The professional tennis season for the ATP/WTA Tours is off and running in 2025, and there are already enormous patterns that are starting to emerge.
The Brisbane International semi-finals last night had 6’11” (211cm) Reilly Opelka taking on 6’8” (203cm) Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard. Two athletes that thunder down rocket launching serves from the clouds.
Opelka has been a top 20 player on the ATP Tour based on his thunderous weapon before injuries set him back in a big way over the last two seasons, while Perricard has shot up the world rankings in a flash, claiming two ATP titles in the process and is on the cusp of the top 20 himself.
The fact that these two towering infernos were in the Brisbane semis and the way in which they had achieved that says everything about the game now at the highest level.
Power serving, power serving and more power serving. There is no other way around it.
Opelka used it to take down Novak Djokovic in the quarters with the Serbian great off balance from the get-go, finding it hard to get any sort of rally going when Opelka served.
Perricard played Australia’s Nick Kyrgios in round one and at times made the Aussies' serve look like a pea-shooter. The Frenchman has even taken it upon himself to hit his second serves at 220km an hour as well.
He figures 'Oh well, if it goes in I’m winning the point anyway'. This was his approach in his hometown Lyon during his breakout season in 2024, thumping first and second serves over 200km consistently with players, fans and the media shaking their heads in disbelief.
Nothing like this approach had been seen before and the consistency on the second serve was frighteningly good. Zero rallies, the opponent walking from side to side. Game, set, match Perricard.
Which brings us to Australia. The same approach and tactic from Perricard is on show. Wins over Kyrgios, Tiafoe and Menšík (all quality) put him into the semi-finals last night where it was Opelka who continued his hot streak around, yes, you guessed it, his formidable serving.
There was chatter in the first-round when Perricard played Kyrgios in terms of the quality of the match for spectators and fans. The match was long and close but very limited rallies between the lines. Just serving and let’s change sides.
It begs the question on what is the limit of the serving at the highest level on the ATP Tour. It also begs the question on is this a quality sporting product for the arm chair fans and spectators who pay their hard earned dollars to show up?
The sport has been here before. When Pete Sampras and Goran Ivanišević were serving cannons at Wimbledon there was an uproar from the British public. This was not a good product. Where is the variation, where is the flair, where is the creativity, where is the chip and charge, where is the tennis, what has happened to the sport?
During that era, Richard Krajicek, Boris Becker, Marc Rosset, Michael Stich, Todd Martin and Thomas Enqvist were names along with Sampras and Ivanišević that were serve machines making them almost unplayable.
On the back of the Sampras and Ivanišević Wimbledon final, the All England Club made changes to the speed of the court and the type of grass used. They wanted more creativity. Tennis for TV so to speak. It was a drastic change giving baseliners a leg up to IMPACT and win matches on grass.
The next crop of players that came through included Andy Roddick, Mark Philippoussis, Marat Safin, Milos Raonic, Ivo Karlović and John Isner who holds the all-time aces record for the ATP Tour with over 14,000. The Tour had made an effort to slow balls and courts down, but that didn’t stop the power serving and dominance from this particular crop.
The common theme is this: Athletes who are extremely tall, powerful and strong have new and improved racquet technology combined with the latest state-of-the-art strings at their disposal. When standing 6’ 11” like Opelka, Isner and Karlović, you stand zero chance when they hit the service box from that height.
So when does it stop??? Have we reached the apex with the serve??? This has caused such a talking point even former world No.2 Casper Ruud suggested changing the rule to only one serve per player.
"Only one serve. It’s not an easy change, but it’s something that could be done. Sometimes, especially on fast courts, I feel like it becomes too easy to win when it’s your turn to serve."
At the press conference, where Ruud was asked about the rule change, he was also asked to comment on what a player like Isner, the world record holder for serve aces, would think about such an intervention.
"He would still have the best serve even if they took one of them away, but then we could see if the players dared to bet everything on an ace, or if they just tried to get it within the playing area, was the answer."
"In general, I think it would have led to more ball exchanges between the players. At least that’s something I’d rather see."
Startling words from Ruud. But does he have a point?
The Perricard approach and consistency on his second serve throughout the Australian summer will put more pressure on this conversation. He has been backing in his second serve, all chips in, and credit to him.
Hitting it from 6’8” (203cm) at 230km per hour, ball hits the box, point over, walk to the other side, now let’s do it again. Is it the sporting product fans want? or do they prefer the John McEnroe court craft and the Stefan Edberg and Pat Rafter chip and charge from yesteryears? The contrasting styles, the beautiful game.
Fans and spectators are going to have to bite their lips and bear it. The serve bots and towering terminators are not going to be holding back.
Hume Tennis and Community Centre is Australia’s #1 Tennis Tournament Venue and winner of Tennis Victoria’s Club of the Year 2023, hosting over 60 events each year ranging from Hot Shots to professional tournaments. Hume Tennis has a tournament experience for all levels. Known as the Tennis Paradise in Melbourne, Hume Tennis boasts 14 outdoor Plexicushion courts, a Café, and a Pro Shop—making it the perfect destination for teams and coaches traveling from interstate, with convenient accommodation available. Visit www.humetennis.com.au to find out more
Comments