The basic tennis shots

A competent tennis player has eight basic shots in hisforehands.
or her repertoire: the serve, forehand, backhand, volley,In the 1940s and 50s the Ecuadorian/ American player
half-volley, overhead smash, drop shot, and lob.Pancho Segura used a two-handed forehand to
Serve In the days of wooden racquets, Panchodevastating effect against larger, more powerful
Gonzales's 112-mph serve was the fastest everplayers, and many females and young players use the
recorded A serve (or, more formally, a "service") intwo-handed grips today.
tennis is a shot to start a point.Backhand For right-handed players, the backhand is a
The serve is initiated by tossing the ball into the air andstroke that begins on the left side of their body,
hitting it (usually near the apex of its trajectory) into thecontinues across their body as contact is made with
diagonally opposite service box without touching thethe ball, and ends on the right side of their body.
net. The serve may be hit under- or overhand.It can be executed with either one hand or with both
Experienced players strive to master the conventionaland is generally considered more difficult to master
overhand serve to maximize its power and placement.than the forehand. For most of the 20th Century it
The server may employ different types of serve: Flatwas performed with one hand, using either an eastern
Serve Topspin Serve (Sometimes called a "Kick/or a continental grip.
Kicker" serve. Often times confused with theThe first notable players to use two hands were the
"American Twist" serve, since both types of serves1930s Australians Vivian McGrath and John Bromwich,
are called "Kick/Kicker" serves.) American Twist/Twistbut they were lonely exceptions. The two-handed grip
Serve (Also, sometimes called a "Kick/Kicker" serve,gained popularity in the 1970s as Björn Borg, Chris
which can confuse people, since "Topspin" serves areEvert, Jimmy Connors, and later Mats Wilander used it
also called the same thing.to great effect, and it is now used by a large number
Furthermore, this serve is often times confused withof the world's best players, including Andre Agassi.
the "Topspin-Slice" serve as well.) Slice/Slider/SidespinAndy Roddick, uses the "extreme western" grip to
Serve Topspin-Slice Serve (Often times confused tocreate massive amounts of top spin. It is difficult to do
be the same as the American Twist/Twist, though it'sthis and also causes injuries when done incorrectly.
not. The serves are very different from one another.)Two hands give the player more power, while one
Reverse Slice/Reverse Slider/Reverse Sidespin Servehand can generate a slice shot, applying backspin on
Reverse Twist/Reverse American Twist Servethe ball to produce a low trajectory bounce. The
Reverse Topspin-Slice Serve A reverse type of spinplayer long considered to have had the best backhand
serve is hit in a manner that spins the ball opposite theof all time, Don Budge, had a very powerful
natural spin of the server, the spin direction dependingone-handed stroke in the 1930s and '40s that imparted
upon right- or left-handedness.topspin onto the ball. Ken Rosewall, another player
Some servers are content to use the serve simply tonoted for his one-handed backhand, used a deadly
initiate the point; advanced players often try to hit aaccurate slice backhand with underspin through the
winning shot with their serve. A winning serve that is1950s and '60s. A small number of players, notably
not touched by the opponent is called an ace; if theMonica Seles, use two hands on both the backhand
receiver manages to touch it but fails to successfullyand forehand sides.
return it, it is called a service winner.A volley is made in the air before the ball bounces,
Forehand For a right-handed player, the forehand is agenerally near the net, and is usually made with a
stroke that begins on the right side of his body,stiff-wristed punching motion to hit the ball into an open
continues across his body as contact is made with thearea of the opponent's court. The half-volley is made
ball, and ends on the left side of his body. There areby hitting the ball on the rise just after it has bounced,
various grips for executing the forehand and theironce again generally in the vicinity of the net. From a
popularity has fluctuated over the years. The mostpoor defensive position on the baseline, the lob can be
important ones are the continental, the eastern, and theused as either an offensive or defensive weapon,
western. For a number of years the small, apparentlyhitting the ball high and deep into the opponent's court
frail 1920s player Bill Johnston was considered byto either enable the lobber to get into better defensive
many to have had the best forehand of all time, aposition or to win the point outright by hitting it over the
stroke that he hit shoulder-high using a western grip.opponent's head. If the lob is not hit deeply enough into
Few top players used the western grip after thethe other court, however, the opponent may then hit
1920s, but in the latter part of the 20th century, asan overhead smash, a hard, serve-like shot, to try to
shot-making techniques and equipment changedend the point.
radically, the western forehand made a strongFinally, if an opponent is deep in his court, a player may
comeback and is now used by many modern players.suddenly employ an unexpected drop shot, softly
No matter which grip is used, most forehands aretapping the ball just over the net so that the opponent
generally executed with one hand holding the racquet,is unable to run in fast enough to retrieve it.
but there have been fine players with two-handed