Serving is a big part of modern-day tennis and one thing that is becoming more frequent in the game these days is the use of an underarm serve.
Often deemed a cheeky way to try and bamboozle an opponent, the underarm serve is becoming more and more evident in the game as it is right now.
Not all of the players are familiar with the serve. Indeed, some players might still view it as a little bit unsporting – especially given that players usually stand ready to receive way behind the baseline.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Nick Kyrgios was the man who really started to use it as a way to put his opponents off and rattle them – but there is a new kid on the block!
That’s according to John Isner who has been discussing the underarm serve and he believes there is a player on the tour now who does it better than Kyrgios.
John Isner thinks Alexander Bublik is a better underarm server than Nick Kyrgios
The latest episode of the Nothing Major Podcast is a cracker and on the latest episode Bublik is the special guest alongside the three regulars.
Talk turned to Bublik’s antics on the court and in particular his ability to serve underarm. Isner – renowned for a big serve – believes he’s now overtaken Kyrgios as the best in the game when it come to that particular skill set.
Isner said: “We all know that you are the king of the underarm serve, I think you have definitely surpassed Nick Kyrgios in that department. When you decide to hit and underhand serve is that more tactics? I actually think I am going to win this point, I’m going to hit the underhand serve. Or I’m a bit bored on the court, I want the crowd more involved so I’ll hit one and see what happened. Is it strategy or I want the match to be fun?
Bublik was receptive to the praise from Isner and he’s shared why exactly he chooses to unleash the underarm serve when he’s competing on the court.
He answered: “It’s more like I am bored. It’s a tough match and sometimes your mind is not there and you feel like okay I’m bored, I don’t want to be here. What am I doing here? Even if it’s a final. I played you in Newport. I was like okay it’s been a week, I am tired, I don’t want to play, I don’t care what is going to happen or if I win or lose. It doesn’t matter. The feeling would be the same. So for me, it was like at least I can try to enjoy myself more so let’s just hit an underarm or try something. Win or lose in that specific moment, does not matter to me. That’s why I do it but I have been doing it since I was five years old. I have a video where my Father and Mom were filming me and I have been doing it since I was like six or seven years old, so that’s how it is.
Bublik needs to kick on in 2025 and knuckle down
When he’s playing, Bublik is the sort of player that you really can’t take your eyes off given his erratic and unpredictable tendencies.
At 27-years-old, Bublik is currently 34th in the world rankings and that won’t help his case for getting good draws at the big tournaments.
He has been as high as 17 in the rankings but his form at the Grand Slam events simply hasn’t been good enough and he will want to change that.
His best run at one of the big four events was a run to the fourth round at Wimbledon in 2023 but he’s never won more than one match in either Australia or France.
Bublik is a popular player and he does have a big contingent of supporters that make his efforts on the court all worthwhile in the end.
The challenge for the man who turned pro in 2016 is to prove he can climb the rankings and win a few more matches than he managed in 2024 when next year gets underway.
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