Grigor Dimitrov Serve Analysis- Smooth, Powerful, And Precise!

Summary

In this tennis instructional video, coach John Craig analyzes Grigor Dimitrov's serving technique. He breaks down Dimitrov's rhythm, balance, toss, trophy position, pronation, and contact point, praising his consistency and efficiency. Craig highlights key details like allowing the tossing arm to continue rising after the toss, keeping the non-hitting hand tucked at contact, activating the legs and shoulder rotation together, and maintaining edge alignment through pronation. He compares Dimitrov's slice and flat serves and advises minimizing toss adjustments when placing wide serves. Craig promotes adapting elements of Dimitrov's world-class service motion to improve any player's serve.

Takeaways

• 😀 Grigor starts his serve with his weight forward and back heel up to get into a rhythmic motion
• 😀 He has great lag on his toss and gets into a coiled back trophy position
• 👌 He contacts the ball about 24-28 inches below the toss apex
• ✅ He initiates the serve swing with his legs driving up and left arm pulling away
• 🎾 He hits a flat slice serve for better consistency rather than a flat serve
• 🥎 His pronation is visible even on the slice serve out wide
• 🎯 His contact point is virtually the same for flat down the T and slice out wide serves
• 👍 His left arm tucks across his body as he makes contact
• 🤾‍♂️ His upper arm stays high after contact showing good pronation
• 🙌 Great balance and positioning are key fundamentals emphasized

Q & A

What is Grigor Dimitrov known for in terms of his playing style and technique?

Grigor Dimitrov is known for having a very stylish game and great technique on virtually all shots, similar to Roger Federer's style of play. He is called 'Baby Fed' for this reason.

What are some key elements of Dimitrov's service motion and technique?

Some key elements are: starting with his weight forward, rocking back onto his back foot during the motion, keeping relatively still during the ball toss, achieving great racquet lag and release point, stretching his tossing arm up on release, dropping the ball about 24-28 inches before contact, using his legs and left arm to initiate the swing, contacting the ball out in front with racquet edge, using pronation to put spin on the ball.

What type of serve does Dimitrov typically hit?

Dimitrov typically hits a flat slice serve, which has a flatter trajectory but still some slice spin on it. This allows him to achieve good power and spin while maintaining a high first serve percentage.

What adjustments does Dimitrov make when hitting a wide slice serve versus a T serve?

Very minimal adjustments. The contact point is inside the shoulder for both serves. The wide slice serve contact point is only slightly more to the right by a couple inches compared to the T serve.

What is the function of the left arm during the service motion?

The left arm initiates the upwards and forwards rotation of the shoulders by 'pulling away' from the body. This generates significant power and racquet head speed coming into contact with the ball.

What is the optimal trophy position to load up from prior to initiating the swing?

The optimal trophy position has the shoulders tilted with right shoulder high and left shoulder low, racquet face pointing downwards, weight loaded onto the back foot, and balanced posture.

Why is it important for the tossing arm to continue stretching upwards after the ball is released?

Stretching the tossing arm upwards helps gauge if the ball toss is in the correct position. It also gets the body into an optimal loaded/coiled back position before initiating the upward swing motion.

Why does Dimitrov's left arm lift up slightly after contact with the ball?

His left arm lifts up after contact as a counterbalance measure because his body is falling forwards after contact towards the net. This helps him maintain balance.

Should you pronate on a slice serve?

Yes, pronation should still occur on a slice serve. This enhances control and ensures the proper racquet face angle is maintained through contact to impart the desired spin.

What adjustments does Dimitrov make when serving from the ad court versus the deuce court?

Very minimal adjustments again. His world class technique allows him to repeat the same service motion and contact point regardless of which side he serves from.