Llodra serves underarm against Murray

Now how often do you see that?

Is it bad sportsmanship? If someone did that to me in a match I would be might peeved?

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/video/us-open-llodra-underhand-044909435.html

I don't think so personally. Anything within the rules of the game to try and win a point is fine by me. Plus it was right at the end of the match anyway.

It's good entertainment. Even if he had done it at 5-5 in a fifth set it wouldn't have bothered me to be honest.

I think it's more legitimate when the pros do it - all part of getting the win. If someone did it against me, I wouldn't complain, but I'd think they were a d1ck.

JuliusHMarx wrote:I think it's more legitimate when the pros do it - all part of getting the win. If someone did it against me, I wouldn't complain, but I'd think they were a d1ck.

damn right. Inwardly, I'd be fuming. But I wouldn't complain. It's in the rules.

Under arm serve should be easier to return than normal serves, had it been difficult players like Isner, Karlovic would have no advantage on their serves and would have rather practiced under arm serves  

The tricky part is when it comes as a surprise it remains surprise but if somebody does it time and again then it becomes way too easy to return, so if Llodra used it to break Murray's focus and return it was an awesome idea but not sure it would serve anything big in the long term within the match.

If I am ML's opponent I would rather take his underarm serve every point than over arm serve.

There are a lot of things in the rules that are down right bad sportmanship

Screeching like a banshee is - but imo is still cheating and should be not allowed

Under hand serves, while technically allowed really are a sneaky way to try and win a point

So, while I would not have any recourse on this - I would lose most of my respect from a player trying to do that


What would have been the outcry if Murray had done it?

I don't see any problem with it. In fact I have successfully used it in some less competitive games myself.

A drop shot isn't considered bad sportsmanship.

 Llodra

Riskysports wrote:There are a lot of things in the rules that are down right bad sportmanship

Screeching like a banshee is - but imo is still cheating and should be not allowed

Under hand serves, while technically allowed really are a sneaky way to try and win a point

So, while I would not have any recourse on this - I would lose most of my respect from a player trying to do that


What would have been the outcry if Murray had done it?

nobody would have blamed Murray, fed or nadal if they have done it. some people might find that a bit sad though. my personal opinion is that it would be downright funny if Federer ofr instance does that once.
 
serving like that is usually a desperate measure from someone who almost lost the game. as someone said, it can only work once if anything and that's if the opponent is not really focused or sitting very deep behind the baseline anyway.
If someone does that against, I wont complain for sure and he or she can expect the mother of all flat forehand as a return

Yeah, its in the rules, so is a toilet break, so is an injury timeout, so is contesting a call for ages, so is asking for the line judges to be changed, so is changing your racquet and lots of other things, all acceptable courses of action, underarm serving is affective but makes you look stupid when it goes wrong, and its not that uncommon a tactic......

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0euUZVL70H0 (berdych action is wrong as there is no ball toss, he'd be good at badminton though.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieTy3CfBpMg (last few seconds)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTMLBQWIkQM (0:54 sec)

And finally, how to perfect the shot.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRjcO06wsKQ

The match was over, he was just clowning around and entertaining the crowd.

I remember Llodra doing it to Federer in Toronto 2010, Federer was so shocked he shanked it into row z! He found it hilarious