This serve could fail the prescribed grip criterion on an LTA readiness test. Yet it belongs to Sapfo Sakellaridi, a professional tennis player. Her serve uses what many coaches would describe as a “frying-pan” grip and an unconventional action. It does not conform to the technical model traditionally presented as necessary for serving successfully. But it functions at professional level. That creates an uncomfortable question for coach education: Are we assessing whether a movement solves the problem—or whether it resembles our preferred technical model? Sakellaridi’s serve does not prove that grip is unimportant. Different grips can influence the possibilities available to a player, including spin, speed, placement and adaptability. It also does not mean coaches should deliberately teach every beginner to serve this way. But it challenges the stronger claim that every successful serve must begin with one prescribed “chopper” grip and follow one recognisable technical pathway....