Roger Federer’s Serve: Page 2

Roger bends the arm less and starts the bend later.

Racket Drop

Someone with a greater knowledge of joint structure will eventually explain this fully,
but for whatever exact physiological reasons, the more circular paths are much more likely to result
in a good racket drop for the vast majority of players. It has to do with range of
motion in the shoulder joint. As we have seen, players like Sampras and Roddick complete the
backswing mainly by rotating the upper arm backwards in the shoulder joint, what is called external
rotation. This is what creates that incredible racket drop position that is so characteristic of
their motions.

The interesting thing about Roger is that his drop isn’t as deep as either Andy or Pete.
You might argue that this is actually a function of the longer backswing and that he should shorten
his motion. But I think it’s the opposite. What I see is that Roger’s shoulder
doesn’t seem to be quite as superhumanly flexible. That’s why I think the longer more circular
wind up probably maximizes his racket drop.

Another comparison of the racket drop.

You can see the difference by looking at the angle of the forearm…