DEVELOPING AN AGGRESSIVE SERVE: ADVANCED PLAYERS ONLY

The Serve is the most aggressive stroke in tennis and the only stroke in which the player has complete control over the ball's placement and speed. It is the only Closed-skill stroke in an Open-skill sport like tennis.

The serve is an opportunity to take control of the point by gaining an advantage over your opponent early in the point. Focusing on the Serve can help players become more dominant in key moments and improve their results quickly.

I've recently been focusing on improving players' mindset during the serve. An aggressive attitude, paired with good technique, will take you a long way. Along with being more positive and optimistic, you'll make better decisions, execute the stroke more confidently, and maintain an aggressive mindset throughout service games.

Negativity hurts your service games because it leads to conservative decisions about targets and overall execution. If you merely get the ball in to start a rally due to conservatism or because stress has tightened you physically, it’s going to be difficult to hold serve at big moments. This is particularly true in the women's game, where many players do not take full advantage of their serve in matches. In the men's game, a grateful opponent will almost immediately exploit any drop in the quality of the serve.

The Serve can help you dominate the point from the start

Sometimes, a player can hold serve comfortably throughout a set. Still, at the most critical moments of a match, the serve can let them down, and the added pressure can make them conservative or physically tight, affecting consistency and effectiveness when it matters most.

As a player, it's also essential to consider the type of service you want 3-5 years from now. What kind of service will you need to continue improving to better deal with stronger opponents in the years to come?

Most players think about increasing serve speed when they look to improve their Serve. Still, your best option is to develop versatility by having a wide range of serves such as a wide slice, flat, a kicker, and a level of consistency yet aggressive, accurate and intelligent.  If that sounds like a tall order, it is, but if you want to progress in professional tennis, your serve must be all those things. 

Increasing the speed of your serve will only do so
much; at higher levels you need to increase the
versatility of your serve, 

I've found a simple process to improve a player's aggressiveness, variety, and accuracy and to do all this under pressure during those pressure situations,

STEP ONE: Isolate the Importance of the Serve

• Play a tie-break to 5 points that focuses solely on the serve and the return
• Reward the server with the point if they can hit an ace or unreturnable serve
• If the Returner can make the Return, they win the point. There are no rallies.

By eliminating the groundstroke rally, you focus the player's attention on the serve, which they usually need to do more in matches. It creates an aggressive mindset on the first and second serve because conservatism isn't rewarded here.

You will also begin to see the weaknesses in the server's game. They may not be able to hit big enough, or they may lack versatility.

The players will initially "go for everything" but soon settle down and try to land more of their best serves in the service box. This may be the first drill they have done where they must unleash serves to the limit of their ability. Again, after some time, the player will become more comfortable going "big" with their serve and trying to win the point outright.

At the professional level, your service must be highly effective yet consistent at the same time. A player facing a break point only has one opportunity to serve their way out of trouble and find their target.

Encourage players to go big or go home. Conservatism doesn’t get you out of challenging moments when serving.

STEP TWO: Alternate between two mindsets

Tennis needs a flexible brain to adapt to the different phases during a match. The mindset required for the Serve at the highest level differs from that of the rally. But if a serve is returned, you must still be able to change gears and play an effective rally point.

The player becomes comfortable in both modes by alternating between the two mindsets.

• Introduce the "No Winner Game" and alternate between the 5-point Serve and Return game.
• The Returner must now return the ball beyond the service Line to win the point
•  Look for mindset changes between the Serve, Return, and No Winner Game. 

You should start to see these mindset changes. The service points will become aggressive and urgent, while the No Winner Game will demand patience and a more calculated mindset. You are now beginning to form a more ruthless approach to the Service points that were missing before.

The Service points will become aggressive yet well-planned and calculated, and the execution of these services will start to be successful when needed.

Include a Returner to keep the drill real

STEP THREE: Accuracy Drill

• Stand on the baseline and wrist balls to specific lines (1) Deuce wide (2) Centre line (3) Ad court wide, while competing with another player(s)
• If a player hits the designated line, they can progress to the next line target
• The first player to complete all three targets wins

This drill shows the player that accuracy comes from the wrist, particularly how much feel you have for late and early wrist pronation/snap.

Time spent developing your serve is well spent, and positive results can appear quite soon.