Saturday, 01 January 2022 / Published in Australian Open, Practice Court, Rafael Nadal

Rafael Nadal 10 Step 2nd Serve Return Sequence

I watched Rafael Nadal practice for two hours yesterday on Rod Laver Arena.

It was Rafa’s second day of practice here at the 2022 Australian Open, and he was hitting with fellow Spaniard, Juame Munar.

Rafa’s level was very solid. I would say he was about an 8/10. After a long flight from Spain, the first couple of days are always focused on getting used to the heat, the balls, and the speed of the court. He definitely achieved that.

I took a short video (1:10) of Rafa practicing backhand returns against second serves. The video is below. He drove the first four backhands and sliced the last three.

Keep in mind that Rafa is the career leader on the ATP Tour with points won vs. 2nd serves, at 55.41% (20,032/36,155) from 1204 matches.

The standout return was the fourth one, which he drove deep through the court really well. It came off his racket extremely fast. What’s interesting is that he had the shortest follow-through on that particular return. The best way to wrap your head around how that happens is to focus on how the energy he created.

If you like this story, also read Roland Garros: Rafael Nadal’s Formidable Forehand

Flowing Energy – Think of Juan Martin del Potro’s forehand. It has a big backswing and a big following through. Lots of size and lots of flow and he hits the cover off the ball. That’s a great way to create energy.

Concentrated Energy – This is what we see on the fourth backhand return. Rafa focused all his energy into contact and reduced the size of the backswing and the follow-through. He was able to use the power of the serve, snap on it quickly, and then relax and shorten the racket after contact. Go fast over a short distance. It works a treat for returns.

Here’s the video. Pay particular attention to the fourth return.

10-Step 2nd Serve Return Sequence

The following breakdown comes from the fourth return in the video.

Rafa does not get as wide as Novak. There is more bend from his hips than his knees. That’s just his style, and it’s perfectly fine.

The key here is knowing this is a 2nd serve return. That’s why he has two steps forward. The first is just to get the momentum rolling forward.

This is where the timing really kicks in with the toss from the server. The step is happening as the toss is going into the air.

The server is making contact with the serve right now. It’s interesting that Rafa is not wider with his feet like Novak would be. It’s a result of not starting wider in the first place.

This is interesting! Most players are going to land with their two feet and then step to the ball. I looked at the video closely and could not see Rafa’s right foot touching the ground. As he comes down from the split step, he sees the ball going wide to his backhand so he only lands on his left foot to push wide to the backhand side. That’s extremely efficient and quick!

This is the first time Rafa’s right foot hits the ground after picture three. He takes a big step to his right to position his body behind the ball with the right spacing to the incoming serve.

Take a good, long look at the size of his backswing. It’s extremely short, right off his hip. The goal is to keep things as simple as possible so less can break down under pressure. This picture drips of simplicity.

The racket is really motoring at this stage from a short backswing. He is leaning on the ball and using all the power possible from his legs and upper body to simultaneously stay as balanced as possible and also deliver energy.

This is a picture that players at all levels of the game need to copy. The follow-through will be short (next pic) but he does a great job of driving through the ball. This return exploded off the strings back cross court. It was a frozen rope and would have been a return winner in a match.

This is the full extent of the follow-through. There is no wrapping over his shoulder at all from here. Shortening the follow-through helps concentrate all the energy of the swing into contact. It creates an explosion of energy that is timed to perfection.

SUMMARY

The beginning of the sequence is all about triggering forward momentum with the initial two steps and timing the split step to coincide with contact from the server. Then it is all about being short and compact and exploding into contact. It’s simple and lethal. Snap on the ball!

Lots to copy for your own game!

Cheers from Melbourne.

Craig

If you liked this story, also read Rafael Nadal: Ad Court Serve Secrets Exposed

The practice court is clearly broken. Here’s the proof.

Points are "front loaded". By far the majority of the action, and the winning, takes place in THE FIRST 4 SHOTS. The practice court is full of long rallies. Matches are dominated by short rallies. There is a massive disconnect occurring.

We spend too much time grinding, banging balls up and down the middle of the court – that have no real benefit to winning tennis matches.

There are 3 specific rally lengths in tennis. Here is their percentage breakdown of total points.

0-4 Shots = 70%
5-8 Shots = 20%
9+ Shots = 10%

The First 4 Shots is specifically the serve, return, Serve +1 groundstroke and Return +1 groundstroke. Those are normally the shots that get practiced the least, but matter the most to winning tennis matches.

The net is an extremely high percentage place to be!

If you love playing tennis for fun, spend as much time at the baseline as you like. But if you compete – if the score matters – then you must turn your attention to the net to maximize your potential.

The “herd mentality” in tennis thinks it’s too tough to approach the net in today’s game. The conversation starts with improved string technology, more powerful rackets, and finishes with stronger, faster athletes. The herd think approaching is a relic of the past. The herd is WRONG!

AVERAGE WIN %
Baseline = 46%
Net = 66%

Data from ALL Grand Slams provides the facts about approach and volley, and the data is crystal clear – it’s immensely better than staying back at the baseline, grinding for a living.

The baseline is a tough place to create separation. Here's how to do it.

At the 2012 US Open, only 7 men and 14 women had a winning percentage from the baseline. At Wimbledon 2016, Andy Murray won the title only winning 52% of his baseline points - and he is one of the very best at it in the world!

Num3ers deeply explores the data that rules points, especially from the back of the court. Take a "deep dive" into all three rally lengths (0-4, 5-8, 9+), and winner and errors totals from the elite level of our game. The numbers will shock you!

All 4 Grand Slams

Forcing Errors = 41% Men / 37% Women
Winners = 32% Men / 29% Women
Unforced Errors = 27% Men / 34% Women

Num3ers is very much like putting a jigsaw puzzle together. It's about bringing together different data sets together to create the big picture.

Every recorded match from the 2015 Australian Open - Rd2 to the final.

There is a lot happening on a doubles court. Situations and strategies are constantly being adjusted to create mis-matches with court position. It's hard to keep track of - until now. Dou8les Num3ers is the most comprehensive analysis of doubles data in our sport. The focus is on how a point ends, and it's broken down eight ways to Sunday. Specifically, you find critical information on:

Winners rise to the #1 way a point ends (over forced & unforced errors)

- The last shot of the rally is overwhelmingly struck at the net.
- Center Window: the most important part of a doubles court to control.
- Stephen Huss: an in-depth interview on Wimbledon's Centre Court with the 2005 Wimbledon Doubles Champion.

Dou8les Num3ers leaves no stone unturned. Percentage breakdowns of how often the server or receiver hits the last shot highlight the dramatic influence of the serve. The last shot of the rally is significant, and is broken down into the following categories: volleys, overheads, passing shots, lobs and groundstrokes.

When you play a match, you actually play two matches.

When you walk out onto a tennis court, there are two matches that you are about to play. The first is during the point - a part of the match that you have spent a lot of time preparing for on the practice court. But there is a second match, that takes place in the 20 seconds between the points. This is where the mental and emotional aspects of our sport kick in.

Let's face it, there will be adversity in almost every tennis match that you play. The storm clouds are coming. How bug they are, and how long they last for, are up to you.

Between the points is very tennis specific. It provides a roadmap for the 20 seconds between the points, teaching how to handle the adversity that will surely come, and how to build on the successes that will also be present. Your mind is your biggest asset in a match, and Between the Points takes your hand off the self destruct button and stops you beating yourself.

You don't have to be good at everything, but you have got to be good at something.

You can break tennis down into four key elements - serving, returning, rallying and approaching. Each part has specific patterns of play that consistently deliver higher winning percentages than the others. No more guessing. No more opinions. All facets of our sport are covered in this exceptional product, clearly outlining what patterns to gravitate to, and how to best construct the practice court. Data comes primarily from the 2015 Australian Open.

Building Blocks

MEN = 70% errors / 30% winners
WOMEN = 74% errors / 26% winners

Forcing errors is the best way to construct a point.
You can simply break tennis down into primary and secondary patterns of play - and they are all covered here. Primary patterns include serve and return direction, forehands v backhands, and the best way to approach the net. Secondary patterns include drop shots, serve & volley and 1st volley options. If you play tournaments, this product will greatly help you simplify the singles court.

The conversation starts & ends with the Center Window.

The doubles court is like an hourglass. There are two big ends, but a small neck in the middle where all the action happens. Once you learn the power of the Center Window, where you stand to start the point will take on a lot more significance.

Doubles is a lot more about situations, with four people on the court all "dancing" with one another. Learn all the best doubles patterns, broken down for the server, returner, server's partner and the returner's partner.

Doubles Situations

The "J" - the most ideal movement for the returner's partner to attack the net.

The "V" - a better way of understanding where the server's partner should move to.

Volley Targets - there are four main areas to attack. Know which ones are higher percentage. Beach Volleyball - the idea of a "setter" and "spiker" is ideal for the doubles court.

There are certain parts of the court that the ball travels to a lot, and other low percentage areas that you really don't want to cover at all - like the alley! In general, the serving team wants to keep the ball in the middle of the court as much as possible (to help the server's partner), while the returning team benefits from hitting wider and creating more chaos in the point.

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Rafael Nadal 10 Step 2nd Serve Return Sequence

I watched Rafael Nadal practice for two hours yesterday on Rod Laver Arena.

10-Step 2nd Serve Return Sequence