Started By
Message

Can somebody explain Goran Ivaniševic's 2nd serve strategy to me?

Posted on 11/12/21 at 11:13 am
Posted by rickgrimes
Member since Jan 2011
4181 posts
Posted on 11/12/21 at 11:13 am
Obviously huge serving was a important part of his game. But something I never understood was him going even harder on the second serve if he faulted on the first serve. Seems like the tennis equivalent of checkers or wreckers to me.
This post was edited on 11/12/21 at 1:49 pm
Posted by IlikeyouBetty
Bossier City, LA
Member since Nov 2010
1253 posts
Posted on 11/12/21 at 11:15 am to
How long has this been bothering you?
Posted by glassman
Next to the beer taps at Finn's
Member since Oct 2008
116153 posts
Posted on 11/12/21 at 11:15 am to
I don't think Goran had much of a strategy on the court. He was just confident in his serving ability.
Posted by The Boat
Member since Oct 2008
164292 posts
Posted on 11/12/21 at 11:16 am to
Does anyone care enough to
Posted by rickgrimes
Member since Jan 2011
4181 posts
Posted on 11/12/21 at 11:16 am to
quote:

How long has this been bothering you?


For about 25-30 years now....
Posted by UncleLester
West of the Mississippi
Member since Aug 2008
6618 posts
Posted on 11/12/21 at 11:19 am to
*** Googles Goran Ivaniševic ***
Posted by chalmetteowl
Chalmette
Member since Jan 2008
47708 posts
Posted on 11/12/21 at 11:23 am to
quote:

Seems like the tennis equivalent of checkers or wreckers to me.


I imagine it was quite unorthodox...

In a sport that's prone to become monotonous, fricking with the other guy's mental can have big results. No one expects a bigger second serve
Posted by IlikeyouBetty
Bossier City, LA
Member since Nov 2010
1253 posts
Posted on 11/12/21 at 11:25 am to
That’s rough man. I don’t have anything else to add except I love his name and he was entertaining. Hope you find what you are looking for.
Posted by Crow Pie
Neuro ICU - Tulane Med Center
Member since Feb 2010
25346 posts
Posted on 11/12/21 at 11:34 am to
ANALytics. If he faulted the 1st serve then it was statistically probable he would not fault the second.


fwiw - I made that up I could care less about people hitting a ball over a net*


*unless it was women's beach volleyball.
Posted by Bench McElroy
Member since Nov 2009
33953 posts
Posted on 11/12/21 at 11:35 am to
It’s a strategy players who have booming serves but don’t have great baseline games use. You lay a serve in there a lot slower than your first serve, you’re going to have win that point from the baseline. If the other player is a much better baseliner than you are, you’re going to lose the point. An elite server with a questionable baseline game will win a higher percentage of points with the two “first serve” strategy even with the increased risk of double faults.
Posted by Keys Open Doors
In hiding with Tupac & XXXTentacion
Member since Dec 2008
31919 posts
Posted on 11/12/21 at 11:36 am to
Did he do it every time?

If not, it’s just like Michael Chang’s strategy to occasionally throw in super slow first serves and weird spin serves that had raw speeds that you would see in a middle school tournament.

Mess with your opponent’s expectations and positioning. This could even be worth losing a point outright if it messes with their headspace

Also, Chang thought he was one of the world’s best returners with amazing lateral quickness. Goran thought he was the world’s best server. Both were probably right or close enough.

So they had a lot of confidence in their abilities when trying something unorthodox.
Posted by KosmoCramer
Member since Dec 2007
76535 posts
Posted on 11/12/21 at 11:37 am to
quote:

Obviously huge serving was a part of his game. But something I never understood was him going even harder on the second serve if he faulted on the first serve. Seems like the tennis equivalent of checkers or wreckers to me.


Math.

He believed that the liklihood of his winning the point with an aggressive 2nd serve outweighed the potential that he missed.

Look at a game like Men's volleyball at higher levels (college, professional, national teams). Teams have figured out that serving really tough and miss a lot of serves because it increases their likelihood of winning the point.
Posted by Splackavellie
Bayou
Member since Oct 2017
9842 posts
Posted on 11/12/21 at 11:47 am to
As others have said, math.

Dont understand why more people dont do this honestly.
Posted by little billy
Orange County, CA
Member since May 2015
8318 posts
Posted on 11/12/21 at 11:50 am to
Idk but one time I was on acid and watched Ivanisevic vs Korda. It was a very interesting match.
Posted by KosmoCramer
Member since Dec 2007
76535 posts
Posted on 11/12/21 at 11:52 am to
quote:

If he faulted the 1st serve then it was statistically probable he would not fault the second


That's the exact opposite of what statistics say. The 1st serve has no bearing on the outcome of the 2nd
Posted by TheMuffinMan
Arlington, VA
Member since Apr 2011
414 posts
Posted on 11/12/21 at 12:02 pm to
In word-problem-world, absolutely. But these don’t seem like truly independent events.

Depending on the temperament of the player, I could see a missed first serve either rattling them or helping them calibrate for the second attempt. For a player committed to taking two bites at the apple and therefore relatively unfazed by a first-serve fault, they might be able to improve their accuracy on the second attempt. Would be interested to see stats for Ivanisevic
Posted by chalmetteowl
Chalmette
Member since Jan 2008
47708 posts
Posted on 11/12/21 at 12:17 pm to
quote:

Idk but one time I was on acid and watched Ivanisevic vs Korda. It was a very interesting match.



i imagine it was
Posted by High C
viewing the fall....
Member since Nov 2012
53857 posts
Posted on 11/12/21 at 12:27 pm to
quote:

Goran Ivaniševic


:theresanamegif:
Posted by SPEEDY
2005 Tiger Smack Poster of the Year
Member since Dec 2003
83375 posts
Posted on 11/12/21 at 12:42 pm to
quote:

š


Posted by Mr Personality
Bangkok
Member since Mar 2014
27364 posts
Posted on 11/12/21 at 12:43 pm to
Goran Pandev TYFYS
first pageprev pagePage 1 of 3Next pagelast page

Back to top
logoFollow TigerDroppings for LSU Football News
Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to get the latest updates on LSU Football and Recruiting.

FacebookTwitterInstagram