BackFrench Open: Blurred lines
Virginie Razzano was jeered when she served underarm at the French Open. Why is the shot reviled?
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In the end, it was more amusing than anything else. A match point up, having fought her way from a set down, French tennis player Virginie Razzano served underarm on the second serve and missed it completely. The French crowd at Roland Garros, known for their ruthlessness, didn’t quite know whether to wince, laugh or jeer. There was a little bit of everything at the Suzanne Lenglen arena, the second most important court at the stadium.
It created moral outrage over social media. There is rarely a shot in tennis that is so severely judged as the underarm serve. One way of looking at it is that it’s a player’s last line of defence, but it is often deemed as a sign of a weak heart.
“I would like to surprise my adversary, and sometimes when I’m feeling it’s a good time to do that, I prefer to do that," said Razzano, after using the underarm serve twice during her 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 opening round win over Paraguayan qualifier Veronica Cepede Royg at the French Open on 25 May. “If I do that, it’s because I want to do that. It’s not because I want to undervalue my opponent."
Razzano, 32, was also seen holding her stomach during the match, but refused to confirm if she was injured.
It is not the first time that the French Open has paid witness to the controversial shot. A cramping Michael Chang first used it in the fourth round at Roland Garros against Ivan Lendl in 1989, and went on to win the point, match and tournament. Ten years later, Martina Hingis deployed one at match point down against Steffi Graf in the final of the French Open. The instances have remained etched in tennis memory, not just because they are so rare, but also for the ethical implications it has.
“Growing up in Australia it was something you could do, but you had to, as the sportsman side of it, let the opponent know," says Mark Woodforde, former Australian player and one half of the legendary doubles duo “The Woodies".
“I remember when Chang did it, because he was cramping, he couldn’t push up and he served underarm, he didn’t tell Lendl and it just created controversy. It just seemed at a stage when Lendl was getting on top. He had the advantage physically, before Chang changed, and quickly threw the underarm in there. It really rocked Lendl. Lendl thought it was very inappropriate. I agree there is some inappropriateness in there, but not if you let your opponent know in advance," Woodforde says.
American player-turned-commentator Justin Gimelstob makes a case for looking at each instance individually.
“Is it a cowardly thing to do? I don’t think so," he says. “It depends on the scenario. If it is physically impossible for a player to serve overarm, which I think was the case with Razzano, and they do it, I think it’s alright. That is not disrespectful to the opponent."
Frenchman Patrick Mouratoglou, Serena Williams’ coach, believes that Razzano was in a “state of panic" when she went for the underarm. “In the case of Virginie, I think it was at the moment of extra, extra stress, so she decided to do the shot that she thought had the most chances to land in the (service) box," he says. “It’s not bad sportsmanship. No one says you can’t hit the ball like that."
Taking the moral line against a shot like that is tricky. Mainly because, apart from lending a surprise element, it is a harmless and weak first shot, which gives your opponent ample time to jump over it.
“If any player wants to hit it against me, I’m ready," says Danish player Caroline Wozniacki, who reached the finals of the US Open in 2014. “I have tried it in practice a few times for fun and I miss. So I’m not going to try that in matches."
Harmless or not, former British No.1 player Annabel Croft says that the controversial shot could be developed as a tactical tool.
“I think it is fun. It’s very, very unusual," she says. “It’s surprising that it is not used that much, considering that the drop shot has become a very instrumental part of the game. It’s so effective because the players are standing back and trying to get closer to the baseline. Perhaps it is something that the player’s never really practise, but it can be an interesting little addition to the game."
It is ungainly, sure. But winning ugly is also a kind of winning.
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