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Watched a friend play in a tourney today. Ordinarily he has a great serve. But repeatedly he was either hitting it out or just tapping it in. What is it about the serve that makes people freak out under pressure? I don't see people suddenly go around wimpy forehands or hitting patty-cake...

Here's something I need to get better at as a doubles player: Figuring out where the ball is going to go BEFORE it crosses the net. I can do it well I am receiving a serve or when someone is going to lob me. But have trouble when we are all at the service line and the ball is zooming around. I...

YouTube link doesn't work Larry, it doesn't take me to the serve video, it just takes me to the homepage.

Can someone speak to how the right timing can add power? Two things I have noticed: At the beginning of my serve, if I start to lower my racquet arm just a second before I start to raise my tossing arm, it helps speed up that arm so I can get the racquet down and then up (typical trophy pose) in...

Someone watching me serve from across the court observed that I land or shift to the left afterward (I serve right handed). I have a feeling that might be giving me weight-transfer problems that are shaving off some power. Is this a problem anyone has heard of, and how do you correct it? He said...

I serve much better when I'm on the court alone doing practice serves with a bucket of balls and not in a match. Other people have told me the same thing happens to them. They get in a match and start pulling back on their serves, not going full blast. How do we get over this fear factor? Any...

I can't imagine mastering a Sampras-type serve, because that really means stretching so much that your back is to the court, which would totally throw off my toss. So maybe a modified Roddick-type serve is better for those of us without that Sampras-like flexibility or coordination? For me...

Sentinel, what do you mean by shoulder being parallel to the baseline? You mean his arm was parallel as he took the racquet back? Also, ross K, what do you mean by abbreviated? When I watch them on TV it's so quick I can't quite tell, and the placement of the camera doesn't help. But it seems...

I think I've actually gained weight playing doubles a few times a week instead of going to the gym. I really wonder if even taking a brisk walk for a half hour burns more calories than doubles, unless you are constantly chasing lobs, and even then, it's just short spurts of exercise.

I don't understand the real purpose of making the big circle when you take the racquet back to serve, because then everyone just pauses in that position, anyway. Why not just take it back like you're going to hit an overhead, or the way Andy Roddick does it? What is gained by making the circle?

What's the best way to avoid getting angry when you play badly? And what's the best way to avoid showing it if you are? I play doubles socially and see people getting upset all the time, turning pretty negative and icy. It's not like there's anything big at stake. Why do people get so...

I think there has to be a way to make it more accessible to people who want to start in their middle years but work a ton of time ...a lot of people can't play 5 times a week and don't want to go out and get exhausted and yelled at by coaches who can't appreciate they have other lives and...

Geez, I mean my LEFT hip.

I'm a right-handed server. Is it advisable to lean or thrust my right hip into the court just as I toss and before I serve? I think it helps to shift weight into the serve, also it seems to be a hinge for the shoulder turn ... I am wondering if I should do this less/more. Feedback?

I am an intermediate player who has always had trouble hitting with topspin. I just love to hit the ball flat. Plus, hitting with a lot of topspin hurts my arm. Also, I have a very vicious underspinning backhand that moves fast and lands at people's feet. It's a great weapon! But a coach...

So in other words, if I am in the service box or near the net, back up, right?

The club I joined recently after not playing steadily for a couple of years routinely matches me with people who are at least one level above me. I hear it's good to play up, but those very lopsided scores are really no fun. I am trying to improve, but I can't possibly play more than 3 times a...

I have run into this a few times lately: someone who doesn't have all the proper strokes but still is a pretty good athlete and at some point just holds the racquet up straight and swats hard at the ball. It's not an overhead or a volley ..... but you know the ball is going to come at you very...

My toss is inconsistent. When tossing, is it better to have your wrist and palm in a laid back position, or should you hold the ball more as if you are holding a cup, on the side? Also, do you think that toss-assist hand brace that Brad Gilbert endorses could be helpful to practice with?

Doesn't Bartoli's and Roddick's serves -- and for that matter Venus's swinging volleys -- show that you don't have to conform to exactly what the pros and the seasoned players say is the one right way to hit? Isn't it better to go out there and see what works for you, even if it isn't the...

I mean step in after, real quick.

I have discovered it's easier for me to serve if I am standing about 7-10'' back from the baseline rather than right at the line. I just feel less worried the ball will sail out and I feel better about using more power, which is something I really need to improve. Is there any problem with...

What do you think about using a different racquet if you are playing singles or doubles? I need more power at the baseline for singles, more manueverability at the net for doubles. Do players have different racquets depending on whether they are playing singles or doubles?

27 vs 27.5 How can half an inch on the length make that much difference on how your arm feels? I am not doubting your experience, just don't understand why. Also, interestingly, the ad shows that Dunlop's weight at 72, but the racquet itself, which I am demo-ing, shows it at 69.

Stiffness Thanks, Goober. Most of the racquets I like do have the 27.5 length. But the Volkl's stiffness is just 68, so that is better than the Dunlop, too. Or is that difference really meaningless, not enough?

I am an intermediate player with an elbow problem, but I don't like the way I play with a head-light, heavy racquet. I need something oversize with more power, but not too head heavy. I am now trying to decide between a Volkl DNX 3 and a Dunlop 900 Aerogel. The Volkl looks better on paper --...

This is a problem even when I go long periods without playing tennis. I am now taking Naxopren prescribed by a doctor, and it doesn't appear to be helping much. I am also icing twice a day taking it easy, sportswise, and using Kinesio tape, but this just isn't going away. It's been months. Any...

If I am prone to elbow problems, is it better to hit flat or with topspin?

Help! After not playing for months and playing with a tennis elbow band the other day, my old tennis elbow does not hurt, but I have swelling and pain in my inner tennis elbow area and under the elbow on the inside of my forearm. I think I might have had the band on too tight? What else could...

I know a lot on this site is about how to play better and win. But does anyone have any tips for how to play in a way that doesn't aggravate, or even mitigates, tennis elbow? I'm not asking about equipment, I know all about getting a balanced racquet, etc., and how to have it strung, and...