Goran Ivanisevic called it “Croatian roulette.” Boris Becker said it was “my way of expressing myself.” Pete Sampras did it because he could.
The tennis tactic in question is hitting a second serve much more like a first serve: going for broke in sum. Though the risky move is hardly new – Sampras, Becker and Ivanisevic all retired more than a decade ago — it is in the midst of a resurgence with new stars like Nick Kyrgios, Jack Sock and Alexander Zverev.
“A lot of the young players are living by the sword and dying by the sword,” said Darren Cahill, an ESPN analyst and leading coach.