However, on Friday, the Badminton World Federation (BWF) imposed a temporary ban on the ‘spin serve’ at all international tournaments until further consultation at their annual general meeting later this month.
The unreturnable “spin serve” was reportedly first used by Danish doubles player Marcus Rindshoj at the Polish Open in March 2023. The serve involves the player imparting a spinning motion to the shuttlecock during the serve, which makes it difficult for the receiver to judge the direction and speed of the shuttlecock. This can give the server a significant advantage during the game. However, the serve has also been criticized for reducing the number of rallies in the game, making it less interesting for spectators.
“BWF welcomes players creating innovation in our game and experimenting with techniques to create competitive advantage on the court,” said the president of BWF Poul-Erik Hoyer Larson.
“However, we have received several points of feedback from within the badminton community, including the BWF Athletes’ Commission, expressing that this ‘spin serve’ could have a negative impact on the game.”
“An expert panel, therefore, recommended to disallow the ‘spin serve’ until further consultation could take place with the membership at the upcoming BWF AGM on 27 May 2023.”
“The spin serve was similar to the ‘Sidek serve’ which was banned after the technique — which involved slicing the shuttle across its feathers — created an uproar in the early 1980s.”
“BWF also wanted to avoid a scenario where the upcoming BWF Sudirman Cup Finals 2023 and other international tournaments could be platforms to test the new ‘spin serve’ and ultimately disrupt the competitions,” concluded Poul-Erik Hoyer Larson.
As a result of this ruling, any attempt to use this spin serve at the upcoming Sudirman Cup (to be played in Suzhou, China, between 14 and 21 May 2023), will now be deemed as a service fault.
