| A competent tennis player has eight basic | | | | hand holding the racquet, but there have been |
| shots in his or her repertoire: the serve, | | | | fine players with two-handed forehands. |
| forehand, backhand, volley, half-volley, | | | | |
| overhead smash, drop shot, and lob. | | | | In the 1940s and 50s the Ecuadorian/ American |
| | | | player Pancho Segura used a two-handed |
| Serve In the days of wooden racquets, Pancho | | | | forehand to devastating effect against |
| Gonzales's 112-mph serve was the fastest ever | | | | larger, more powerful players, and many |
| recorded A serve (or, more formally, a | | | | females and young players use the two-handed |
| "service") in tennis is a shot to start a | | | | grips today. |
| point. | | | | |
| | | | Backhand For right-handed players, the |
| The serve is initiated by tossing the ball | | | | backhand is a stroke that begins on the left |
| into the air and hitting it (usually near the | | | | side of their body, continues across their |
| apex of its trajectory) into the diagonally | | | | body as contact is made with the ball, and |
| opposite service box without touching the | | | | 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 |
| Experienced players strive to master the | | | | with both and is generally considered more |
| conventional overhand serve to maximize its | | | | difficult to master than the forehand. For |
| power and placement. The server may employ | | | | most of the 20th Century it was performed |
| different types of serve: Flat Serve Topspin | | | | with one hand, using either an eastern or a |
| Serve (Sometimes called a "Kick/ Kicker" | | | | continental grip. |
| serve. Often times confused with the | | | | |
| "American Twist" serve, since both types of | | | | The first notable players to use two hands |
| serves are called "Kick/Kicker" serves.) | | | | were the 1930s Australians Vivian McGrath and |
| American Twist/Twist Serve (Also, sometimes | | | | John Bromwich, but they were lonely |
| called a "Kick/Kicker" serve, which can | | | | exceptions. The two-handed grip gained |
| confuse people, since "Topspin" serves are | | | | popularity in the 1970s as Björn Borg, |
| also called the same thing. | | | | Chris Evert, Jimmy Connors, and later Mats |
| | | | Wilander used it to great effect, and it is |
| Furthermore, this serve is often times | | | | now used by a large number of the world's |
| confused with the "Topspin-Slice" serve as | | | | best players, including Andre Agassi. Andy |
| well.) Slice/Slider/Sidespin Serve | | | | Roddick, uses the "extreme western" grip to |
| Topspin-Slice Serve (Often times confused to | | | | create massive amounts of top spin. It is |
| be the same as the American Twist/Twist, | | | | difficult to do this and also causes injuries |
| though it's not. The serves are very | | | | when done incorrectly. Two hands give the |
| different from one another.) Reverse Slice | | | | player more power, while one hand can |
| Reverse Slider/Reverse Sidespin Serve Reverse | | | | generate a slice shot, applying backspin on |
| Twist/Reverse American Twist Serve Reverse | | | | the ball to produce a low trajectory bounce. |
| Topspin-Slice Serve A reverse type of spin | | | | The player long considered to have had the |
| serve is hit in a manner that spins the ball | | | | best backhand of all time, Don Budge, had a |
| opposite the natural spin of the server, the | | | | very powerful one-handed stroke in the 1930s |
| spin direction depending upon right- or | | | | and '40s that imparted topspin onto the ball. |
| left-handedness. | | | | Ken Rosewall, another player noted for his |
| | | | one-handed backhand, used a deadly accurate |
| Some servers are content to use the serve | | | | slice backhand with underspin through the |
| simply to initiate the point; advanced | | | | 1950s and '60s. A small number of players, |
| players often try to hit a winning shot with | | | | notably Monica Seles, use two hands on both |
| their serve. A winning serve that is not | | | | the backhand and forehand sides. |
| touched by the opponent is called an ace; if | | | | |
| the receiver manages to touch it but fails to | | | | A volley is made in the air before the ball |
| successfully return it, it is called a | | | | bounces, generally near the net, and is |
| service winner. | | | | usually made with a stiff-wristed punching |
| | | | motion to hit the ball into an open area of |
| Forehand For a right-handed player, the | | | | the opponent's court. The half-volley is made |
| forehand is a stroke that begins on the right | | | | by hitting the ball on the rise just after it |
| side of his body, continues across his body | | | | has bounced, once again generally in the |
| as contact is made with the ball, and ends on | | | | vicinity of the net. From a poor defensive |
| the left side of his body. There are various | | | | position on the baseline, the lob can be used |
| grips for executing the forehand and their | | | | as either an offensive or defensive weapon, |
| popularity has fluctuated over the years. The | | | | hitting the ball high and deep into the |
| most important ones are the continental, the | | | | opponent's court to either enable the lobber |
| eastern, and the western. For a number of | | | | to get into better defensive position or to |
| years the small, apparently frail 1920s | | | | win the point outright by hitting it over the |
| player Bill Johnston was considered by many | | | | opponent's head. If the lob is not hit deeply |
| to have had the best forehand of all time, a | | | | enough into the other court, however, the |
| stroke that he hit shoulder-high using a | | | | opponent may then hit an overhead smash, a |
| western grip. Few top players used the | | | | hard, serve-like shot, to try to end the |
| western grip after the 1920s, but in the | | | | point. |
| latter part of the 20th century, as | | | | |
| shot-making techniques and equipment changed | | | | Finally, if an opponent is deep in his court, |
| radically, the western forehand made a strong | | | | a player may suddenly employ an unexpected |
| comeback and is now used by many modern | | | | drop shot, softly tapping the ball just over |
| players. No matter which grip is used, most | | | | the net so that the opponent is unable to run |
| forehands are generally executed with one | | | | in fast enough to retrieve it. |