Phuket Gazette’s top sport tips: Tennis

PHUKET: The second most important shot in tennis is the return of serve. The goal for the return of serve is to neutralize the serve.

Returning the ball deep into the court for singles, or at the side “T” for doubles, is where players should aim. The technique is to minimize backswing and forward swing.

Measure the racket to the ball with your opposite hand and squeeze your bottom three fingers at contact with the ball.

In Photo 1 of Alexsandra Wozniak, you can see that her forehand preparation starts in the left hand as she’s measuring the racket to the oncoming ball.

In the second photo, you can see that her racket strings are facing the net or otherwise described as “showing the strings” to the opponent by squeezing the bottom fingers.

These techniques can turn what is supposed to be a defensive position into a neutral position just by getting the serve back over the net. The key is to not over-swing since the serve is usually coming fast.

Travis Bertram is the Tennis Director at Thanyapura Sports and Leisure Club and offers tennis tips and advice for Phuket Gazette readers.

— Travis Bertram