(CNN) -- It used to be one of the great sights in tennis -- the likes of Boris Becker and John McEnroe flying around the net, executing flawless volleys to follow up precision serves. But the fearsome hitting power of modern tennis players has destroyed an art once finessed by some of Wimbledon's greatest champions, according to eight-time grand slam winner Ivan Lendl. Czech legend Lendl believes the bold playing style -- mastered to thrilling effect on grass by legends such as Rod Laver, Stefan Edberg, Martina Navratilova and Pat Rafter -- has been outdated by advances in technology and training.
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Former world No. 1 Ivan Lendl says serve and volley is too difficult in modern tennis
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Hitting power and new technologies mean players now stay at the baseline
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Roger Federer is finding it harder to serve and volley, says Tim Henman
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Wimbledon legend Pete Sampras believes the technique is a dying art
But even @placeholder, whose serve-and-volley prowess helped secure six Wimbledon titles, has abandoned the technique.