Tennis players have no other action more in their own hands than the serve. After all, they don't have to react to their opponent's shot, but can calmly initiate the game themselves. With a well-placed and fast first ball, the opponent is immediately under pressure or ideally even powerless. You can find out how best to do this in our new article!
So much for the theory, but in practice the serving technique is one of the most demanding tasks of the return game. Especially for beginners, the supposed advantage often becomes a disadvantage. Whether the racket is gripped incorrectly, the ball is thrown too low or the arm is not supported enough by the upper body - there are various sources of error. Of course, you can't improve your serve with a single tip, but you need to practise the movement sequence correctly from A to Z.
How to serve like a picture book
A good serve starts in your head, where you formulate a plan for the shot and block out all other thoughts as far as possible. However, it can only be executed successfully with the right coordination. The following table (based on a right-handed player) provides valuable serving tips to help tennis beginners:
- It is best to hold the racket in a continental grip
- Set up on the baseline
- Feet are about as far apart as the two shoulders
- Extend your left arm in preparation for the ball throw
- Turn your upper body backwards
- Right leg lifts the greatest load, knees are slightly bent and push the upward swing of the body
- Aim straight to slightly offset to the right, release the ball at eye level
- Throw upwards a little beyond the optimum point of impact
- Aim a few centimeters forward so that the body has some space for a forward movement
- Jumping off the ground usually with the left leg
- Shoulder moves towards the ball so that the arm receives support
- The racket is held behind the body with the elbow pointing to the sky and is then raised as powerfully as possible
- A moment before contact, the forearm turns out, then the wrist tilts away
- Hit the ball with a fully extended arm, with the racket held vertically and a few centimeters in front of the baseline
- The racket has reached its maximum acceleration and only swings out downwards
- Right arm is turned further to the left in front of the body
- Place your left foot back on the floor first
No serve training should be without individual tips . For example, it is not unusual to jump and/or land with the right foot first. It is important to develop your own routine and thus increase your confidence. Body size also has a major influence on how the service should be played: tennis players with a guard size can hit over the net from a great height and therefore from a very favorable angle.
By the way: The importance of the serve in tennis can be illustrated by one figure: Australian Sam Groth fired the hardest serve ever recorded - a real weapon at 263km/h.
5 more tips for the tennis serve
The right technique is not the only way to improve your serve. There are countless other tips - five of which are presented below.
Beginners tend to grab a racket and start smashing away. However, it makes more sense to approach the correct technique slowly.
As a layman, the movements can also be simulated without a racket - for example, by two players standing opposite each other and clapping each other off where they will later hit the ball. Even with the “racket” in your hand, you don't have to venture straight to the baseline, but can first gain confidence from a shorter distance.
Most beginners instinctively hold the racket in such a way that both edges point exactly to the left and right when gripping the racket. The serve is then inevitably executed with a straight movement - without any significant rotation of the wrist. However, the usual stance is the continental grip, where you look at the racket from the side.
First, the left hand holds the racket as perpendicular to the ground as possible. Then the right hand is placed around the lower end of the club as if you were shaking another hand. Only the thumb grips from the left side, the other fingers from the right. The continental grip is perfect for the desired inward rotation (pronation) of the arm.
To practise, it is helpful to stand on the baseline as a right-hander on the right-hand side and as a left-hander on the left-hand side. The wrist does not have to be turned in as much here as on the other side. In the game, the ideal positioning depends largely on the target. About 30 to 150 centimeters of space should be left towards the middle. For a perfect angled game, take this into account: The more oblique the shot, the further out you should be.
It is no secret that the first serve should be played quickly and comparatively flat over the net, while the second safety shot should be served more slowly and with a higher trajectory.
Advanced players also pose problems for their opponent with tactical variations: first a shot on the opponent's forehand side, then on the backhand and the next time on the body - the harder you are to count out, the better.
The surface also plays a role in the considerations of experienced tennis players. For example, you could serve with a backward spin on fast clay or tennis courts and take advantage of the ball's flat bounce.
The tennis player forms a unit with his racket. Logically, you should also make an effort to find an adequate aid. The racket sits well in the hand when the fingers can almost completely grip the handle. The hitting surface and weight are also important criteria when choosing a tennis racket.
