Stefanos Tsitsipas says improving his serve has been the key to now being able to play effectively serve-and-volley. Tsitsipas, 24, is now working with 2003 Wimbledon runner-up Mark Philippoussis. With Philippoussis in his team, seeing Tsitsipas often on the net is becoming a frequent sight.
On Wednesday, Tsitsipas won 30 of his 37 net points versus Medvedev. Following a 6-3 6-7 (11) 7-6 (1) win over Medvedev, Tsitsipas was asked about his frequent visits to the net. “I have improved my serve over the course of the last few years.
I think that is the reason why I am able to do that a bit more comfortably and with confidence. I come to the net much more smoother and relaxed on the serve, which in the past I believe was slightly different, the more the match went through.
I would say the serve. The volleys, I put a lot of work in, simplifying it without swinging too much. It has helped me to be consistent and finding the right spots when I come in,” Tsitsipas explained, as quoted on Tennis Majors.
Tsitsipas working on further improving his net game
Tsitsipas, who will be aiming to win a Grand Slam and become the world No 1 in 2023, feels the serve and volley style is adding variety to his game. “I’m working day by day to introduce it back into my game, to have pretty much my opponent guessing a bit more, not get comfortable every single time.
It has kind of been lost over the years in our sport. Not many players do that any more. I think it’s important to remain a big part of the game and to have more players play it on TV, in front of stadiums, big crowds. It’s a beautiful kind of transition from the serve to the net.
It introduces so many things. It’s tennis modernized, but at the same time keeping its aggressive elements of the game,” Tsitsipas added. Against Medvedev, serve and volley proved to be very effective for Tsitsipas. It remains to be seen if Tsitsipas will now look to even more visit the net.