Paris – There is a part of tennis that holds its simplicity: coin toss.
Some events do it digitally, but most tournaments still pull out the real thing and decide who will serve first and other players will choose. Head or tail, serve or receive, it’s just as easy.
Well, most of it.
In his book, “Ugh Victory,” Brad Gilbert says that receiving is a psychologically wise choice. Gilbert has reached number four in the world as a player and found new fame as coach of Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick and more recently Coco Gouf. If they choose to receive and do not break, they lose nothing and have a game under their belt before serving themselves.
The weather conditions, how players compete against each other, the courtroom surface, and how players feel on a particular day all can play a role in the choice. Some players choose to end the court rather than serve or receive.
Novak Djokovic said his instincts have changed over the years.
“Even if I really liked the opportunity I had when I was serving at the beginning of my career, I relied on more on the way home. So if I get a coin toss, I always choose to come back,” Djokovic told Roland Garros on Monday. “But the last, I don’t know, for ten years, I just choose to serve.
“I just set the tone in some way, and I’ll also send a message to your opponent, like, ‘Hey, I’m not afraid to start serving.’
British player Jody Ballage said coin toss was “a big conversation between players.”
“I always chose the tail. I used to serve, but now I’ve received it,” she said. “I think it gives you a game to get into things. Starting a little late will hurt the first game. Starting a little late will give you a game to enter the serve.
Better servers like Djokovic tend to serve first.
“It depends on your opponent (but) I can choose a serve if possible,” Greece’s Stefanos Zitzpas told ESPN. “When I start a match, I want to serve. But if I see the opponent’s body language, if he’s a little stressed, or if I feel a better mood in my return game with that particular part of that particular part, I probably also sometimes choose to return.
“In my opinion, I don’t think they’ll actually decide on a match. Of course, if you break in the second game of a match, you’re more likely to get 3-0 at 3-0.
An analysis of the first two Grand Slam events of the year suggests that the majority of players who have won the toss choose to receive, at least in the first round.
In the first round of women’s singles at the Australian Open, 43 players chose to receive and 21 decided to serve. Of the 21 people who served, nine were broken. Of the 43 people received, 12 broke serves.
At the men’s event, 43 people first received and served 21 people – the same breakdown as women – but of those who chose to serve, only 43 were broken, only three broken serves.
At this year’s French Open, the numbers look eerie. In the first round of the men’s event, 19 players won a toss and chose to serve (six broke). In the women’s event, 21 players served first (11 broke), and 41 received (21 broken serves).
Interestingly, the proportion of players who choose to serve first those who choose to receive a considerable amount of Narrows as the tournament progresses. In Australia, rounds 2, 3 and 4 are roughly equal. In Paris, the numbers were roughly equal in round two, with more men receiving in round three, but perhaps due to the surface, they were approaching again in round four. In the final 16 of the women’s event at Roland Garros, six of the eight women who won the toss chose to serve.
Why not try to cool your opponent down as some big servers have been postponed and they probably believe they’ll get their serve anyway? Reilly Opelka is 6-foot-11, one of the tallest players on the tour, and has chosen to receive in both matches at Roland Garros this year.
Alina Sabalenka and Gouf struggled with serves from time to time during their careers, but as a rule, they chose to serve first. The Madison Keys, who won their first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open this year, are generally flexible, but choose to receive it.
“Sometimes I like to receive it because I think I’m going to come out and serve first, and sometimes I have nerves,” she said. “I think there are many opportunities to potentially get up early.
“(But) honestly, it’s a bit dependent. I served first (like my fourth victory at Roland Garros on Monday), and I came back first, and that really doesn’t matter.
Australia’s Sam Stother is a former US Open champion who made up a large part of her game and said she will always play on her strengths. “I was the first to serve 99% of my career,” she said. “It was the last year or so I was like, ‘Oh, maybe I should change things and come back from time to time.’ “It was dependent on the other person, how I was feeling that day.
Dahlia Casatokina, who reached the final 16 with Roland Garros in the first major since changing loyalty from Russia to Australia earlier this year, said she’s almost always returning serves. Australia’s top-ranked male player Alex de Minauru does the same.
“I usually choose to always receive from the first game just to put pressure on me,” De Minaur said. “But I know it’s very common among players, so I make sure that whenever there is a real match (to receive it), you can serve first.
There is one other option that is not widely known or used. Instead, Croatian Marin Silick tried it out in his first round match against Flavio Koboli at Roland Garros to get other players to choose. In that case, Kobori chose to receive anyway, and cilic retained cilic.
It’s a psychological movement, what Burrage said would surprise her.
“If anyone gives me a choice, I think I’m like, ‘Wow’,” the British said. “No, no. Thankfully, it’s never happened to me.”