The Science Behind Nick Kyrgios’s Explosive Serve Power

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In 2022, Nick won the most service games on tour. He won about 56% of his 2nd serves and about 79% of his 1st serves. So, what is the science behind what makes Kyrgios’s serve so feared, even against the best returners in the world?
💻 COURSES AND RESOURCES
The 5.0 Serve Course ➡ racquetflex.com/50-serve
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🔗 LINKS MENTIONED
Tennis Serve Backswing Styles ➡ • Tennis Serve BACKSWING...
The Pre-Throw Position ➡ • How To Generate EFFORT...
Average Men's Serve Speeds ➡ toomanyrackets.com/average-se...
⏱ TIMESTAMPS
0:00 What Makes Kyrgios' Serve So Good?
1:33 Starting Position
2:32 Unique Toss Placement
4:00 Staggered Backswing
5:36 The Power Load
7:44 Perfect Contact Point
🐦 LET'S CONNECT!
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[@RacquetFlex]

Thanks for watching! If you enjoyed and want to know the best drills to add 10+ MPH to your serve without losing any consistency, join our free 5-Day Serve Power Challenge here: www.racquetflex.com/serve-challenge

[@jacksonlar]

Most teachers know only how to point out what moves the pro makes. You answer why he makes them. Excellent!

[@RacquetFlex]

Thanks for the kind words!

[@richardkanna5093]

@@RacquetFlex can you guys do a breakdown on andy roddick serve, i think that his technique is a bit different than nick

[@RacquetFlex]

@@richardkanna5093 Hey Richard, thanks for the suggestion! Roddick's serve was one of the best. We'll keep it in mind 👍

[@RonnieJamesOsbourne]

It's a player from the past, but doing a serve analysis on Roddick's unique motion and how he's able to generate so much pace would be a good one to do!

[@thebigmonstaandy6644]

Roddicks serve is very special.he made a trophy position almost 2 times. also his serve is very unfriendly for his shoulder.

[@LunarEclipsism1]

Roddick and Kyrgios actually have a lot of similarities in terms of their toss placement, quick serving rhythm, and close-feet loading, but Roddick's abbreviated takeback and sort of "cramped" starting position were unique, and took advantage of his hyper mobile shoulder joint for generating pace. Most players do not have the physical range of motion Roddick did during his playing years for external and internal shoulder rotation, and his weird windup was designed to take full advantage of this. Most of us don't have freak shoulders to make extra room in the racket drop to accelerate for that 150+mph final explosion, but the common fundamentals both players share in terms of placing a low, consistent toss well into the court, keeping the overall motion quick so that you still reach full extension before contact, and getting a lot of trunk rotation back and then forwards are worth emulating.

[@RacquetFlex]

Hey Ronnie, thanks for the suggestion! We'll put it on our list. 🔥

[@RonnieJamesOsbourne]

@@RacquetFlex 🔥

[@michaelreid8737]

Super helpful!! One of the things I like most about your videos is how concise and direct your presentations are. Nothing superfluous. Great job!!!

[@tennisviking]

Love this vid. Great work 🙌 my fav part of his serve is his quick and compact motion, giving the returner little time to react and no reads!

[@DarkStar3147]

Amazing video! I cannot stress how important it is to toss the ball in front and to go get it. As you beautifully pointed out, the entire body weight of your body goes forward after the ball and allows you effortlessly hit it fast and heavy. His hand staying forward, not allowing his arm to go back behind the ball, also adds a lot of MPH by keeping all of his body momentum forward. Really, really good explanation. Also, an amazing serve is only the product of A LOT OF HOURS OF SERVE PRACTICE per week, along with great coaching.

[@jonathan_bass]

Packed full of great points and beautifully presented. Great lesson!

[@tsmoke90]

Amazing breakdown of the serve! Important to note about the toss, that hitting at the apex means the ball is neither moving up or down at a fast rate, giving him a ball that is not fighting the racquet as he makes contact. This makes the initial pop and exit off the strings extremely quick compared to higher tosses and allows the ball to be more influenced by the server and not the balls downward momentum… Keep up the good work!

[@orderpickup]

I really love your videos. Putting yours on top of my recommendation to all others to watch and learn. Very informative and muscle explanations are just top notch. Volley videos are missing!!! Been waiting for it especially interested in your take on whether continental grip is still recommended for both forehand and backhand volley techniques.

[@RacquetFlex]

Hey Kevin, thanks for the kind words! We'll definitely be breaking down the volley soon. - Dayday

[@DabDabGoose]

His method will likely be the gold standard taught to players coming through eventually, many still think it only works for him but the stats don't lie, it's the best style for results.

[@robertoiturra7005]

Quality content as usual guys!

[@ernestifkovitz6664]

Great explanation and video montage. Thanks!

[@gibcoprobe66]

Tiafoe would be an interesting one to analyze. Not very tall for an ATP player but serious pop and his technique is quite unique

[@RacquetFlex]

Thanks for the suggestion, @gibcoprobe66!

[@dmech5135]

Great video! Tons of useful information and clear and precise explanation.

[@javierlombardo6213]

im amazed by your audio quality, which mic do you have, your narrative capabilities are god level, thanks man, go on

[@benjaminbjerkemd7426]

Really high quality video. Thank you

[@colossaltennis]

Really enjoy the content that you guys are putting out here! Quick question: How do you get access to these great clips of the pros to highlight the points that you are making in your videos. Keep up the great work!

[@MrTwosmokersonly]

Please evaluate Fabio's serve, as he is vertically challenged like myself, but I really love watching him play when he doesn't get down on himself. Thanks for providing these terrific video segments, I do enjoy your demeanor and funny words of wisdom that come out every now and then. Great job!!

[@Gabriel-MagicMusic]

Great video. Thank you

[@willkittwk]

Love the break down.

[@sillyhead5]

This is the best analytical tennis channel and it's not even close. More Federer videos please!

[@elrombo4]

Great detail

[@rojinthomas6545]

Can you guys do a video that can help with serves for shorter players?(5ft 7 and below).Really appreciate the work you guys are doing.

[@thebigmonstaandy6644]

you made a great analysis of his serve. Karlovic has simular motion : staggered motion.

[@JasperMakesFilms]

Awesome video!

[@yili9725]

can you analyze a short player's serve? like nishikori or schwartzman?

[@AGAU1022]

Ash Barty's would be interesting. Her serve speed is about the same as Diego's despite being shorter.

[@dominiclester3232]

Thanks!!

[@orderpickup]

I am dying to see your deep dive into volley techniques. Could you make a volley video series please?

[@SLYVERR]

Man this's a brilliant analysis. Well done to you. About Cameron Norrie?

[@lowellglover1968]

My favorite pro by far. Cool video!

[@dmf30]

Great video but one thing you missed one major component which is the wrist action, Look at the flex on the wrist and how that movement also helps with the racket head speed. That flexible wrist and probably forearm too, enables that extra zip on the ball similar to what you see in the great pitchers and quarterbacks. So, it is not only the motion that he has but his anatomy makes his serve great.

[@perriscalderon8155]

Your analysis is among the best I see, thank you. Since you asked what I'd like you to break down,, showing us exactly why Federer's serve is so effective at 90% win rate., Top four or five in history yet he's not top 10 in speed, how he deceives returners will help at any level, looking forward to that analysis

[@federicosette1618]

Love your content! Please, this topics would be amazing: - Kick Serve - Difference between Open, SemiOpen and Close Stand (when to use them and why) - Perfect Backhand Slice Keep it up!!

[@RacquetFlex]

Hey Federico, thanks for the suggestions! We'll keep them in mind 👍- Daytri

[@funokings5787]

Amazing Video! I would say Carlos Alcaraz would be amazing to do a video about since he's only 6 feet and still has so much power and skill.

[@americanomuerto]

Alcaraz kick serve

[@Luther777Williams]

Beautiful, thorough analysis. Thank you!

[@Luizgcmotta]

Great video my friend 👍

[@jeremychung4677]

awesome video

[@alexandraluisabournefranco5386]

Great instructional video Nishioka's serve review would be awesome

[@RacquetFlex]

Hey, Alexandra! Thanks for the recommendation 👌

[@benjamins15779]

Thank you for another great video. I had been playing tennis just for one yr so I always looking for drills to improve my game. Sometimes I get together with some friends but they don't like to do drills. They want to hit and hit. I believe in doing both to get better. What's your opinion? Thx

[@jirunchamroontaneskul4495]

You really help me win my tennis u14 game thanks for changing how I served

[@marathonmiles1006]

This is such an underrated channel

[@duane8829]

Good one

[@appleyeah100]

I love. This dude so nice ❤❤❤

[@orderpickup]

Regarding serve techniques… most of us watching are probably not 6’4” or even perhaps even 6+ feet tall. Would love to see/hear your take on best recommended serve technique based on height and weight body types. I usually recommend others learning tennis to watch female pros techniques as their power and even height may be closer to average people like us. What are your thoughts on that?

[@davidwatkins8016]

Superb analysis. We hackers might consider the “low” toss with required fast action as a cure for a hitch in our serves as ell as simplifying toss placement.

[@PeterFreemantennis]

Brilliant

[@denishopking1960]

The fastest serve (supposedly) is held by the Ozzie Sam Groth - surely his technique should be analysed alongside the three giants: Karlavic Isner Opelka - or simply him on his own… Thanks for your excellent deep analysis of Nick’s serve - so many are copying/inspired by his style, his brave second serves, and his cheeky underarm serve through his legs! I love watching him despite his embarrassingly childish outbursts…

[@olegbelousov]

Here the thing. Everything you’ve said is right but .. The reasons for his powerful serve, according the physics is : 1 Most likely he has heavier skeletal frame - anthropological factor. 2 Very wide stance that helps him to accumulate more kinetic energy, driving his whole body not just hips forward. That also results in deeper forward toss. 3 Ability to stretch pectorals and keep it longer. And I suspect he’s been practicing it a lot to make tempo and timing as close as possible to optimal way.

[@Valentino.Rossiforever]

sir please make a video for "lefties" on kick serve. as iam having issues with my first n second serve. give me some tips on how i improve my service,being a left hand player. Thank you ♥️

[@artemshumilin]

I would like to know more about Mannarino's serve motion!

[@NamesAreRandom]

Dan Evans is meant to have the best serve taking height into account, as he's only 175cm would be a good one to review for us normal height people. Incidentally I saw Kyrios play Murray in 2017, he hit 90%+ first serves in the first set at stupid speeds and still lost it. Clearly Murray knew where those serves were going so it must be possible to read him.

[@AGAU1022]

Dan's is awesome but my vote would be Ash Barty inch for inch.

[@monkey4102]

While it might be possible to read him to some degree, pros that actually play often agree he has one of the most difficult serves to read as his same motion can hit T or outside. My man Ivanisevic says so, so I will take his word on that as fact.

[@francisbalfour1243]

I think its due to net clearance, each inch you loose in high tightens the slack in how accurate you have to be to clear the net and land in the serving area which even at 6,4 is pretty insane as is, much less for peoole under 6f. At some point if your not tall enough you would need to sacrafise power so the ball has a more exaggurated curve to not overshoot the serving area.

[@martinrosemary5654]

Do you have more of those serve quiz for other parts of your game? , really enjoy the feedback it gives.

[@RacquetFlex]

Yes! We have a forehand grips quiz that you can check out here as well: www.racquetflex.com/quiz-forehand-grips

[@quangn9117]

what is the the model of your uniqlo shirt????? looks mint!

[@edwardclark2653]

Before one moves forward it is best to understand the past. Kyregios and many other contemporary tennis players stand on the shoulders of rocket man (Roscoe Tanner). Tanner’s instructor made an active effort of decreasing the serve execution time factor prior to entering the serve ball contact phase (synchronizing ground and racquet momentum).

[@fogijay]

Ayy that outro music is from Friday Night Terrors - OTE

[@thomasrebotier1741]

Finally, his racquet drop is timed exactly during his leg push. That increases the drop. This is only possible because the low toss gives faster overall timing.

[@leebrandt8597]

Could you do one for Sampras's serve?

[@androc75]

Awesome dissection 👍🏼 Can you dissect Dimitriv's serve? It looks too complex and too many moving parts. It's why the rest of his game never takes off

[@27blanx]

Bc he hits at the peak of the toss. Not many people can, try it!

[@madscientist664]

It would be interesting to see an analysis of Camila Giorgi and how she can generate so much power on all strokes. She is 1.68 and weighs about 55 kg so if she can hit 190 km/h serves and groundstrokes no one can handle, there might be hope for all of us. It's far from obvious where all the power comes from and her technique doesn't look like it is perfect. She is fitter than most but it's unlikely it's all about muscle strength.

[@madscientist664]

Better Bodies Tennis Factory has a clip with Giorgi doing physio and she is incredibly fit... kzbin.info/www/bejne/gqPYl4CriN-Foq8

[@RacquetFlex]

Hey @madscientist664! That sounds like a great video idea. Thanks for the suggestion!

[@Ryezn5057]

Agreed

[@altruismfirst6489]

1.68 is a decent height for women in tennis but Rochus and Johan Kriek in the past and today Diego, Mannarino, Evans and Baez do things very well on a tennis court.

[@donnifx]

theirs certain clips in the video where your hair is shorter, did you used to have a perm? i’m going for a similar hairstyle with me being a black male and i’m just trying to find a curly hairstyle that’s similar to that

[@Luther777Williams]

Wow! Amazing analysis of the best serve in tennis. Every serious tennis player can learn from this. Thank you!

[@ericthranduillvargaspenafl4011]

Nice 👍

[@Floodland-bn3ol]

Please analyze Tomic's serve. I like its effortlessness.

[@allboutthemojo]

Great video. 👍 In my opinion one doesn't have to be 6 feet tall to try certain elements ofvNicks serve. The key power elements will benefit shorter players as well. Toss in front and inside the court at 45, delay the racket arm and focus on shoulder over shoulder cartwheel motion. I hope Nick gets back to his controversial self on court. I'm not enjoying this new " friendly " Nick. He has a better chance to beat the top guys when he rattles them with his actions and his game combined.

[@luisfernandorodriguezpenar4803]

Great video, what about for the next one Rafa's drive?

[@hehehehehahahaha2025]

Good video. My only criticism is at 2:19. If you want to use examples of players who have/had a Kyrgios like weight shift with the front foot pointed up, Sampras and Ivanisevic would've made for much better comparisons than Federer. Two of the best serves in the history of the sport and both using the front foot very similar to Kyrgios during the weight shift (and Ivanisevic had a similarly fast service motion in general). Feels like Fed gets shoved into almost everything just on account of being Federer.

[@ksoh2926]

How about analysing Herbert's or Delbonis's serve? ;-)

[@atrem7942]

I am a tenniscoach in Europe. I did the quiz just because of professional curiosity. Knowing i probably dont fit in the " normal" category. I am a lefty My stance is like Nick. Front toe facing upward my back footstep towards the front foot making an 90 degree heels touching then my left hip rotates forward pushing off the ground with both feet. My arms move more simultaneously. My toss is very consistent in front me I rarely double fault and consider my serve as an opponents nightmare. If I hit my spots I dont have to go big. Which take a lot of energy to do, so if i can do with less I will

[@kurilladesign]

he is a monster server thanks .wondered how?

[@mrmoneyhacks5480]

When he mimics the serve of other players he serves just as fast. It's talent.

[@davidaddawoo2943]

Could you please comment and do a video on the legendary Andy Roddick serve

[@hayden401]

Am the only one thinking this guy should smoke a blunt and talk tennis? 😆😆 that giggle. Cool video!

[@HappyDays-nk7iq]

Superhuman serve. Best service motion in the history of the game.

[@kgill99]

Despite his height, technique and skill I suspect there may be more fundamentally physical qualities behind his big serve. Looking at videos I suspect Nick has serious thoracic spine flexibility both rotationally and side-to-side which is where he generates all that extra power. It’s also really helpful for pro golfers, another rotational sport. Likewise I know he doesn’t look all that strong but he may have very tight fascia (A connective tissue layer around the muscles), which is a key factor in determining if baseball pitchers can pitch fast, it’s probably the same in Tennis players.

[@olegbelousov]

Here the thing. I’m pretty sure he doesn’t have flexible thoracic area. Look at his posture. Awful for an athlete and yet he’s a powerful server. Surprisingly you don’t need super flexible thorax for serve with a power otherwise it will cause lots of problems for your back.

[@kgill99]

@@olegbelousov Bad posture would support the idea he has loose ligaments

[@iwansetiawan-xu3jk]

Analysing Pete Sampras serve please

[@altruismfirst6489]

Mannarino or Evan please, both short, powerhouse servers but totally different racquet setups and techniques that maximize their deliveries. Mannarino walks left and right feet forward and Evans massive body turn and leg flex. Adrian 23lbs of alu power and babolat PD vs Evans 4g? and 6.1 willy. I like Tiafoe too but has some serious body and arm strength most cannot achieve even though its a clinically compact motion.

[@MH117]

McEnroe please 😊

[@transklutz]

One thing that stood out to me in the video is his initial pronation as he takes his racquet back, so he can get a swinging pendulum motion early with a pronation-supponation-pronation sequence.

[@RacquetFlex]

Great point! This helps him to stretch and shorten his forearm throughout his swing.

[@guidodelgiudice5]

Next video? Everything about Mannarino techniques intrigues me

[@jean-pierreuys1554]

You left out the most important part. You have to summon the “gods of jump”powers by wearing basketball shirts and slam dunking those aces. 😎

[@TheFlawless92]

Where are you guys based out of? Do you offer private lessons?

[@Beejgrpa]

Do the Warwinka backhand; no one else comes close. It arouses me.

[@10splay]

best serve in the game by a huge margin

[@denisfogel286]

"Unpredictability isn't just a technique, it's the way of life" 🤣🤣🤣

[@bmpjjaa]

Sampras's serve

[@M.Sokolowski]

Hubert Hurkacz , analize him

[@Endimione17]

remembering Sampras serve

[@lu1dro2k83]

jump backhand from denis shapovalov

[@twinwankel]

Kyrgios has a great serve for a serve and volley player but it's terrible for a baseliner. He lands 4 to 5 feet into the court and is in a horrible defensive position. This is one of the reasons why he hasn't won any majors. Yes he wins a lot of games on his serve but when it matters, he loses. If I were him, I would just serve and volley all the time and forget about retreating. I think his toss is the key to his serve. He manages to be able to toss consistently while moving his body at the same time. Most players stablelize there bodies while they toss to minimize variations in the toss. This requires talent and tons of practice. I have tried to mimic his serve but I simply can't get his toss consistent enough, the motion is actually pretty easy to copy. Ppl have criticized him for a lack of practive time but you can't get a serve that consistent without significant practice time.

[@Bird1502]

How big is his wingspan though? 6'10? He looks like an NBA player and a +6 wingspan is not unheard of the NBA. This could help explain why he serves at the level of a giant like Isner or Karlovic

[@AGAU1022]

He doesn't serve at the same level as Isner. He just follows it up much better because he has a more well rounded game.

[@americanomuerto]

I think it’d be funny if you reviewed Fabrice Santoro. Screw the conventional!

[@RacquetFlex]

Hahaha, classic! That would be fun to make. Thanks for the idea 👍

[@manipalkibaasti7891]

❤❤❤

[@jamoran]

the laugh made me like the video

[@Irons001]

Kyrgios's serve is like a gun

[@facusanx]

best serve on tour, the kick on the second serve is absurd

[@blu1806]

Berrettini

[@master__frog5429]

Does being short make a difference?

[@maxpowers4436]

Yes

[@master__frog5429]

@@maxpowers4436 is it too bad?

[@drigans2065]

@@master__frog5429 The taller player has an easier angle so can serve flatter, but the main reason is having longer arms (proportional to height) which racquet head speed depends on. So for example Kyrgios at 1.93m vs Schwarztman (shortest on ATP) at 1.70m will have an arm 14% longer so I would expect his average speed to be 14% faster all other things being equal. So if Kyrgios is serving at 125mph average then Schwartzman would only serve at 110 although his average is even less because he's trying to spin it in.

[@RacquetFlex]

Great question - being shorter does decrease your net clearance, which means that you either need to add some topspin or decrease your toss depth. Imagine if you were serving from the service line vs a few feet behind the baseline and notice the differences you need to make to get the ball in. Hope this helps!

[@master__frog5429]

@@RacquetFlex thanks

[@lu1dro2k83]

serve from denis shapovalov

[@sean9267]

Moment and great lag