Eye of the coach # 61 – What makes Nick Kyrgios’ serve one of the biggest weapons on tour

Nick Kyrgios may be known for his showmanship — both in good and bad ways — on and off the court, but he also wields one of the best serves in tennis. It recently carried him to the Wimbledon final, in which he took a set off Novak Djokovic before falling in four. Kyrgios also powered his way to a second Washington, D.C. title earlier this month — also thanks in large part to his serve.

In this week’s Eye of the Coach, Patrick Mouratoglou analyzes the Aussie’s serve and explains why it is such an effective shot.

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KEY MOMENTS

• :14 – Mouratoglou praises Kyrgios’ serve for the simplicity of it. There is not a lot that can go wrong with such a flawless serving motion. “Kyrgios’ serve is super compact,” Mouratoglou explained. “The rhythm is always the same.”
• :20 – Kyrgios’ hand skills that show up in all other aspects of his game are also a crucial part of his serve, according to the coach. “He has unbelievable hands and we can see it in the game. So when he touches the ball on the serve he has such a feel that his accuracy is unbelievable…. And if you look at his hand, it is completely free. So he has an incredible whip effect on the serve.” 
• :45 – The unpredictability of Kyrgios’ serve is what makes it so difficult for opponents to return. They have a tough time reading which way the Aussie is going. “He is completely unpredictable,” Mouratoglou noted. “He can serve to any zone and he always has the same toss. His serve is impossible to read. That was the asset of Pete Sampras, also.”
• 1:02 – Kyrgios also has unique timing. Not only does the 27-year-old play extremely fast, but his serving motion is also quick. “He is hitting the ball almost on its way up,” Mouratoglou commented, “which is very rare in today’s game — which gives less time to the opponent to get ready for the serve.”
• 1:13 – Confidence is key, Mouratoglou concluded. It’s what makes Kyrgios’ second serve especially impressive. “He is very confident in his second serve,” the Frenchman concluded. “He can go full with a lot of success. He never thinks it’s a second serve; he thinks, ‘I’m gonna ace.’ When you serve with so much confidence, it’s a big difference.”

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