A tennis player picks a ball, takes it into the air, and hits it diagonally into the opposite service box to start a point. Yes! It is the tennis serve that starts the game for a player.
A ball needs to cross the net and fall on the opposite service box. It’s all good as long as the ball crosses the net. Having a good service is the biggest advantage for players as it helps them to get a hold of their game and not give it away easily.
The fastest serve record has been made by Andy Roddick who served at 249.5 km/h (155 mph). In women’s tennis, Venus Williams and Brenda Schultz-McCarthy scored the fastest serve at a speed of 209 km/h (130 mph).
There are many different styles of service which are played in tennis. The most common are the first and the second serves. Along with them, flat serve, slice serve, topspin serve, topspin slice serve, and American twist serve are typically played in tennis.
Let’s have a look into the technicality of the first and the second serve. The rules are no different for the first and the second serve, only the tactics differ. The first serve is all about the power, deception, and skill the player has in striking the ball, either by pushing the opponent in the disadvantageous zone or out-righting him/her.
This creates a chance for winning the point. The second serve usually pops up after the double fault, which forces the player to hit with a higher curve or less power.
Typically, this is not the most favorite service for tennis players. The simple difference, isn’t it? Players like Boris Becker, Stefan Edberg, Goran Ivanisevic, Roger Federer, and Pete Sampras are a few of the players with powerful first serves.