Why don't tennis players spike serve like in volleyball?
First, every serve in (professional) tennis is to some degree, a spike serve. A good server will use their legs to jump up at the ball during the service motion. The only thing that differentiates it from a volleyball serve is the run-up. That being said, the overall answer is IMHO, precision/control. I have been playing tennis for 30+ years, so hopefully, I have a little expertise here.The reason a spike serve is feasible in volleyball is that there is no limitation on where the ball can land anywhere on the court (other than out, obviously, or touching the net). This gives the volleyball server a large target area. In contrast, a tennis serve has to land in a box that is 1/4 the size of the opponents court. This is a much smaller target. Factor in as well that the speed and forces involved mean that a small deviation from "perfect" can easily mean missing the serve. What I mean by this is, as an example, a ball leaving a professional (male) player's racquet (on a first serve), the ball can be travelling anywhere from 110 - 145 mph (approximately). A 1-degree difference of raquet head angle at the moment of impact will mean the difference of anwhere from several inches to a foot or more in the distance traveled by the ball.So, imagine attempting a full spike serve in tennis. You would have to a) run up to the ball at the same speed, b) toss it in the same place, c) jump to the same height and location, d) swing with the same force, and e) aim for the same spot EVERY time. That is far too many variables to control to achieve any kind of consistent serving success. Factor in as well if you are trying to add spin to the serve (rather than hitting a flat serve) and you are talking about a nearly impossible task. As it stands now, the average 1st serve percentage (the percentage of 1st serves that go in) on the ATP tour is around 61-62%. The highest is approximately 71%, and these are the best servers on the planet.The risk/reward ratio is severely biased against a spike serve. It is a well known fact in tennis that the more 1st serves you make, the likelier you are to win.
Do the stats back Serena Williams claim that women are more harshly penalized than men in professional tennis?
No, they most definitely do not.Furthermore, the Umpire in question is famously stringent for starters, he has leveled cautions towards numerous players and been frequently mocked for it.They also keep making ridiculous claims about how John McEnroe “never got penalized” despite the fact he was constantly in the shit for his smart mouth.And everyone did indeed, think he was a complete twat while he did so.Way back in 1981 he was fined a total of $6,000 at Wimbledon when he called chair umpire the "pits of the world." It’s a far larger fine in comparison, and arguably he was less rude. I’m certain he also got points penalties more than once as well.I think the general consensus is that Serena was in the wrong, and it baffles me that there is such a disconnect between the general public, and the mainstream media.
Why is the second serve always slower than the first serve?
Second serve is not just slower but has more spin. First serve and second serve are generally two completely different strokes. First serve is meant to put the server on a positive unequal footing. The idea is to either win the point outright (unreturned serve), or put the server in an advantageous position in the point. Second serve is exactly the opposite. Purpose of the second serve is to prevent the returner from winning the point outright (double fault) or handing over advantage in the point through an offensive return.So, by general rule of thumb (there are known exceptions to the rule, I’ll get to those in a minute) first serve is a flat, fast serve, hit close to service lines. Second serve is a spinnier, softer serve, not hit as close to service lines.In a pro match a player is much more likely to miss many more first serves. To explain let’s take a look at typical stats. Consider a pro player who has served 60% and made 4 double faults If the player has served 100 times she has missed 40 first serves and missed 4 out of 40 second serves, meaning she has made 90% of her second serves, a much higher percentage than her 60% first serve percentage. On the flip side she is likely to win a higher percentage, say 70% of the points when she got her first serve in v/s 40% of the serves she got her second serve in.Exceptions. Pete Sampras for example, would go big both on first serve and second serve at opportune times. At 40–0 up sometimes, he was willing to give up a point (double fault) in an attempt to finish off the game. In other words, those times he would serve two first serves. Conversely, Mats Wilander missed only 6–7 first serves in the 88 FO finals. He took something off his first serve, because he didn’t want his opponent to take a crack at his second serve. He wasn’t using his first serve to gain advantage but to start the point in neutral position. He trusted his steadier ground game to eventually gain advantage (BTW, the tactic worked beautifully). You could argue his first serve was a beefed up second serve. All added up, the number of such exceptions is small but not insignificant.Hope this explains it.