In the Cincinnati Open 2015, Roger Federer introduced the world to a whole new way of returning serves, the infamous SABR. This new way of service return caused a huge debate throughout the tournament but Federer was enjoying great success with it, especially against top ranked players like Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic.
The SABR or (Sneak Attack By Roger) was when Federer shuffled towards the service box when receiving the serve and taking the ball on the rise. The opponent would hurry just to keep the ball in play, and Federer would oftentimes finish the point with a volley. This new technique was of great success to Federer in his Cincinnati Open run in 2015.
Roger Federer introduces world to SABR
Roger Federer, known for his elegance and style on court, introduced the world to SABR at the Cincinnati Open 2015. The move had taken all the other players, coaches and commentators by surprise but the Swiss superstar was able to take advantage of this new style of play. The SABR caused a huge debate in the tennis world, some people called it entertaining while others thought it was disrespectful to the opposition.
The SABR move was inspired by Federer’s long time coach Seve Luthi, who dared him to try it in practice. According to Federer, this technique helped him position himself better after hitting a deep, chipped return and put his opponents off balance. This move was a great success at the Cincinnati Open and his opponents like Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray were visibly frustrated due to its effectiveness.
It was in Cincinnati, in 2015: the magician Roger Federer pulled the SABR (Sneak Attack by Roger) out of his hat for the first time! 🪄🎾
(🎥 @TennisTV)pic.twitter.com/d7KKyHmoYm
— We Are Tennis (@WeAreTennis) August 19, 2022
The SABR technique means moving up the court during the second serve of the opponent in an attempt to throw his opponent off guard. This bold move was appreciated by fans all over the world during its first appearance in Roger Federer’s match with Wawrinka but soon the applause was replaced by controversies.
ESPN’s John McEnroe was a critic of this move as he felt it was disrespectful towards his opponents and should be disallowed in games.
“He’s basically trying to half-volley a male pro tennis players’ serve and take it and come in on it. It wouldn’t be much of a stretch for me to regard that as insulting. ‘Is my serve that bad that he can do that?’”
Meanwhile Murray said that if one is able to produce such shots, there is no need to stop them and this new innovation should be celebrated. Djokovic, on the other hand, was not really a fan of this new technique and was clearly rattled as he posted three double faults, trying to counter SABR, in his defeat to Federer.
What happened to SABR?
Roger Federer had himself admitted that SABR is disrespectful to the opponents and eventually dialed down its usage. The new innovation worked fantastically well for the Swiss as he went on to win the tournament and this SABR technique was used by other players too. Notably, Stan Wawrinka used the SABR quiet a few times during his US Open run in 2015.
However, after a while the opponents tried to adjust to this technique and the use of SABR toned down. Federer did bring it back at the 2018 Wimbledon but that did not last long.
