His kick serve was probably one of the most beautiful things in the world. He could hit a second serve with 165kph and the ball would bounce 2 meters above... Never seen someone his height doing it.
To this day I am partially convinced that Federer was secretly one of the physically strongest guys on tour. He could easily hit 130+ mph on his serves but he always stayed within the 120 range because he favored placement. I don't think we will ever know how much he was sandbagging his full physical strength but he will always be missed on the tour.
Physical strength actually doesn’t have a lot to do with producing a fast serve. Technique and shoulder flexibility have more to do with it. Same with pitching in baseball.
I don't think he's one of the strongest in terms of muscle, but his wrist strength must be insane to serve well and to hit some of those 1 handed flick backhand passes you see him do
As Federer pointed out, he figured that 120 to 125 mph was already good enough against the field most of the time. Essentially, any harder is redundant and may sacrifice precision and effect. And the effect part is also important. Faster isn't always better. Especially if the range of placement isn't wide enough. If the fastest serves are averaging to within, let's say 8 ft of width in the service box, and the server is serving the same speed about 70 percent of the time, those can eventually become makeable returns. In other words, you can eventually camp very comfortably inside the range without worrying too much about the wider serves as much. Now say you can hit precise serves with a decent amount of power. Because if you're just placing the ball, the person might as well step up to the baseline or inside. You need some amount of power in your serves to establish a range. A range that says - "Hey! I'm going to make sure that you feel like you have to stretch yourself like a mongoose if you want to cover all my serves." A perfect blend of power and placement will help. But let's also not forget spin. The spin that will affect how the ball behaves and therefore increases the range. From sidespinning which can drag or jam, to kicking which can mess with the timing and height at which you want to strike. Master the 3, and that's pretty lethal.
@@Nill757 Agree. That is why servers need to be very judicious about how they're going to serve at each point. At the same time, expect that some will just come back in the manner you described and be prepared to handle it.
Excellent video. The best I've seen in breaking down his serve statistics. Clearly the best server inch per inch. That serve is the most beautiful and elegant serve I've ever seen. But the toss is just so reliable that I rarely ever seen him do a retoss, maybe once. GOAT.
Brilliant work. Those stats are insane. I feel his dip was caused by contacting mononucleosis (mono) at the end of 07. So no pre season training going into 08 and playing catch up for the rest of the year. Despite that, Federer manages to get to the semi-final in Oz, the finals at the French and Wimbledon, then wins the US open. Insane feat considering Soldering was forced to retire after contacting mono. Additionally, the adjustment from a 90 Square inch racket to finally settling with a 97. A mega jump in tennis terms.
I could watch Roger's serve allllllll day!😃 Such a beautiful serve 🤩, his motion on serve was so flawless! His whole game was a beauty to watch! He was the #AirJordan of tennis, his game had so much swagg!😎😏 Gosh I wish he was still playing.😞 💔
One of the things that I always found unique about Federer's serve was how much he used his abs. You can see it by how much his knees move up, his whole body kind of snapping forwards at the moment of impact. All the other players extend their legs fully as they jump up, but Federer uses his abs and legs to squeeze that little extra juice from his serve.
The well placed serve w some pop is so much more effective than the monster serve, as when a returner does get a hold of one, it’s coming back w all that pace, taking time away from the server.
That's what happens when you have the weakest generation of all time that follows Djokodal's generation. Federer is still the greatest to ever play the sport
For the vast majority of the decade yeah, but by the end of the 2010's it wasn't unthinkable, well for Rafa at least. At the 2019 US Open Rafa had just won his 19th slam to put himself only 2 slam wins from overtaking Fed. At that time Fed was 38 and wouldn't likely have many more chances at majors (pretty much none sadly as it turned out with injuries). With Rafa being 33 then and having won the last 3 RG's in 2017, 2018 and 2019 it was likely very possible he would win more RG titles at least and maybe one slam elsewhere (which of course he did).
@@ashleythomas4112 l meant to write early 2010s lol yeah by the end of 2010s because of piling injuries you could see on the horizon those two coming up on him.
Great great content! Keep on doing it.Days will not be enough to cover most of Roger game elements. He is a different breed. The one and only Federer. Michael Jordan of tennis.
Actually it is the same toss to serve either wide or T, it is very hard to read. Federer’s aces are not because of the speed (usually around 120mph) but the difficulty to read and react.
Not just that, but Federer essentially turns his back to his opponent on every serve, so there is almost no opportunity to read direction before he hit the ball.
Most incredible was Roger's second serve, high quality and so overlooked weapon in his game.
Oh yeah it is. Unbelievable kick from someone his height, as well as placement as great as his 1st serve.
His kick serve was probably one of the most beautiful things in the world. He could hit a second serve with 165kph and the ball would bounce 2 meters above... Never seen someone his height doing it.
If he did have a second serve like Sampras, he would have been untouchable especially on those critical points when he missed his first serve
Keep doing tennis content ESPN!! ❤️🎾
To this day I am partially convinced that Federer was secretly one of the physically strongest guys on tour. He could easily hit 130+ mph on his serves but he always stayed within the 120 range because he favored placement. I don't think we will ever know how much he was sandbagging his full physical strength but he will always be missed on the tour.
Physical strength actually doesn’t have a lot to do with producing a fast serve. Technique and shoulder flexibility have more to do with it. Same with pitching in baseball.
Reflexes way farter than everyone else's on the flickering light test. Roddick would have had a few slams at least if not for this. Sorry Andy.
He actually did serve hard for a season and kept hurting his back
@@ViaticalTree ya look at peak Tim Lincecum. Not a big guy but pitched a blistering fastball.
I don't think he's one of the strongest in terms of muscle, but his wrist strength must be insane to serve well and to hit some of those 1 handed flick backhand passes you see him do
As Federer pointed out, he figured that 120 to 125 mph was already good enough against the field most of the time. Essentially, any harder is redundant and may sacrifice precision and effect. And the effect part is also important. Faster isn't always better. Especially if the range of placement isn't wide enough. If the fastest serves are averaging to within, let's say 8 ft of width in the service box, and the server is serving the same speed about 70 percent of the time, those can eventually become makeable returns. In other words, you can eventually camp very comfortably inside the range without worrying too much about the wider serves as much.
Now say you can hit precise serves with a decent amount of power. Because if you're just placing the ball, the person might as well step up to the baseline or inside. You need some amount of power in your serves to establish a range. A range that says - "Hey! I'm going to make sure that you feel like you have to stretch yourself like a mongoose if you want to cover all my serves." A perfect blend of power and placement will help. But let's also not forget spin. The spin that will affect how the ball behaves and therefore increases the range. From sidespinning which can drag or jam, to kicking which can mess with the timing and height at which you want to strike. Master the 3, and that's pretty lethal.
Nice analysis, bonus pts for proper usage of "affect" and "effect" in the same comment. 🏆
@@hgr.7857 Thanks. I think.
Faster is sometimes worse, as when a returner does block back a big serve, it’s coming back big too, putting the server on defense immediately.
@@Nill757 Agree. That is why servers need to be very judicious about how they're going to serve at each point. At the same time, expect that some will just come back in the manner you described and be prepared to handle it.
From his service motion to his toss to his placement, it was all peRFect!
It was OK. Not the best.
Excellent video. The best I've seen in breaking down his serve statistics. Clearly the best server inch per inch. That serve is the most beautiful and elegant serve I've ever seen. But the toss is just so reliable that I rarely ever seen him do a retoss, maybe once. GOAT.
He would win half the battle with his serve only. The main reson behind his extented & successful career.
these videos are SO GOOD! keep it up pls
Even in 2019 Wimbledon Final, Djokovic had to wait till fourth set for his first service break. His placement is impeccable.
Bruh needed just ONE of these at 40-15 though. JUST ONE.
Anyway, best of my era by a gigantic margin.
By far, the best server out of the big 3, and iirc he's ranked number 3 in the list of leading acers in Men's Tennis.
Thanks for covering Tennis - these have been great.
goat server pound for pound
@@matt_halves Kyrgios >>>>>
@@ethan76708 I meant what I said Ethan
@@ethan76708 Roddick is shorter than Kyrgios and served much faster
Inch for inch?
Sampras, anyone who disagrees is a salty fed fan
Brilliant work. Those stats are insane.
I feel his dip was caused by contacting mononucleosis (mono) at the end of 07. So no pre season training going into 08 and playing catch up for the rest of the year. Despite that, Federer manages to get to the semi-final in Oz, the finals at the French and Wimbledon, then wins the US open. Insane feat considering Soldering was forced to retire after contacting mono.
Additionally, the adjustment from a 90 Square inch racket to finally settling with a 97. A mega jump in tennis terms.
I could watch Roger's serve allllllll day!😃 Such a beautiful serve 🤩, his motion on serve was so flawless! His whole game was a beauty to watch! He was the #AirJordan of tennis, his game had so much swagg!😎😏
Gosh I wish he was still playing.😞
💔
every shot RF hits just looks smooth and aesthetic.
Best ESPN Video i've ever seen.
this is a great video. rare to see federer's first serve go above 200km/h. often around 160-180, which is unheard of in the modern men's game.
One of the things that I always found unique about Federer's serve was how much he used his abs. You can see it by how much his knees move up, his whole body kind of snapping forwards at the moment of impact. All the other players extend their legs fully as they jump up, but Federer uses his abs and legs to squeeze that little extra juice from his serve.
Greatest of all time 🐐
The well placed serve w some pop is so much more effective than the monster serve, as when a returner does get a hold of one, it’s coming back w all that pace, taking time away from the server.
The fact that Rafa and Djokovic beat Fed's 20 GS would've been unthinkable in the 2010s
That's what happens when you have the weakest generation of all time that follows Djokodal's generation. Federer is still the greatest to ever play the sport
For the vast majority of the decade yeah, but by the end of the 2010's it wasn't unthinkable, well for Rafa at least. At the 2019 US Open Rafa had just won his 19th slam to put himself only 2 slam wins from overtaking Fed. At that time Fed was 38 and wouldn't likely have many more chances at majors (pretty much none sadly as it turned out with injuries). With Rafa being 33 then and having won the last 3 RG's in 2017, 2018 and 2019 it was likely very possible he would win more RG titles at least and maybe one slam elsewhere (which of course he did).
@@ashleythomas4112 l meant to write early 2010s lol yeah by the end of 2010s because of piling injuries you could see on the horizon those two coming up on him.
@@initialize21 l was a big Monfils fan. Thought he had a ton of potential if he just locked in. Athleticism off the charts.
Federer was good, but not in djokovics neighborhood in the talent department.
The best serving motion I've ever seen.
Great great content! Keep on doing it.Days will not be enough to cover most of Roger game elements. He is a different breed. The one and only Federer. Michael Jordan of tennis.
GOAT
The GOAT 🐐
Update: Sorry Novak and Nadal 🤷
Novak disagrees
@@Maxrepfitgm Novak is much better
@@ethan76708 Bro Federer was the goat before the goat debate.
The OG GOAT, the one and only
@@synhet84 yeah, he was the goat until he got eclipsed by two people. LOL
@@oooahrl4998yeah eclipsed under 2 younger & stronger players. But how did those become goat? By crossing Roger’s records against weak players.
These videos are amazing! Need one on the Bryan Bros 🙏
Amazing Video! Thank you for this.
Great video.
Actually it is the same toss to serve either wide or T, it is very hard to read. Federer’s aces are not because of the speed (usually around 120mph) but the difficulty to read and react.
This is excellent content. Have you analyzed Serena's serve?
They did already
One thing I notice about him, he just didn't double fault!!
Remember that late career surge? Wow. Just peRFect
Not just that, but Federer essentially turns his back to his opponent on every serve, so there is almost no opportunity to read direction before he hit the ball.
2019 Wimbledon final the serve was on fire 😅
Good content here, but you undervalued how unreadable his toss was. He could hit any kind of serve with the same exact toss.
1:14 bro was NOT going for that return lmao
2015 federer was best server. Criminal he couldnt take a slam or two that year
More tennis content MORE!
🐐
At their peeks, it's still Federer all day. Don't give me Joker heat.
Wimbledon 2009 vs Roddick. Period.
Yea him being 3rd is very impressive!! Goat
Federer's peak is the highest the sport has ever seen. U mad? 😂
Crazy how Nadal would've dominated Wimbledon if it weren't for Federer.
3:34 what lol, he never hit a serve at 140mph
Supposedly he hit 143 one time at the 2010 Gerry Weber Open. Definitely not even close to normal for him.
@@machineofadream I don't buy it must've been faulty radar
I think he must've meant he could occasionally crank it to 130, not 140.
Karlovic, Isner, Opelka, Kyrios , absolute serve bots.
No one know his secret. Only Alcaraz ,Medevdev and ME. I am writing a book to reveal it to the world
All the beauty in tennis is gone, because Roger isn't playing
He really wish those serves have come in handy against Djokovic on his match points 🤣