Phuket Gazette’s Top Sporting Tips: Tennis

PHUKET: This week’s tennis tip about the serve comes courtsey of Travis Bertram who is the Tennis Director for Thanyapura Sports and Leisure Club, Phuket.

The serve is one of the most important shots in tennis, if not the most important.

There are two major checkpoints to look for or be aware of on the serve, the wrist and balance on the front foot.

The first you can see in the starting motion of the photo of Marat Safin. Notice before he serves that his left hand is holding the ball with the racket resting between the heel of his hand and the ball.

This technique allows the weight of the racket to rest in the left hand allowing the right hand to rest. This is paramount to having a good and reliable serve.

The playing hand should be relaxed allowing the wrist to snap. Many players use the finger tips as well to hold the racket.

In the second photo you can see as the ball is tossed that Safin’s weight is entirely on the ball of the front foot, providing an anchor for the body to keep still while the arm and wrist snap forward. Usually, one of these two culprits (the wrist or balance on the front foot) are to blame for a poor serve.

Now, a myth we must dispel is that the toss is most important. To prove this wrong, ask a good player to serve in 80km wind or to serve in the sun. The way to salvage a bad toss is to use a good wrist.

— Travis Bertram