By Nick Bollettieri & Scott Treible

Is the serve-and-volley player an endangered species? Have the serve-and-volleyers of the 1950s and ’60s been totally replaced by the power baseliners of the ’80s and ’90s? I don’t think so.

True, during the Open era—with such net attackers as John McEnroe, Boris Becker, Pat Cash, Patrick Rafter and Martina Navratilova at their peak—serve-and-volleying flourished, becoming common among pro, college and junior players. Today you see only a few players rushing the net on a serve or the return. Some dedicated serve-and-volleyers seem to have toned down their attack.

Why? The physical strength of today’s players and the technology of the game—thanks to better conditioning and the proliferation of the high-tech racket—have enabled opponents to return serve much harder and quicker. The power game has forced players to move back in the court, putting them in position to hit groundstrokes 75 percent of the time.

Has the power shifted toward the returner in today’s game? Perhaps, but I believe we will see a resurgence of the serve-and-volleyer lead by the Lone Star talent of Taylor Dent.

Dent is proving that you can win with this style. I would compare his game to Boris Becker’s—a big serve and a strong net game to back him up. I worked with Boris Becker for two years and believe that being a great serve-and-volley player requires time, a relentless game plan, determination and a solid return game. When I started coaching Becker, he was 15 in the world, out of shape and planted on the baseline. I explained to him that he must come forward. When he struggled in his career, it was when he thought he needed to play from the baseline and be a complete player. Nonsense. If Dent wants to continue to improve, he must, as Becker should have, continue to get to the net.

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