Who has, technically, the best service action in the game?

[Bjorn]

Not talking about the best serve, but the nicest, smoothest looking serve.

Federer's action is beautiful to watch but it's Murray for me. Poetry. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GFkqD7GBZQ

Nadal's action, for example, does nothing for me. It's clinky and it seems unnatural.

What say you?

 

[BigServer1]

Murray's motion is very nice...His 1st serve is quickly becoming one of the best on tour. If he could hit decent 2nd serves, he'd be a top 4-5 server in the men's game.

Fed's motion is also really nice, and because of his perfectly disguised toss, you never know where he's going with it, which makes it incredibly effective. Last night was the first time in a while that Fed's serve REALLY came through when he needed it. /tangent.

I agree with you, Fed and Murray.

 

[toddrobert38]

James Blake

 

[Vyse]

Andy Roddick, Davydenko. Verdascos

 

[Ledigs]

Murray is good like it

 

[Serendipitous]

Dinara Safina

 

[Justdoit10]

Fish. Lopez. Federer.

 

[dincuss]

I think that Sampras or Becker had the best techniques. Edberg had a nice one as well.

Nowadays I say Djokovic or Federer.

 

[ms87]

roddick has the best serve when viewed in slow motion

 

[Blake0]

Sampras. Player's playing now, i'd say Djokovic or Federer.

 

[RoddickForPresident]

2 years ago Djokovic had an excellent motion. But lately it's become slightly disjointed and his serving is not as good.

 

[drakulie]

becker, mcenroe, sampras

 

[Jonny S&V]

Feliciano Lopez, you can't get any better in the smooth department IMO. I pick him over Federer merely because they are equally smooth, but the tiebreak is Lopez's serve is better.

 

[Nadalfan89]

I like Roddick's. When he bends those legs real low, you know that thing is going to fly.

Federer's is graceful and effortless like the rest of his game.

 

[Polaris]

What say you?

I say that Bjorn99's two proteges have the best service actions.

 

[Deleted member 25923]

Feliciano Lopez, you can't get any better in the smooth department IMO. I pick him over Federer merely because they are equally smooth, but the tiebreak is Lopez's serve is better.

I couldn't agree more. He's definately got the smoothest motion on tour (or at least that i've seen)

 

[Big_Dangerous]

Andy Roddick, Davydenko. Verdascos

Except when he double faults on match point and then 20 times during a match.

 

[Baikalic]

Ana Ivanovic :O

 

[Serendipitous]

Ana Ivanovic :O

...:shock:

 

[Bjorn]

I guess it's all a matter of taste.

Roddick has one of those abbreviated back-swings where he brings his racquet straight up - I don't find that easy on the eye. Federer has a slight abbreviation. I prefer the more fluent action which is why Murray's is my favourite.

I say that Bjorn99's two proteges have the best service actions.

I was sure there would be a few "Bjorn" usernames floating around here.

Bjorn is actually my real name, though. Named after the great man himself.

 

[supineAnimation]

Murray doesn't use his left arm enough to create the pivot over which his upper body should snap. Other than that it's a great serve. Speaking from an instructor's point of view, it doesn't matter what you do before you reach the trophy pose. If you hit the correct trophy pose and execute the remainder of the serve properly, you can do a back flip and a Pete Townshend windmill for all I care. So while players like Roddick and Monfils have less traditional stances and pre-trophy motions, Roddick hits a perfect trophy pose and gets more force snapping up into the ball than anyone I've ever seen. If you're asking about aesthetics rather than technique or results, I would go with Federer because it's a very classic motion, the whole process, very little wasted energy, easy on the body and great results to boot.

 

[Bjorn]

Murray doesn't use his left arm enough to create the pivot over which his upper body should snap. Other than that it's a great serve. Speaking from an instructor's point of view, it doesn't matter what you do before you reach the trophy pose. If you hit the correct trophy pose and execute the remainder of the serve properly, you can do a back flip and a Pete Townshend windmill for all I care. So while players like Roddick and Monfils have less traditional stances and pre-trophy motions, Roddick hits a perfect trophy pose and gets more force snapping up into the ball than anyone I've ever seen. If you're asking about aesthetics rather than technique or results, I would go with Federer because it's a very classic motion, the whole process, very little wasted energy, easy on the body and great results to boot.

It looks pretty solid from here. What should his left arm be doing more of? Should it be more side-on to encourage greater upper-body rotation?

 

[pstar]

What about Almagros servic action?
That`s a really simple and efficent motion

 

[Halba]

1. federer

2. tsonga

3. murray

 

[Solid MD]

dent

10 char

 

[big bang]

becker, mcenroe, sampras

first time I agrre with drak

 

[nfor304]

Wayne Arthurs' serve was very fluid and very quick. He could hit all serves from the same toss too

 

[Tennis_Maestro]

Murray's is very natural and fluent, its the motion an American footballer uses when throwing the football.

Federer's wins it for me and this was always going to be the case, his motion for every stroke is near the best of all players whom play the game, baring possibly his backhand, altho even that is easy on the eye.

 

[Pushmaster]

Berdych. Textbook form, very smooth, effortless, powerful.

 

[jwbarrientos]

IMHO Pete, Roger ... those I'd like to watch John McEnroe, Nole, Marat Safin, Andy Murray.

Those who I think are strange Cilic, Rafa, Mirni, Fernando Gonzalez.

 

[007]

For me, the top 10 service motions (current + past) goto:
- Sampras
- Kraijicek
- Stich
- Federer
- Arthurs
- Lopez
- Berdych
- Safin
- Rios
- Dent

 

[Puma]

Feliciano Lopez, you can't get any better in the smooth department IMO. I pick him over Federer merely because they are equally smooth, but the tiebreak is Lopez's serve is better.

Yep....His serve motion is very smooth and natural looking. Effortless. Roddick looks like he is swinging out of his shoes and doesn't use the outwide serve enough.

 

[MAXXply]

Henri Leconte...Michael Stich...Roscoe Tanner...Bjorn Borg...Martina Navratilova...

 

[Tennis_Maestro]

For me, the top 10 service motions (current + past) goto:
- Sampras
- Kraijicek
- Stich
- Federer
- Arthurs
- Lopez
- Berdych
- Safin
- Rios
- Dent

Aren't these going on who's service is the best? Rather than who's service motion is the best?

 

[Cesc Fabregas]

Sampras. Nobody else comes close.

 

[mandy01]

Serendipitous.Nobody else comes close.

 

[WARPWOODIE]

Marin Cilic.

 

[halalula1234]

serena williams

 

[DaMiBru]

Not talking about the best serve, but the nicest, smoothest looking serve.

Federer's action is beautiful to watch but it's Murray for me. Poetry. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GFkqD7GBZQ

Nadal's action, for example, does nothing for me. It's clinky and it seems unnatural.

What say you?

If I'm allowed to pick a retired player, whom after all took a big bite out of the game, I would say it would have to be Sampras. His service motion is an abosolute beauty to watch. Federer is also extremely sweet. On the women's side it would have to be Serena.

 

[jaggy]

serena williams

Yes his isnt bad

 

[valiant]

Yes his isnt bad

:shock::shock::shock:

 

[Mitcheson]

Men: Lopez and Sampras.
Women: Serena and Kvitova.

 

[Aretium]

Murray....... Cmon his body is moving during toss, can't be consistent.

Federer, isner, kyrgios. Of the current stock.

 

[Purestriker]

Men: Lopez and Sampras.
Women: Serena and Kvitova.

Agree on Serena, but would put Osaka and possibly Barty (best Kicker in women's tennis) ahead of Kvitova in terms motion.
Agree on Pete, but I think Rodger's looks better than Lopez.

 

[Novichok]

• Pete Sampras
• Roger Federer
• Serena Williams
• Mark Philippoussis
• Feliciano Lopez

 

[Jonesy]

Isner, he makes it look easy.

 

[s_p_a_c_e_m_a_n_]

Definitely Braasch

Seriously.. have tried, but never got it to work

 

[Jason Swerve]

A few people here got it right. There's no point in separating the tours. Serena (in her prime) had a better serve than Sampras. Not just her actual motion, but her service statistics were superior. It's more relevant when considering Sampras played in an era of faster courts and weaker returners. The women Serena played on her slower surfaces were better returners than the men Sampras played in his heyday. The WTA field's governed by strong returns as opposed to men and their focus on strong serves. Serena's serves were head and shoulders above these returners.

 

[NonP]

Pistol is the obvious answer - seconded by none other than Pancho Segura who knew and saw more tennis than all of you jokers combined - but you teenyboppers are ignoring Noah. Good ol' Data's rundown is still a beaut:

NonP, I've often listed Noah as one of the most beautiful/graceful/efficient and powerful servers ever! I would rank his flat serve among the fastest (I was once told his flat serve was recorded in the early 90's/late 80's at 140mph but have not been able to verify that). His slice serve, was among the top 5 I've ever seen. He had a pure slice in both the deuce and add courts, with little topspin component. Which meant big speed, and big break. His ad court slice down the middle was the best I've ever seen.

The only knock I have on him, was that his flat serve was very flat, so he had HUGE power, but a slightly lower percentage, which wasn't helped by his tendency to hit down. I think b/c of this, he had to rely on more spin serves, even on the 1st serve to keep his percentages up. His kick serve was also not great, partly because he started tossing futher to the right, as his career went on. I actually think this was more efficient, and improved his slice, but he got a bit less kick. Thus, his second serve wasn't all that fast, and didn't have all that much kick!

Nevertheless, what an absolutely beautiful motion, and when on, extreme power.

Also Krajicek's motion is textbook perfection. Those 3 are the correct answers among candidates of the last 40-ish years.

P.S. Arthurs' wasn't half bad either, though I personally find it a little too smooth like Stich's.

 

[Jason Swerve]

That's well and good, but Serena had higher percentages on her serve.