No one handles a big serve better than the smooth Swiss.
1. Knees
When a hard serve bounces up toward your ears, what do you do? Bend low. It sounds counterintuitive, but to handle a strong serve, you need a strong foundation. Federer isn’t just bending, he’s bracing himself for a forceful impact. This is why half-lunges, which work the thighs and glutes, are the perfect off-court exercises for tennis.
2. Feet
On the pro tours, you see mostly open stances and swings that propel players off the ground, but not on a shot like this. Federer steps sideways and keeps his front foot almost flat on the ground; he maintains his balance with the toes of his back foot. Federer doesn’t need to generate his own pace on this shot. Instead, he absorbs and redirects the power of his opponent’s shot.
3. Shoulders
On a return like this, you need a good shoulder turn, but at the same time you don’t have to uncoil into the shot as you would on an open-stance stroke. This is a control shot. Your shoulders must remain level and sideways so you can prevent the racquet face from twisting when a fastpaced serve hits your strings.
4. Swing Path
Federer starts with his racquet head above the contact point so he can carve down and through the ball to create underspin. At contact, his racquet face is slightly open and the ball is right on the W of his strings. Federer’s hitting arm is extended and his Continental grip is a bit more firm than usual. On a hard serve, you need to maintain control of your racquet at all costs.
5. Head
I call this the “no peeking” shot. Federer’s eyes are on the ball, and he won’t look toward the net until after the ball is on its way there. You can’t make good contact on a booming serve if you don’t watch the ball closely.
6. Off Arm
After bringing his racquet back with both hands, Federer releases it from his left hand and swings his left arm back to create a counter force to his forward swing. If your nondominant arm goes limp as you swing, your momentum will throw your shoulders out of alignment and ruin the shot.
Lynne Rolley is director of tennis at the Berkeley Tennis Club in California.
Originally published in the October 2009 issue of TENNIS magazine.