Introduction

Introduction

The main aim of tennis is to hit the ball into the opponent’s side of the court without a return and ‘win enough points to win a game, enough games to win a set and enough sets to win a match’ (BBC Sport, n.d.). With a maximum of two opponents it can be very difficult to score a point easily. A tennis serve has become extremely important and have significantly contributed to the outcome of the match. ‘Historically speaking, John Isner and Nicholas Mahut played the longest match in tennis history at Wimbledon 2010 that lasted for a staggering 11 hours. Isner had hit a record 113 aces with Mahut close behind with 103. 216 aces just in a single match speaks volumes about the importance of an ace’ (Bettor, 2010). When a tennis serve is performed in a game of singles, the opponent stands on the opposite side of the court waiting to retrieve the ball [figure 1]. It is important that the serve produces maximum speed and accuracy because this will give the player the best opportunity to score an ace, allowing them to win a point without a long contested rally.

 

 

Figure 1

Tennis court

server stands on the outside and serves to the opposite side square (closest to the net)