A serve (or, more formally, a service) in tennis is a shot to start a point. The serve is usually initiated by tossing the ball into the air and hitting it (usually near the apex of its trajectory) into the diagonally opposite service box without touching the net. It may be performed underhand or overhead. The serve is the only shot where a player can take his time to set up, instead of having to react to an opponent's shot.
The serve is one of the more difficult shots for a novice, but once mastered it can be a considerable advantage. Advanced players can hit the serve in many different ways and often use it as an offensive weapon to gain an advantage in the point or to win it outright. Because of this, professional players win most of their service games, and breaking serve plays a crucial role in a match.
A legal serve
A serve is termed legal when the ball travels over the net (without touching it) and into the diagonally opposite service court. The server is given two chances per point to make a legal serve, called first serve and second serve. A serve that is not legal is termed a fault. If the first serve is a fault in any way, the server has a second attempt at serve. If the second serve is also a fault, this is called a double fault and the receiver wins the point.
If the ball hits the net cord but lands in the service court, this is a let service, which is void and the serve is replayed. A ball that hits the net cord but lands out is a fault.
The server is required to keep his or her feet in nearly the same position during the serve. The server's feet may be raised off the ground, but walking or running is not permitted. This prevents the opponent from being misled as to where the serve will originate. Breaching this rule or exceeding the permitted part of the court constitutes a foot fault.
A player unsatisfied with his or her toss can let the ball fall to the ground and try again. If the server swings the racquet and misses the ball, it is called a fault. If the server does make contact with the ball (as with a body part or the racket) on an errant toss, it is only a fault if the server attempted a swing.
Types of serve
There are different types of serves. Leaving the more complicated unorthodoxed 'reverse' serves aside, here are the more common ones that professional tennis players use: a Flat serve, an American Twist serve, a Topspin serve, a Slice serve and a Topspin-Slice serve. Each type has its tactical advantages. The different types of serve, not to mention the placement of the serve, allows the server to have many varieties and thus a major advantage. Some widely used tactics are to hit a hard Flat serve on the first serve, a Slice serve on the first serve, a Topspin serve on the second serve and an American Twist/Twist serve on the second serve.
Flat serve
A Flat serve (in the old days sometimes called a cannonball serve) is hit very hard and with relatively little spin. Since it generally is hit quite close to the top of the net, it has a smaller margin for error than spin serves. A Flat serve is generally used as a first serve, when the server can afford the greater risk of hitting a fault, in an attempt to win the point outright, possibly by an ace. It is executed by hitting the ball squarely with the racquet held in an Eastern or Continental grip. Since it has very little clearance over the net, it is most often hit straight down the centerline, where the net is lowest, either to a righthander's backhand in the deuce court or to his forehand in the advantage court. Good male servers in the ATP can hit a Flat serve at a speed of 200 km/h (124 mph) or more and a few of the very best females are in this range also.
Topspin serve
A Topspin serve is hit with foreward spin and travels at a lesser pace than the flat serve. The ball travels in a higher arc over the net and bounces higher than a flat serve. The Topspin serve in general is safer to hit and is often employed for the second serve due to the safety margin the looping ball creates over the net. A Topspin serve, however, may be harder to learn because it is hit somewhat behind the head of the server and requires slightly more complex mechanics. It is hit with a Continental grip or an Eastern Backhand grip; however, for the Eastern Backhand grip, the forehand side of the face is used to make ball contact. The Topspin serve is useful for second serves, serve and volley tactics and many other circumstances.
American Twist/Twist/Kick serve
A type of kick serve with topspin, but topspin that rotates out-of-line with the flight path of the ball, which causes the ball to curve one way through the air and then twist the other way after the bounce. This type of serve is often times confused with the Topspin-Slice serve, since the swing path towards the ball is similar but the ball rotations however are different.
The difference between a Kick or Twist serve and a Topspin serve is mainly the direction of the spin. A Topspin serve spins forewards and bounces high and in the same direction from which it was hit. A Kick serve is hit with forewards/sideways spin (right-way spin for right-handers, left-way spin for left-handers). It generally bounces higher than a Topspin serve and changes direction once it hits the ground. The Kick serve is used by most professionals as their second serve. A Topspin serve is less difficult to execute since it requires a less efficient throwing motion and less wrist pronation.
Slice/Slider/Sidespin serve
A Slice serve is hit with sidespin, which causes the ball to curve and skip sideways. A right-handed player hitting a slice serve would cause the ball to curve to the left. The Slice serve can be used to either draw the receiving player away from his initial stationary position or to "jam" him with the serve as the ball curves directly into his body. In either case, it is generally more difficult for the serve to be returned. The Slice serve is made by bringing the racquet around the side of the ball and can be hit with various grips including the Continental and the Eastern backhand. A severely sliced serve is sometimes called a "Sidespin" serve or a "Slider" serve.
Topspin-Slice serve
A Topspin-Slice serve is hit with a combination of both sidespin and topspin, which causes the ball to curve sideways and dive downwards steeply. A right-handed player hitting a Topspin-Slice serve would cause the ball to curve to the left, but not as much as a Slice serve. This serve has a higher margin for error than the Slice, since the ball dives more; therefore it can be hit higher above the net while still landing inside the service box.
Great servers
In his 1979 autobiography Jack Kramer, who had a great serve himself, devotes a page to the best tennis strokes he had ever seen. He writes: "FIRST SERVE—Vines had the finest serve I ever saw, but Gonzales, the great competitor, was more consistent with his in the tightest spots. Tilden, too, must be ranked, for speed and deception. SECOND SERVE—Newcombe by far. Then Vines, von Cramm and Gonzales."
Great servers, particularly known for the power of their serves, include (amongst many others) on the men's side:
- Boris Becker, who earned the name "Boom Boom"
- Don Budge
- Ray Casey, a California left-hander
- Taylor Dent, one of the fastest servers in history, behind only Roddick.
- Pancho Gonzales, whose powerful serve caused a brief change in the rules of professional tennis
- Roger Federer
- Goran Ivanišević, won Wimbledon largely with his serve
- Joachim Johansson, record of most aces in match (51) (shared with Ivo Karlović)
- Ivo Karlović, record of most aces in match (51) (shared with Joachim Johansson)
- Jack Kramer, the first great player to consistently play serve and volley
- Maurice McLoughlin, "the California Comet", who was the first well-known player to use the "cannonball serve"
- Andy Roddick, the fastest serve in history (measured with modern equipment) at 251 km/h (156 mph).[1]
- Mark Philippoussis
- Greg Rusedski
- Marat Safin
- Stefan Edberg, who had one of the most effective "kick serves" in the game
- Pete Sampras, who had one of the best all-around second serves in the game
- Frank Sedgman
- Roscoe Tanner
- Bill Tilden, who popularized the "cannonball serve"
- Ellsworth Vines
And great servers on the women's side:
- Alice Marble, one of the first women to use the serve-and-volley successfully
- Althea Gibson, used the power serve to win consistently
- Margaret Court, known as the best server of her time
- Billie Jean King, was feared for her serve-and-volley game
- Lindsay Davenport
- Maria Sharapova
- Steffi Graf
- Martina Navratilova, great set-up for her serve and volley game
- Brenda Schultz-McCarthy, who hit the fastest serve in women's tennis history, clocked at 130 mph
- Serena Williams
- Venus Williams
Serve terminology
- Ace – a good serve (not a fault) that is untouched by the opponent.
- Break – server losing the game.
- Break point – one point away from a break.
- Double fault – hitting a fault on the second service. The server loses the point.
- Fault – an unsuccessful serve that does not start the point because of not hitting the ball into the opponent's designated service box.
- Foot fault – a fault caused by the server stepping across his base line before striking the ball with his racquet.
- Hold – Server winning the game.
- Let – when the ball touches the net but lands within the opponent's designated service box. The serve is replayed. The only instances in which a let is played is in World Team Tennis matches and NCAA Division 1 Tennis.
- Service Winner – an unreturnable serve that is still touched by the opponent.
References
- ^ http://www.guinnessworldrecords.comGuinness World Records website. Retrieved July 1, 2006.