The Strategy Zone: Serve and Return

How do top players use the serve to create Control? The great players win because they understand not only how to hit the ball, but where and when. There are 3 phases to master in developing these same abilities, what we call: Control, Hurt, and Finish. In the last article we looked closely at how great players develop Control in baseline rallies. (Click Here.) Now let's continue to develop our understanding by looking at how you can use your serve to develop control from the first ball of the point. Remember Control means your ability to stretch your opponent and knock them off balance. It's one thing to hit aces, and yes, when your opponent does not touch your serve, you don't have to worry about how to win the rest of the point. Few players, even at the top of the pro game, are blessed with this type of serving ability. In fact the two best players in the world, Justine Henin and Roger Federer, hit relatively few aces. Instead, they use the serve to set up and take control of the point. Andre Agassi was a master of using the serve as the first shot in a sequence...