What makes the slice serve unique is the sidespin applied, which causes the ball to move from right to left (if youre a righty) and continue to move in that direction off the bounce. As a result, when the flat serve hits the court, it tends to bounce low and continue straight forward from where it lands in the court. Tennis is at the top. Roger Federer was one of the tennis greats known for his undeniable skill of slicing.He was one of the best modern tennis players, and was renowned for his ability to control the ball with unmatched elegance and grace. The forehand slice is a shot which is rarely taught or discussed in modern tennis. It is possible to play every single forehand shot as a slice, but this is unlikely to be the most effective way to play. Like all slice shots, the forehand version is hit high-to-low, with the strings brushing under the ball. Believe it or not, when the pros hit a kick serve, their racquet is traveling at roughly the same rate or faster than their flat or slice serve. There are basically three major types of court surfaces: Hard Courts, Grass Courts, and Clay Courts. As a result, you should aim to toss the ball directly above your head and slightly behind you, so that when you can swing up to contact the ball, youre coming from under the ball. disadvantages of the two backhand strokes in relation to the style of play. Slice shots that are hit from lack of confidence or in a desperate attempt to just get the ball back tend to float, and they travel through the air slowly. On the other hand, if you were to try that same serve against a 65 opponent, then you may find it lands much closer to their strike zone, allowing them to hit an easy return. . Home > Instruction > Serve > 3 Types of Tennis Serves, Improve your game alongside our community of tennis players. On a surface like grass which creates less friction, the ball will tend to skid and stay low. The slice serve is perfect for opening up the tennis court. As a result, when the ball hits the court, it stays low, which forces a player to have to bend and get low or return out of their strike zone. Kevin is an LTA-accredited coach, and is world ranked in the over-55 age group. If youre a righty, hitting a slice serve out wide in the deuce court will draw your opponent off the court, leaving the rest of the court open for a follow-up shot that puts you in a position to move forward and attack. But what is the difference between these two groundstrokes? 3. On your side, there is pressure to hit your second serve in, which forces you to take some pace off the serve and subsequently gives your opponent more confidence in their return. Here are some tips on how to slice a ball in tennis: 1. When you're moving forward toward the net and you want to drive a low-bouncing ball into the corner of your opponent's court. Many pros, including the legendary Australian champion Ken Rosewall, used the slice backhand stroke as their only backhand. Those two qualities can catch your opponent off guard and screw up her timing.

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A word of caution: Slice backhands make poor passing shots. That's just plain easier.

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