Breaking It Down: Federer Vs. Ramos The lost art of serving and volleying has been found again by Roger Federer. Federer served and volleyed 18 times in his straight-sets, first-round victory over Albert Ramos at Wimbledon Monday as he looks to upgrade his artillery in search of a seventh Wimbledon title. It is a significant increase in this aggressive tactic considering he only served and volleyed 16 times in five matches in the 2011 tournament before losing in the quarters to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Since 2005, Federer has played 45 matches at Wimbledon and only twice has served and volleyed more in a match. Federer is clearly taking control of his own destiny. The tactic is actually an investment in Federer's immediate future in the championships and has much more to do with Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic than it does with Albert Ramos. Quite simply, it was a dress rehearsal. Federer did not need to serve and volley to be successful against Ramos. His normal dominating play from the back of the court could have done the job just fine. But he was able to practice a critical tactic that can be used as a secondary weapon in the second week to help win his first Grand Slam title since the Australian Open two and a half years ago. The serve-and-volley may prove to be his special sauce. Federer's coach, Paul Annacone, liked what he saw in the match and was especially pleased to see his player work on a tactic that creates doubt in the returner's mind, making them unsure whether Federer is immediately coming to the net or not. "Roger is one of a small group of players who can serve and volley at a very high level," Annacone said. He was investing in something that can help a lot later in the tournament. I would like for him to use it enough against the best players to initiate a question in their mind on how they should return. Annacone said he discussed the tactic with Federer as part of their game plan but did not give specifics on how much or when to do it. He said it's hard to find the right answer with exactly how much Federer should mix in the strategy but practicing it is the only way to feel more comfortable with it. We talk about it in general terms and it is then up to him to impart it based on the opponent, the score and the conditions. Annacone definitely has the credentials to teach serve and volleying as it was the primary tactic that took him all the way to No. 12 in the world back in 1986. He also coached arguably the best serve-and-volleyer the game has ever seen in Pete Sampras. "Pete definitely volleyed better in the last week of Wimbledon than he did at Queens," Annacone said referring to the traditional grass court lead up event in London. Annacone knows the serve and volley tactic is a tougher strategy to learn and takes longer for players to master since there is so much variation within it. I remember working on it with Pete when he was 18 and Michael Chang was already winning the French Open. It was easier for Michael to develop quicker because he had a great game but it was one dimensional," he said. Pete had a tougher puzzle to put together at the same age which just took more time before he was good at it. Annacone bemoans the lack of variety by players in today's game and thinks the conditions are mostly to blame. "The courts are slow, the balls are heavy, the athletes are great which all together makes it difficult to come forward," he said. But he points out, it's not impossible. You can't tell me that Pat Rafter could not find a way in today's game to be successful. Annacone's coaching skills are now to help Federer find the right mix and balance to return to grand slam glory. "Serving and volleying will never be the preeminent foundation of his game, but it will be integral to his success later in the tournament," he said. We can look for Federer to continue honing his serve-and-volley skills as the tournament progresses so that when he comes up against the world's best returners in Djokovic and Nadal, he can win the guessing game. One of the subtle advantages of serving and volleying is making the returner ask the question, will he or won't he? It is particularly effective taking away a floating return off a powerful first serve that lands deep in the court. If the returner is afraid to hit that shot because of the threat of a serve-and-volley play then the server regains the advantage. If Federer wins that battle in the big matches by mixing the tactic in at the right time he may very well be reunited with a large golden trophy next Sunday afternoon.