparison. the game you’re playing vs him is completely different.

 

[Shroud]

Dude. You and your opponents hit bunty shots. His opponents hit harder than nadal. No comparison. the game you’re playing vs him is completely different.

don't forget the money no object coaching. Trav never had that afaik. and he aint no spaz

 

[ChaelAZ]

Waiter's tray serve with big pace.

Waiter tray wasn't the catalyst, just the form the guy used for his big serve. He could very well have a better serve with better mechanics. But at rec level it is only results based and any hack stroke can produce results if practiced enough to become said weapon. The fact is still that in most cases technique issues bocome a limiting factor at some point. Just usually not enough of a factor in rec play. Like you mentioned, 30+ years of practice and anything is possible there. Imagine the possibilities had he worked towards better serve mechanics during that time.

Then again...

 

[E46luver]

Played a ex-D3 kid today.

He had a kicker serve that I could attack.
I was crushing back serve returns to win the point
Way easier than the waiter's tray 4.0 serve

Big confidence booster.
Easier playing younger guys with standard styles

 

[5point5]

Played a ex-D3 kid today.

He had a kicker serve that I could attack.
I was crushing back serve returns to win the point
Way easier than the waiter's tray 4.0 serve

Big confidence booster.
Easier playing younger guys with standard styles

D3 players are often 4.0. They're only a handful of D3 schools that are good. Most teams just have only one solid player that plays 1.

 

[Raul_SJ]

Take this Waiter guy to your lesson with your D1 coach.
Do not give up. Learn how to get it back!

 

[SystemicAnomaly]

Shorten your backswing. Bend your knees more than usual. Return deep to the middle if it's difficult for you to hit the angles that you want.

And play with your positioning to see what works best. Further forward. Further back. A bit more to the left. A bit more to the right

 

[zaph]

His serve behaves different to most players serves, so you haven't developed the timing to return it. I think players underestimate how much they play on auto-pilot. For example, it is surprising how many players don't watch the ball all the way onto the racket. They get away with this because they can predict were the ball is going to be, if a player uses conventional strokes. Doesn't work if a player has an usual technique.

The best way to deal with this serve, is to play this opponent again. Eventually you find the timing and will be able to predict how his serve will behave.

 

[E46luver]

The best way to deal with this serve, is to play this opponent again. Eventually you find the timing and will be able to predict how his serve will behave.

This is always my plan against unorthodox players. They get bumped to the top of my hitting list.
Next time we hit, I am going to ask him to serve a hopper of balls at me