Myth of "Heavy" Shot Explained - Part 4 & final

[jonolau]

**Article from www.tennisplayer.net by John Yandell (please contact John directly if you need more clarification and acknowledgements)**

Spin on Women's Serves

On the women's side, the overall picture was quite similar to the men. Of the 6 players studied, all but Mary Jo Fernandez averaged more spin on the first serve than on the forehand. Lindsay Davenport was the highest at 2678rpm averaged over 9 first serves, about twice the amount of spin as on her forehand. Venus Williams, known for having the most powerful first serve in women's tennis, averaged virtually the same spin rate as Davenport, 2598rpm, but also averaged slightly more velocity--94mph versus Davenport's average of 90mph.

Women's First Serve

Player: No. of Serves: Avg MPH: RPM Range: Avg RPM:
Lindsay Davenport 9 90mph 1875-3488rpm 2678rpm
Venus Williams 8 94mph 624-3750rpm 2598rpm
Anna Kournikova 12 91mph 1250-3061rpm 2250rpm
Martina Hingis 5 --- 1000-3947rpm 2103rpm
Monica Seles 9 95mph 455-1579rpm 1287rpm
Mary Jo Fernandez 9 86mph 357-1579rpm 601rpm

On the second serve, 5 of the 7 women studied averaged over 3000rpm. Like the men, the second serve is the fastest spinning shot in the women's game. Venus Williams recorded the single fastest spinning serve at 4284rpm, averaging over 3600rpm for 8 serves, with an average radar gun reading of 79mph. Martina Hingis was close in terms of spin at an average of 3500rpm, but her second serves had less velocity, averaging 73mph over 7 deliveries.

Women's Second Serve

Player: No. of Serves: Avg MPH: RPM Range: Avg RPM:
Jana Novotna 1 --- 3750rpm 2678rpm
Venus Williams 8 79mph 3000-4284rpm 3621rpm
Martina Hingis 7 73mph 3192-3750rpm 3500rpm
Arantxa Sanchez-V. 1 --- 3333rpm 3333rpm
Mary Pierce 3 --- 3000rpm 3000rpm
Monica Seles 12 77mph 1250-2727pm 2303rpm
Mary Jo Fernandez 5 74mph 882-1250rpm 1059rpm

P/S: Conclusion- Brush up for more spin rather than flattening out your shots for the 'heavy ball' effect.

**Article from www.tennisplayer.net by John Yandell (please contact John directly if you need more clarification and acknowledgements)**