BWF approves temporary ban on unplayable ‘spin serve’
The amendment to the laws of the sport now states that the server should release the shuttle “without adding spin” as the BWF looks to improve rallies after the spin serve proved to be tough to return or completely unplayable. The serve was first tried at the Polish Open in March. The ban will be in place for tournaments such as the BWF Sudirman Cup Finals which begin on Sunday in China and the Malaysia Masters the following week. “BWF welcomes players creating innovation in our game and experimenting with techniques to create competitive advantage on court,” its president Poul-Erik Hoyer said in a statement. “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 202...