[SIZE=+2]The "Infamous" Backspin Serve
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..[/SIZE][/FONT]I still use the backspin serve. Why? Well, my opponents tell me that they find it one of the most, if not the most, difficult serve to return..
..I stumbled upon this serve many years ago, when I was first learning the game of tennis. Like most players, I began to serve using a forehand grip. It seemed like the normal thing to do. Besides, when I used this grip, I could generate lots of pace - even though many of my serves hit the net. Little by little, I began to learn from my mistakes and develop the serve technique necessary to impart backspin on a first serve hit with pace.
The effect of the serve is devastating. The ball has lots of pace. It is difficult to read where you are intending on placing the serve. The backspin does one of two things, depending on the surface. It will either stay very low after bouncing on clay surfaces or gritty hard courts. On faster surfaces like grass or most indoor courts, the ball actually skips as it makes contact with the court surface..
..you need to use an
eastern forehand grip. Now, I don’t want to show pictures of this grip, because each player needs to adjust her/his grip slightly.
Suffice it to say that this is not the semi-western grip that most players use today on their forehand groundstrokes. Instead, this is the "old school," traditional, "shake hands with the racquet grip."
..
Boris Becker was one of the few players that I have seen who used an
eastern forehand grip for his serves…all of them!!! When I observed him playing in person, I realized why he was so effective on the grass at Wimbledon. His serves had lots of pace, but they frequently skip or would stay low due to the backspin. I am relatively certain that his opponents would remark that his placement of serve was an additional element in his success..
