What Are the Hardest Serves in a Tennis Game? (4 Ranked)

Tennis is, in general, a strenuous game. Being a game that requires concentration in both mind and body, it also requires mastering a lot of physical and intellectual skills.

The serve is undoubtedly a potent technique in a tennis game. It is used to kickstart a game and also used during the game as a winning tactic. However, there are different types of services, and they require a varying amount of effort and efficiency. Now, which type of service requires the most effort?

The flat serve is controversially the most arduous type of service to perform. It requires maximum force, stamina, and poise as it is considered the fastest type of serve. When properly shot, a flat serve is almost impossible to return, thus making it a very effective scoring tactic.

The flat serve is both powerful and effective. However, no single-serve is efficient enough to aid you in winning a game single-handedly. You would need to at one point or switch to a different method of serving. This would keep your opponent guessing your next move at every step of the game. Variety, they say, is the spice of life, or in this case, the spice of the game.

Who Has the Fastest Serve In History?

In May 2012, Sam Groth shot a historic serve whose speed rocks as high as 263 km (163.4mph). This occurred at an ATP challenger event in Busan, South Korea.

However, because ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) does not officially acknowledge records amassed from challenger events, Groth’s historic serve was never officially recognized.

Nevertheless, the official title of the fastest serve in the world is held by John Isner. His serve was recorded with a speed of 253.0km (157.2mph) at the 2016 Davis Cup.

What Are the Basic Types of Serves In Tennis?

The efficiency of your serve would light you at a higher advantage over your opponent. It is quite challenging for beginners to master all the techniques in tennis as they require continuous practice and technique. Rome was not built in a day, and neither is a pro made with just a single practice. 

Below is a list of the basic types of serve used in a tennis match:

Flat Serve

As the name implies, the flat serve is performed with little or no spin. It produces a low bounce and is extremely fast as the result of the minimal spin involved. It is mostly used as the first serve.

The speed of the flat serve is its biggest advantage. This is because it gives your opponent very little time to react, and they are most likely to miscalculate and miss the shot.

The players are at an advantage with this serve as they would have more clearance over the net than shorter people do.

Slice Serve

A slice serve is most effective when accurately performed. It is the most commonly used serve as it effectively takes your opponent out of the court.

If you’re right-handed and playing against a southpaw, then this serve is your biggest weapon as it would target their weaker backhand side.

To perform a slice serve, the ball has to be tossed up high to provide you a better view to hit the ball at a proper angle. A slice serve also gives you ample opportunity to combine both spin and force.

Kick Serve

All the pros make a kick serve to look easy, but trust me, you have no idea how many hours of endless practice they put into getting that seemingly effortless serve.

The kick serve is not as common as the other serves, but it is as effective as those mentioned above. With time and continual practice, the kick serve could be your most efficient tool.

The kick serve provides the player with control and a higher bounce, although the bounce speed is slower than the rest, thus making it easier to shoot back.

Underhand Serve

This serve is mostly taught to kids or newbie tennis players. Injured tennis players also use it.

It is seldom used in competitive or professional play as it involves techniques that contradict traditional tennis serves. In an underhand serve, the ball bounces twice on the table before the opponent can return it.

How Do I Improve My Serve?

As boring as it sounds, the most efficient way to achieve a flawless serve is through hours and hours of practice. That’s how the professionals got so good.

Get yourself a pack of balls and dedicate 90 minutes to 3 hours daily to tennis practice, and you’ll be a pro sooner than you anticipated. 

You could either do solo practice or find a practice partner. Either way, make sure you put in the same tempo and energy as you would during an actual match. This would effectively aid your practice.

How Do I Get More Spin?

Tennis is nothing without spin. If you want to be a pro, it would be in your best interest to perfect your spins, and there’s only one way to achieve perfection, through practice.

In tennis, three top notches facilitate a game; spin, speed, and power. Spin refers to how fast the ball rotates, and speed refers to the velocity of the ball’s travel. Power, on the other hand, is the factor that determines both speed and spin. The lower exerted on a ball determines the spin and speed of the shot.

To perfect your spin like a pro, you should:

1. Learn to have optimal timing
2. Have a faster acceleration. The faster the acceleration, the more spins the balls would have.
3. Perfect your ball brushing.

Why Is Tennis Considered a Hard Sport?

Tennis entails a lot of physical activity. It is an active sport that involves almost every part of your body, from your hands to your legs, eyes, and brain.

According to a recent survey conducted by ESPN, tennis ranks as number 7 on the list of toughest sports globally, with gymnastics following at number 8.

It is undoubtedly one of the hardest sports to play and even learn. Most people who try out tennis for the first time are most likely to not return for a second game.

It would take years to perfect a tennis technique, that is, with proper training. Being a fast game, Tennis does not give the player ample time to carefully evaluate his next move.

The player’s brain is in active service, and his reflex muscles power his actions. To be a core professional, you must possess adequate proportions of endurance, agility, speed, strength, and skill.

Notwithstanding, it is possible to become an outstanding tennis player, even if you had absolutely no prior knowledge of handling a racket. However, it would take a longer time to master tennis on a professional scale. It would help if you were already physically fit before indulging in the game.

Professionalism in tennis can be summed into one word; Practice. Without practice, you will slowly begin to lose the skills you have worked so hard to acquire.

Learn more: How Hard Is Tennis Compared To Other Sports? (Fast Answer)

What Are the Basic Strokes In Tennis?

• Serve: A serve is used to begin the game. Some people are even of the opinion that the efficiency of the first serve can determine the rest of the game. This is true to an extent. It is advisable to put your best into your serve.

A player is given two chances to serve right. There are different methods of serving( which have been previously explained). A serve is performed by throwing the ball up in the air and passing it into the opponent’s side with the racket.

• Volley: A volley is performed by hitting the ball midway while the player is either approaching the net or already at the net.
• Lob: A lob is a great defensive shot if your opponent is close to the net. If shot very high, the lob will give the player time to return to position. A lob is done mostly with a forehand or a backhand ground serve.
• Groundstroke: A groundstroke is usually used when the player is close to the baseline. There are two types of groundstroke; the forehand and the backhand groundstroke. In the forehand groundstroke, the player swings the tennis racket across their body to the ball on the same side as their dominant hand.

In the backhand stroke, the player swings their racket in the opposite direction, away from their body.

Which Serve Should I Learn First?

The first thing that you should learn in tennis is serving. It is the most important skill for every tennis player and probably the most difficult to learn.

You could learn the forehand and backhand groundstroke thereafter. They are the easiest skills and most likely the first thing your tennis coach will teach you.

What Type Of Serve Is First?

Most pros begin their game with a first serve or a slice serve. Either is a great option to begin a match with. 

The slice serve has little or no topspin, cannot be shot too high above the air, and provides little room for error. The flat serve, the flat serve, on the other hand, is a powerful shot that is generally difficult to return.

Choosing which player takes the first serve is divided by a coin toss or the racket spin. When striking a serve, ensure maximum grip on the racket to strike a more powerful server. Flat serves are best hit with a continental grip. However, the Eastern grip works too; Serena Williams has proved that.

A powerful serve also has a downside. We shoot powerful shots intending to destabilize our opponents. The flip side would occur if our opponents returned the shot with real vigor, thus catching us off guard.

What Are the Types of Stances?

A player’s stance is all about his legwork and poise during the game. Simply put, stance in tennis is the way a player stands when hitting the ball.

Different players have different stances. Some have even come up with their signature stance. However, there are three basic tennis stances:

• Closed stance: some people call it the classic stance. In this stance, the player has both feet and body turned sideways to the net. This stance enables you to move or turn at will freely. A close stance is ideal for a backhand ground shot which requires minimal movement of the upper body movement.
• Open stance: This stance aligns the player’s feet in parallel to the net with the trunk and shoulders turning sideways. This stance does not give room for proper weight transfer or bodyweight maintenance, but it provides the player ample opportunity to unleash their front hand groundstroke prowess.
• Semi-open stance: This strikes a balance between the open and the closed stance. It provides the players the advantages of both open and closed stances, as well as the disadvantages.

This stance is now common among today’s professionals as it allows full upper body movement as well as minimal lower body movement.

Is Tennis a Good Workout?

Tennis is by far one of the best exercises your body needs to stay fit. Tennis is a sport that exercises your entire body, predominantly the legs and hands.

The health benefits of tennis to the body are all well immense. If you’re looking for a fun way to shed some weight, tennis Is the right game for you. Regular prancing and stretching would help you burn those calories in no time, what’s better, you’ll have fun while doing so.

In addition, tennis is an excellent cardiovascular exercise that improves your muscular strength while keeping your heart and lungs fit and healthy.

Another benefit of tennis would be that it promotes communalism and social interactions as it requires team play.

Furthermore, tennis is an amazing sport to play if you intend to boost your IQ. The game requires a lot of tactical and coordinated thinking. This somewhat rigorous activity is one sure way to keep your brain active and stimulated.

Learn more: Can I Lose Weight Playing Tennis? (Best Tips Included)