Hal v. Stice, continued: Hal's serve as a slow-triggered machine
Hal’s serve seemed to set in motion a much more involved mechanism, one that took several exchanges to reveal itself as aggressive. [...] a topspin Hal achieved with an arched back and faint brushing action over the back of the ball that made the serve curve visibly in the air, egg-shaped with spin, to land deep in the box and hop up high
Context
Where Stice's serve is the whole point, Hal's serve is a fuse. It "set in motion a much more involved mechanism, one that took several exchanges to reveal itself as aggressive" — no pace, but "topspin Hal achieved with an arched back and faint brushing action" that makes the ball "curve visibly in the air, egg-shaped with spin," land deep and kick up. The aggression is deferred, engineered into spin and depth so the serve sets a trap three shots down the line. The body is built to win later.