Novak Djokovic: The Serb's Kicker of a Serve

When I first started tennis, the serve was one of the hardest things for me to get down; besides the backhand. It seems easy enough just toss the ball up and hit it while it is still in the air, over the net and in the correct service box. Unfortunately, that is not the case. It’s a lot harder than it looks.

In fact, the whole game of tennis is complex; it’s like walking through a labyrinth and when you finally make some progress, it’s time to go another path to learn even more about something else. It sounds a bit redundant when it is put like that, but if you love the sport and expanding those corridors in your brain, then keep it up.

The first thing that I noticed about Novak Djokovic’s game, since the beginning, was his kick serve. It has become an astonishing weapon in his arsenal. It reminds me of a rubber-band when he hits his serve.

I’ve studied Djokovic’s serve so I could learn to emulate it so I could develop a lethal kicker myself. So, what exactly does he do to make his kick serve such a weapon?

Ball Toss

When Djokovic releases the ball on the toss, it is to the left of his head, which is where those muscles in his back, as well as the gluteal muscles, have to fully engage.  Mind you, it’s not just the legs that are getting the workout in a serve, it’s the core, gluteal muscles and back muscles. That’s why when something goes amiss, it affects the entire product.

During the ball toss, the ball should never go behind the head of the player. It can be further to the left, for the kick serve, but on any serve, if the ball goes behind the head, the ball should be caught to start over. Novak tosses the ball so that it is just a fraction further back than normal, this is so when he extends his racket arm to strike the ball, it will create the spin he needs.

After the ball is released, his body is relaxed: his eyes follow the ball, racket arm extending up, and knees are relaxing. Something to note is his left arm (racket arm). It is slower to come up after the ball toss, which is quite difficult to do.

Timing is already crucial on a serve, yet his arm waits nearly until the last second before he has to strike the ball. Usually when on serves, they bring both their arms up at the same time, but not Novak’s service.

Grip

He hits his serve with a version of the Continental grip; it is just a bevel turned to the left on the grip. This allows him to create the spin more easily.

Spring-acceleration

When you take a look at Novak’s serve in slow motion, don’t watch him hit the ball but take a look at what his entire body is coming. It looks as though all of his momentum and power is created within his toes and accelerates through his entire body to his racket hand, like a lightning bolt.

It is so fast that can be hard for some to see with the naked eye. When he winds up his body to hit, he turns his back so much that part of it actually faces the court.

His shoulders are sloped at a downward angle and his racket arm is lower than his left (lagging). This permits him to have more area for him to extend the full length of his 6’2” frame up to the ball and to rotate fully.

While this happens, his racket is accelerating faster and faster. His knees are relaxing even more and now one can see that his feet are no more planted on the ground, but he is now on the tips of his toes.  

Balance    

Right before the moment of impact, Novak’s body uncoils as the boost of acceleration flows through his body to his racket arm. His head of the racket is dropped as his knees straighten to lengthen out even more.

His shoulders open up a little more at this stage but not too much, as he does not want to fall into the court at that moment of the service.

His left arm drops down fast to allow him to rotate his shoulders to hit the ball. His chest stays up to keep him from collapsing down which would result in a serve into the net, at which every tennis players curses.

We all know that Novak Djokovic’s service has gotten better, but how? What exactly has changed that makes his serve into one of the most lethal shots on the ATP Tour? Here is why:

When Novak goes into the “trophy position” during his service, his elbow (racket hand) would be too low. If it is too low it means that the racket has to travel a greater distance to reach its destination (the ball). Sounds too much like a physics course doesn’t it? But it’s so easy to understand!

It almost seems odd why it was not changed sooner on his serve. So, why wasn’t it corrected? Most likely because people think that if the elbow is lower, you have more time to create the acceleration. Not true.

The service should look easy and fluid, but with a lower elbow, it makes one have to work extra hard. Consistency and accuracy are then hindered.

With Novak’s serve today, if we are to draw a line down the middle of Novak’s body (don’t worry, it’s imaginary) as we paused him during the “trophy position,” we can see that his body is in better alignment than before. His racket arm and shoulder are better aligned with his left arm and shoulder.

This tiny little fix on his serve has also allowed him to bend his knees even more, which really allows him to fall into the court after he hits his serve.

When one hits a serve, they do not want to be moving up and then back down, but moving up and thrown forward into the court. That is why so many players land nearly 3-4 feet in the court after their serve.

Novak Djokovic’s overall game is something that should be studied for all those juniors who are looking to become our future champs. As for now, it is fun to see what the future holds for the Serbian.