LESSON 7 OF 8 • BEGINNER • 8 MIN
How to Serve in Tennis
The short answer
Hold the racquet with a Continental grip, toss the ball slightly in front of you with a straight arm, bend your knees, then reach up and hit the ball at full stretch. Land the serve in the diagonal service box. You get two tries.
The serve is the only shot you fully control
Every other shot depends on what your opponent sends you. On the serve, the ball waits for you. You decide when to toss and when to swing. That's good news, and also the reason it feels so hard at first: there's nobody to blame but yourself.
The rules in one paragraph
Stand behind the baseline, between the center mark and the sideline. Serve the ball diagonally into the service box across the net. You get two attempts, called first and second serve. Miss both and it's a double fault, so the other player wins the point. If the ball clips the net and still lands in the correct box, it's a let and you replay the serve.
Start simple
Don't try to copy a pro's powerful serve on day one. Begin with a gentle, smooth swing that gets the ball in. A reliable 50 mph serve wins more points at the beginner level than a wild 90 mph one. Speed will come once the motion feels natural.
The toss is everything
Lift the ball with your fingertips, not by flicking your wrist, and let your arm rise straight up like a crane. Release it at about eye level. The ball should peak a little in front of you and slightly toward your hitting side. Practice just tossing, without swinging, until the ball lands in the same spot every time. If you can drop it on a towel, you're ready.
Reach, don't push
At contact, your arm should be nearly straight and your body stretched upward, as if you're trying to touch the sky. Hitting at full height gives the ball room to clear the net. Beginners who hit the ball low have to aim up and then they either hit the net or go long.
Common beginner mistakes
- Tossing too far behind the head, so the swing turns into a back-bend.
- Using a forehand grip, which leads to wild, spinning balls.
- Rushing. Take a breath, bounce the ball a couple of times, and start when you're ready.
Try this at the court
- Toss only. Do twenty tosses and let the ball fall without hitting it. Put a towel on the ground where you want it to land.
- Serve from the service line. Stand closer to the net and hit easy serves into the box. Step back a few feet once you get ten in a row.
- Throw a ball. Throwing a tennis ball over the net overarm is the same motion in a simpler form. It can show you how a smooth serve feels.
Questions people ask
Where do I toss the ball on a tennis serve?
Toss it slightly in front of you and a bit toward your hitting side, so you can reach up and hit it at full stretch without leaning back.
What is a double fault?
A double fault is missing both of your two serve attempts. You lose the point.
Can I serve underhand?
Yes. An underhand serve is legal in tennis. It's a handy way to get a point started while you're learning the overhand motion.