How Stakhovsky"s Serve-and-Volley Ended Federer"s Quarterfinal Streak
After making the quarterfinals or better in a record 36 consecutive Grand Slams, Roger Federer lost in the second round of Wimbledon 2013 to 116th-ranked Sergiy Stakhovsky of Ukraine, 6-7(5), 7-6(5), 7-5, 7-6(5). Roger wasn't at his best, but Stakhovsky's brilliant tactics and execution were the real key to his huge upset.
Tactically, Sergiy rolled back the clock to the long era when serve and volley was the most successful formula for winning Wimbledon.
Stakhovsky came to the net 96 times against Federer, almost entirely behind his serve, which he directed most often to Roger's backhand. For a one-hander like Roger, three types of serve are much easier to return with a slice backhand than with topsin.
Serves that skid low on the grass make a topspin passing-shot return extremely difficult because the receiver simply can't get the racquet below the height of the ball enough to brush up its back to produce topspin. Low serves are also difficult because they're necessarily hit either flat or with heavy slice. Flat serves tend to have the greatest forward speed, because none of the swing energy goes into spinning the ball, all of it into driving the ball forward. Heavy slice serves curve sharply sideways, making it difficult for the receiver to align contact for an aggressive return and compensate for the sidespin while trying to aim a passing shot through a narrow opening.
Serves placed out wide on the backhand can force the receiver to stretch so much to reach the ball that his legs and shoulder are not in position to produce the forward drive and upward lift needed to hit a powerful topspin passing shot; a softer topspin flick is still possible, but it will only pass the opponent if hit at an incredible angle that can't be executed at a favorable percentage.
Kick serves work well against one-handed backhands on any surface, because one-handers quickly lose power and topspin as the ball gets higher above the chest. Most one-handers can only slice or hit a topspin lob or semi-lob once the ball gets above their shoulders.
Stakhovsky used all three of these serves against Federer, and he mixed them up, along with a good number of extremely well-placed serves to the forehand, throughout the match. On most of Sergiy's serves to Roger's backhand, he got the desired result, a slice return. Slice is a great defensive tool if your opponent is at his baseline, but because slice makes the ball float higher in the air, it's not an effective passing shot; too often, it sits right where the incoming volleyer wants it. A very low slice that drops at the volleyer's feet can be effective, but it has extremely small margins both in clearance over the net and in the depth at which it begins to drop. Even when Roger executed such slices well, Sergiy often came up with a great drop-volley or half-volley reply. On second serves, Sergiy most often used the standard second serve for male pros, the twist, and kicked it up on Roger's backhand, where it's even more difficult for a one-hander to hit anything but a slice that floats at a height the volleyer will like.
The last male serve-and-volley player to win Wimbledon was Goran Ivanisevic in 2001, and in the 12 years since then, the once-standard tactic has become rare throughout the singles game in pro tennis. For its few remaining practitioners, like Sergiy Stakhovsky, the rarity of serve-and-volley is now a significant advantage, because most opponents are not used to countering it. On the whole, however, players are returning better than ever now, and two-handers like Novak Djokovic are much less vulnerable on the backhand return, especially on kick serves, so a player like Stakhovsky may not have much chance to ride his serve-and-volley game all the way to a major title. It's enjoyable and instructive, though, to see serve-and-volley used so well again, and Sergiy Stakhovsky certainly took a great ride on Day 3 of Wimbledon 2013.
Tactically, Sergiy rolled back the clock to the long era when serve and volley was the most successful formula for winning Wimbledon.
Stakhovsky came to the net 96 times against Federer, almost entirely behind his serve, which he directed most often to Roger's backhand. For a one-hander like Roger, three types of serve are much easier to return with a slice backhand than with topsin.
Serves that skid low on the grass make a topspin passing-shot return extremely difficult because the receiver simply can't get the racquet below the height of the ball enough to brush up its back to produce topspin. Low serves are also difficult because they're necessarily hit either flat or with heavy slice. Flat serves tend to have the greatest forward speed, because none of the swing energy goes into spinning the ball, all of it into driving the ball forward. Heavy slice serves curve sharply sideways, making it difficult for the receiver to align contact for an aggressive return and compensate for the sidespin while trying to aim a passing shot through a narrow opening.
Serves placed out wide on the backhand can force the receiver to stretch so much to reach the ball that his legs and shoulder are not in position to produce the forward drive and upward lift needed to hit a powerful topspin passing shot; a softer topspin flick is still possible, but it will only pass the opponent if hit at an incredible angle that can't be executed at a favorable percentage.
Kick serves work well against one-handed backhands on any surface, because one-handers quickly lose power and topspin as the ball gets higher above the chest. Most one-handers can only slice or hit a topspin lob or semi-lob once the ball gets above their shoulders.
Stakhovsky used all three of these serves against Federer, and he mixed them up, along with a good number of extremely well-placed serves to the forehand, throughout the match. On most of Sergiy's serves to Roger's backhand, he got the desired result, a slice return. Slice is a great defensive tool if your opponent is at his baseline, but because slice makes the ball float higher in the air, it's not an effective passing shot; too often, it sits right where the incoming volleyer wants it. A very low slice that drops at the volleyer's feet can be effective, but it has extremely small margins both in clearance over the net and in the depth at which it begins to drop. Even when Roger executed such slices well, Sergiy often came up with a great drop-volley or half-volley reply. On second serves, Sergiy most often used the standard second serve for male pros, the twist, and kicked it up on Roger's backhand, where it's even more difficult for a one-hander to hit anything but a slice that floats at a height the volleyer will like.
The last male serve-and-volley player to win Wimbledon was Goran Ivanisevic in 2001, and in the 12 years since then, the once-standard tactic has become rare throughout the singles game in pro tennis. For its few remaining practitioners, like Sergiy Stakhovsky, the rarity of serve-and-volley is now a significant advantage, because most opponents are not used to countering it. On the whole, however, players are returning better than ever now, and two-handers like Novak Djokovic are much less vulnerable on the backhand return, especially on kick serves, so a player like Stakhovsky may not have much chance to ride his serve-and-volley game all the way to a major title. It's enjoyable and instructive, though, to see serve-and-volley used so well again, and Sergiy Stakhovsky certainly took a great ride on Day 3 of Wimbledon 2013.
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