"I started this sh*t" - Tomic takes credit for latest trend on ATP Tour
ATP
Bernard Tomic took the credit for starting the underarm serve trend on the ATP Tour after its recent explosion in popularity.
Tennis is a fascinating game also because of how many different shots can be performed by the players. Apart from forehands and backhands, they can also use drop shots, or any other creative shots.
While the vast majority sticks to the shots that statistically yield the best results, there are a few players who believe in their feather-soft touch and attempt also a bit more challenging shots, which might not be as successful on the paper, but when done correctly, they might yield results.
One of those shots is also an underarm serve. Traditionally, players toss the ball above their head and try to hit it as hard and as precise as possible, so the ball can fly past their opponents.
Of course, hitting it as hard as possible is not always the goal, as players can apply different spins to the ball to also achieve the desired result of winning the rally.
One of the shots that doesn't require a lot of power, quite the opposite, is an underarm serve, when the player hits the ball somewhere around the knee-height, attempting to catch their opponent off-guard.
In recent months, former World No. 1 Daniil Medvedev, current World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz, and three-time Grand Slam champion Andy Murray have all showcased their underarm serve.
The likes of Alexander Bublik and Holger Rune are also among those who have used it, and the shot is becoming very popular among the players. One of the players who use it the most is Nick Kyrgios, who has often been credited for being the one who brought it as a regular shot.
However, in 2019, during an exhibition match in Kooyong against Kyrgios, it was Bernard Tomic who played an underarm tweener serve on match point to win the match 6-3, 6-4.
Now, when the underarm serve became so popular, Tomic took the credit for bringing the shot to the ATP Tour, sharing the footage with a caption, which stated: "I started this sh*t."
