The Serve

In my first column earlier this month I noted the similarities between tennis and golf. Every golf hole begins with the player striking a tee shot. Every point played in a tennis match starts with a player hitting a serve. In golf the tee shot is played taking into consideration the hazards and obstacles that the architect has built into that particular hole (sand trap, pond, tree, etc.). The tennis serve has no such landscape hazards to avoid, however, it must clear a wall (albeit a see-through wall) and land inside the boundary lines. The goal of the serve (shortened from service stroke) is to begin the point, or at the very highest levels to end the point - BOOM!!! One thing to remember when you are the server is that the placement of your delivery has a direct and immediate effect on what happens next. Over the wall (net) and inside the lines - so far so good. The player you are serving to is now in charge of the response. I want you to imagine this before you serve; if your serve lands in one particular area of the box Rafa is going to unleash a 100-mph forehand that is spinning like a buzzsaw, but if you can manage to get it to the opposite area of the box you’ll be dealing with Elmer Fudd and his soft floated nudge directly back to you! Of course this is a wild exaggeration, but there is truth in it. Every player has a strong and weak side and as the server you get to decide whether you are going to battle Rafa or Elmer!

Practice your serve until you can land it on a small hand towel placed in the service box and you’ll begin more points with a positive outlook!