If you are just starting to work on your tennis game, hitting some shots will seem incredibly complex while hitting others will seem to come naturally. Most beginners find that the forehand is a shot that actually feels very natural and intuitive, and you may be able to hit successful forehands even if it is your first time ever playing tennis. 

If you are a more advanced player, chances are that your forehand is your favorite shot and that you may even consider it your “weapon”. My game was always built around my forehand, as it was the shot I felt the most comfortable and the one I was able to win the most points with. And yet, because I didn’t have a flawless technique, I went through periods of inconsistency and low confidence in my forehand. 

A tennis player’s forehand has the potential to be a game-changing shot. The physics of the forehand allows for both more spin and more power than other baseline shots, so players should take advantage of it. However, in order to do so, you need to have the right forehand technique and to practice it countlessly. 

In this article, we will cover everything you will need to know in order to have a great forehand. If you are a beginner, you will understand what exactly is a forehand and how to hit one step-by-step. If you are a more advanced player, you will also find tips that might give you that extra forehand power and speed you have been looking for. 

Since this is a pretty thorough article, feel free to skip to the parts that are more relevant for you. The information you will find below is structured in the following way:

• What Is A Forehand In Tennis?
• How To Hit A Tennis Forehand
  • Step #1 – Tennis Forehand Grip
    • Eastern Forehand Grip
    • Semi-Western Forehand Grip
    • Western Forehand Grip
  • Step #2 – Tennis Forehand Stances
    • Open Stance
    • Semi-Open Stance
    • Closed Stance
  • Step #3 – Tennis Forehand Swing
  • Step #4 – Forehand Topspin
  • Step #5 – Forehand Follow-Through
• Best Tennis Forehand Tips

What Is A Forehand In Tennis?

For the vast majority of tennis player, their forehand is their best shot. A player hits a forehand when he allows the ball to bounce once on his court before hitting it, and hits it on his dominant side. With very few exceptions, players hit forehands using only one arm. In some rare cases, a player will have both a double-handed forehand and a double-handed backhand. 

Tennis forehands are called forehands because normally, the front (fore) of your dominant hand (the one holding the racquet) will be facing your opponent when your racquet makes contact with the ball. 

Generally, when people refer to forehands, they mean a forehand with topspin – which means that the player hits the ball on the top, causing it to spin forwards. Technically, a forehand can be hit with slice, but people mostly refer to those shots as slices (brushing the ball from under, which causes a type of backspin). For right-handed players, a forehand is executed on the right side. For left-handed players, it is executed on the left side. 

Below is a short video of what a simple forehand looks like.

How To Hit A Tennis Forehand

While the forehand shot seems very intuitive, it is very important that you begin practicing it correctly as soon as possible. If you start hitting forehands with the wrong technique, your brain develops muscle memory with the wrong form and it will be more difficult to change it in the future. 

In order to learn how to hit forehand easily, you should break down the shot into small steps, which include the grip, the stance, the swing, the topspin, and the follow-through. If executed correctly, you should end up with a forehand that is smooth, effortless, and powerful.

We have broken down the steps below. 

Step #1 – Tennis Forehand Grip

If you are just becoming familiar with tennis terms, a grip is defined as the way you hold the racquet while hitting a tennis shot. A tennis racquet handle has an octagonal shape, and each side (also called bevel) is numbered from 1 to 8. Usually, a specific grip is characterized by which bevel the base of your index finger lays on. Some grips will give you more power while others will give you more spin, so you can choose the one that better fits your game. There are currently 3 main forehand grips: Eastern, Semi-Western, and Western. 

Eastern Forehand Grip

The Eastern grip is identified when the base of the player’s index finger lays on bevel #3. In order to find this grip, you can hold your racket perpendicular to the floor and then hold it like you were giving it a handshake. Then, all you need to do is rotate your hand one bevel to the right if you’re right-handed or one to the left if you’re left-handed. If you do this right, you should end up with the base of your index finger on bevel #3. 

The Eastern forehand grip is great if you play mostly on fast surfaces, since it allows you to hit flat shots and to quickly switch grips between forehand and serves or slices. This grip is not frequently used by professional players, though. The reason behind it is that it can cause a lot of stress on your wrist. Juan Martin del Potro is the only player who hits forehands with a true Eastern grip, and he has had to have several wrist surgeries because of that. Roger Federer hits his forehands with a grip that resembles the Eastern grip, yet it is slightly modified.

Below is a close-up picture of what a forehand Eastern Grip should look like. 

Semi-Western Forehand Grip

The Semi Western Forehand grip is located one rotation after the Eastern grip, which means that the base of your index finger should be on bevel #4. This grip is probably the most popular forehand grip among professional players, as it is an all-surface grip. In order to hold it correctly, you should hold the racket perpendicular to the floor with your non-dominant hand, grip it with your dominant hand as if giving it a handshake, and rotate your hand 2 bevels (to the right if right-handed, to the left if left-handed).

When compared to the Eastern grip, the Semi-Western grip allows players to add much more topspin, while adding less stress to the player’s wrist. The drawback of using this grip is that it can be slightly challenging to hit shots close to the ground and to change your grip quickly. Players like Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, and Stan Wawrinka all use either a Semi-Western grip or a slight variation of it.

A Semi-Western grip should look like the photo below. 

Western Forehand Grip

The next and last forehand grip is the Western Grip. In order to hit it, your index finger should be laying on bevel #5. It is on the end of the forehand spectrum, and it may seem weird at first. In order to hold it correctly, you should hold the racket perpendicular to the floor with your non-dominant hand, grip it with your dominant hand as if giving it a handshake, and rotate your hand 3 bevels (to the right if right-handed, to the left if left-handed). When you do that, the base of your index finger should lay on bevel #5. 

The more you rotate the racket, the easier it is to add topspin to your forehand. As such, this grip is ideal for players who have a solid baseline game and play on slow courts that require a lot of topspin. However, it also becomes even more difficult to change grips and to hit shots close to the ground. This is also a fairly popular grip among tennis players. Rafael Nadal and Alexander Zverev are among the players who use the Western grip.

The picture below shows a standard Western forehand grip. 

Step #2 – Tennis Forehand Stances

Once you have your grip sorted out, it is time to move on to another extremely important step – the way you position your legs when hitting a forehand. These positions are also called stances, and there are 3 main ones: Open Stance, Semi-Open Stance, and Neutral Stance. Differently from a forehand grip (where you should stick to just one), you will be using all 3 forehand stances during a tennis match. We will cover each one below and show you when to use each. 

Forehand Open Stance

The open stance forehand is the most commonly used stance for defensive shots. The preparation for the open stance is significantly faster than the other two stances, which makes it ideal to return fast shots. In addition to that, this stance allows for a much faster recovery, as all the player needs to do is cross the outside foot in front of the inside foot and head back to the middle. 

As you can see in the picture above, the forehand open stance is executed when both feet are horizontally aligned. If you draw an imaginary circle around your hips, your feet would be positioned at a 180-degree angle. You should notice that most of the player’s weight is on the outside foot (right foot for right-handers, left for left-handers). Your knees should be bent according to the ball, as lower balls will require a greater bend. Once your feet are properly aligned, all you need to do is rotate your hips and shoulders about 90 degrees and swing through the ball. Make sure you keep your non-dominant hand pointing at the ball until the last second so you do not end up rotating your torso too early.

Technically, the open stance does not require the player to swing the outside leg through. However, you may choose to cross the outside leg over the inside one in order to recover faster.

Forehand Semi-Open Stance

The forehand semi-open stance is similar to the open stance, but it is considered slightly more aggressive. This position is great as it is fairly quick to set up but allows the player to transition from a defensive position to an aggressive one.

This is the best stance for all surfaces, as it’s very dynamic. When preparing for the semi-open stance, your front foot should be positioned diagonally to your back foot. If you draw an imaginary circle around your hips, your back foot would be on the “3 o’clock” position, and your front foot would be on the “12 o’clock” one (forming a 90-degree angle).

Your bodyweight should be between both feet, transitioning from back to front as you hit the shot. This way you will be able to use your body weight for the forehand, which will translate into a more powerful and aggressive shot. 

Forehand Neutral Stance

The forehand neutral stance is probably the most aggressive of all stances. In this stance, your front foot is positioned directly in front of your back foot, forming an angle close to 0 degrees. 

As you can see in the picture above, most of the bodyweight in this stance is centered on the front leg, which allows the player to generate a lot of power. The neutral stance is used mostly for short balls. Since you end up moving forward after the shot, this stance is used when the player wants to get to the net faster.

Since this stance requires the player to put one leg in front of the other, it can be somewhat slow to set up. For this reason, it is not considered a great defensive stance. 

Step #3 – Tennis Forehand Swing

The forehand swing may seem a little complicated at first, as you need to coordinate a lot of things at the same time. However, it is actually not that complicated. Once you break it down into smaller steps, it becomes simple and every step should flow smoothly. We have broken down these steps for you below:

1. Rotate Torso: Once you have your feet properly positioned, you should start rotating your torso. You should do so while keeping your non-dominant hand on the racket, so you rotate both arms together. 
2. Separate Hands: When your non-dominant shoulder (left for right-handers, right for left-handers) is facing the ball, you should begin separating your hands. The hand with the racket moves back and away from the ball, while the other hand starts pointing to the ball. 
3. Half-Circle Loop: Your dominant arm should make a half-circle loop, first raising your hand and then letting it come down towards the ball. You should raise your hand somewhere between your ribs and your face (the higher the ball, the higher the hand). 
4. Rotate Torso #2: You should keep the non-dominant hand pointing to the ball as long as possible. When your arms are wide open (one facing the ball, the other away from it), you should start swinging the racket towards the ball. Remember to rotate your whole torso, not just the arm. 
5. Hit The Ball, Swing Leg Through: The contact with the ball should happen in front of your body. Once that happens, your back leg should begin moving forward. That will allow you to gather some momentum, putting more weight into the shot. 
6. Follow-Through: Ideally, your swing will end with your left hand catching the racket around your left shoulder. 
7. Back Leg Steps Through: Finally, your back leg will land either in line with your front leg or ahead of it. The swing will be officially done then. 

The video below will show you how the steps mentioned above come through in a proper forehand swing. 

Step #4 – Tennis Forehand Topspin

A forehand is usually executed with topspin. A shot with topspin will bounce pretty high after it lands on the opponent’s court and tends to push the opponent back. These shots are used to keep an opponent in a defensive position. Some of the grips we mentioned above will naturally add more topspin to the forehand (like Western and Semi-Western), while the Eastern grip will usually result in flatter shots. Shots with a lot of topspin are ideal for slow and bouncy surfaces, like clay or some slow hard courts. 

In order to hit a shot with topspin, you should brush over the ball, basically starting in the middle and moving forwards. This will cause the ball to rotate forward.

Step #5 – Tennis Forehand Follow-Through

While you naturally end up focusing more on your swing before you make contact with the ball, you should pay as much attention to what you do after you hit it. A proper follow-through will make sure that your technique remains correct, that you are hitting the ball in the right spot, and that you minimize the risk of injuries.

A good forehand follow-through will have your non-dominant hand catching the racket at about the same height at your left shoulder. In order to make it easier to understand, one of my old coaches used to tell beginners that, at the end of each forehand, you should try to “kiss the biceps” of your dominant arm. By doing so, you will finish the stroke at the perfect height.

Recently, it has become increasingly common to finish a forehand behind the player’s head. However, this is not considered the best technique and should be reserved for advanced players. 

One of the main mistakes for beginners is to hit the “windshield wiper” forehand. When trying to maximize topspin on the forehand, a player will end up finishing the shot around hip height. This incorrect technique will not only decrease overall power but can also cause injuries.

Best Tennis Forehand Tips

These are some of the best tips in order to hit an awesome forehand:

1. It’s All About The Legs: While it may look like most of your forehand power will come from a fast swing, the actual power will come from your legs. Work out those legs and make sure you’re using them well on your forehands.
2. Use The Right Stance: Don’t get too caught up in using one forehand stance. Tennis is a game where you need to adapt all the time, so each shot will require a different stance. It’s all about using the right stance for that specific forehand. 
3. Always Move Forwards: Always try to make sure your body weight is moving forward when you hit your forehand. That will reduce mistakes at the net and will give you more power.
4. Hit It In Front: Try to always make contact with the ball right in front of your body, ideally at hip height. Don’t let the ball get too high, otherwise, it will become more difficult to time the shot properly. 
5. Focus On The Whole Shot: Don’t forget to do the proper follow-through!
6. Faster Is Not Always Better: One big misconception for beginners (and some advanced players) is that you need to hit your forehand hard in order to win points. That is completely incorrect, and in most cases, a well-placed forehand will be better than a fast one. 
7. Change It Up: I’ve always had a pretty decent forehand, but it was not the speed of it that made it good. I always tried to change things up, like angles, directions, and speed. That will make your opponent lost, which is a great advantage. So make sure you are training every single type of forehand out there!

One of the most important shots in tennis, the serve is also one of the most complex ones. Professional players base their whole game around their serves, while beginners dread it every time they begin to serve. The complexity of the tennis shot makes it a very interesting shot to learn, but it can be quite difficult to do so. If you are just starting to learn tennis, you will find this article extremely useful. We have broken down all the rules and technique tips we believe will help you. 

If you have any further questions, let us know and we will answer them. Otherwise, enjoy your reading! This is what you will find on this page:

• What Is A Serve In Tennis?
• Serve Rules In Tennis
  • Who Starts Serving
  • Basic Rules
  • Where To Stand
• How To Serve In Tennis
  • Step 1 – Feet Position
  • Step 2 – The Grip
  • Step 3 – Toss
  • Step 4 – Backswing
  • Step 5 – Jump
  • Step 6 – Shoulder Rotation
  • Step 7 – Wrist Snap
• Different Types Of Serves
  • Kick
  • Flat
  • Slice
  • Wide
  • Body
  • T
  • Underhand
• 7 Best Tips For A Better Tennis Serve

What Is A Serve In Tennis?

In tennis, a serve (also known as service) is defined as the shot players hit to start every point. At any point during a tennis match, only of the players is considered to be the server. The serve is usually a shot in which a player tosses the ball above his head, hitting it while still in the air.

However, a few players choose to use underarm serves (see more below) occasionally – which is also allowed. For the majority of professional tennis players, their serve is considered their main weapon. 

Serve Rules In Tennis

The serve is considered one of the most difficult shots for beginning tennis players. Besides the difficulty of the stroke itself, one of the most puzzling aspects of the serve is all the rules it is subject to. If you are a beginner, you might be concerned about just trying to hit the ball without hurting yourself, and following the proper rules might not even be on your mind. However, if you ever plan on playing a tennis tournament, you will need to know all the rules that apply to tennis serves. Below, we will try to cover all the rules you need to know in the simplest way possible, so after reading this your only concern will be how to improve your serve. 

Who Starts Serving

The first step before the match starts is to decide who serves first. This is usually done by either tossing a coin or by spinning a racquet. In professional matches, the standard is to use a coin. In club matches, players usually spin a racquet. The way that is done is player A covers the bottom of a racquet’s grip and begins spinning it. Player B chooses either “big line up” or “big line down” (if the racquet is a Babolat), or “M” or “W” (if the racquet is a Wilson). Player B then tells player A when to stop spinning, and the outcome of the spin will determine who wins it. 

The winner, then, can choose one out of 4 options:

1. To begin the match serving;
2. To begin the match receiving;
3. Choose which side of the court he wants to start on;
4. Defer the choice.

The loser of the spin gets to make the next choice. If player A chose to begin serving, for instance, player B gets to choose which side of the court he wants. If player A chose to defer the choice, player B gets to choose either the side of the court or to begin serving/receiving. Once these choices are made, the players are ready to start the match. 

Basic Rules

1. Only one player will serve during a specific game (except tiebreaks)
2. The player currently on serve has the right to two serves per point
3. The server’s feet must stand behind the baseline (see below) before hitting the ball
4. If the player’s feet touch the baseline, it is defined as a foot fault, and it is considered a missed serve
5. If the player misses a serve at the net or outside the service box, it is also considered a missed serve
6. If the player misses both serves for the same point, it is considered a double fault, which results in the loss of that point
7. If the ball touches the net and subsequently falls inside the correct service box, it is considered a let, and the player can reattempt to hit that serve; if it falls anywhere else it is considered a missed serve
8. During a tiebreak, one player will serve for the first point, and then each player will serve for two points
9. If the player who is receiving the serve touches the “served” ball before it bounces, the player who is serving automatically wins the point
10. If players have to play a tiebreak, the player who served during the first point of the tiebreak will NOT serve first in beginning of the following set

Where To Stand

One of the most common questions related to serves is where to stand. The rules are actually quite simple. If you look at the picture below, you will see that there are 2 main lines on the court you should pay attention to. The first one is the baseline (in red), and you should make sure you are standing behind it every time you are about to serve. If any of your feet touch this line before you hit the ball during a serve, it will be considered a foot fault. If that happens, that serve will be counted as an error. You are, however, allowed to land inside the court after you hit your serve.

The second line you should pay attention to is the center mark. This line draws an imaginary line across the court, and its only use is during the serve. A player who is serving will always stand either to the right or the left of the center mark (depending on the point), and he will try to hit the serve inside the service box located diagonally to him. 

 Every time a new game begins, the player who is serving starts at the right side of the center mark. He will then try to hit the service box located to his left (highlighted in green below). The player who is receiving will attempt to hit the ball back over the net, and the point will be on. 

When the point is over, the player on serve will then stand to the left side of the center mark. He or she will then attempt to hit the service box to his right. Players will then alternate sides every point until the game is over. In order to make it simpler, a player will stand to the right of the center mark during odd points (1st, 3rd, 5th, etc) and to the left during even points (2nd, 4th, 6th, etc). 

How To Serve In Tennis

The tennis serve is one of the most difficult shots for beginners to learn. The reason behind it is that it requires the coordination of several different movements, all involving different parts of the body. A serve starts with the proper positioning of the player’s feet, combined with the right grip of the racquet. It is followed by an uniform toss of the ball with the left hand while the right hand lifts the racquet in a semi-circular movement. Once that movement is done, the player needs to bend his knees and jump, while rotating his shoulders and pronating his wrist.

If it is difficult to even describe the tennis serve as a whole, imagine actually executing it. Several beginner players try to just copy what they see on TV, and end up developing the wrong technique due do the complexity of the serve movement. And once you develop the wrong technique, it can be hard to change it due to muscle memory.

It is extremely important to develop a good serving technique as you begin playing tennis. If you feel like you currently don’t have a good technique, there’s no need to panic though. With some purposeful practicing, you can certainly develop a great serve. The best way to learn the correct serve technique is to break it down into smaller steps, which when combined form a progression. By doing so, both beginner and advanced players can understand their own serves better and focus on the parts they need to improve.

In order to learn how to serve in tennis, you will need to learn the following steps:

1)    The Feet Position

2)    The Grip

3)    The Toss

4)    The Backswing

5)    The Jump

6)    The Shoulder Rotation

7)    The Wrist Snap

Step 1 –  Feet Position

The way you position your feet before serving is absolutely vital for a good serve. Beginners usually have a tendency to point their feet to the other side of the court, but that is not the right way to position yourself. The proper stance when serving is to point your front foot to the net post, and keep your back foot parallel to the baseline. If you’re right-handed, you should point your front foot to the right net post, and if you’re left-handed, you’ll point your front foot to the left post. 

Step 2 – Grip

When you’re learning how to serve, one of the most confusing aspects of it is how to hold the racquet. The best serve grip is the continental grip, and it is by far the most used by players across all levels. 

When finding a continental grip, the first step is to hold the grip at the base of the racquet. You shouldn’t hold the racquet in the middle of the grip, as that will limit your motion significantly. Then, you should rotate the grip until the little “cushion” between your thumb and your index finger is aligned with the side of the racquet (just like the picture above). 

Step 3 – Toss

A good toss is key to a powerful serve. You might have an amazing technique, strong legs, and a fast arm, and yet if your toss is poor your serve won’t be effective.

When you’re training your toss, it’s important to focus on consistency. In order to do so, it’s very important to have the right technique. You start by holding the ball with your non-dominant hand, between your thumb and the other 3 or 4 fingers. The ball should be slightly separated from the palm of your hand (like the picture above). 

Your arm should be in line with your front leg. Notice that the toss and the backswing should happen at the same time, so it’s important to time everything properly. As you lift your arm holding the ball, you should release the ball by the time your arm reaches your eye-level. Continue lifting your arm until you reach the “trophy position.”

Step 4 – Backswing

The backswing portion of the serve is the step that varies the most between players. There are several ways the backswing can be executed, so you should aim for something that works for you. The general rule is that the simpler the better.

You will to a semi-circle movement with your arm holding the racquet, and stop once you reach the “trophy position”. The bottom of your racquet should be almost touching the back of your head. Finally, both arms should be aligned.

Step 5 – Jump

Your jump is actually one of the most important parts of your serve. Once you reach the “trophy position”, both of your knees should be slightly bent. Also, most of your weight should be on your front leg – which will propel you to jump forwards.

You should jump with both legs, towards a 45 degree direction (up AND forwards). You should land on your front leg, and that leg should land inside the court.

Step 6 – Shoulder Rotation

While you jump, the shoulder rotation step should happen as well. These steps should be synchronized, so you don’t waste any of the energy you have built throughout the movement. It is extremely important that you maintain your body relaxed throughout this step, otherwise you will not hit the serve as fast as you can. 

The rotation will come from your shoulder, core, and hips. Essentially what you’re trying to do is to bring your back hip and shoulder in line with your front hip and shoulder. By the time this step is done, your arm holding the racquet should be about to make contact with the ball.

Step 7 – Wrist Snap

Finally, it is time to hit the ball. Your wrist should be firm yet relaxed. This step is what will dictate whether you hit a kick, slice, or flat serve. You will “snap” your wrist as your racquet hits the ball and then follow through with your arm.

The Different Types Of Tennis Serves

A powerful and effective serve can be a very important aspect of your game, regardless of the level you are playing. It is the one shot in which you have total control of how you hit it, and – if executed correctly – can put your opponent in a lot of trouble. Once you learn the basic techniques mentioned above, you will be able to add different spins and directions to your serve, which means that your opponents will have a harder time returning those serves. Below we will cover the major different types of serves that you will eventually master.

Different Spins

Adding different spins to a serve will change the direction and height of the ball after it bounces. Players serve with different spins in order to make their opponents’ lives more difficult, since it makes it harder for them to identify where the serve is coming. There are 3 different spins used by players: kick, flat, and slice. 

Kick Serve

A Kick Serve happens when a player hits the ball with topspin, which normally causes the ball to bounce higher than it would otherwise. Kick serves are generally used in slower and bouncier court surfaces (clay, har-thru, or slow hard courts), as these courts maximize the effect of such serves, making them more difficult for returners. An effective kick serve will make the ball bounce higher than the returner’s shoulder line, making it difficult to attack the serve. Normally kick serves are used during the second serve, since the added spin reduces the overall speed of the serve.

So how do you hit a kick serve in tennis? In order to do so, your racquet needs to hit the ball on your non-dominant side (left side for right-handed, right side for left-handed) and then brush the ball from above. This movement will make the ball rotate forward, which will cause it to bounce higher.

While it can be counterintuitive at first, you should feel like you’re hitting the ball upwards. You will then use your wrist rotation in order to “cover” the ball, which will make the ball come down after it has cleared the net. The picture below shows where your contact point for a kick serve should be, and how the ball will rotate afterward. 

Flat Serve

As you can imagine, a flat serve means that it does not have any spin added to it. It is normally the first serve you will learn when being introduced to tennis, as it is the simplest of the 3 serve variations. The benefit of hitting a flat serve is that the ball will reach the maximum possible speed, decreasing the reaction time of the receiver. The fastest serves hit by professional players are usually flat serves, and can easily reach speeds of 130 mph. The drawback of the flat serve, on the other hand, is that the ball will not change direction after it bounces. If the returner can predict where you will hit a flat serve, it will be fairly easy to return it. Therefore, if you do not have a fast serve, a flat serve will be less effective than a kick or slice serve.

How can you hit a flat serve in tennis? Since you are not using any spin generated by your wrist, all you have to do is hit a normal serve. The contact point between the racquet and the ball will dictate where the ball will land. Generally, you should attempt to hit the ball somewhere close to the middle, as you can see in the picture below.

Slice Serve

A slice serve is known to be the opposite of a kick serve. Such spin makes the ball stay close to the ground and bounce leftwards for right-handed servers (and rightwards for left-handed ones). Slice serves are used on all surfaces, but are specially effective on courts that already tend to keep the ball low (like grass or indoor courts). Slice serves are also very effective for doubles matches, as they force the returner to hit the ball upwards, allowing the player at the net to hit an easier volley.

How can you hit slice serves in a tennis match? In order to be effective, your racquet should hit the ball on your dominant side (right for right-handed, left for left-handed), and then brush it horizontally. By doing so, the ball will move left after it bounces (move right for left-handers). The picture below shows the ideal contact point for a slice serve and the normal trajectory of the ball (for a right-handed serve). 

Different Directions

While the ball contact point will be different for right and left-handers, the different directions of the serves have nothing to do with a player’s dominant hand. A wide serve will be the same regardless of which one is your dominant hand or which spin you add to the ball. 

Players choose to change the direction of their serves because it might allow them to explore a strength in their own game or a weakness in their opponent’s game. If your opponent has a weak backhand, you can use your serve to take advantage of that. If you have a good forehand, you can use wide serves to open up the court and get shorter balls in your forehand. There are several different possibilities you can explore, and you can start the process by learning what each serve means.  

Wide Serve

Wide serves are aimed towards the outer extremes of the service box, as you can see in the picture above. If you are serving from the right side of the court (deuce side), a wide serve will hit the left side of the left service box. If you are serving from the left side (ad side), a wide serve will hit the right side of the right service box. Wide serves are great to open up the court since it will force your opponent to hit it outside of the singles court (X marks above). You will then have the whole court open to hit the second shot. 

The drawbacks of wide serves is that they give your opponent a great degree of angle. If she serve is not effective, your opponent will be able to hit an aggressive shot either crosscourt or down-the-line. 

Body Serve

Body serves are literally aimed at the receiver’s body. By hitting an effective body serve, you will remove all the angles from your opponent. A well-executed body serve will be aimed towards the receiver’s hip on his or her dominant side. By doing that, the player will have a hard time hitting either a forehand or a backhand. The drawback from body serves is that it can be very difficult to hit aces. 

T Serve

Finally, T serves are aimed towards the inner portion of the service box. T serves are an excellent choice as they remove angles from the receiver, yet they can easily result in aces. 

Underhand Serve

Underhand serves, while not frequently used, are a serve variation used by some players. When doing so, a player hits the ball as a forehand slice instead of hitting it above his head. The reason behind hitting an underhand serve is that it breaks the rhythm of the match, as the receiver is not expecting such a shot. Since the receiver is expecting a fast serve and thus waiting far behind the baseline, a short underhand serve might result in a double bounce. 

Underhand serves are seen by many as unethical, or as “cheap shots”. However, they have been used more frequently by players like Nick Kyrgios. 

7 Best Tips For A Better Tennis Serve

1. Choose the right racquet: some racquets will give you more control, while others will give you more power. If you naturally have good serve control or power, you might want to choose a racquet that will complement your natural skills. 
2. Stay relaxed: as you try to hit a faster serve, you begin to tense up your whole body. However, if you watch the pros playing, you will see that they are relaxed when they serve. It’s all about acceleration, not strength. 
3. Strong legs = more power: While it looks like a powerful serve depends on strong arms, the power actually derives from the legs. Having strong legs will allow you to jump better, so don’t forget leg day at the gym.
4. Hit the ball at the peak: An important step in order to improve your serve is to hit the ball at its highest point. That will optimize your effort and increase velocity with the same amount of effort. 
5. A well-placed serve might be better than a fast one: This is extremely important. A well-placed serve with good topspin or slice can be much more effective than a flat serve in the middle. Roger Federer is not the fastest server out there, but he has an unbelievable winning percentage on his serve games. This is because he can place his serves very well, and combine them with effective second shots. 
6. Explore the opponent’s weakness: Regardless of how good your serve is, if you have a good strategy, you can win a lot of points because of your serve. You usually want to aim most of your serves at your opponent’s weakest shot. 
7. Percentage is key: Having a first-serve percentage above 65% is extremely important for your overall game. If you are missing too many serves, you might be trying to hit them too hard. Making sure you’re making first serves keeps your opponent in a defensive position.