Underhand shot: A resource or a lack of respect?

Yesterday, the debate resurfaced regarding whether the underhand serve, or here in Spain known as the "spoon serve," is well-received or not. Alexander Bublik, during his match against Mensik, performed an underhand serve, winning the point instantly amidst the excitement of the crowd. Comments kept pouring in, with opinions varying. Is it a valid tactic or a lack of respect? For some years now, especially on clay courts, tennis players have been opting to stand further back when returning. They try to capitalize on the power their racquet can provide to send a deep and heavy return, pushing the server back and regaining control. The underhand serve has emerged as a very valid tactic against this strategy. If a player positions themselves five or six meters behind the baseline, this serve will pose serious problems for those opponents. It may not always win the point, but it serves as a way to warn the opponent that if they return from too far back, they may sometimes not reach a powerful serve and need to be on alert. The issue is that, for some unknown reason, this type of serve has always had a bad reputation. Historically, this serve has been viewed as disrespectful to the opponent, and many times, executing this serve has triggered boos from the crowd and negative reactions from the rivals who faced it. When we stop to think about why, it truly doesn't make sense because a drop shot during a rally does not carry that tag of 'disrespect,' and essentially it is the same: moving the ball away from your opponent. Just because something is frowned upon doesn't mean it is illegal. Some comments read yesterday criticized it as "violating the rules of the game" or as "not being valid." The underhand serve is a completely valid serve and falls within the rules. However, in the past, it may have been used to taunt opponents or for other intentions, earning it that "bad reputation." Currently, with so many tennis players returning from deep behind the baseline, it is an extremely effective tactic and another tactical option within the array of possibilities for a serve. This morning, Alex Corretja shared his opinion, adding that nowadays, almost no player takes offense if they receive it. It is true that we see very few players reacting negatively to this serve, unlike a couple of years ago when it still stung to be at the receiving end of it, but there are still players who consider it a lack of respect. As we mentioned earlier, if a drop shot is a completely acceptable and valid tactic image-wise, why shouldn't the underhand serve be when it is essentially the same thing? For many years, thanks to the power provided by racquets, serves were tried with maximum power to achieve an 'ace,' a direct serve, which could come from various methods, either with a powerful serve down the line or a drop shot that the opponent fails to reach. Perhaps, over time, if this serve continues to be seen more frequently on the circuit, its image may completely change for the majority of the audience. This could be just the initial steps of the path similar to what the drop shot once went through, which received the same criticisms when it first emerged. What do you think? Is it just another tactic or a lack of respect?

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