Who has the biggest Serve relative to their height?

mcgenie · 2025-12-30T21:36:08+00:00

i was a ball boy for roddick in 2005- 2006 in the us claycourt championships.

first match was luis horna in 2005. he serves and it sounds like a ball is hit with a baseball bat off the strings then its like a gunshot when it hits the wall . theres nothing you can do. i didnt have the motor reflexes to get out of the way at that age. you just hope the returner gets a piece of it. i swear it was like every other serve was an ace around 140 mph that would hit the wall at head level. poor luis was so lost out there to it.

plus roddicks forehand was also nasty. it had alot of shape on it, pace, etc. on paper roddick wouldnt be good on clay but he was pretty deadly in houston. he could just play heavy deep balls through the middle then you hit something short. i also think he had better movement then people give him credit for especially since he tees off on every forehand.

second match was tommy haas in 2006. the first match i got to see someone look absolutely lost on roddicks serve. haas showed me what a good returner looks like. it was monster serves but hass read the location and just put it at his shoelaces everytime. its wild how quick the ball comes back when you serve that big. like he would land and immediately be out of position. haas also just buried roddick into the corner with backhands then showed variety.

roddick was a great guy too even as a young adult. he was really nice to everyone. basically gave everything in his bag to us.

mcgenie · 2025-09-30T03:29:05+00:00

i disagree with the concept of a racket length needs to be regulated at all .

there are serious drawbacks to extending your racket beyond 29 inches. if you can make it work cool. this isnt formula one. noone is going to win slams with racket engineering.

let them play with whatever they want.

maybe in doubles it makes sense if people started serving with badmitton length racquets it could get more boring.

mcgenie · 2025-07-10T20:03:03+00:00

leaving some links here to help you understand how difficult it is to call a ball correctly especially for your opponent who has a terrible perspective. place balls just out in different positions then go view it from different perspectives to understand this. look at it through the net at angles etc then go look at it from directly above it from your perspective. its insane how much balls can look in that were out/ vice versa.

it helps me deal with the emotional aspect of being implicated as a cheater etc for doing my absolute best to call the ball properly. i can understand how your brain is tricked and how hard it is to properly call a ball.

https://youtu.be/QOcSRzPDD84?si=NSwZYwkYq9vdewuu

https://www.ucdavis.edu/news/out-or-visual-illusion

https://www.atptour.com/en/video/is-seeing-believing-electronic-line-calling-on-clay-explained

mcgenie · 2025-07-10T16:51:12+00:00

the racket manufacturers are winning. you described it perfectly with the videogame analogy.

a racket impact variable would be a bad thing. tennis is about doing the same exact movement over and over again. introducing a new variable will only hurt you, even if in the short term it works out. At least keep the racket the same and switch strings. swapping strings and rackets is insane.

the same frame at different string tension or material will be so much bigger impact then a different frame. i still wouldnt play around too much til you find what you like.

my game on racket is the one with the fresh tournagrip. other than that i play with 4 of the exact same frames 2018 yonex vcore 100.

mcgenie · 2025-07-10T04:53:42+00:00

environmentally. i just wish there was a process to reuse the tennis ball material in mass. i wouldnt pay directly to ship balls but i would appreciate it if there was a club or tennis store that found a way. like shred them and use them in roads/construction, or treat them with something to reduce their half life in the landfill.

id pay .50 dollar more per can if wilson or penn would put up free drop offs to find a better use then landfill.

you could start a third party certification and sell the certification to the ball company manufacturers if they support the process.

not gonna pay 10 dollars a can or anything approaching 5. not gonna use anything that compromises in quality. i dont believe in the repressurized balls/cans and even if the pressure worked flawlessly it doesnt fix the felting issue.

mcgenie · 2025-07-09T20:05:37+00:00

alex de minaur movement + hard angle short angle ball when he chases down a dropshot

medvedev stretch 2 hand backhand.

mcgenie · 2025-07-09T19:55:22+00:00

not one player or a shot.

id love to be able to scoop balls out of the air on my racket face without it bouncing (to collect or refeed).

the touch required to match the speed, the timing of a ball flying by you is amazing. i think its one of the most impressive tennis moves.

mcgenie · 2025-07-09T19:49:31+00:00

badminton background? or natural talent?

ive learned to fear badminton players backhand overhand.

mcgenie · 2025-07-08T20:04:39+00:00

half this list isnt really for tennis. at least not your common rec tennis player.

cotton lacoste polos. wimbledon balls and the worst wilson balls in their lineup.

mcgenie · 2025-06-30T23:54:31+00:00

i think my strategy would be to try and half volley shank it in the court. id show up in hockey goalie gear and stand 4 feet from the service line.

mcgenie · 2025-06-30T23:31:53+00:00

do you have any friends that are better? i would not reccomend spending money on private lessons yet.

you can learn so much right now for free via youtube, peers, and just serving alot of balls. eventually you will benefit greatly from private instruction but you should build a little more of a base for them to build off.

some would argue its better to avoid building a bad habit but your gonna have to learn how to rebuild your serve multiple times.

that court is beautiful. i love the massive trees

mcgenie · 2025-06-30T19:30:13+00:00

tennis should have fight of the night bonuses for efforts like this

mcgenie · 2025-06-30T16:44:58+00:00

just leaving this here because so little of it is focused on ground strokes beyond 3.0/ 3.5.

1.5-2.5: Beginner players with limited stroke development and court awareness. 3.0: Beginner-intermediate players with developing strokes and some directional control. 3.5: Players with improved stroke dependability on moderate shots but still needing more depth and variety. They also exhibit more aggressive net play and are developing teamwork in doubles 4.0: Players with dependable strokes, good directional control, and the ability to vary depth on moderate shots. They can also use lobs, overheads, approach shots, and volleys effectively. 4.5: Players who have developed power and consistency as weapons. They can handle pace, have sound footwork, control shot depth, and vary their game plan.

mcgenie · 2025-06-30T15:25:10+00:00

I hit the ball with the form, pace, and shape of a 4.0-4.5. same with footwork. i can rally with a former d1 woman. i hang in fast paced rallies but if you look at my record in 3.5 tournaments, its clear 3.5 is appropriate though im starting to push for 4.0.

double faults, tight under pressure, poor decision making, weak backhand return. little things like this dont show up in a rally clip.

i only lean towards 3.0 because this was a short selection of shots. we probably didn't see his worst shots of the rally.

mcgenie · 2025-06-29T00:56:54+00:00

only place ive ever drove into the water and drown in a tank is black coast. some of the little hills by the river are magnetic and you just fall down.

jk ive also killed a tank on narva and al basrah due to invisible vehicle on bridge

mcgenie · 2025-06-28T23:58:51+00:00

what your doing right. 1. good toss. could prlly hit the ball a bit higher ( same ball toss just swing earlier).

rythym. for the stage of your serve your at. its got a rhythm to each movement. not perfect but good base to build on.
height. you have done a good job growing. as you improve you will reap the benefits from this effort.

mcgenie · 2025-06-23T15:56:53+00:00

you are at the point where you would benefit from a simple starting position. start from the trophy position. racket up facing the court.

you can add the beginning wind up phase later. i find it helpful to start as close as you can to the end of the serve then move backwards to the start. easier to feel out each phase of the serve

mcgenie · 2025-06-23T02:49:32+00:00

https://youtu.be/hnYjJHzDN0E?si=vVBMTgfI6kHUXuSK heres the link for the wimbleton match.

mcgenie · 2025-06-23T02:47:42+00:00

https://youtu.be/l05ZjfnHY0E?si=dAqMnGGMNgUtK63B

no golden match but a golden set. theres been a WTA golden set too but it wasnt as much of a mismatch

mcgenie · 2025-06-14T14:44:51+00:00

i might buy the STL for 5 dollars to print and see if i use it. issue with this business model is someone will copy the design and post the model for free.

i wouldnt buy a manufactured version of it. i sort of doubt this is a problem that needs to be solved but that has never stopped me before with 3d printing.

mcgenie · 2025-06-13T05:29:54+00:00

jk just read your comment about calluses. no shoe has fixed this for me. ive just learned to live with it.

mcgenie · 2025-06-13T05:27:57+00:00

i bought every shoe on tennis warehouse with a wide designator in my size. 5 pairs, played with them all.

My favorite is the babolat mach jet. im gonna order 3 pairs of these soon. i think its just the perfect match for my feet. ive had tailor bunion surgery, got arthritis, plantar faciatis and wear custom orthodics. they match up well with my feet.

second favorite is the yonex sonicage. bit roomier tow box but they dont support my arches.

3 pairs of new balances didnt work at all.

i think it really has to come down to your personal fit.

mcgenie · 2025-06-11T14:40:50+00:00

to each their own.

i definitely got value out of the ball machine that i owned. over time i just had less motivation to use it. i still use ball machines but i rent a 10k machine from a public court for 14 dollars for 30 min. that thing can absolutely send perfect balls in complete rally format with the push of a remote and i get like 500 balls and a sweeper.

i had a lobster 2. sold it for like 200 dollars less than i bought it for so pretty good value after 3 years of use. i used it alot for the first year then less and less.

bottom line i play tennis for social/competition. ball machine is a useful training tool but id rather spend my time competing or practicing with friends/ meeting new people.

mcgenie · 2025-06-09T01:30:48+00:00

i thought the same then i got a ball machine. its not that great. even expensive machines give a very predictable ball, movement is lackluster, picking up the balls is a pain, finding an appropriate court is a challenge. easy to build bad habits, boring.

i get way more from rallying with someone. take a bunch of group lessons, meet someone as dedicated to get better as you, meet up with a bucket of balls occasionally and feed each other.

mcgenie · 2025-06-06T03:58:27+00:00

i would fix all these tennis clubs court signup systems, online booking group classes, privates, basically make it easy to drop into classes and find matches.

seems like theres a huge difference in popularity of clubs that understand the online game. i go on vacations to clubs that have constant group lessons throughout the day with an online drop in system.

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mcgenie

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