Former Wimbledon champion Richard Krajicek believes the current crop of ATP stars are underutilising a tactic which could help them beat Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz.
Alcaraz and Sinner have dominated the last two years on the ATP Tour, where they are far and away the best-ranked players in tennis.
Sinner and Alcaraz’s epic rivalry has seen the pair win the last nine Grand Slams, dating back to the 2023 US Open.
With no player currently looking like reaching the heights set by Alcaraz and Sinner, Krajicek has shared what he would do to try and topple the titans of the sport.
Richard Krajicek implores ATP stars to serve and volley against Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz
Serve and volleying is a tactic of a bygone era, but Krajicek believes it should be brought back to disrupt the Sinner and Alcaraz duopoly.
Speaking on Off-Court with Greg Rusedski, Krajicek shared his bemusement that the top stars on the ATP Tour have not tried to mix up their games to defeat Sinner and Alcaraz.
What would have happened if Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner played at the same time as Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal?
“The only thing I miss a little bit is basically nobody is really coming in anymore. I mean, Tsitsipas is doing it a little bit and I really still believe that that is the way to play against these greats, you have to break their rhythm.
“I would maybe lose 10 out of 10 times against Alcaraz and Sinner, but I would be coming in all the time, and it was anyway in my game, but from the baseline, you’re not going to beat them.
“They’re so good and I miss it sometimes with players. They lose so many times the same way. Maybe I’m completely wrong and maybe they pass so well and they return so well.
“I still believe that’s the only thing I would like to see different in tennis now that there’s a couple of really aggressive serve and volley players, and then see what happens. If they can break down the game of these top guys.”
The only time Sinner or Alcaraz have looked in true danger is against big servers such as Ben Shelton, Jack Draper, and Alexander Zverev, so Krajicek might have a point.
Why ATP stars don’t try to serve and volleying anymore
Krajicek was at the forefront of the serve and volley movement in the 1990s, along with the likes of Tim Henman, Pete Sampras, and Goran Ivanisevic.
Despite calling for the return of the tactic for modern players, the Dutchman conceded the reason why it has long become a thing of the past.
Speaking to Rusedski, he said: “The other thing I’d add to that is conditions have changed dramatically in tennis. You look at the balls now, they’re all pretty slow and fluffy.
Which member of the ‘Big Three’ is Carlos Alcaraz most similar to? Let us know why below👇
“The courts are medium to slow. There’s not many quick courts out there these days. So, it doesn’t really allow for the serve and volley.”
Krajicek is not the first tennis professional to complain about the standard of tennis balls in the modern game.
The likes of Nick Kyrgios, Taylor Fritz, Vasek Pospisil, and Rafael Nadal have all questioned the quality of balls after extended rallies.
At the 2024 Qatar Open, Medvedev was particularly displeased with the balls he was given at the ATP 1000 event.
“I think that these balls are not good for hard courts,” he said in Doha. “They get very fluffy, and as I say, it’s a big shock to play them with your racquet.”
With slow and fluffy balls to play with, it’s unsurprising that more players are not opting to play a serve and volley style.
