A quick(ish) addition to address court speed and how it fits into this equation.
It is true that in general the courts are slower than they used to be. This is especially prevalent at Wimbledon, where they've changed the blend of grass as well as kept it short to allow a higher, slower bounce. We've seen a definitive shift on the grass courts in the past decade. In fact, Jim Fawcette over at http://www.fawcette.net/ posted this excellent video in an article he wrote about court speeds. This isn't an endorsement of the content of his post (some of which I agree with and some of which I don't) but I do wish to give credit where credit is due.
However this shift skews the perception of just how much slower courts in general have become. While it is true that hard courts on the pro tour are slower than they were 15 years ago, we don't seem to have any meaningful measurement that gives us concrete numbers. Why that is is a topic of discussion for another post, but let's get down to business:
Does slower courts really mark the death of serve and volley tennis? The short answer, is no.
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Part 1: Where Did All The Serve and Volleyers Go?
This is the first in a three-part series on serve and volley tennis in the modern game.
On September 21st, 2007 Tim Henman defeated Roko Karanusic in straight sets to give Great Britain a 2-0 lead in their Davis Cup tie against Croatia. Although he would team with Jamie Murray to seal the victory in doubles the next day, his victory marked Tim Henman's last official singles match on the men's tour. It also marked the last true serve and volleyer at the top of the game. In the 5 years since, we have seen some aggressive players (Tsonga immediately leaps to mind), they are more all-court players, roaming forward occasionally when they see a tactical advantage in doing so. However, they more likely to stay back than not. Even the great Roger Federer - the last man to win Wimbledon serve and volleying nearly every point - uses it sparingly.
So where did all the serve and volleyers go?
On September 21st, 2007 Tim Henman defeated Roko Karanusic in straight sets to give Great Britain a 2-0 lead in their Davis Cup tie against Croatia. Although he would team with Jamie Murray to seal the victory in doubles the next day, his victory marked Tim Henman's last official singles match on the men's tour. It also marked the last true serve and volleyer at the top of the game. In the 5 years since, we have seen some aggressive players (Tsonga immediately leaps to mind), they are more all-court players, roaming forward occasionally when they see a tactical advantage in doing so. However, they more likely to stay back than not. Even the great Roger Federer - the last man to win Wimbledon serve and volleying nearly every point - uses it sparingly.
So where did all the serve and volleyers go?
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