Tennis Serve
A tennis serve (also called service) is the
shot used in tennis to start a point. The tennis serve is
usually started by tossing a ball into the air and hitting
it into the diagonally opposite service box without
touching the net. The tennis serve can be done overhead or
underhand. However there will be much more power on the
serve if it is done overhead. Unlike other shots in tennis
the tennis serve is the only shot where a player can take
their time to setup and ensure the make the most of the
shot instead of having to quickly react to an opponent’s
shot.
The tennis serve is one of the harder shots for a beginner to
learn. However once it is mastered it is a great weapon.
Experienced tennis players are able to hit the serve in a
variety of different ways and use it as an offensive weapon to
gain an advantage in the point or even gain it outright with
the serve. Because of this factor breaking serve plays a
crucial role in professional matches as professional players
win most of their service games.
A Legal Tennis Serve
If the ball hits the net but
still lands in the service court area then this is called a let
service. This is void and the serve is replayed with the server
being allowed either one or two serves (the same amount they
had left prior to serving the let service).
When performing the tennis serve
the server is required to keep their feet in nearly the same
position during the serve. The server’s feet may be raised off
the ground, however walking or running is prohibited. This
stops the receiving opponent from being misled as to where the
server will serve from. Breaching this rule or leaving the
permitted part of the court results in a foot fault for the
server.
To be considered a legal tennis
serve the ball must also clear the net and land in the
opponent’s serving court (diagonally opposite from where the
server served from). As long as all this is done the tennis
serve will be considered legal.
If a player is not satisfied with
their toss as they prepare to serve they can allow the ball to
fall to the ground and then try again. However if the server
swings their racquet and misses the ball during the toss then
it is called as a fault.
First and Second
Serves
Tennis rules make no distinction
between first and second serves. However, as far as strategy
goes they are quite different. A first serve is normally used
to strike with the maximum power, skill and deception that the
server is capable of with the aim of winning the point outright
(with an ace), or by forcing the receiver into a bad return
position. Most coaches will teach you that a second serve
should be much more conservative to virtually guarantee the
ball being in play and preventing a double fault. However this
provides little expectation of winning the point outright.
Types of Tennis Serves
There are five main types of
tennis serves: the flat (or cannonball) serve, the slice serve,
the topspin serve, the topspin-slice serve and the American
twist/twist serve. As well as these there are other rarely used
types of serves, such as the underhand serve (which normally
carries underspin) and the reverse-slice serve.
The term “kick serve” is
ambiguous. Many people use it as a synonym for “twist serve”
while most use the term when referring to any serve with heavy
topspin on it. That is, the topspin serve and the twist
serve.
Each type of serve has it’s own
tactical advantages. By varying the type of serve and it’s
placement the server can gain the advantage in delivering a
great variety of serves.
The flat serve and slice serve
are primarily used for first serves as they have a small margin
for error but are most likely to ace the opponent or force an
error. Second serves usually have topspin placed on them which
makes them less likely to hit the net or land out. Topspin
serves such as the twist serve also provide a good change-up as
a first serve.
Flat Serve
A flat serve (sometimes referred
to as a cannonball serve) is hit with an Eastern or Continental
grip with a swing path directly through the ball so it doesn’t
spin and cuts through the air very fast. Male professionals
often hit flat serves at speeds higher than 200km/h (124 mph).
There are also a few professional women tennis players that
reach these serve speeds too such as Venus & Serena
Williams.
A flat serve must come in close
to the net which therefore gives it a small margin for error.
Therefore flat serves are normally hit straight down the center
where the net is at it’s lowest. They are usually delivered as
first serves where the server can afford the risk of faulting
while having a second serve up their sleeve.
Topspin Serve
A topspin is performed by hitting
the ball with forward spin imparted on it by brushing the back
of the ball upward at contact. Like all spin serves, the
topspin serve travels slower through the air than a flat serve.
However the topspin on the ball makes it dive downward meaning
that it can be aimed high over the net while still landing in
the service court. Therefore the topspin serve is a fairly safe
serve that regularly used as a second serve. The topspin serve
should not be hit lighter than the first serve but with the
same amount of, or even more power in order to generate the
necessary spin.
Topspin on the ball also makes it
bounce high. Many receivers may handle the high bounce quite
well on their forehand side but not on their backhand side.
Therefore, placed to the backhand, topspin serves are useful
for serve and volley play, even on the first serve.
Due to it’s complex body
mechanics, the topspin serve is harder to learn than the flat
serve or topspin-slice serve as the contact point is directly
over the server’s head or perhaps even a little behind it. It
is also hit with a Continental grip or Eastern Backhand grip
(using the forehand side of the racquet face).
Slice Serve
A slice serve is a slice hit with
sidespin which is imparted by brushing the back of the tennis
ball rightward at contact (a left-handed server brushes the
back of the tennis ball leftward at contact). It is normally
hit with the Continental grip or the Eastern backhand grip
(using the forehand face of the racket).
The sidespin on a sliced serve
causes the ball to curve leftward and skid when it bounces
which then allows it to curve further left after the bounce. A
well performed slice serve curves so much that it can draw the
receiver ten feet wide of the singles sideline to play the
ball.
A slice serve with a huge amount
of slice on it is sometimes called a “sidespin” serve or a
“slider”.
Because a slice serve has little
or no topspin on it, it cannot be aimed high over the net and
has little margin for error. Therefore it is generally only
used as a first serve. It can be used as an effective tool to
ace the retriever, to draw the receiver off the court and out
of position, or to “jam” the receiver with a serve curving
sharply into their body.
Topspin-slice serve
A topspin-slice serve is hit with
a combination of both topspin and sidespin which is imparted by
brushing the back of the ball upward and rightward at about a
45 degree angle at contact. This is the spin that beginners
naturally serve with, though they don’t get the ball spinning
very fast.
The blend of sidespin &
topspin allows the ball to curve downward & leftward in
flight, bouncing high and continuing to curve leftward. Because
of the topspin on it, a topspin-slice serve can be aimed higher
over the net than a flat serve or slice serve. Therefore it has
a greater margin for error.
American Twist/Twist
Serve
The twist
serve was originally know as the “American Twist” serve and
still sometimes referred to as that name. It is a special kind
of topspin-slice serve which behaves differently once it
bounces. The reason it does this is because it has much more
topspin than sidespin on it. Therefore instead of skidding and
continuing to curve leftward after the bounce, it "grabs" the
court and breaks rightward.

A twist
serve is hit with topspin and travels at a slower pace compared
to the flat serve. The ball also travels in a higher arc over
the net than a flat serve. It then dips faster and bounces
higher, normally away from the receiving player's backhand. In
general the kick serve is safer to hit and is often used for
the second serve. A twist serve is harder to learn because it
is hit somewhat behind the head of the server and requires
slightly more complex mechanics. It is hit with either a
Continental or Eastern backhand grip. The American twist serve
is useful for second serves, serve and volley tactics and many
other situations.
A Twist
serve is thrown somewhat behind the server's head while the
racquet brushes the ball from the 8 o'clock position to the 2
'clock position, although some players can have a 7 o'clock to
1 o'clock position, imparting a combination of topspin and
sidespin that makes the ball go in an angled arc over the net.
Once it bounces, it jumps high and to the side in the direction
of the server's racquet arm. For example, if a right hander
hits a Twist serve to the ad (backhand) court it will jump away
from the center of the court.
Due to the
partial topspin and height at which it clears the net the Twist
serve has more margin for error than a Flat serve and is
sometimes a common choice among top professionals for a safe
second serve, although some opt to use the "Kick Serve" as a
potent first serve option. A player who has the ability to
change the angle at which the racquet brushes the ball (say, 7
o'clock to 12 o'clock) can also change the horizontal bounce of
the ball at will which reduces the predictability of the bounce
for the receiver. Also, because the topspin imparted on the
ball forces it to bounce high, the receiver would be unable to
hit an ideal shot in their contact zone (typically between
waist and shoulder level).
Because
the twist serve curves to the receiver's right in the air and
then breaks leftward on the bounce, kicking high to (a
right-hander's) backhand, this can be a very difficult serve to
return.
It is also
the most difficult to learn. The contact point is slightly to
the left of the server's head and directly over it, or perhaps
even a little behind it. The required swing path is achieved by
an inside angle of attack on the ball. The result is a twisted
axis of rotation which results in the ball spinning out-of-line
with its flight path.
It is
possible to hit a twist serve with a Continental grip, however
most players and teachers feel that an Eastern backhand grip is
necessary.
Like all
spin serves the twist serve travels slower than a flat serve.
Servers who follow their serve to the net often take advantage
of this fact, hitting the twist serve because it is difficult
to return but gives them extra time to get close to the net
before the return is back.
Because it
has heavy topspin on it, the twist serve is a "safe" serve that
can be aimed high over the net and still land in. Therefore it
is often used as a second serve.
|