Elena Rybakina’s WTA Finals Riyadh Serve Decoded into 15-Minute Drills

The snapshot: a pressure-proof serving performance

Elena Rybakina did not just win the 2025 WTA Finals. She closed the door with the simplest weapon in tennis used at the highest standard. In the final in Riyadh she struck 13 aces, saved 5 of 5 break points, and won an exceptional 73 percent of her second-serve points. Those are not style points. They are indicators of a serve that stayed reliable when the pulse went up. You can see the full numbers on the WTA’s official match stats.

A 7-0 tiebreak against a player who led the tour in tiebreak wins is not a coincidence. It is a marker that the routine and the game plan did not fray under stress. The WTA’s match reaction confirms the score line and the love tiebreak that sealed Riyadh in its WTA Finals crown recap. For deeper context on those patterns, see our breakdown of Rybakina’s 7-0 tiebreak blueprint.

This article translates that performance into short, specific drills and a decision framework you can run with your team in 15-minute blocks. We will cover three pillars: a between-point breathing and reset routine, a simple T-wide-body serve map, and a plus-one forehand decision tree that turns serve advantage into first-strike control. For a fuller serve-first lens, check the serve blueprint: 48 aces.

Off-court training is the most underused lever in tennis. OffCourt unlocks it with personalized physical and mental programs built from how you actually play. As you read, flag one drill to run on court and one to run off court.

What made the serve pressure proof

Rybakina’s serve did three things consistently in the final:

1. She hit her first target early in games. Opening points set the tone. Landing the first serve to a planned location prevents the game from turning into a defend-first scramble.

2. She turned the second serve into a play starter, not a survival shot. The stat that jumps off the page is the second-serve points won. When a player wins over 70 percent behind a second serve, returners hesitate, hold position, and give more neutral replies. That feeds the server’s first strike.

3. She kept the targeting menu simple. T, wide, or body, with a clear bias based on the opponent’s return patterns. Complexity invites doubt. Simple menus travel well under pressure.

Mechanically, she is tall with a smooth toss window and a compact trophy position. That reduces moving parts and timing errors. Mentally, she ran a visible between-point routine that looked the same whether she was up 40-15 or down 30-40. The combination created a sensation you want in your own service games: a calm conveyor belt. One ball after another, same cues, same breath, same finish.

Translate it: a 15-minute between-point breathing and reset

Objective: install a repeatable, 20–25 second routine that steadies heart rate and preserves clarity at big scores.

Equipment: court, bench or towel on the Fence, a watch or phone timer.

Structure, 3 five-minute blocks:

Block A, 5 minutes: Baseline pattern with metronome

• Stand behind the baseline with two balls in your pocket. Start a timer and a gentle metronome at 60 beats per minute.
• Run this script every point: walk to the fence, touch strings, place one hand on your belly for 3 breaths, inhale 4 counts, exhale 6 counts. Step to the line, bounce twice, cue one technical word, for example “tall.” Serve to a safe target at 60 percent. Repeat without talking.
• Goal: 10 serves with the same rhythm. If you rush the breath, restart the rep.

Block B, 5 minutes: Pressure insert

• Use imaginary score pressure. Call the score out loud before each point: 30-40, ad out, 5-6 tiebreak. Then run the same routine.
• Add one extra 2-second pause at the baseline after the exhale before you begin the motion. That tiny pause is the separator between intention and execution.
• Goal: 8 serves with complete routine. If you skip any step, the rep does not count.

Block C, 5 minutes: Walk-away reset

• After any miss, practice a walk-away. Back to the fence, towel touch, one breath through the nose, exhale through pursed lips, say a neutral phrase, for example “next ball.” Do not evaluate technique. Reset and serve the next ball.
• Goal: 6 serve pairs where miss-and-reset looks identical to hit-and-reset.

Coaching cues

• You are training response time, not just breath. Your total routine should fit inside 20–25 seconds to comply with the pace of play at junior and college events.
• If the player is young, switch belly-hand to the pocket tap to keep it subtle in matches.

The simple map: T, wide, body

You do not need five exotic locations. You need three clear ones with rules.

Definitions

• T: down the middle to the service line intersection.
• Wide: toward the singles sideline.
• Body: into the returner’s hip or elbow.

Why this works under pressure

• The brain prefers menus with three items. Decision speed beats microscopic precision when the pulse rises.
• Each option punishes a different return habit. T punishes big backswings. Wide punishes slow first steps. Body punishes aggressive grips.

Baseline mix for a club or junior player

• Deuce side: 50 percent T, 30 percent wide, 20 percent body.
• Ad side: 45 percent T, 35 percent wide, 20 percent body.

Adjustments

• If the returner moves early, throw one body serve per game to keep them honest.
• On second serve, shift 10 percent of your mix toward body. It buys you time and reduces the opponent’s swing length.

Translate it: a 15-minute location accuracy drill

Objective: build confidence in T-wide-body and create a personal mix.

Equipment: 6 cones or flat discs, 12 targets total if available, chalk or tape, 20 balls.

Setup

• Place two cones a foot inside the T on each side to create a one-yard gate. Place two cones near the sideline to create a wide gate. Place two cones centered three feet inside the service box for body.

Structure, 3 five-minute blocks:

Block A, 5 minutes: Gate hits

• Alternate deuce and ad courts.
• Call the target out loud before every rep.
• Hit 12 first serves at 75 percent power. A make through the gate is 2 points, any in-box make is 1, a miss is 0.
• Target: 12 points total. If you miss short, lengthen the follow-through. If you miss wide of the gate, firm up your left-side brace on landing.

Block B, 5 minutes: Second-serve body bias

• Hit 10 second serves. Call body 6 times, T 2 times, wide 2 times.
• Use the same toss height and speed as your first serve. Reduce spin height by contact angle, not by decelerating. The racquet tip must still accelerate up and across.
• Target: 8 of 10 in, 3 through the body gate.

Block C, 5 minutes: Pattern call

• Call a two-serve pattern before you begin, for example “T then body.” Serve both balls. If you execute the called pattern, score 3. If you improvise and make both, score 2. If you miss one, score 1. If you miss both, score 0.
• Target: 10 total points.

Coaching cues

• Keep the same pre-serve breath from the earlier routine. Consistency across drills is the secret to match transfer.
• If you are a coach, stand behind the player’s toss side. Look for a stable head and a consistent release point. Moving tosses break targeting first.

Second serve as a weapon, not a liability

Rybakina’s second serve in Riyadh was not a bailout. The data show over 70 percent points won on second serve overall, and over 85 percent in the second set. That forces returners to protect against both pace and shape, which reduces their swing time. Functionally, it buys you an average of half a second on the next ball. In practice that half second becomes a plus-one forehand you can plan. For a broader look at this theme, read our second-serve aggression guide.

How to copy this without Rybakina’s height

• Add shape before power. Work for heavy spin and body location first. Spin lifts the bounce into the hip and shrinks the opponent’s backswing.
• Keep the same toss and rhythm as your first serve. A slower toss or a different release advertises the second serve.
• Aim a ball’s width inside your wide and T gates. Depth, not the line, creates late contact for the returner.

Translate it: a 15-minute second-serve build

Objective: raise second-serve reliability to 7 of 10 with playable depth and a body bias.

Equipment: 30 balls, two target towels lying flat a yard inside each service line.

Structure, 3 five-minute blocks:

Block A, 5 minutes: Knee-high net tape

• Tie a spare string or elastic two feet above the net tape if available. If not, use the mental cue of clearing a high tape.
• Hit 12 second serves that clear your imaginary high tape by 6–12 inches and land past the service-line towels. Score 1 for any make, 2 for depth over the towels.
• Goal: 14 points.

Block B, 5 minutes: Body to both sides

• Alternate deuce and ad courts with a body target. Use a kick or heavy topspin. Add a recovery hop after the landing to prepare for the next ball like a return is coming back.
• Goal: 8 of 10 makes and 6 balanced recoveries.

Block C, 5 minutes: Serve plus first ball

• Have a coach or partner block the return back to the middle third. After a second serve, step in and hit a neutral forehand to deep middle. Focus on height and depth.
• Goal: 8 of 10 rally starts with the first ball landing past the opponent’s service line.

The plus-one forehand decision tree

A decision tree is useful because it reduces mid-point debate. Here is a simple one you can adopt.

Deuce court

• If you serve T and the return is deep middle, play an inside-out forehand to the backhand side. Recover to the middle of the deuce half.
• If you serve wide and the return is short cross, play an inside-in forehand up the line. Recover diagonally to guard the line.
• If you serve body and the return jams, step around with small feet and drive to open court crosscourt.

Ad court

• If you serve T and the return floats middle, take an inside-in forehand to the deuce corner. This flips the pattern and opens the ad side for the next ball.
• If you serve wide and the return is blocked down the line, go heavy cross to the backhand corner and recover to center.
• If you serve body and the return pops, take it early to the open space.

Two universal rules

• Rule 1: First forehand aims big target, second forehand aims small. Big target means big margin crosscourt by two feet. Small target means the perimeter, only if the defender is already stretched.
• Rule 2: If your serve misses location, your plus-one changes. A miss wide that lands short often yields a backhand return line, so position your first step to cover line.

Translate it: a 15-minute plus-one pattern builder

Objective: install three serve plus forehand patterns with simple coverage rules.

Equipment: 24 balls, a partner or coach feeding returns, or a ball machine set to medium pace.

Structure, 3 five-minute blocks:

Block A, 5 minutes: Deuce T plus inside-out

• Call the serve and the first ball before you hit.
• Serve T, expect a central return, take an inside-out forehand to the backhand corner. Recover to an athletic base just inside the middle hash.
• Score: 2 points for any pattern that matches the call, 1 for a clean make with a different target, 0 for a miss. Target 12 points.

Block B, 5 minutes: Ad wide plus inside-in

• Serve wide on the ad side. If the return is short cross, take the forehand up the line to the deuce corner. Recover diagonally.
• Emphasize a compact preparation and a longer through-line on the up-the-line forehand so you do not pull the ball wide.
• Target: 5 clean lines within a yard of the sideline.

Block C, 5 minutes: Body serve scramble

• Alternate sides. Serve body, expect a jammed return. Work on the first step around the ball to create space. Drive to open court.
• Coaching cue: if jammed, move your right foot back first if you are right-handed. That creates the room your swing needs.
• Target: 8 of 10 patterns executed with a clear first step.

A pressure-point checklist you can carry into matches

Use this card on changeovers or in practice sets. Speak each line quietly to yourself before a big point.

• Breathe 4 in, 6 out, once. Shoulders drop.
• Choose one target only: T, wide, or body. No mid-toss changes.
• Commit to first-strike plan: inside-out if T, inside-in if wide, open court if body.
• Miss and move. If serve misses target, adjust first step, not the swing.
• Neutral words only. Say next ball or tall. Never judge.
• Play scoreboard smart. At 30-40 or down tiebreak, bias to body on second serve.
• Repeat the routine. Same rhythm, same cues, same finish.

How coaches can slot this into a team session

For a 90-minute practice with juniors or a high school team:

• Warm-up: 10 minutes dynamic work and shadow serving with breath cues.
• Station 1: 15-minute between-point routine with a coach tracking time per point.
• Station 2: 15-minute T-wide-body targeting with cones and scoring.
• Station 3: 15-minute second-serve build with depth towels.
• Station 4: 15-minute plus-one pattern builder with partner returns.
• Scrimmage: 20-minute pressure games where every game starts at 30-30 and players must call the serve target out loud.

Collect makes and target hits. Create a simple leaderboard to reinforce execution. Emphasize the routine marks as much as the serve speed or ace count. The routine is the asset that travels to tournaments.

Off-court transfer and measurement

Use your phone to time your between-point routine and to count breaths in practice sets. If you are using OffCourt.app, build a microcycle with three days per week of two blocks: one 10-minute breath plus reset session at home and one 15-minute serve location session on court. The app can nudge you with reminders to rehearse your routine before showers or at the end of a study block. OffCourt’s premise is simple. Off-court training is the most underused lever in tennis. OffCourt unlocks it with personalized physical and mental programs built from how you actually play.

Common roadblocks and fixes

• The toss wanders on pressure points. Fix: mark a toss spot with an X on the court behind the baseline and rehearse ten tosses that land on the same imaginary vertical line. If the toss arm collapses, cue straight to the sky and freeze the trophy for a split second in shadow swings.
• The second serve slows down and sits up. Fix: keep the racquet speed identical to the first serve but tilt the strings more up and across. If you hear the contact get quiet, you have probably decelerated. Loud contact with spin is fine.
• The plan vanishes after a miss. Fix: use the walk-away reset from the breathing drill. A literal turn of the shoulders away from the court breaks the feedback loop. Turn back only when the next plan is clear.

What this teaches your player identity

You do not need a perfect serve to gain Rybakina’s benefits. You need a routine that keeps your identity intact on the biggest points, a location plan that is easy to choose at speed, and a first-strike bias that makes your opponent hit on your terms. The match in Riyadh is a case study in simplicity applied under stress. That is coachable and trainable.

Next steps

• Pick one 15-minute drill above and run it today. Do not add variety until you can score the target numbers two sessions in a row.
• Print the pressure-point checklist, laminate it, and keep it in your bag.
• In your next practice set, call your serve target out loud before every point. Track how many times you changed your mind mid-toss. Aim for zero.
• Add one Off-court block per week focused on breath and visualization. If you use OffCourt.app, program a four-week microcycle and let the reminders keep you honest.

Give your team a serving identity built for tight moments. Start with breath, choose simple locations, and let a clear first strike do the heavy lifting.