Perfect serve

Jeff Plumb Answered 15 years ago

Hi Yashant,

Unfortunately (or fortunately if you are receiving) the rules were changed in 2000 and you are not allowed to hide the ball anymore. Your opponent must be able to see the ball at all times otherwise you can be faulted.

So the key to a good serve these days is subtle variations. Try varying the spin, speed and placement of your serve. This is the way to confuse your opponent.

Figure out what type of spin your opponent least likes and then vary the amount of spin. Say your opponent doesn't like backspin serves. Try serving some heavy backspin serves and some light backspin or even no spin serves. Try to keep your service action as close as possible for both these serves.

Then figure out if your opponent returns better or worse from the backhand, forehand or middle.

And don't forget to throw in a few long fast serves to keep your opponent off guard.