Do you think the pure serve-and-volley style is dead?

Question

i believe so, due to the powerful racquet and the super fit new generation tennis players. the server don't have enough time to reach to volley postion after serve. there is no advantages to serve and volley on every point. i think the success rate would be less then 50%, most of the time volleyer will be like a sitting duck or force to hit a defensive shot from down low.

more and more players become all-court player, only come in to net when the percentage is high, what's your thought?

Answer 1

I agree that serve-and-volley is disappearing from tennis.  Most of the new players want to concentrate on powerful serves to score easy points (i.e. Roddick, Karlovic, Ancic).  They simply don't seem to want to develop the serve-and-volley game.

Answer 2

Yeah not many players nowadays use this tactic.

Answer 3

I hope its not as dominant anymore. It's SO boring.

Answer 4

Dr.D is right. Thumbs up #3

Mac, Edberg, Cash, Rafter would still be dominate today but not as much for the very reasons listed by Dr.D.

For any young player coming up S&V would be the first and best way to go baseline rallies comes naturally but not all baseliners know how to volley effectively or enough.

Gr8ss4op quite true. For those that can it is a bonus. And yes Pete could probably return and make Top 10 probably 5-10 quite easily.

Answer 5

It is dead at the moment since obviously none of the current top men's or women's players employ serve-and-volley religiously like the way that Rafter, Edberg, Cash, or McEnroe did.  However, that does not mean that it is dead forever.  Today's play styles do lend themselves, as D mentioned, to racquets, surfaces, and recent successful baseline players like Agassi.  However, the game is always evolving, and someone might introduce a change to traditional serve-and-volley tactics which manages to be very successful -- we'll have to wait and see.

Answer 6

It's a combination of two things. The powerful rackets as you mentioned. Also the slowness of modern courts (even grass). The ball goes faster through the air, but bounces slower off the ground. This gives the baseliner more time to wind up his shot, and the S&Ver less time to react.

I think though that S&V is still a good strategy to employ, but not compulsively like Johnny Mac or Edberg. You have to use it wisely. I still think that is the key if Federer wants to win the French Open.

*EDIT*

I know that 3 people are going to thumb down my answer for no good reason. Do you mind telling me who you are so I can block you?

Answer 7

I don't think it's dead.  It isn't breathing much though.  Radek Stepanek is a classic serve and volleyer.  Old Pistol Pete (Sampras), could probably crack the top 10 if he came out of retirement.  You need a really good serve with pinpoint precision to make it work.  My brother serves and volleys against me all the time, and it works like a charm!  It is a classic style that will never die.  The only question that remains is, "Are you good enough to pull it off?"

Answer 8

Like the sentiments of other people here, I think serve and volley isn't dead, but it can no longer be applied as the only strategy used.

The best shot for a S&Ver is, imo, the chip and charge, where the player can slow down the ball, and if he has a good enough touch, place the ball so that the returning angle is limited, and give him time to run up to the net.

Otherwise, most volleyers nowadays will have to wait or force the opposing player to return a short and slow return to put away a volley, meaning S&Vers will have to become all courters to have a chance.

Answer 9

C'mon NPI, go back and watch some classic tennis. Actually, I specifically remember my coach using second serve S&V drills to get us to move faster into the net. Playing juniors, I even used it a few times. But you look at the old matches, and yep, people did it even on second serves. And if they didn't, well the returner would either chip and charge or they would come in very soon after.

Grass4sss8sss or whatever your name is, it's not whether you are good enough to pull it off, it's whether the returner stinks enough for them to be unable to pass the S&V-er on his/her way in.

There is no good reason a serve and volleyer should win any sizeable number of points, unless we are discussing recreational tennis. I encourage recreational players to serve and volley, simply to get them to use their feet more and improve their balance.

At the professional levels, we will not see any more serve and volleying until the amount of power in players' arms is increased even more, so that a MASSIVE amount of spin can be generated. I think that even more spin can give the net rusher more time to come in and should scatter the ball off the bounce enough so that the returns can dwindle a bit and give the "Pure Style" a momentary comeback.

Answer 10

Serve and Volley is poetry.

It goes out of fashion and comes back again because it's beautiful to watch.

Remember the days when the base liners slogged away from the back?

boring

Answer 11

look i dunno much abt how the serve-and-volley style was followed..and who played it...

all i can say is there was never as a PURE serve-and-volley style...nobody would like to be called monotonous...or one-dimensional...i mean the style works only when u have good first serve....on second serves i don't think serve-and-volleyers have a good success rate...also it is practically IMPOSSIBLE to win every point on ur serve..to maintain ur mind at a level ( throughout all matches )..to serve consistently...i mean,...don't u think the player himself wud feel boring doing the same thing again and again...i mean wudn't he get bored...

plus today there are more power players..who always intend to win a point from baseline....so..for sure there are VERY few players who actually follow the chip-and-charge strategy ( the serve-and-volley style..)..eg..Max Mirnyi...

ofcourse change-up is needed..PURE serve and volley style is not corect thses days and so is PURe  baseline play...u shud always vary the things...today's youngsters are getting better and better...they are playing with more and more variety in their games...u clearly u can't survive against a powerful baseliner on his serve..and the intimidating thoughts u get in opponents service games ( which, in case, is a primarily a strong baseliner )...will disturb u wen u r playing ur own serve games..so clearly u can't stay at a level for a consistent serve..gud enuf to win u every point....