Flat Serve

Beginnerserve

Feet at 45 degrees to the baseline, weight balanced, ball in tossing hand.

A powerful first serve hit at maximum height with a flat racket face for pure speed and penetration.

Key points

•Consistent toss slightly in front
•Trophy position — racket behind the head
•Full extension at contact — highest reachable point
•Follow-through across the body

Practice with Coach Elena

Camera setup tips

· Place the camera side-on to you, 2 to 3 metres away.
· Keep your whole body in frame, head to feet.
· Phone on a tripod or a laptop webcam both work.
· Perform the movement, pause, repeat. Your coach speaks every 15 seconds.

Theory & Technique

The flat serve is the fastest serve in tennis and the foundation of a strong service game. It begins with a smooth ball toss placed slightly in front and to the hitting-arm side of your body. As the ball rises, your body moves into the 'trophy position' — weight on the back foot, knees bent, racket behind the head, tossing arm pointing up. From there, you explode upward, uncoiling your legs, hips, and shoulders in sequence. Contact the ball at full arm extension — the highest point you can reach — with a flat racket face aimed directly at your target. The follow-through sweeps across and down to the opposite hip.

Fun Fact

The fastest serve ever recorded in professional tennis was 263.4 km/h (163.7 mph) by Sam Groth in 2012. At that speed, the returner has less than 0.4 seconds to react!

Watch the real thing

Learn from real coaches first. Your live scoring compares you to the reference figure above; these videos are for learning, and stay with their creators on YouTube.