OT: Can you do what the pros do?

[superjohn]

Did you watch the video?

The servers in the video don't look like real pros to begin with, the challenger gets multiple chances on his forehand side always from the deuce court, still misses every one except the seventh serve, which seems like a pity serve done for the video. Any decent player will mix up where you serve and make it hard for you to guess. I can guarantee that your challenger will have no chance if the serves were coming to his backhand, or body.

If you have some athleticism and a decent hand-eye coordination, you can even get a hit of a 100mph fast ball after some (a lot of) practice. But if you take one of the yarders here that is not a pro or college level player, they will have no chance of making contact with an 80mph pitch.

Go find those videos/links where the guy serving offers $100 (or $1000, I forget) for someone to return his serve, you can see no one succeeds.

I remember going to a tennis camp at Amherst College and there was a very good 6'5 D1 college player who was an instructor. He could easily crank his serves at 120+ and it's so much more than the speed. The kick he put on it was crazy and that was just a college player with a big serve. ATP players are a different ball game. Sure some rando could probably get a second serve that's guided in but the only chance some rando would have returning a first serve is if the ATP guy told him exactly where the serve was going every time. Even then there's very little chance of returning it in play. If he doesn't want you to return it, there's basically no chance you're returning his first serve.

 

[Jumpman62114]

If Danny drew up a double pin down screen I could def hit a 3. Still got some game at 35.

 

[JerseyAlum]

Keep in mind, I don't play tennis at all, but last year, I tried return a serve from our top sixth grader and I. Got. Smoked.

I player D1 tennis and did the maths to select return a serve. I still play socially

 

[Horatio]

None. I’m an honest, former Division 3 football player. I peaked my senior year in high school.

 

[storrsroars]

I remember going to a tennis camp at Amherst College and there was a very good 6'5 D1 college player who was an instructor. He could easily crank his serves at 120+ and it's so much more than the speed. The kick he put on it was crazy and that was just a college player with a big serve. ATP players are a different ball game. Sure some rando could probably get a second serve that's guided in but the only chance some rando would have returning a first serve is if the ATP guy told him exactly where the serve was going every time. Even then there's very little chance of returning it in play. If he doesn't want you to return it, there's basically no chance you're returning his first serve.

I answered the challenge as it was written. It did not specify first serve, nor speed. I'll stand by my answer.

Like Hoophound said, you see enough serves from players better than you, you pick up things that increase your odds of being able to get to the ball and make contact. It is reactive and you need a quick first step to have any chance, which is why you see guys bouncing on balls of their feet. It's not all that dissimilar from baseball in reading a pitcher. Ball is coming in faster, but from a greater distance. You're probably 85-90 feet away from where ball is delivered, and you have a much bigger hitting surface than a bat provides. But you're not standing in a batters box, you have to move.

I'm not saying it's easy by any means, but if someone is athletic and quick, I think the odds of that guy making contact is more than zero over the course of a 3 set game (minimum 72 first serves and 3-4 second serves if my math is correct).

I'll stand by that. Your experience is yours, mine is mine.

 

[jleves]

Realistically, the only ones that are doable are the team scenarios where they could set stuff up for you like when they had Nykesha Sales set her record with an uncontested basket. Or have the entire defense surround a running back and let you run up and grab his ankles.

But in serious regular play, 99.99% aren't making any of these things happen.

I laugh at people who think they could return a serve even in a 5 set match against a pro or get a hit off a pro pitcher. Scoring a goal in a hockey game or soccer game - never gonna happen. I would pay good money to watch anyone here try to tackle a pro running back in the open field.

Maybe, maybe in a scratch golfers best round ever they could break +10 in a major - for a single round, not a 72 hole tournament.

 

[TheChamps990411]

Im in a wheelchair so i have ZERO shot of doing any of these things lol! Maybe the 145mph tennis serve hits my racket accidentally and goes back over the net.

 

[storrsroars]

I laugh at people who think they could return a serve even in a 5 set match against a pro

Laugh all you want. I actually did that against a ranked player. That was like 38 years ago. I certainly couldn't do it now.

 

[Deepster]

Im in a wheelchair so i have ZERO shot of doing any of these things lol! Maybe the 145mph tennis serve hits my racket accidentally and goes back over the net.

You could truck your chair into a running back's knees, no?