What is an Underarm Serve in tennis?
The underarm serve, also called the underhand serve, involves dropping the ball and hitting a serve with an underhand motion rather than tossing the ball up for a traditional overarm serve. It’s a somewhat controversial shot that is often used as a way to surprise the opponent, particularly when they are standing far behind the baseline to return.
A Short History of the Underarm Serve
In modern tennis, it’s often Nick Kyrgios who is credited for the underarm serve though it was used long before the Aussie came around. In fact, it was first used by a 17 year-old Michael Chang during his 1989 French Open Fourth Round match against then world number 1 Ivan Lendl. With the pair locked in a deciding set after four hours of play, Chang was suffering badly from cramp and chose to throw in an underarm serve. Chang went on to win the match and the tournament, perhaps making it one of the most iconic shots in history.
The underarm serve has made a few rare appearance since then, though its resurgence on the pro tour really began when Nick Kyrgios used the shot against Rafael Nadal at the 2019 Mexican Open in Acapulco. From that moment on, the underhand serve became a regular feature in Nick Kyrgios’ game and has been used by other players including the likes of Daniil Medvedev, Alexander Bublik and Frances Tiafoe and has even been used on occasion by Andy Murray and Carlos Alcaraz.
