It’s time to talk about Roger Federer's return of serve

No player has had more elements of his game described as “underrated” than Roger Federer. His serve, his defense, his volleys and his toughness—among others—have all received that designation on hundreds, if not thousands, of occasions over the course of his career. At a certain point it might lead one to ask: How many times can something be called “underappreciated” before we have to admit that it really is properly appreciated?

One shot that has mostly escaped this description, but which might actually deserve it, is Federer’s return of serve. With his one-handed backhand, he has never been able to match the spectacular reflexed responses of Andre Agassi or Novak Djokovic; and when opponents have needed a point against him, they’ve gone straight at that backhand return. In his early years, though, Federer was famous for leaping back into the alley to drill forehand return winners from the ad court, and he has always been one of the best at putting his racquet on bullet serves that looked sure to be aces. More recently, he has trademarked a new return, the short-hop SABR.

None of that, though, could prepare us for the returning clinic that Federer put on at 4-3 in the first set against Juan Martin del Potro in Miami on Monday. At 15-15, Federer started with a drive-and-charge backhand return, and won the point at the net. At 15-30, he took a Del Potro bomb first serve down the T and sent it straight back down the middle, knocking a surprised Delpo backward. And at 15-40, Federer broke by chipping a backhand return short, drawing the 6’6” Delpo forward and forcing him to get low, and then passing him with a forehand on the next shot.

Federer never trailed again, and ended up winning in routine fashion, 6-3, 6-4.

We’ve talked a lot, rightfully, about Federer’s newly aggressive backhand this season. It’s about time we talked about his newly aggressive return. The two things go together, of course; the better Federer’s backhand is, the better it’s going to be against his opponent’s serves. But he’s also taking the ball earlier; against Delpo, who can gun the ball 130 m.p.h., Federer’s average contact point was well inside the baseline. He’s coming over the backhand more often, and using that shot to attack the net in a more seamless and effective way than he has with the all-or-nothing SABR. There was no way to underrate his return in this one.

Federer, showing no signs yet of any wear from back-to-back weeks in Indian Wells and Miami, improved his record on the season to 15-1, and to 16-5 against Del Potro. But he  did give Delpo one chance. Up a break at 4-3 in the second set, Federer played two loose—or tight, perhaps—shots, a backhand volley that sailed long and a forehand approach that faded wide. With the Miami crowd urging him on, Delpo reached break point, got a good look at a second-serve return on his forehand side … and hit it long. Federer put the clamps down again from there.

Next for Federer is Roberto Bautista Agut. Are there any shots left for him to remodel in 2017?

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