Nick Kyrgios received some negative social media attention when he sent two underhanded serves to Serbia’s Dusan Lajovic at the Miami Open. In February, the Australian Kyrgios used the same tactic, although unsuccessfully, on Rafa in Acapulco. In Mexico, Kyrgios said he was cramping and looking for an easy point. He chose to do it because Rafa had positioned himself so far behind the baseline. Rafa responded that it “lacked a little bit of respect.” Social media both booed and applauded, and sports writers debated whether such a tactic was “unsportsmanlike.” My view: thumbs up.
An underhanded serve is nothing more than an allowable stratagem of the game where, if done successfully, the opponent is stunned, unable to return the ball and wondering what just happened. How’s that any different than a body serve, where by aiming the ball at your opponent, you hamper their ability to move right or left to return the serve? Tennis is all about change of pace and tactical switches, and an underhanded serve – if you can manage it – fits right in. It also fits right in with Kyrgios’s unconventional personality. The 23-years old is a full circus spectacle. He acts as his own coach, and often treats the crowds to between leg shots and other unorthodox tennis antics. In Miami, in addition to the underhanded serve, those included saluting the ball before he smashed it and a volley where he looked away after his racquet made contact. Kyrgios is definitely worth watching!
