Is Zane changing the game with his new serve?

After Zane Navratil’s big weekend taking home the gold in Men’s Pro Singles in Punta Gorda, he’s got a lot of people talking. If you watched any of his matches, you may have noticed his wicked new serve. I’m hearing that he worked on it for two months.

What’s different about it? A few things. First, he’s tossing the ball upward and allowing it to fall back below his waist enabling him to get his paddle way under it. More importantly, he’s spinning the toss, which allows him to put more spin on the serve itself. Lastly, he’s using the Ben Johns Signature Paddle by Franklin. This thing has tons of grit and that means maximum spin.

The result is a nasty ball with an aggressive spin that causes it to both skip and jump off the bounce. This spin in combination with the pace makes the serve a real weapon.

Aside from just being plain fun to watch, Zane’s serve has the potential to change the game. In the finals, his opponent Tyson McGuffin had a tough time returning it, and it showed. Tyson even stopped the match to question the serve’s legality at one point, only to be overruled by the judge.  

Most players just want to get the ball in play, and rarely do we see the serve have much of an impact. But as we saw this weekend, there might be a better approach. If more players follow Zane’s lead, how will it change the game?